Polynesia Monoi Miracle Oil

Last year I got myself a The Body Shop 'Love Your Body' card when I went in to buy 'Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream'. I wasn't overly impressed with that so I won't be writing about that. However I thought that the card sounded like a good idea so I signed up. The 'Love Your Body' card costs £5, is valid for a year and entitles you to 10% off every time you make a purchase. Everytime you use the card you get a stamp, and once you've got 4 stamps you get a free gift up to the value of £5. This is great since it means that essentially the card is free. When you get 8 stamps you can choose a gift up to the value of £10. And if that isn't enough then you also get a free birthday gift up to the value of £5.

Image: The Body Shop

Ever since I got my card I have received emails from The Body Shop with various offers but have never got around to making a purchase online. Then, at the end of April, on the day I received an email with a special Royal Wedding discount code, I read about The Body Shop 's Monoi Miracle Oil in Elle magazine's brilliant Beauty supplement. In the feature 'Your Summer Starts Here,' they recommended adding a few drops of this oil to your normal body lotion to amp up your skin's moisture levels in the build up to the holiday season. Apparently French beauty therapists swear by this trick, but not knowing any French beauty therapists, I can't vouch for this! However, I have seen a number of Monoi oils over recent years, Hei Poa perhaps being the most well-known brand, so was keen to give this a try.

When I went on the site I was rather pleased to discover that in addition to the 30% discount code, there was also a 'Buy One Get One Half Price' offer on certain items, and I was eligible for free delivery - all things guaranteed to put a smile on this beauty blogger's face! I decided to stock up on the oil and so bought four, which cost me £21 as opposed to £40 thanks to all of the offers. If ever I meet Prince William & Princess Kate, or should I say the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge, I must remember to thank them for getting married thus leading to a flood of discount codes in my inbox!

Monoi (pronounced mah-noy) oil is made from soaking the petals of Tahitian gardenias (Tiare) in coconut oil, and has been used by Tahitians for thousands of years. It is a multi-purpose oil which can be used on your skin and your hair.

I have been really impressed with this product. A couple of drops in my usual body lotion provides a boosted level of hydration. Sometimes I just use the oil by itself if I want something a bit more luxurious. The oil has a delicate gardenia and coconut fragrance which is just strong enough to provide a lovely scent but not too much to be overpowering. I found that the oil absorbs easily and gives a nice sheen to the skin. I have also taken to adding a couple of drops to my shower gel to hydrate my skin while I shower, which is great for when I'm in a rush and haven't got time to moisturise after a shower. I have yet to try it on my hair but I will do so soon and let you know how it goes.

If you would like to try this then you can get it from The Body Shop here (£10 for 150ml)

The Body Shop regularly has lots of online offers on their products (e.g. until 10am this Friday they're offering a free body scrub when you buy a body butter) and has free delivery when you spend over £20, so it's definitely worth checking out their site. 

Have you tried this or any other Monoi oils, and if so, what did you think?