I’ve been in the north of Norway for a little more than one week now. Despite the beautiful scenery and kind people, the climate is harsh and the cost of living is exuberantly high. I did need some essentials for my stay and decided to go for drugstore alternatives.

Body Moisturizer: Vaseline Intensive Care Extra Strength Body Lotion

My body moisturizer exploded in my luggage leaving me with dry and itchy skin for two days. (On the side note, it’s always a good idea to pack all your liquids and spray in a Ziploc bag even you’re going to check in the luggage just in case anything explodes, it’s not going to ruin your clothes!) While at Coop, I also found this Vaseline lotion and decided to go for it. Seems like it’s formulated especially for harsh Nordic climate. It has mild perfume, dermatologically tested, and free of parabens. I normally go for a body butter with my moisturizer but I must say this lotion works quite well. After rubbing it on, there’s a moisturizing film left on my skin as a barrier to protect the loss of moisture (or I’d like to imagine it that way). The moisture stays in for many, many hours. I used The Body Shop’s argan oil body butter last time I was here and I found I need to reapply it every one or two hours otherwise my skin gets dry and itchy again even in the middle of the night! But with this product, I applied it after my evening shower and my skin feels moisturized until the next morning. Quite decent 🙂

Hair Conditioner: Define Moroccan Argan Oil Balsam

The conditioner I brought with me isn’t hydrated enough for the climate and my long hair got tangled very often. I was browsing at the supermarket called Coop and discovered this Norwegian brand of hair products and decided to give it a try. This one has argan oil in it and the consistency is on the thicker side. The result is very similar to my favorite L’Oreal EverRiche conditioner even though the smell is not as great (it doesn’t smell bad anyway, smells like a higher end salon). So, overall I’m quite impressed!

Body Scrub: Soap & Glory Flake Away

I was over the moon when I saw Boots in Norway. I really love Soap & Glory products but there’s no Boots where I lived in Sweden. To be honest, I’m not sure how this will work on my skin as the previous body scrubs I’ve tried didn’t give me any visible results. However, I decided to pick the travel size one to try because it has the same scent as my favorite body butter from Soap & Glory. It is seriously my most repurchase body moisturizer of all time. Had I discovered this Boots I wouldn’t have bought the Vaseline lotion! There’s also another scent called Orangeasm that I really want to try in the future ❤

Purchasing note

Vaseline Intensive Care Extra Strength Body Lotion
Bought from: Coop
Price: 52.70 NOK (200 ml)
Made in: Not stated on the package

Define Hair Care Moroccan Argan Oil Balsam
Bought from: Coop
Price: around 60 NOK (200 ml)
Made in: Not stated on the package

Soap & Glory Flake Away mini
Bought from: Boots
Price: 39 NOK (50 ml)
Made in: UK