Palmer's Cocoa Butter Moisturizing Body Oil

I had never heard of Palmer’s until a couple of months ago, so the chances are that some people on here haven’t heard of the brand yet either. If you read my review on their ‘Cocoa Butter’ you will know that I passed their products many times in Boots but never investigated further as the packaging looked so cheap. I soon realised the error of my ways after my sister introduced me to the wonderful smoothing effects of the Cocoa Butter. Although the ...
...ever used, you need a fair amount if you wish to cover the whole of your body. I only use it on my legs because they get dry, but it still uses more than I would like to.

When I saw that Palmer’s had a 2 for £6 offer on everything I quickly snapped up a pot of Cocoa Butter and decided to try some of their Moisturizing Body Oil.


~ The container ~

Let’s get the slating over and done with….
... more

I had never heard of Palmer’s until a couple of months ago, so the chances are that some people on here haven’t heard of the brand yet either. If you read my review on their ‘Cocoa Butter’ you will know that I passed their products many times in Boots but never investigated further as the packaging looked so cheap. I soon realised the error of my ways after my sister introduced me to the wonderful smoothing effects of the Cocoa Butter. Although the butter is one of the best body moisturisers I have ever used, you need a fair amount if you wish to cover the whole of your body. I only use it on my legs because they get dry, but it still uses more than I would like to.

When I saw that Palmer’s had a 2 for £6 offer on everything I quickly snapped up a pot of Cocoa Butter and decided to try some of their Moisturizing Body Oil.

~ The container ~

Let’s get the slating over and done with….

The oil is contained within a medium sized slimline bottle with a label that looks rather outdated. To be brutally honest, it looks foul – but what does it really matter? Moisturiser is used at home, there is no need to be flashing it around in public (oh, the shame!)

It has a lid which you push down on one side and a little hole flips up on the opposite (like some shampoo bottles do). When I bought it there was a seal over the inside of the lid to avoid leakage and tampering of the contents.

~ The oil ~

When you remove the foil seal on the lid and put your nose to the bottle you can faintly smell coconut lightly mixed with chocolate (sounds strange, but it works). It is not so strong that it is intrusive, but it is strong enough that you can smell it immediately after application to your skin. It is a similar pale yellow colour to vegetable cooking oil.

~ Texture ~

Oily – hmm, I guess that was obvious! It is very oily though, unlike some more expensive oils which melt into your skin instantly (ahem, Origins – Birthday Suit mmm). Admittedly this does take a little absorbing, which is why I only feel comfortable applying it to my legs, anything else would feel a little greasy and nasty. However, for the cheap price we’re willing to give it a little extra time to work its magic aren’t we?

~ Application ~

Exactly the same as you would apply normal moisturiser in a cream form. Just put a little bit of the product either on your hand or on the desired area and massage in.

It sounds simple enough but here is the biggest problem with this product. Remember that flip top lid I mentioned earlier? Why, oh why? It is terrible – the oil leaks all down the side of the bottle and makes an annoying oily mess. I was rather annoyed at this after the first application but because the result was so brilliant that I vowed to resolve this problem.

In Boots they sell separate little empty pump spray bottles for around £1. Ok, so this adds to the cost, but you only ever need to buy one and it makes life a whole lot easier using this. I poured a small amount of the oil into the spray bottle and hey presto – perfect! It sprays out in small amounts as opposed to the silly pouring mechanism of the Palmer’s bottle which dispenses too much.

Palmer’s suggest that you apply it directly to your damp skin and then pat it dry after a few seconds. I guess this may help with the absorption rate, but I don’t do this as I like to feel the full benefit of a leg full of oil.

~ Results ~

I find that I can get my legs to be soft with other products, but they always feel *silky* soft with oil – so much better. This oil is no exception. I apply it pretty much every night just before bed when I get out of the bath/shower. I don’t really know how I coped without this product – well, I do, I just had dry, slightly rough skin on my legs!

~ How does it work? ~

Well this product states that it contains Vitamin E, which is essential to the maintenance of healthy skin. It helps to keep it young, supple and toned, not to mention moisturised.

~ Does it live up to its claims? ~

Palmer’s claim: “Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Moisturizing Body Oil is a light oil formulated with pure Cocoa Butter and Vitamin E to help soften and soothe tough, dry skin. This rich formula absorbs quickly, allowing you to put on even the most delicate of fabrics immediately.”

It definitely lives up to all the moisturising claims. I am not sure about the delicate fabric claim though. I would hesitate to put on satin clothes or say, pyjamas after applying this; I would definitely leave it a while.

~ Tips ~

1) This product is far more effective if you exfoliate your skin first. If you fail to do this, all you are doing is moisturising dead skin cells which will remain on the surface and prevent your skin from feeling as soft as it could.

2) This and Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula are great for application after a fake tan. It keeps the skin beautifully soft and maintains the tan for longer.

3) You can also use this as a moisturising bath oil. You just pour a little in and it makes your skin nice and soft while you relax. The only down side to this is that it leaves the bath very slippery and greasy and will require cleaning afterwards, but I can confirm that it does leave your skin nice and soft. Probably best for the day before housework is done!

4) A little warm water and a few drops of this in a bowl is perfect for a pre-manicure soak. It helps to soft up the nails and cuticles.

5) I use Decleor nail oil, but occasionally I will use this to soften my cuticles (to stimulate better growth). It is a bit messy to apply via the spray mechanism though, so I recommend that you either spray some on a part of your body that you want to moisturise and then use the leftovers *OR* empty out some old nail varnish that you don’t want and use that bottle!

~ Price and availability ~

I think that this product is fairly cheap for the marvellous effect it has on my skin. I have had my bottle for over two months and it is not yet half gone (that is using it nearly every night to do my legs and including using some for baths). It costs (£4.50 check price) for 250ml, which seems relatively inexpensive to me, considering the last body oil I used was Decleor and cost £21, achieving a similar result.

I have seen this sold absolutely everywhere. They sell it in most chemists, Boots, Superdrug and even some bigger supermarkets. Quite often they have a 2 for £6 offer on in Boots, so when I see this on I take advantage as it’s an even better buy.

~ Website ~

Palmer’s website is: http://www.palmerscocoabutter.com
It is a bit old-skool style (lol) but there is all the background information you could possibly want to know about the products they sell.

One star is removed for the terrible packaging design, and it could absorb slightly quicker for my liking.

 carly_pussycat - Ciao UK © 

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