Olverum, the cult bath oil created by German wine merchant Franz Otto Klein in 1931, has just relaunched under British ownership, so if you haven’t yet sampled this unsung bath time hero, now’s your chance… Virtually unchanged from its original formula, the oil – free from artificial colours and preservatives – is composed of a blend of ten essential oils (eucalyptus, lavender, juniper, lavandin, lemon, lime, geranium, rosemary, verbena and Siberian fir needle) chosen for their combination of individual and synergistic therapeutic properties. Olverum claims to restore both mental and physical wellbeing, tackling everything from post-workout muscle soreness to the flu (via dry skin and insomnia) thanks to its aromatherapeutic and circulation-enhancing properties.
Could it possibly live up to such bold claims? My hopes were high, but the oil still surpassed my expectations, with half a capful transforming my bathroom into the closest approximation of a spa achievable in the absence of jacuzzi jets and towelling slippers. The scent, which lingers agreeably both on the body and around the home for hours after the plug has been pulled, is a little breath of heaven in a bottle, which can’t help but instil a sense of contented repletion. I can’t comment on its flu-curing properties, but it certainly feels – both mentally and physically – therapeutic, in the most indulgent possible way. And, on reluctantly stepping out of the tub, the oil’s moisturising (yet decidedly non-greasy) properties left my skin – usually a little tight and dry after a bath or shower – feeling so soft and pampered that I was able to skip my customary moisturiser application – all the better to allow that gorgeous scent to trail in my wake for the rest of the day… Buy for your BFF and they’ll love you forever… if you can bear to part with it.
Olverum is available from Olverum.com, Harvey Nichols, Fenwick and House of Fraser, priced from £23.50 for a 125ml bottle (enough for 25 blissful baths).
Samantha Simmonds
afternyneblog.wordpress.com 