Cowshed Grumpy Cow bath & shower gel and body lotion review

I was recently very lucky to be given the opportunity to try out a couple of items from the Cowshed range free of charge. Cowshed is a UK company that makes natural products that are free from parabens, sulphates, petrochemicals and artificial fragrances, initially formulated for use in the Cowshed Spa, Babington House. After browsing the website to decide exactly what kind of Cow I am, I chose Grumpy Cow (the uplifting, citrus blend) and Cowshed sent me the bath and shower gel and the body lotion to use and review.

I know it's shallow, but the bottles look good in the bathroom; I love the black and white prints on the labels. The shower gel is nice and thick (a lot of organic/natural shower gels have an odd, very runny texture) and foams well (although not excessively) without stripping the skin of moisture. The body lotion is unctuous - a very thick whipped cream texture that sinks in well and doesn't leave the skin feeling greasy. This is a very good formulation - it has aloe vera, shea butter and cocoa butter in it, so it moisturises very effectively but you don't have to wait half an hour after applying it to get dressed.

The fragrance is a blend of red mandarin, petitgrain and grapefruit. It's a soft herby citrus sniff, and it's working very well under my new Jo Malone Vanilla & Anise cologne.

As well as being a nice self-indulgence, these products would make a lovely gift for anyone with the right sense of humour - I'll be buying my sister some Moody Cow, or possibly Lazy Cow, stuff for Christmas.

The main ranges have a high concentration of essential oils, and should not be used when you are pregnant, but there is also a range for pregnant ladies called Udderly Gorgeous (well done Cowshed for keeping with the theme, but not actually using the word "cow" in the title - from personal experience during the gestation of Miss London I know I would not have seen the funny side at the time.)  These look particularly good - and I approve of the use of sea buckthorn in the formulations as a very effective emollient. My skin was incredibly dry and itchy when I was pregnant and I'd have loved the bath and shower gel and the stretch mark balm. Boys and babies aren't left out either - there is a men's range (Bullocks) and a baby range too (Baby Cow.)

You can find out more about Cowshed, and buy the products, at www.cowshedonline.com. Both the bath and show gel and the body lotion are £16 each for 300ml, and I will definitely be buying more from this line.