Our family was recently sent four small samplers soaps and one package of laundry soap from "Virginia Soaps and Scents" to try out. To be honest, I was a skeptic. Will these soaps be any different and will we like them any better than other natural soaps we have tried in the past? We received the Fresh Orange; Oatmeal, Milk and Honey and the Coconut Lemongrass body bars and then there was a shampoo bar - Ginger Lime scent. We were so very pleased! Enough, in fact, that we purchased 10 more bars of various types.Now this is saying something because a family like ours, that is on a tight budget, is not usually willing to purchase “all natural” soaps, especially since we can usually buy 8-10 bars of the regular soap at a local dollar store near us and save quite a bundle. Yes, the soaps are a bit pricey, but the responses we got from our children helped sway our decision to buy more. Our girls especially liked the soaps and particularly the shampoo bars. Not only did their hair become cleaner and softer but apparently their true color was hiding under layers of soap scum from previous soaps and washings. Their hair looked healthier and some red highlights showed up in my daughter Jessica's hair. My husband was the first to notice it and asked if I noticed it. They also commented on the honey/oatmeal bar as it seemed to make their skin softer.
When we received the full size bars, that we purchased, we cut them in half. This made them last longer and they don't seem to break up into smaller pieces like the commercial bars do. The bars appear to be handmade and I would say that a great deal of effort is made to make them seem uniform in smell and appearance.
We love how each of the soaps we used smelled and felt on our skin. Here's a list of some of the ones we ordered (we ordered double of some bars) -
- Shampoo Bar: Ginger Lime Shampoo Bar, Tangerine Grapefruit Shampoo Bar. These bars are available in 5.5 We got the Ginger Lime in our freebie pack and liked it enough to buy some more. We bought the Tangerine for our daughter who has oily hair and it seems to be working well. Her hair is less oily and it does not get oily quite as fast.
- Shaving soaps: Men's Sweet Sandalwood Shaving Soap. My husband has been using the sandalwood shaving soap and likes it, although he commented that it makes his lips numb, (don't know what that is about), and his whiskers tougher. He said that's OK. He seems to get a closer shave that way since it makes his whiskers stand up better.
- Handcrafted Olive Oil Soaps: Peppermint, Lavender, Victorian Rose, Wild Bayberry; Oatmeal, Milk & Honey. We girls are using the Peppermint body soap right now in honor of the coming holidays. It feels as refreshing and softening as the other types we have tried. Unlike other years, I have not had dry skin yet this year. I hope that will continue. I will keep you updated and let you know once the really cold weather hits.
We like these soaps very much and will be ordering more as our budget permits.
Virginia Soaps & Scents has lots of other great products that you'll want to check out - gourmet soaps, total body bars, lotions, scrubs, and powder, lip balm, and lavender linen spray. And, just in time for your Christmas shopping, their holiday fragrances (I love the Peppermint).
The regular sized body soap comes in a nice 4.5 oz bar size and sells for $4.50 each. They have multi-purchase discounts for the bath soaps: 3 bars for $12, buy 4 bars get the 5th free or 10 bars for $35.
The Samplers (1.75 oz bars) are perfect because they give you a great opportunity to test the Virginia Soaps and Scents out first. You can select the Bed and Breakfast Sampler or the Virginia Sampler or the Trio Gift Crates. Each is a different price, see The Samplers page for details.
The Laundry Soap bar comes in either a 9 oz or 2 of the 4.5 oz bars. You can also buy the kit. These can be found on the laundry soap page.
Shampoo Bars come in a 5.5 oz bar. $5.50 each or 2 for $10.
Be sure to check out what my fellow TOS Mates have to say about this and many other fine homeschool products, at the blog post for Virginia Soaps and Scents on the Homeschool Crew Blog.
Debbie
**Virginia Soaps and Scents provided me with a free Sampler Pack containing 3 small bars of soap, one Laundry Kit and one small Shampoo Bar, in order to test and use this with my family-so that I could write the review.
