Natural Soap Bars, review

-- Product Review --

Knowing the renowned properties of hemp oil, which is rich in a balanced ratio of EFA fats, many different vitamins and protein, and being good for sensitive dry skin, I was excited to try the Wholly Hemp 4 oz (118.3 ml) soap bars. Besides being based on hydrating organic hemp oil and shea butter, this soap is infused with essential oils. Ingredients vary depending on the type of bar you choose but can include: different combinations of hemp, coconut, pam, sunflower, peppermint, orange, lavender and lemon oils and rosemary extract. As such the Wholly Hemp products actually work quite nicely with skin ailments from acne to eczema and dermatitis or psoriasis. This is a wholly sustainable product since the company really cares about where their ingredients come from, how they are grown and harvested, and the social impact they have on that area. After visiting their site I learned that the company also donates up to 25% of their profits to charities… now that’s impressive!

I received 4 bars from Jesse and Hannah – of Hemp Authority – Refreshing Peppermint, Lucious Lemon, Smooth Lavendar, Sweet Orange. While we originally discussed the review project in April they didn’t ship them out until July 10^th, the delay was caused by the store waiting for Canadian shipping to become available to them – so they are now able to ship to Canada and the US. The bars arrived on July 18^th in a recyclable envelope, delivered to my door. The bars are very eco-friendly in that they were packaged in wrapped in brown paper, are not tested on animals, supports Canadian farmers, and are  made and distributed in the US.

The Refreshing Peppermint bar is helpful as an anti-inflammatory, skin toning astringent that also helps reduce irritation. The Sweet Orange bar offers similar benefits but is also anti-bacterial, while the Luscious Lemon detoxifies the skin, and the Smooth Lavender has anti-microbial properties. The write up on the bar wrapping suggested trying the bars out as a shampoo – I’d not heard of that before so my husband and I gave it a try. He liked it so much he doesn’t want to use our liquid organic shampoo anymore since it is more convenient for him to use the bar that is already in his hand. For myself, I found the bar dried out my scalp a little, but then I’m super sensitive and easily dry out. Interestingly most of the essential oils used in these products are also deterrents of insects (think mosquitoes and ticks), are totally safe on the environment and have mild fragrances - as such they would be perfect for campers. 

The first two bars we tried were the citrus varieties and they were very effective at getting even the tough garden grime washed away. I truly felt squeaky clean after the shower was over. We’re going to try the peppermint one next – I just love the odor of both peppermint and lavender, so I’m definitely looking forward to those. The bars seemed to last about a week – with Dave and I both showering daily and Dave using the bar for shampoo as well. The left over chip of soap seems to be fairly pliable in the shower so I think I’ll keep them and push all the soap chips together when the bars are done to form a new, smaller bar of soap to use.

The bars retail around $5 (US) via the Hemp Authority online store, which offers a selection of personal products and clothing from a variety of suppliers. I especially like their simple style of clothing and the hemp product and bakery bags – which would certainly help reduce the mass amount of plastic used on this planet. On their site they have a lot of information about the financial and agricultural benefits of hemp, how it can be used for a lot of different products, political reasons why hemp (a former commodity) is experiencing roadblocks, and more.

Kudos to both companies for making the world a better place!

http://www.hempauthority.com (online store) www.whollyhemp.com  (supplier) 

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