Lemongrass House Handmade Spa Products

My first introduction to Lemongrass House was the GWP that came with the PETS Singapore magazine some time back. The second, was when I was grocery shopping at 313@Somerset, and going down the escalator, I looked around to see where the wonderful smell of lemongrass was coming from. Lately, for some reason or another, I've been crazy about lemongrass, to the extent of ordering hot lemongrass tea whenever I dine at PS Cafe. And you might know that I used to abhor the taste of lemongrass in curries. Maybe I just miss Phuket, beach holidays and spa-ing myself crazy.

Well, third time lucky, I was inducted into the history and culture of Lemongrass House when I was invited to a special event for bloggers at their Raffles City branch and given some goodies. Well, I have not tried the products yet, so no reviews for now, except for the lemongrass shower gel which I zoned in on that very same night. Although their products do not contain sulphates like SLS, the shower gel foamed up very well, unlike most natural products. Perhaps it's because they do use sodium cocoyl glutamate in their shower gels. The scent is strong enough, during use, to provide aromatherapeutic benefits, but it does not stay on the skin. Good if you intend to use perfume after your shower, but that night, I just wished the scent had stuck around for a little bit longer.

Started as a stall set up by an American in Chatuchak Market, they expanded quickly when major hotels in Phuket sought to customise a signature scent for their guests to associate with and remember them by. You can't find those customised scents in their retails shops, but they do have quite a few rather unique scents that I hardly see anywhere else, like Pomelo and Royal Lotus. However, I could do with a mega dose of this everyday!

I asked Sara, who owns Lemongrass House here in Singapore, why they aren't using glass bottles, which are more eco-friendly, instead of the plastic ones I see. You might know I have a special fondness for glass bottles. I even insisted on a glass countertop for my kitchen despite the fact that it could chip or break should I drop something heavy on it. She said that customers prefer plastic bottles as they are very forgiving of clumsy hands. So poor me. On the brighter side, the small plastic spray and pump bottles can always be reused when one is travelling, or they can be recycled at the shop itself. Every 5 empty bottles entitles you to $4 off your next purchase.

However, if you insist on being a tree hugger, they do have some products housed in glass bottles, like the reed diffusers and massage oils. Damn, I miss massages.

These cute soaps caught my attention as I was browsing. Some have aloe vera chunks in them and others don't. Needless to say, I was biased. I don't know why, but the first thing I thought of was Lush. Lush has much cuter and more colorful soaps and bubble bombs, but the scents are too artificial and cloying for my taste. Now, if only Lemongrass House would decide to come up with something similar but natural of course, I'd be the first to haul! Oh, I'd have to get a bathtub first. Soon, soon!

I've never thought of fig as a skincare scent but as a dried fruit that came in a mix bag of nuts. I thought it would smell like something dry and musty, but it was surprisingly sweet and woody.

The other thing that caught my attention was the Towel Cologne. I was stumped. Do people perfume their handkerchiefs? Most likely it's for those wet towels given to guests in Chinese restaurants, but aren't those being replaced by disposable wet tissues manufactured by Freshening? Even so, why are they retailing towel cologne to the public? Well, it says on the packaging to pour a tablespoon of the cologne into a wash basin of water, soak a face towel and it for 5 minutes and then wring it and store it in the refrigerator for later use. A novel idea, but I thought of using it like Jurlique's AHC or Dr Hauschka's Facial Steam Bath. If you think that isn't quirky enough, I was told that a capful or two can be added to your wash cycle in lieu of fabric softener, and you'll end up with laundry smelling like lemongrass, jasmine or even royal lotus :)

Well, their products do not contain harmful preservatives like parabens, and hence, have to be used up within 6 months, so woe betide me as I will have to push aside my truckload of skincare to use these first. On the bright side, a review might be coming up pretty soon :)

Lemongrass and Green Tea Moisturising Jojoba Beads Body Scrub before my dinner and movie date with the boy tonight!