Virginia Soaps and Scents (Review)

As part of TOS Crew, I recently received a lovely box from Virginia Soaps and Scents to review.  As soon as I opened the box and smelled the delicious aroma of the soaps, I knew I was going to like this product!    Inside the package were three "Bed and Breakfast" size soaps in the following scents, Fresh Orange, Oatmeal Milk & Honey and Coconut Lemongrass.  Then I saw the oddest thing...a shampoo bar.  I had never considered a bar for my hair so this was "intriguing" to say the least.   The final product was Laundry Soap Kit. 

The three hand/bath soaps were wonderful!    The aroma's were wonderful and lasting, but not overpowering in the least.  My favorite was the Fresh Orange!   The soaps all lathered well, and left our skin feeling clean and soft.

The full size soap bars are 4.5 oz. and sell for $4.50 each.   There are various lovely scents, as well as unscented products and the new Christmas scent soaps are now available!  I'll be ordering the Pumpkin Spice soap SOON!

I was a bit hesitant about the shampoo bar; just because it was a new concept I guess.  I decided to have everyone use this product since we all have such different hair, just to see how it did.   To get a lather, you rub the bar directly onto your wet hair.

Lindsey has long, thin, baby fine hair that tangles a LOT during bath time, and is fly away when dry.   Typically after her hair is washed I have to spray lots of detangler on it to get the come through.  After using the shampoo bar the first time I did not have to use the detangler.  When dry,  her hair wasn't nearly as limp and fly away.  

Olivia has long, THICK hair that can get oily very quickly.  Since her hair is so thick and long, when using the bar, I lifted her hair in sections and rubbed the bar around and was really surprised at how well it worked into a lather and how well it seemed to clean.  We didn't use detangler on her hair after washing either.  Olivia doesn't like to have her hair up a lot, and it tends to get "stringy" looking through the day, but I did notice that it laid a lot more smoothly after using the shampoo bar.

My hair is a combination of Olivia and Lindsey's.  It's long and fine, but there is a TON of it.  My first reaction was that my hair felt "squeaky"....which I guess is a good thing, but I wasn't used to it.   It was easier to comb out too.  What I really liked was that it didn't look "bushy" when it dried.  It laid more smoothly than usual and didn't seem nearly as dry either.  

My husband has short, thick, coarse hair.  He was really impressed with the way his hair managed after using the bar.  His hair feels a lot softer to the touch now, and he's asked me to start buying the shampoo bar instead of the normal product we use.

For our family, the shampoo bar gets an average rating.  Although we all did initially like the product, after continued use we're finding that it's leaving a heavy buildup, both on our hair and in our brush/combs.  Not happy with that, so we've discontinued using it.  I have read though that a vinegar rinse takes this problem away, but I  just didn't want to go the extra step.    The shampoo bars are 5.5 oz. and sell for $5.50.  The folks at Virginia Soaps and Scents say that one bar should last as long as a 32oz. bottle of shampoo, and you may be able to stop buying conditioner as well. 

I've been wanting to make my own laundry soap for sometime now.  I've even bought the supplies...but that's as far as I've gotten.  So receiving the Laundry Soap Kit was a great thing!  I was surprised at how quick it is to make, and how well it works.   So I'm thinking I'll be making my own detergent from now on too (gotta love that growing things to do list you know).

Another thing I like about this product, is that it's made by a real homeschooling family here in the great state of Virginia!  Roy & Richelle Spargur and their family started making soaps during a unit study on colonial life, and that simple study turned into a business.   All products are made from all natural ingredients.   The soaps are hand cut, and no two are exactly alike.  I love knowing that our hard earned money is helping another homeschooling family here!

To read more reviews about Virginia Soaps and Scents, head over to the TOS Crew blog by clicking here.

Disclosure: This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are our own.