Aromatherapy Handwash For Stress Relief By Laurel1 on Dec 15, 2007 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

It seems that aromatherapy is ubiquitous in today's society. From candles and room fragrances, to massage oils and bubblebath, there is a scent for every mood. Now Bath & Body Works has given us Stress Relief in a Hand Soap.

Aromatherapy Stress Relief combines the essential oils of peppermint (to refresh the mind and combat mental fatigue) and Rosemary (to improve the clarity of thinking, and for creativity) into a liquid soap made with aloe and cucumber extract to soothe and soften your skin. The convenient pump bottle makes it easy to use; wet your hands, add one pump of soap, and inhale deeply as you lather up your hands. Although this is not an anti-bacterial soap, most current studies show that washing your hands long enough (at least 20 seconds) in hot water with a non-anti-bacterial soap works even better at removing bacteria, viruses, and just plain dirt from your hands than a quick job with the anti-bacterial soap does. On top of that, many bacteria are developing immunities to the anti-bacterial agents, further decreasing the value of anti-bacterial soap.

I honestly don't know if the mint and rosemary combat mental fatigue and improve my creativity, but I do know that this 12 ounce bottle contains a soap with a pleasant fresh scent, and leaves my hands feeling soft, not stripped. The price tag fits nicely into my budget, and I'll be happy to buy another bottle in a few months. Five stars for stress relief from tranquil mint!