Influenster Review: Palmolive Fresh Infusions

It's time again for an exciting review of a product that I received from Influenster! This time it's Palmolive Fresh Infusions dish soap and it has been a pleasant surprise for me. (Pssst! Be sure to read all the way through for information about an upcoming giveaway! More on that below.)

I was a bit apprehensive about reviewing this product because I've been a huge fan of another brand of dish soap for decades. The last time I used any other brand was probably in the '80s, when my parents bought the cheapest stuff available and it was terrible. (To be fair, we were quite poor back then and they didn't have much choice regarding their shopping choices. I'm just saying that experience traumatized me a little about other brands.) When I found out that I'd been chosen to receive the Palmolive Fresh Infusions, I committed to keeping an open mind and reviewing it fairly and honestly, but deep down I feared I wouldn't like it.

When the box came and I opened it, I was immediately impressed with the packaging design. The labels are pretty and I like the unusual shape of the bottles. That alone set it apart in some small way from most dish soaps. As I unpacked the three bottles, I smelled each soap in turn and the scents are fantastic. There's Lemon Thyme, Lime Basil, and Ginger White Tea. All three scents are clear and true to their names. I was quite pleased so far.

I was supposed to give one bottle away to a friend but I had a hard time choosing which scent I was going to give up. In the end, I gave the Lemon Thyme to my husband to use at work, took the Lime Basil to work with me (it's my second favorite so I wanted to be able to use it from time to time!), and kept the Ginger White Tea (my favorite) for my kitchen. I must confess that I used a little of each one before giving them away because I wanted to experience all three scents in a real dish washing situation.

Even with the lovely scents and the pretty bottles, I was still skeptical that this product would meet the standards set by my favorite brand, but I dutifully reminded myself to keep my mind open. When the time finally came to wash some dishes, I made my dishwater the same way I always do, a quick squirt of detergent followed by hot water from the spray attachment, and at that point I noticed two important things about the Fresh Infusions:

1. Its viscosity is far lower than the soap that I'm used to and I accidentally used a lot more on that first occasion than I intended. Not a huge problem; just an adjustment I had to make. I only mention it in order to give a complete review of my experience with the product and to warn others who might try it.
2. That cool, hip bottle shape that no one else is doing? Yeah, there's a reason they're not doing it. The bottle is actually kind of hard to grip, especially when it's wet. It turns out the stereotypical shape is actually a functional advantage because it provides a nice fit for the hand. The round bottle isn't terrible by any means, but it's definitely awkward when it's wet.

Once I got down to business, actually washing the dishes, I found that the Palmolive Fresh Infusions made nice, dense suds with good lasting power. A light scent remained in the area while the water was hot and that was nice. It cleaned the dishes well and was mild on my hands. Overall, a very good, high quality product that did everything that I would normally ask of it.

As a matter of curiosity, I did do a direct comparison between the Palmolive Fresh Infusions and my usual brand. Several days after receiving the Fresh Infusions, I cooked a chicken dinner that left me with a very oily, somewhat burnt-on pan to clean. I took advantage of the situation by carefully cleaning one side as well as possible with the Palmolive and then repeating the procedure with my usual brand on the other side.

Both sides ended up equally clean and the Palmolive side did reward me with a delicious fragrance while I worked, but I have to say the other detergent cleaned the mess somewhat more easily. It seemed to dissolve the grease and cut through the burnt areas faster and with less effort from me, which is reasonable because that's its main claim to fame.

Along with the detergent, Influenster also sent five coupons for $1.50 off further purchases of Fresh Infusions, with the suggestion of giving those to friends as well. I've given most of them away but I did keep two of them. The first of those is, selfishly, for me. Despite the side by side test with my usual brand, Palmolive Fresh Infusions did win me over and make me want more. I think I'll keep buying both detergents and use the Palmolive for regular dish washing and the other for more hardcore cleaning jobs.

The second coupon is for a giveaway here. You guys have been so cool about reading my blog posts that I want to share the wealth a little. If you've made it this far and you want the coupon, just leave a comment telling me what I've said here that makes you want to try Palmolive Fresh Infusions. I'll choose a winner at random one week from tonight (midnight, Sunday March 3) and send that person my last remaining coupon. Be sure to tell me in your comment how to contact you if I don't know already! If this goes well, I may start doing more giveaways connected to my product reviews.

In the meantime, thanks for reading. Definitely check out Palmolive Fresh Infusions dish soap the next time you shop. I think you'll like it a lot. And most of all, don't forget to check out Influenster on Twitter and sign up on their website to receive your own free products to test. Then you can write reviews too, or make video reviews if that's your thing. Either way, it's the coolest!