Happy New Year! Lately I've been turning my focus to bath, body and hair products and I'm pleased to share with you some of the better things I've found.

Fresh SUGARbath Brown Sugar Body Polish ($55 for 15oz jar)
I've tried a variety of body scrubs and find that most are made up of large pieces of sea salt and essential oils, which ends up being more painful than you can imagine on dry, cracked skin! Salt is not forgiving on broken skin (does it ever sting!), so I decided to give this alternative from Fresh a try. Rather than salt, it's scrub component is brown sugar, mixed with delectable oils like Sweet Almond, Apricot Kernel, Evening Primrose, Lemon, Grapefruit, Orange, Bergamot, Lemongrass, and Citron. Not only does it smell amazing, but it's much gentler on the skin. If you don't care for the oil left over on your skin after scrubbing, just use it before your regular soap or body wash to help wash the oil away; for dry skin, leaving the oil on the skin and letting it soak in helps relieve flakiness.

You can find Fresh SUGARbath products at fresh.com, beauty.com and Sephora.com.

Shikai Moisturizing Shower Gel ($6.49 for 12oz)
If dry skin is a big problem for you this winter, check your local health or natural food store for this outstanding body wash. Unlike many that are just perfumed detergent, this one was created to moisturize dry sensitive skin and contains soothing colloidal oatmeal in a base of gentle cleansers and aloe vera gel. I'm constantly amazed at how soft my skin feels after I use it. I bought the Cucumber/Melon but it also comes in French Vanilla, Yuzu, White Gardenia, Apricot/Rose, and Lavender/Mint.

Find out more online at shikai.com.

L'Oreal ColorVive shampoo and conditioner ($3.49 each)
For color-treated hair, you can't beat ColorVive. The products are gentle on your hair and the price is gentle on your wallet :) I didn't find that it made my color last any longer, but they leave my hair soft and manageable without stripping, and that's good enough for me!

ABBA Straightening Balm ($11.95)
If you have wavy hair and you'd like it to be straighter, you need a gel like this every day with a round brush and a blowdryer. This lightweight, clear gel does a great job of controlling frizz and making the hair smoother and straighter - as long as you use it with your brush and blowdryer. You cannot simply apply a straightening gel and expect it to do all the work (I'm sorry to say!). I like this one because it has light control, doesn't leave your hair sticky or gummy, and it doesn't build up like many others that are full of plastics and resins; all Abba's products are botanical and 100% vegan. This is the one straightening product I repeatedly buy and use for myself.