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A Life Better Than I Deserve
Oct. 17, 2009
Review: Virginia Soaps and Scents
Recently I was provided a set of free soap products in order to review this company for the Homeschool Crew. I did not receive any monetary compensation in exchange for providing my honest review, and the opinions expressed represent my own and my family's experiences with this product. To read more about this product and many more exciting homeschooling products, please visit the Homeschool Crew web page.
Okay, this review is admittedly quite a bit different from most of my other reviews. After all, what do soap and homeschooling curricula have in common? I knew you were wondering, so allow me to explain. The products I'm going to tell you about today began as a homeschooling project in soapmaking to complement the Spargur family's history studies. They found that they really enjoyed making soaps together as a family and turned their hobby into a home-based business. This hardworking family of eleven all works together to produce soaps, laundry soaps, lip balms, shampoo bars, and more. And so, Virginia Soaps and Scents was born!
I was very excited to see these all natural, handmade soaps were on their way to my doorstep! Do you see how each bar is shaped like a house? The bars also have pretty colors and even swirls in them. Each bar both looks and smells lovely! Through reading the Virginia Soaps and Scents website I discovered that most bars marketed as "soaps" are really detergents. Real soaps contain glycerin. The more commonly found (and cheaper!) detergent bars began to be mass produced during World War II when the glycerin was needed to support the war effort.
Now, we already order most of our soaps through the mail since many of the name brands of popular "soaps" cause itching or sensitivity for one or more of our family members. So I waited patiently for these bars to arrive. By the way, just how sensitive is our family? Our family also is unable to use quite a few of the usual brands of laundry detergent and this is one reason why I currently make our own laundry soap. We never use antibacterial hand soaps as they result in a funny rash on some of our hands and I make our own air fresheners directly from essential oils. Some of the personal care products I purchase contain the words "sensitive skin formula" and "hypoallergenic." I no longer buy my children blue children's toothpaste since one child developed large red bumps in his mouth after using it. I even do my best to avoid the laundry and cleanser aisle at the grocery store, because invariably the heavily perfumed aroma of some partially opened box nearly bowls me over and can elicit the onset of a sinus headache!
This poor sweet homeschooling family probably did not realize what a test they were in for when they sent these products my family's way! I have detailed below my own family's experience with VSS products since I know that some of my friends and readers have similar family problems with soap and chemical sensitivities and I know you wish to really know whether you should consider purchasing these soaps for your own loved ones. So, yes, just for you, my friend, we happily sampled away, but really these soaps were so appealing to the eyes as well as the noses. The products we received are as follows:
3 "Bed and Breakfast" sized bars of soap which can be viewed here:
Orange
Oatmeal, Milk & Honey
Coconut Lemongrass
We really like these soaps. They all had scent yet the scent was not overpowering on any of these products; trust me, I have had that Wow! That is strong; I think I feel a headache coming on! sensation often enough, and these soaps did not produce it. All seemed to be more moisturizing and less drying than many other soaps we have tried in the past.
Overall, I think everyone's favorite soap may be the Oatmeal, Milk & Honey soap. It has a very pleasant scent, almost like the aroma of fresh hot oatmeal (which at least in our household is a pleasant aroma!). Plus, we have used other brands of oatmeal soap before so we were used to the naturally skin-soothing properties of oatmeal soaps. The Coconut Lemongrass has a very mild coconut-herbal scent. It was almost too mild a scent to detect. It seemed especially moisturizing. My husband seems to really like this bar. The Orange bar wound up in the children's bathroom. All four of the older children have used this soap for bathing and only one has expressed that she thought it might have bothered her more delicate skin areas. For this reason the Orange is the only one I probably would not purchase for my own family--at least not for bathing purposes.
A "Bed and Breakfast" sized Ginger-Lime shampoo bar which you can see here.
I used the shampoo bar first. I have considered using a shampoo bar before but had never actually tried one. I actually have a hard time finding a shampoo which works well for me and I tend not to try too many varieties once I find a couple which work for me and I can alternate them. Many shampoos make my scalp itch. Why? Since I have a thick head of medium-long hair, I seem to perspire through my scalp. Many shampoo products seem to somehow remain on my scalp and then exacerbate the itching which results after perspiration. However, an occasional product results in irritation which develops much sooner. I do wash my hair every day or every other day.
The first time I used the shampoo bar I noticed some itching about a day later yet it was not pronounced. However, the second time I tried it my scalp began itching almost immediately. I had to re-wash my hair again that day to stop the itching. I think part of the problem with this product for me is that it is actually much more moisturizing than most shampoos. Depending on your hair type, this can be a desirable or an undesirable quality. My teenaged daughter also tried the shampoo bar and since her hair is very thick, very long (she is growing it out to donate to Locks of Love) and also oily it also did not work for her. As her hair was drying, I even asked her whether she had washed her hair as I could tell it was still quite oily near the roots.
My eleven year old son also accidentally used this shampoo bar as a bath soap on my toddler one night. By the next morning we noticed a rash on his face. When we realized what had happened we re-bathed him that day and the rash did begin to fade. I have been in contact with the owners about this, and Richelle Spargur has recommended that our family may wish to avoid citrus and spice scents since we have had this difficulty with the Ginger-Lime Shampoo Bar. According to Richelle Spargur quoting the Soapmaker's Guild, the most common allergic reactions are to citrus and spices. Now, at this point I would like to point out that VSS does produce a shampoo bar specifically designed for oily hair types which might work well for some, but since it is also based on a citrus scent our family will not be trying it.
A sample Laundry Soap Kit which can be viewed here.
So far, so good with the laundry soap, which is a gel laundry soap recipe. The directions for making the laundry soap are included on paper inside the plastic bag and also listed on the clickable link above. The soap bar arrives already shredded, and the other ingredients (Borax® and washing soda) come in a separate plastic bag inside the larger bag. You simply dissolve the grated soap into a pan on your stovetop with the measured amount of water while stirring, then add the washing soda and Borax® and stir until dissolved. Finally, pour into a container with additional water and stir occasionally while it is gelling.
You will need a recycled container to store the laundry gel in. I washed out a big plastic lidded container which had once contained whey protein powder, but my sample batch was smaller than their standard kit. So, I would probably have needed two or three similar containers to hold a complete batch. Many paint stores and hardware stores will sell 5 gallon paint buckets with lids, and this would be a good option for storing your laundry soap. You will probably want to use a kitchen measuring cup or recycle an old laundry scoop to scoop out your laundry soap as it will be thicker than store-bought liquid detergent. It also may need an occasional stir as the components tend to separate a bit.
I have been using VSS gel laundry soap for all our laundry loads which do not directly contact my toddler's skin since he seems to have the most sensitive skin in the family. I use 1/4 to 1/2 a cup per load since I have an HE washing machine. If you own a conventional washer you will use a 1/2 cup per load, possibly more for large capacity or heavily soiled loads. Now, I also use a white vinegar rinse in the fabric softener dispenser as well as an extra rinse cycle on all loads. This is the way I have been doing laundry for some time. The vinegar rinse as well as the extra rinse helps to rinse out any remaining soap residue and cuts down on any reactions some of us might otherwise have. My clothes washed with VSS laundry soap have been coming out looking and smelling clean, yet for really dirty clothing like bibs covered in spaghetti sauce or oatmeal I often will add some Oxyclean® to a load.
The only problem I have noticed with this laundry soap gel is that it does leave a bit of a film on the lower rubber gasket and lower interior door of my HE washing machine. However, I think it is actually less than many store brand liquid laundry detergents which are on the market. This problem is in fact so common, that many HE washing machine instructions manuals and repairmen will advise customers to use powdered HE-formulated laundry detergents and/or wipe clean the rubber gasket after every few laundry loads and occasionally run a load of plain bleach through the machine. Following these procedures has been determined to cause your HE washing machine to last much longer. So, although this soap is working for us we will probably go back to using a homemade powdered laundry soap. This, and other homemade laundry soaps, are low-sudsing and are recommended for use in HE machines.
VSS bar soaps cost:
- $4.50 per bar or
- 3 bars for $12.00 or
- Buy 4, Get 1 Free or
- 10 bars for $35.00
Shampoo bars cost :
Laundry soap costs:
- $4.95 for one kit
- 6 kits for $25.00
- $3.95 for a cleaning bar you may grate yourself and measure and add Borax® and washing soda
Shipping is additional, and due to the weight of these large soap and shampoo bars is certainly reasonable. The cost of these bar soaps is comparable to the cost of buying soaps made with similar ingredients through health food stores or mail order sources. Yet, I do appreciate the handmade qualities as well as the actual artistic appeal of these soaps.
So, if you have read this far I am sure you are wondering whether our family will be ordering more soap from this company. I must say that I am pleased with their customer service and responsiveness to questions I have had about issues of sensitivity. Prior to actually placing an order with this company, I will probably verify a few more ingredients (such as the likelihood of peanut oil to be in a particular soap due to our peanut butter allergy) in order to minimize the risk of anyone in my own family experiencing another problem.
Yet, I have found Virginia Soaps and Scents to be a lovely company. I think, despite the few issues we did have, that some of my children just might find a VSS gourmet or Christmas soap in their stockings this Christmas. Really, I think these handmade, natural soaps would make a lovely gift for all but the most sensitive of children and adults.
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Oct. 19, 2009 - hi there!
God Bless,
Jackie