My top 5 picks for springtime soaps & shower gels!

Spring has sprung in many parts of the country and, if you're like me, you are craving some refreshing, clean, invigorating goodies for shower time. So here's a list of the Recessionista's 5 favorite inexpensive body cleansers and why I think they're ideal for this time of year:

5) Korres Basil Lemon Shower Gel (8.45 oz, $13 retail but you can currently find this product at Marshalls for $3.99)

This shower gel makes me feel like I'm running through sprinklers in the middle of a lemon grove. Enough said. (But if you want to know more about Korres, read my full review here.)

4) Axe Skin Contact Smoothing Shower Scrub (12 oz, $5.49)

Who says Axe is for men only? This shower gel smells amazing and I'm not embarrassed to admit it. Seriously, who cares if the package is fugly? Here's why I love it: It contains cactus milk (which smells AWESOME), exfoliating beads, and it's the prettiest shade of super light sea foam green you've ever seen. The fragrance is green, fresh, clean, creamy, crisp and just perfect for this time of year. Give it a shot!

3) SkiKai Apricot Rose Shower Gel (12 oz, around $7 at Long's Drugs but you can find it online for under $6)

Oh, college. This scent takes me back to living in the dorms, wearing Birkenstocks and listening to the Spin Doctors. But I love that memory because it also reminds me of feeling naturally beautiful and the fragrance of this shower gel is one of the most naturally beautiful scents around. There's something about the mixture of apricot and rose that just SCREAMS spring to me, and this delicate balance makes the apricot smell not too tart and the rose smell not too sweet. If you're a fruity-floral gal, you must try this one. Also, ShiKai products ROCK. Every single one of them. The shower gels in particular contain no soap, so SLS, no parabens, and they're super moisturizing because of the colloidal oatmeal. Oh, and this has got one of the best lathers ever (super rich and creamy).

2) Dial Cranberry & AntiOxidant Glycerin Soap (about $2.50 for 3 bars at Rite-Aid and most grocery stores)

I already wrote about my love for this soap last month (click here to read my review) but one of my favorite readers, Oceanwoman, just let me know that you can currently pick up an 8-pack for $3.99 if you live near a Von's. Now that's an awesome deal considering that I could EAT this soap it's so darn yummy. If you like sweet and tart scents, this one's for you. None of that "Christmasy" spicy cranberry here, just crisp, sweet, tart, clean cranberry and lots of it. They also make this scent in shower gel form, but there's something about the gorgeous deep red color of this glycerin bar soap that draws me to it every time I see it in my shower. LOVE it.

1) Softsoap Moisturizing Body Wash in Honeysuckle and Orange Peel (18 oz for $5.49)

I wrote a review professing my love for this shower gel last month (click here to read) but I have to reiterate why I'm making this my number one choice for springtime shower gels. This scent smells nothing like your usual drugstore shower products. If you blindfolded me, I would swear it's from Fresh or Laura Mercier and that it costs at least $25 a bottle. The honeysuckle combines perfectly with the orange peel to give you a sweet, complex fragrance that is perfectly balanced. It's clean, it's uplifting, yet it manages to stay feminine and pretty. Plus, it's moisturizing and provides a wonderful lather. And Oceanwoman just told me that it's currently on sale again at Target for $2.99. Run, don't walk.