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Not
Soap, Radio
In
Tune with the Intelligent Consumer
By Jill Sterling
Life can certainly throw some challenges your way: a testy colleague at work, a rude checkout girl at the grocery store,
getting along with your significant other...trying to figure out the meaning of it all can make a girl a little crazed now and then.
In these hectic times, the bathroom / shower / bath can be one of the only places you’re safe: given the opportunity to
process your day and deal with your challenges, problems and emotions.
The Concept
Enter Not Soap, Radio. The goal of its creators was
to create an intelligent woman’s line, giving the buyer credit for having a sense of humor, enjoying life and realizing it is in her
power to be beautiful.
The name comes from the punch line of a nonsensical children's joke. The joke goes like this: There are two polar bears taking a
bath. One polar bear says to the other, "Please pass the soap." The other bear turns to him and says, "Not Soap, Radio."
And everyone in on the joke laughs hysterically. The creators of Not Soap, Radio believe their consumer is smarter than
average, and they want her to be in on the joke.
Launched in May 2001, the line currently consists of six bath and shower gels – all tailored to help users confront a specific
emotion, challenge or goal.
The brainchild of two sisters in New York, the line promises to be of the highest quality (one or two capfuls yields a tower of suds), rich and
moisturizing with unique custom blended fragrances and colors to match!
All of the gels (with the exception of Liquid Freud, which is cloudy white) are the most vivid colors you’ve ever seen in a bath gel and all match
their assigned names and functions: "Awash in a field of clover" is an emerald green, "The stuff that Cupid dips
his arrows in" is bright red, etc.
I must say I was intrigued by the notion of a line that promises to help deal with competition, stress and mania, plus help improve luck,
willpower, and confidence. I was eager try a bath product that promises to DO something.
I went into the review process of Not Soap, Radio with an objective and hopeful approach. Check out the names of the six very different gels
and you’ll get the idea of where we’re going with this line.
The Formulas
I reviewed each gel in the line – six in all. Overall the gels definitely deliver in the suds,
fragrance, cleansing and softening areas. The fragrances are strong, which I like, and deliver what they promise with regard to scent.
Of course, I have my own fragrance preferences and so will you. I truly looked forward to shower time, having the opportunity to choose from one of the six
based on my needs for the day! So, here's the rundown:
To sleep full of sweet dreams (without waking in a mad panic at 3 a.m.) promises to provide anti-mania, stress relief. I know now that the creators
know me personally.
Probably my favorite in the line, this one is a beautiful purple gel that lathered wonderfully. The smell was fabulous and lingered on my skin after drying off –
the smell was like something green and smelled almost earthy (lavender, chamomile and a twist of kiwi provide the fragrance).
This gel fits well with my nighttime shower routine; I definitely need all the help I can get in falling asleep! I actually felt a little heavy-lidded after my shower
with this stuff!
Bathing with sharks (for that competitive edge in work and/or play) promises to boost achievement through self-confidence. I tried this one before
I skipped off to the office in the morning, when I needed to be especially alert and ready to face my work day.
The gel is bright blue, the lather was amazing and the smell was totally energizing (it's infused with "energizing confidence boosting royal jelly extract").
I felt more awake, smelled good and had softer skin after using this one. The scent, eau de mer, smells very very fresh!
Liquid Freud (when you need to turn up the volume on your inner voice of reason) offers the promise of emotional well-being. I need this one on a daily basis!
Much to my chagrin, I didn’t like the fragrance. This gel is cloudy white with a magnolia (?) scent. Liquid Freud delivers a very sweet smell – too sweet for my taste.
It really stays with you too – which I obviously didn’t like either.
To be honest, the smell reminds me of a teenager or a senior citizen who wears too much perfume. Although it's "infused with St. John’s Wort for an immediate
mood lift" my mood wasn’t lifted much during or after my shower.
As I’ve said before, each user will have her own preference for scents, so you may use this one and love it. It lathers well and leaves skin very soft.
Awash in a field of four-leaf clover (when you need good things to happen yesterday) offers intensive positive luck bubbles. The bright green gel and
resulting lather give you a very fresh, clean and upbeat shower experience.
It's scented with shamrock and sweet water. The smell is hard to place; what came through the most was the sweetness – the smell is nondescript but it somehow
works – like Ivory and sweetness in a gel.
Bubbles, not carbs (where there is willpower, there is less to weigh) claims to improve temptation resistance. I didn’t allow myself to use this gel until I had
a day where I was faithful to my diet.
It was worth it! Nothing can satisfy like a hot fudge sundae, chips and dip, nachos, movie theatre popcorn, chips and salsa, chocolate chip cookies – oh never mind!
The bright orange gel with the fresh tangerine scent was quite delicious, a treat to use.
The gel lathered nicely and delivered a fresh, fruity scent that kept me distracted from my growling stomach – ha ha. It's infused with horse chestnut extract to reduce
cellulite: a nice plus (although I haven’t seen the results yet).
The smell lingers on the skin: a very fresh combination of earthy and orangey tones.
The stuff that Cupid dips his arrows in (because sometimes fate needs an assist) promises to provide Pheromone activation. I won’t tell you when I felt I needed to use this.
The beautiful bright red (almost blood red) gel produced PINK bubbles – pretty intense. The smell is reminiscent of powder and the gel promises to be infused with "powerfully
blended ginseng abstracts to kick up pheromones – yours and everyone else’s"
The smell is wonderful and really gets you pumped up and awake. I won’t tell you if it worked or not – my husband wouldn’t appreciate it!
The Conclusion
Overall, these gels are sophisticated and whimsical - I love the fact that these women are intelligent and tapped into the intelligent consumer – it feels like they’ve
"been there – done that!" THANK YOU GIRLS FOR GETTING IT!
Not Soap, Radio gels sell for about $15.00 for 12.17 ounces, which is very reasonable since a little goes a very long way. Another nice touch: a portion of the
proceeds from the sale of these products is donated to 365 Birthdays, a non-profit organization that serves at-risk children.
Coming soon to the Not Soap, Radio line – PORTABLE PANACEA, a body care line designed specifically for those on the go. Two tri-packs will be offered –
one with shampoo, conditioner and body wash and the other with body scrub, heat activated shave cream and body balm. Check them out at
NotSoapRadio.com.
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