Do you like to receive bath products for gifts?

[lynn]

I love to get Bath and Body works and philosophy shower gels, lotions etc as gifts. I am not very picky about the scents. Most of my friends also like BBW. My sil on the other hand announced that she did not want any more bath products because she doesn't stink. I am guessing she is offended that she gets bath products because people think she stinks?? She has never come right out and said I prefer another scent, brand, allergies etc. Do you like to get and/or give bath products as gifts. If so which doyou like to give/receive etc.

Edited December 7, 2009 by lynn

[Unicorn.]

I only give them when people specifically ask for certain brands/scents. I do like soap from BBW, but am very sensitive to smells, so I don't like getting them as gifts. And I never use the lotions- really, really hate those!

[Avila]

I have sensitive skin, and I have trouble using some of the soaps and lotions. I can't do any of the bubble bath or bath salts, so it is just lotion and shower gel for me. I do fine with any of the BBW stuff, and I like it. My favorite is Philosophy, but that costs more!

[Parrothead]

I like them as gifts, but would prefer to get "the good king." (I don't mean to sound snobby) And there are certain scents I really can't stomach.

 

If I get something (lower end) I know I won't use, I'll give it to someone I know will - dd.

 

If I get something from somewhere like BBW that I don't like, I'll regift it to an adult I know will like it.

[myfunnybunch]

I like some things. Lotions, lip balms, etc. My dh and my mother buy me lovely soaps from the handmade soap booth at the Holiday market, and those are always welcome. Those bath-product-in-a-basket gifts are not my favorite because often I don't care for the fragrances or don't use soap-on-a-rope or whatever. (I do, however, graciously thank the giver because they cared enough to choose a gift they thought I'd enjoy. :) ) What I do like are carefully chosen products given by someone who knows what I do and don't use.

 

Is your SIL difficult to buy for? I think sometimes bath products are a default gift for people we don't know what well or if we're not sure what they might like. If she's difficult to buy for she may get "too many" of these type of gifts.

 

The "I don't stink" remark seems to me like it's spoken by someone who's uncomfortable advocating for herself, a little bit crabby about it, and trying to be funny but just sounding crabby. (My sister can be like this, and I understand this because I love her, lol.) She may just not know how to comfortable ask for something different. Can her dh give you some other ideas?

 

Cat

[Impish]

I'm allergic to a lot of things, because too many use lavender or jasmine as a base. So for me, only certain things I can use. My BIL gave me a cheap set of really stinky soaps, bath bombs, etc. Diva was more than happy to use them, and I stayed clear of the bathroom until the scent dissipated.

[JudoMom]

Nope, I don't.

 

I only like certain scents, but due to dry skin I can't use most of them whether I like the scent or not.

 

I thank the giver and pass them along.

[Miss Marple]

I always notice bath/body gift baskets at garage sales unused. I think there are a lot of people who don't like getting them (for whatever reason). Unfortunately, because it is an easy gift to give, many people get too much bath/body supplies to use them up. Maybe SIL is overloaded?

[stripe]

I'm not a big fan, myself.

[OnTheBrink]

For the most part, I hate the smell of vanilla, brown sugar, raspberries and musk. So that eliminates many bath products, because for some odd reason, they keep pairing up lovely fruit or floral scents with vanilla! I greatly dislike food scents and while I loved it when in high school, I can't stomach musk now. My two favorites are B&BW's Rain Kissed Leaves and Philosophy's Amazing Grace.

 

So, if you're going to give me bath stuff, make sure I like it, or it's going to be regifted. And, I like to "stink purty" so bath stuff isn't offensive to me at all.

[Matryoshka]

I hate getting that kind of a thing as a gift. It's not that I'm offended, I just don't use a lot of "stuff" and I what I do use I use and like and I don't really need lots of little bottles of stuff to "try". I usually regift the stuff, or it sits around my cabinets for ages taking up all the space so I can't fit my towels in the linen closet. :glare:

[Sherry in OH]

I like bath salts, but can only use a few brands. The perfume-y ones make me itch. Most of the bath products I receive as gifts go to Goodwill.

[LarlaB]

I LOVE bath stuff, but only bubble bath/foam/oil/salts etc--no lotion or sprays--and preferably only moisturizing, low-scented options. :) Hows that for complex?

[BigMamaBird]

I voted No. I really dislike all those frou-frou, girly scents. I sincerely thank the gifter then promptly toss them when I get home. I really don't like them.

[OnTheBrink]

I voted No. I really dislike all those frou-frou, girly scents. I sincerely thank the gifter then promptly toss them when I get home. I really don't like them.

 

Oh, don't toss them. Donate them to a women's shelter. Stuff like that is definitely a luxury to women in crisis. :001_smile:

[Daisy]

No. I have eczema and horrible reactions to most of that stuff. I can't even walk through Bath and Body Works.

[Brilliant]

...

If I get something (lower end) I know I won't use, I'll give it to someone I know will - dd.

 

If I get something from somewhere like BBW that I don't like, I'll regift it to an adult I know will like it.

 

I voted "NO", and I do what you do...I pass it along to my dd or to someone else.

 

I love BBW stuff, but really like to pick my own scents. So I'd love a gift card from BBW. :)

 

Sometimes friends who are Mary Kay reps give their stuff as gifts. I guess their intentions are good, but to me it seems more like a promotion than a gift.

[MomsintheGarden]

We have sensitive skin, here, too, and are very boring in our skin/hair care products.

 

The only thing I would enjoy receiving would be handmade soaps, of the most gentle kind, only very lightly scented, and light in color.

 

GardenMom

[joannqn]

I hate receiving stuff like that because my skin & smell is so sensitive. It's likely to cause me to itch if I use it, if I can get past the nausea from the scent.

 

I very rarely give it because I can't going into those stores gives me a headache and makes me sick. I'll usually only give them if I KNOW the person loves it and I'm at a loss for something else to get.

 

JoAnn

who's dealing with a major allergy outbreak right now

[*********]

For the most part, I hate the smell of vanilla, brown sugar, raspberries and musk. So that eliminates many bath products, because for some odd reason, they keep pairing up lovely fruit or floral scents with vanilla! I greatly dislike food scents and while I loved it when in high school, I can't stomach musk now. My two favorites are B&BW's Rain Kissed Leaves and Philosophy's Amazing Grace.

 

So, if you're going to give me bath stuff, make sure I like it, or it's going to be regifted. And, I like to "stink purty" so bath stuff isn't offensive to me at all.

 

Michelle, that's too funny, 'cause my all time favorite is Warm Vanilla Sugar Hand Cream from Bath and Body Works. :D

 

I like bath stuff, but not the cheapie stuff. (Ugh, that sounds so snobby, doesn't it?) I mean, I wouldn't like a cheap Walmart brand, 'cause frankly I don't like the smell and feel of most cheap stuff. But pretty much anything from Bath and Body Works would be most appreciated by me. And if I don't like the scent, I can always take it back and exchange it, right?

[AndyJoy]

I'm allergic to 99% of lotions & bath products that I receive. These days I don't even try out ones I get as gifts--I pass them on to someone else if they want them (not as gifts) or take them to the thrift store. I know what products work for me, and while I love the look of the cute sets I'm given, it's not worth the risk for me.

 

I don't keep perfumes, either, unless the person knows my scent. I have one scent that dh and I like, and that's all I wear. Even if I like the new scent, my life is too cluttered and complicated already to keep more than one scent on hand!:001_smile:

[zaichiki]

Obligatory other: I'd rather purchase my own. I have certain things I like and certain things I don't. I wouldn't get offended if someone gave me bath products as a gift, though if I didn't like it I would probably give it to my m-i-l (not as a "regift" but as a "here's something I won't use, would you like it?").

 

ETA: Oh. That wouldn't be "other" would it? Ha. I should have read more carefully. That's another "no thanks." But I like a pp's idea of a BBW gift card.

Edited December 7, 2009 by zaichiki

[Tammyla]

I donate them here too.

[Rosie_0801]

No one I know is going to spend the money to buy organic or chemical free products, so they usually go into the op shop bag.

 

Rosie

[Aubrey]

Could this have been sil's "joking" way of saying she'd prefer not to receive bath products any more?

 

Mil loves bath products for gifts. I don't know if it's her personality or the fact that she's spent the last several decades living w/ 3 men--her sons & dh.

 

Because of mil, then, dh thought when we first married that bath products were "what you get a girl." He's probably right as far as most girls go, but I could take them or leave them, esp when we first married.

 

I could see someone getting bath stuff as a generic girl gift for someone they don't know well, & I could see someone getting to the point that it was really enough & trying to say so in a "funny" way. Maybe?

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I love receiving them. I look forward to my birthday and Christmas because I know my family will replenish my supply. They know which scents I enjoy and I am genuinely happy to receive them as gifts.

[MelanieM]

Not only do I not like most of this stuff for myself, but I seriously wish other people stopped using it as well. The smell of anything with fragrance or perfume in it -- no matter how mild or 'nice' -- makes me physically ill, and seriously impacts my quality of life.

 

Sorry to be a downer, but I'm dealing with this right now with people who visit, want to hold the baby, and then leave some chemical scent all over him to the point where I'm getting sick from holding my own child. <sigh>

[TravelingChris]

My family knows what I like and they can get me that. Others don't and I usually don't like it (or am allergic- I am allergic to lanolin which is in many lotions).

[Dawn in OH]

I do like to get that kind of gift, mostly because it's something I wouldn't spend the money on anymore. I've really cut back on what I buy for myself since we had children. It's not that I HAVE to, my husband is more than willing to give me some many to pamper myself, but I just don't do it.

 

I do have scent issues though. Some smells just BUG me.

 

One year I got what would have been a wonderful shower gel, body spray, lotion gift set but it was coconut, one of the smells I detest.

[joannqn]

Not only do I not like most of this stuff for myself, but I seriously wish other people stopped using it as well. The smell of anything with fragrance or perfume in it -- no matter how mild or 'nice' -- makes me physically ill, and seriously impacts my quality of life.

 

Sorry to be a downer, but I'm dealing with this right now with people who visit, want to hold the baby, and then leave some chemical scent all over him to the point where I'm getting sick from holding my own child. <sigh>

 

Sounds like you have multiple chemical sensitivity. I have a friend with it so I know that it can be really bad. My reaction is mild enough that I'm usually ok if I can move away from the person (ie. move across the table rather than sit next to them). Despite being able to get away from it most of the time, I'm in the same mind set...I'd like to see scents and chemicals go away for the most part.

 

ETA: Given the extreme reaction some people have to chemicals (my friend has neurological systems...has to wear a special face mask in public), I can't see how they are good for anyone, even those not reactive to them...yet.

[jg_puppy]

Michelle, that's too funny, 'cause my all time favorite is Warm Vanilla Sugar Hand Cream from Bath and Body Works. :D

 

I like bath stuff, but not the cheapie stuff. (Ugh, that sounds so snobby, doesn't it?) I mean, I wouldn't like a cheap Walmart brand, 'cause frankly I don't like the smell and feel of most cheap stuff. But pretty much anything from Bath and Body Works would be most appreciated by me. And if I don't like the scent, I can always take it back and exchange it, right?

 

That is exactly how I feel. I have only liked the smell of one Walmart brand lotion set that I have received as a gift. I used that one, but all others I pass on to my dd.

 

Jan

[Perry]

I'm too picky. I'd rather pick out what I like. I'd prefer a gift card.

[Audrey]

I love to get Bath and Body works and philosophy shower gels, lotions etc as gifts. I am not very picky about the scents. Most of my friends also like BBW. My sil on the other hand announced that she did not want any more bath products because she doesn't stink. I am guessing she is offended that she gets bath products because people think she stinks?? She has never come right out and said I prefer another scent, brand, allergies etc. Do you like to get and/or give bath products as gifts. If so which doyou like to give/receive etc.

 

 

I love bath products! However, I voted "only certain brands/scents." I'm not picky about brand, but I really don't like flowery scents. I much prefer crisp, clean scents, or mild fruity scents. I cannot stand vanilla, either.

 

That said, I made it a rule a long time ago, that no matter what someone gives me as a gift, I will find something about it to like, and I will be gracious and thankful that they thought of me at all.

[MelanieM]

Sounds like you have multiple chemical sensitivity. I have a friend with it so I know that it can be really bad. My reaction is mild enough that I'm usually ok if I can move away from the person (ie. move across the table rather than sit next to them). Despite being able to get away from it most of the time, I'm in the same mind set...I'd like to see scents and chemicals go away for the most part.

 

ETA: Given the extreme reaction some people have to chemicals (my friend has neurological systems...has to wear a special face mask in public), I can't see how they are good for anyone, even those not reactive to them...yet.

 

Yes, even based on the number of people here who mentioned headaches and nausea from the smells of some products, that has to tell you something! Fragrances and perfumes are neurotoxins, and really should be avoided by everyone.

 

And even if people aren't bothered by them at all, or don't believe they're particularly dangerous to everyone, then a little sympathy for those of us that have difficulty functioning around this stuff would be nice. Really, it doesn't seem so different than second hand smoke to me.

 

That's unfortunate about your friend; I imagine it's very challenging for her. My mother gets nosebleeds when someone is in her space wearing perfume. Not a nice experience at all!

 

(Now, don't get me started on Febreeze and fabric softeners. <shudder>)

 

That said, I made it a rule a long time ago, that no matter what someone gives me as a gift, I will find something about it to like, and I will be gracious and thankful that they thought of me at all.

 

Yes, I completely agree about being gracious no matter the gift! I have been gifted things I couldn't possibly use myself, but have still been super thankful that the person was kind enough to gift me anything at all. The thought really is what matters.

[tricia]

I have 2 daughters who work for B and B. I am the luckiest mom alive!! I get almost anything I want. And if I actually don't get it they most certainly have it already so I take theirs!!:)

[Amy loves Bud]

Nope. Don't much care to receive candles either.

[BigMamaBird]

Oh, don't toss them. Donate them to a women's shelter. Stuff like that is definitely a luxury to women in crisis. :001_smile:

 

Hmmmm. You make a very good point here. And since we have an enormous Women's Shelter opening up in town, very appropriate. Thanks!

[danybug]

I voted no. I only use all natural bath products at our house. So, I am pretty picky about what I would want or keep. But I would not be offended if people gave them to me (aka thinking I stink).

[rwjx2khsmj]

I have sensitive skin so trying an unknown soap or lotion is just not worth the discomfort that may follow. I also have an aversion to a wide variety of smells. Candles and bath/lotions are two things that I always regift or donate.

[cjzimmer1]

I voted no and give them away but in reality, no I don't like to receive them and they go in the trash as soon as I get home. I find the smells to be nauseating and I don't want them in my house long enough to even pass them on to someone else. So out they go immediately.

[Mrs Mungo]

I like bath products. However, I definitely think you should find out what people like before buying something like that.

 

I voted only certain companies because I boycott Nestle, which has some of these types of companies (such as The Body Shop) in its holdings (because they own a large part of L'oreal, which owns The Body Shop).

[Mommyof4ks]

I don't think people think I stink, but they are giving me things that everyone needs. That said, I don't care for bath products as gifts, because I like my bath stuff and my middle dc is allergic to alot of things and I don't want him to be allergic to me lol.

[Laurie4b]

I love to get Bath and Body works and philosophy shower gels, lotions etc as gifts. I am not very picky about the scents. Most of my friends also like BBW. My sil on the other hand announced that she did not want any more bath products because she doesn't stink. I am guessing she is offended that she gets bath products because people think she stinks?? She has never come right out and said I prefer another scent, brand, allergies etc. Do you like to get and/or give bath products as gifts. If so which doyou like to give/receive etc.

 

No, I don't like to receive them because there are a lot of scents I find overpowering and I don't use the same range of products as a lot of women. So most of mine end up being given to someone else (not re-gifted) who will use them. I've also tossed them or given them to thrift shops. For a while I used spray products as "chemical warfare" to get my ds's out of bed in the morning if they wouldn't get up any other way. Worked like a charm, too. :) (They also didn't like the scents, LOL!)

 

I think scents are a very personal preference and it's a gift I would never, ever give someone else without knowing what they liked.

[Garga]

Back in my more immature days, I used to hate getting bath products as gifts. It just seemed like a thoughtless gift to me. Anyone can run in and grab a bottle of lotion. That's the sort of thing you give a coworker. I didn't like getting them.

 

However, now that I've matured, I really don't care anymore what people get me! I enjoy any gift that I get.

 

But I remember complaining to my husband about how boring it was to get bath products.

 

Maybe your SIL will grow up in a couple of years.

Edited December 8, 2009 by Garga

[gardening momma]

I need another option in the poll...only certain scents and certain products. :001_smile: And it could depend on how much I have on hand right now. For example, I really don't need more lotion. I have plenty. Some body wash would be nice (fruity scents, please!). Lip balm would be good, don't really need bar soap.

[Pippen]

I have sensitive skin and don't like strong scents so anything that comes my way goes into the regift or thrift shop box.

[funschooler5]

Back in my more immature days, I used to hate getting bath products as gifts. It just seemed like a thoughtless gift to me. Anyone can run in and grab a bottle of lotion. That's the sort of thing you give a coworker. I didn't like getting them.

 

However, now that I've matured, I really don't care anymore what people get me! I enjoy any gift that I get.

 

But I remember complaining to my husband about how boring it was to get bath products.

 

Maybe your SIL will grow up in a couple of years.

 

I totally agree with this (minus the maturing thing....I haven't done that :lol:). I think it's a gift you give somebody when you either don't know the person very well, or you don't want to take the time to think about what they might really want. My husband and I call them the gifts that say "obligation met".

 

BUT when I receive any gift, I always say a sincere thank you. (Probably doesn't sound like it from my comment above, but I do mean it.)

[PinkInTheBlue]

I like them but (I hope this doesn't sound rude) not the cheap ones. I enjoy making use of my big tub almost every night. Bubble baths are my favorite and I'm interested in salts too. I'm not big on putting lotions on every day but I'd like it too.

[Pretty in Pink]

I voted certain items, but I really prefer certain brands as well. There are a few scents at BBW that I really, really love. My dh always gets me strongly scented products though, like vanilla and sugar cookie, and I can't stand them! I don't like shower gel at all, but I do like lip balm and lotion.

[cathmom]

I only like bubble bath. I never use any of the other stuff.