A couple years ago Dove was having a promotion; if you sent in a receipt(s) wherein you proved your purchase of $15+ in Dove, you received a t-shirt with an inspirational message. I picked "Be yourself. Be beautiful." I appreciated their campaign for real beauty. Unfortunately I didn't appreciate their products as much, in particular the strong artificial scents of their products. I hate to throw things out so I started putting Dove lotion on my dry elbows & legs at night since it wouldn't bother me while I was sleeping. It didn't bother me but did bother a certain boyfriend who I share living quarters with. He banned it from our apartment and thrifty me passed it on to my mother rather than bin it. This was over a year ago. Now last time I visited my parents I forgot my lotion. Perhaps conveniently so..Mom's been buying Body Shop products a lot lately and I can't get enough of their hemp lotion. What did I discover in her cabinet but this same lotion! She didn't like the smell either. I tried to convince her to toss it. Don't think she did...guess that's where I get it from.
Since sending off for this t-shirt I've been privy to Dove mailings of samples & coupons. Somehow they found me at my new address. So did my dentist. Weird...since I didn't notify either. They must be connected to the master database. Anyway, they sent me a sample of their new energizing Grapefruit & Lemongrass shampoo & conditioner today. I gave it a try tonight, despite my attachment to my Trader Joe brand hair care products. I love anything citrus and lemongrass seems wholesome enough. I guess the problem (or blessing) is that I prefer to buy natural/organic products when costs are not prohibitive or as an occasional splurge. My nose is in love with the smell of grapefruit and can pick out imposters with ease. The shampoo put me off right away. The conditioner wasn't so bad but I'm still partial to the citrus line at TJs. While purchasing the shampoo there one day, I had two different conversations about the virtues of that particular shampoo. Everyone at Trader Joe's is so darn chatty & chipper all the time. A couple was debating purchasing it when I walked up and grabbed 3 bottles (it's on the other side of town so when I'm there I stock up). I guess this marked me an authority in the matter so they asked me why I liked it and proclaimed my hair "great." This would be great marketing - I considered getting another bottle right then and there but my poor little basket was already overflowing. The cashier talked about how popular it was and how great it smells. I added how much I liked that I knew what almost all of the ingredients were. They read more like a recipe than a science experiment. There's a few in there that threw me but then added something helpful in parenthesis like (Vitamin A). And economical to boot. I was wondering why Dove can't provide such a scent. At first I was thinking it must be too expensive but Trader Joe's does it for $1.99 a bottle. Perhaps Dove needs a greater profit margin. Perhaps these dollars that could go to making a better product are put into their marketing campaigns that have caught my eye. I'll still wear the t-shirt cause I like it's message but I won't be wearing the products.
