Tried and Tested — The Best Body Washes at Your Drugstore

There’s one beauty/personal care product that I use every day, that beyond a shadow of doubt can help to affect my mood and lift my emotions. And that product is body wash. A good body wash can wash the exhaustedness away and bring me joy in the morning. A trash body wash can diminish the whole shower experience, leaving me awash in regret. I don’t have the time or the patience. We only support awesome body washes around here.

Let me put you up on the best I’ve tried lately, all from the drugstore, in no particular order. And please share your faves with me!

Dove — I’m a fan of Dove body wash in general — rich, beautifully scented, highly effective. But have you tried Dove Showerfoam yet? Y’ALL. It is heavenly! So light, so fluffy and it smells incredible. My only issue is we ran through the bottle pretty fast (I think I used more than I’m supposed to. But it smells so good)! It comes in varieties of Dove body wash that I already love, like Shea Butter With Warm Vanilla and Cucumber and Green Tea. I’m hoping they add more scents over time, because the formulation is a winner!

Olay — Olay makes some of my favorite body washes. Thick, moisturizing, great fragrance, lasting softness. Their latest that I’ve tried is Ultra Moisture Body Wash With Shea Butter and it is everything this shea butter lover hoped for. Rich, creamy, supremely silky and long lasting for skin that needs deep moisture.

Neutrogena — I’ve had a long lasting love for Neutrogena as a brand, because they don’t futz around with a million formulations. They serve the people what works best and their bodywash category is a perfect illustration of this. Neutrogena offers two body wash varieties. There’s Body Clear, a 2% Salicylic Acid wash which targets bacne and other body breakouts, and there’s Rainbath, their highly fragranced, decadent, woman-of-luxury-and-taste brand (or at least that’s how I see it). I’m a big Rainbath fan, as my description might indicate.

Caress — If you’re into highly fragranced, rich, thickly lathering  body washes then you should already be familiar with Caress. Their “Forever” fragrances are more complex and intriguing than your typical body wash ranges allow. Love Forever is “an unforgettable feminine fragrance of scarlet roses and dark, lush berries,” and Adore Forever is “an unforgettable feminine fragrance of angel face rose and lush vanilla,” to give you an idea.

 

Nubian Heritage — I’ve made my love and respect for Nubian Heritage known before, right here on Afrobella (click here to read)! They make some great body washes, with scent combinations that make both me and my husband happy. I find it hard to choose a favorite, so I encourage you to go to Vitamin Shoppe and pick your fave. If you’re not sure where to start, I’d recommend Indian Hemp and Haitian Vetiver — it’s a grown and sexy take on the usual body wash fragrances you’re used to.

Dr. Bronner — That familiar bold label with the distinctive label has a place of honor in many a shower. I’m a big fan of just about every Dr. Bronner product I’ve tried, but IMO not every Dr. Bronner product is ideal for all-over use (I’m looking at you, peppermint). My favorites are almond and rose (but they can be harder to find in-store, so I usually buy online).

Method — If you think of Method as a brand of housecleaning products you’d be partially right (I use SO many of their products to clean my home) but you’d be sleeping on a whole new category of cleansers they’re offering. They come in several scents but this isn’t intended to be a highly fragranced body wash in general. So far Magnolia is my favorite of all Method body washes, it’s a lovely, gentle floral that feels great on my skin.

IMO from what I’ve tried and tested, these are the best body washes at the drugstore (and most major retail stores) right now. What are your faves? Did I miss a brand I need to try? Tell me!