soap Archives - My Life: A Work in Progress

Review: Maple Hill Naturals lip balm, shampoo bar, and soap

10 February, 2014 23 Comments

Today I want to introduce you to an awesome American company, Maple Hill Naturals. There are a lot of reasons why I like this company. All the products listed on their site are made here in the United States. Even their dryer balls are from 100% American wool. And, many of their dryer balls are made by moms, providing a work-from-home income!

To review, I received a Peppermint Essential Oil Lip Balm; a Pure & Gentle Natural Shampoo & Conditioning Bar; and Pure & Gentle Fragrance Free Soap.

I loved the packaging on the soaps! This is a company that’s truly trying to be sustainable.

As I’ve mentioned before, my skin reacts negatively to shower gels, so I always use bar soap. Lately I’ve even been using bar soap on my face too; I just have to make sure I moisturize well. I’ve used the Pure & Gentle Fragrance Free Soap from Maple Hill Naturals for a week now. It gives a great lather and cleans without leaving a scent. As far as my face…well, my face hasn’t broken out any more than usual since I started using the bar soap to clean it. That’s the best I can expect from any product I use on my face. The ingredients are olive oil, water, coconut oil, palm oil, and sodium hydroxide (no sodium hydroxide remains after saponifying oils into soap and glycerin).

Because it’s a gentle, natural product I figured it may take a couple of weeks before the Pure & Gentle Natural Shampoo & Conditioning Bar started to work for me, and that my hair might be a little oily in the meantime. However, I was wrong. Right away the bar was leaving my hair clean. If I rub the bar directly on my hair, I get an amazing lather. The ingredients are coconut oil, water, palm oil, castor oil, sodium hydroxide, olive oil, hemp seed butter, shea butter, avocado oil, and jojoba oil. (No sodium hydroxide remains after saponifying oils into soap and glycerin).

Pure & Gentle Natural Shampoo & Conditioning Bar by Maple Hill Naturals — Clean hair!

I’m someone who has to have something on their lips. Even if I’m bare faced and/or walking around my home, I’m using lip balm regularly. The Maple Hill Naturals Peppermint Essential Oil Lip Balm looks thicker maybe even a little grainier in the tube than what I’m used to, but it goes on completely smooth. It doesn’t tingle, and once it’s on, I can’t smell the peppermint. The balm leaves my lips very smooth and moisturized. The ingredients are beeswax, organic cocoa butter, organic shea butter, organic carnauba wax, almond oil, and organic hemp oil.

Overall I’m very pleased with this company. Their products work, and they are truly natural. I also think the prices are very reasonable. They do have products in some retail stores, but you can purchase directly from the Maple Hill Naturals website. Visit Maple Hill Naturals on Facebook and Twitter for updates and more information on their products and company.

Do you use natural products? What from Maple Hill Naturals would you like to try?

General Disclaimer- Floral

Review

Review: Lysol Touch of Foam Antibacterial Hand Wash

6 May, 2013 No Comments

I do use natural products like vinegar and baking soda to clean various items around my home, but when it comes to my kitchen counters (potentially contaminated surfaces) and my bathroom, I trust Lysol. It’s the brand I purchase for cleaning my countertops and the toilet. As a member of the BzzAgent community, I received a free bottle of the new Lysol Touch of Foam Antibacterial Hand Wash. I knew immediately I wanted it in my kitchen for use after handling raw meats.

About:

non-drip later
kills 99.9% of germs
10x more germ protection than leading national competitor
moisture-enriched micro-bubbles to soften your hands
antimicrobial properties to resist odor-causing bacteria in the pump
three scents- Creamy Vanilla Orchid, Rose & Cherry in Bloom and Wild Berry Bliss

My Experiences:

After using this soap, I did actually feel that my hands were surprisingly soft for having washed with soap. My hands tend to get dry from washing, especially in the winter. Of course, I can’t attest to the claim about killing more germs, but my hands did feel clean afterwards (and smell clean). The soap does foam up well, and several weeks had passed before I ran out of soap. I’ve used foam soap before that I went through very quickly, (because so much of it came out with each pump) so it’s nice that this soap lasts.

Lysol Foam

The only thing I wasn’t thrilled with was the scent. To me, the creamy vanilla orchid smell was very strong and “fake.” I’d love for one of the big brands like Lysol to switch to essential oils instead of fragrance, but it’ll probably be a while (if ever) before that happens. There are fragrance-free brands out there, but they’re not affordable (why is it more money to take something out?). In the meantime, I’m going to try the other scents. I will be purchasing this product in the future, because I was pleased with the overall results, and, like I said, I trust Lysol.

What’s your favorite hand soap?

giveaways

CLOSED Giveaway: Goat Milk Stuff 10/02-10/12

2 October, 2012 3 Comments

Sponsor: Goat Milk Stuff

Hosts: Down South Savings My Journey to Living Well

Adventures of a Midlife Mommy

Dates: October 2nd – October 12th

Open to US Residents Only

18+ Void Where Prohibited

Welcome to the Goat Milk Stuff Giveaway! There will be 2 winners! Each winner will receive a $25 Gift Certificate to Goat Milk Stuff. Everyone loves quality, natural, American-made products, right?

Here is a little history about the company:

For Starters Goat Milk Stuff is a family-run business. The Jonas family is a large family of 10 from Rural Indiana. They have a small herd of Alpine Goats and they work together as a family in conducting their business. All of their children are home schooled and have their own unique rolls in the family business. All of their goats are show quality and are checked annually. The Jonas’ Goats are not fed any antibiotics or growth hormones, so there is nothing unnatural passed into their milk.

Their products include soaps, liquid soap, lip balm, laundry soap, bath bombs, sugar scrubs, and more!

You can read the full review by Down South Savings HERE

The Goat Milk Stuff Family has generously agreed to give 2 Readers a $25 Gift Certificate to try their products! Please enter on the Rafflecopter below. The more entries you get, the better your chances of winning! All entries are verified so please be honest. Good Luck to each and every one of you!

Disclaimer: My Life: A Work in Progress, Down South Savings nor any of the other participating blogs/bloggers are responsible for sponsor prize fulfillment. All opinions are that of my own and my differ from those of your own. At the end of the giveaway, winners will be emailed and announced on the Rafflecopter. You will have 48 hours to claim your prize or another winner will be chosen so please check your spam folders! Your name and email address will then be forwarded to the sponsor “Goat Milk Stuff” for prize fulfillment.

Winners:

Entry #1407 Barb S.

Entry #168 Misty F.