“A body conditioner works just like a hair conditioner, but on your body,” reads the label on Lush’s body conditioner, African Paradise. Translation: This is the product you need if you cannot live with skin dryness. It’s heavy-duty stuff.
I approached African Paradise as if it were a hair conditioner and rubbed on a handful after a shower. It smelled nutty, like melted chocolate — a result of the cocoa and shea butter rounding out the ingredients list. Other oils, including almond, moringa, and baobab, make the conditioner into a moisturizing magnet. I let it sit on my skin for about a minute (the directions don’t indicate how long you should wait), and then rinsed. It left a residue on my skin that eventually disappeared to make way for softer, smoother skin.
African Paradise won’t replace a body cream (it’s not as moisturizing by itself, due to the required rinse), but it’s a helpful intermediary step that enhances a lotion or cream and makes it last longer. It’s safe to say that this moisturizing mini-step just earned a permanent position in my skin-care routine.
African Paradise Body Conditioner, $39.95 at Lush.