Old Man Murray’s Handmade Soap ~ Organic & Paraben Free {Review/Sponsor Spotlight}

 

If you have been around for a while, you know that I love organic soap bars. I have a drawer dedicated to bar soap in my bathroom! Handmade bar soap has become a popular item in my house. You will find it in almost every bathroom, the kitchen and the shower. I especially love bar soap made with just a few natural ingredients, especially if they are organic.

 

Organic Soap - Old Man Murray's Finest Quality Handmade Soap

 

Old Man Murray’s produces organic soap in Brooklyn. Their soap is truly natural, made with just a few ingredients. They never use synthetic fragrances, colorants, or preservatives in their handmade soaps. The soaps are made, scented, and colored with organically produced vegan ingredients. Every soap is made with saponified oils of safflower, sunflower, palm & coconut oil, pure essential oils, organic herbs and rosemary extract.

 

Paraben Free

Old Man Murray’s soaps are paraben free which is really important to me. Parabens are synthetic chemical preservatives which is related to irritating sensitive skin and/or causing conditions like contact dermatitis or rosacea. Whenever you search for beauty and bath products check the ingredient labels for parabens. Their soaps are also free of pesticides, alcohol and petroleum. Since the soap bars are so pure, they may help reduce dry, itchy skin including eczema. {Old Man Murray’s is not a cure, but will help reduce common symptoms like redness and itching.}

 

Old Man Murray’s soaps are handmade with 85% certified organic ingredients. The soaps contain 10% glycerin, giving the soap a moisturizing affect, and leaving your skin feeling soft. They never test their products on animals and they care about the earth. Many products still contain parabens and synthetics which means that they eventually find their way back into the air, water and soil. Companies like Old Man Murray’s truly care about the planet by keeping those ingredients out of their products. I also appreciate that they work with suppliers who sustainably source the organic ingredients!

 

 

I was sent three soaps to review: Lavender, Citrus Herb, and Sanguinello.

They smell AMAZING!

 

The Lavender bar is perfect for those that need to de-stress or relax. I used to hate the smell of lavender, but in the last month have grown to love it! It has such a soothing scent and makes me feel happy and at peace. This bar also contains lavandin, comfrey root, and rosemary. Together they make the perfect blend of sweet lavender scent and leaves my skin soothed and hydrated. The Citrus Herb bar is invigorating with a blend of six essential oils including lemongrass, lime, bergamot, rosemary, lime, and patchouli. This bar has an earthy, citrus smell that leaves your skin feeling fresh.  The Sanguinello bar is another citrus bar. This one is made with blood orange, bergamot, lime, lemongrass, wild orange, tangerine, and rosemary.  I feel like I am in the middle of a citrus grove when I use this! I love that it has a sweet scent to it! Can you tell I like the smell of citrus?

 

 

There are many benefits to essential oils and their scents. You can find the benefits of each oil/herb used by Old Man Murray’s HERE. You can buy Old Man Murray’s 4 oz. organic soap bars for $7.5o each on their website. Overall, I loved Old Man Murray’s soaps! I love that they are truly organic and natural and that they leave my skin feeling soft and moisturized. They have eight different bars to choose from and I hope to try them all out someday!

 

Connect with Old Man Murray’s on and .

 

 

Old Man Murray’s will be giving away 3 bars of their organic soap in the Handmade with Love Giveaway Hop. Winner gets to choose which bars! Come back on February 14 to enter. Interested in an extra entry? Visit Old Man Murray’s and leave a comment telling me something you learned or what bars you would choose if you won!

 

Fair Trade {Giveaway Hop} #FairTradeHop Ends 10/31

 

Fair Trade Giveaway Hop

 

Welcome to the Fair Trade Giveaway Hop, hosted by Happy Mothering, Eco-Crazy Mom and the Green Moms Network. To celebrate Fair Trade Month, we are featuring giveaways from companies that ethically produce and source products from around the world. You can find a list of more fair trade giveaways valued at $25 or more at the bottom of this post.

 

In addition, you also have a chance to win one of TWO fabulous grand prizes from Fair Trade USA, Global Exchange, KusiKui & Vital Choice! You’ll get bonus entries into the Grand Prize Giveaway for each giveaway you enter in the Fair Trade Hop!

 

Click here to enter the Grand Prize

 

At Brittleby’s Corner, you have a chance to win a mōksa Organics package including bar soap, body oil, and body butter. Winner gets to choose scents. All their products are made with organic and fair trade ingredients.

Sponsor Spotlight

 

 

 

***USE CODE “fairtrade” TO GET 30% OFF YOUR TOTAL PURCHASE at mōksa***

mōksa is sponsoring a $40 prize package for the Fair Trade Giveaway Hop. Enter below on the rafflecopter form for a chance to win.  Giveaway is open to US and Canada (Canadian resident must pay $20 shipping) and will end 10/31. Don’t forget this is a hop! After you enter here, enter all the giveaways below! Good Luck!

…  Continue Reading…

mōksa: a true, sustainable, socially responsible business

 

 

I love mōksa! I have been customer for over a year and I truly love this company, it’s products, and what they stand for. I have tried most of their products including their soap, body oil and body butter. My initial review is HERE if you want to read it and learn more about their Kilimanjaro project for the African Elephant.

 

mōksa organics created a “Clean Revolution.” A Revolution that combines our deep love for nature, a love for activism, and a desire to be a part of a world that offers peace and well being for all species. Social Entrepreneurship is the heart of our Revolution.

Our ingredients: Certified Organic. Fairly Traded ingredients whenever possible. No chemicals.

Our products will never include palm oils. Commercial harvesting of palms for their oil is the leading cause of the ecosystem’s loss of habitat and deforestation. Our ingredients were chosen with the least amount of environmental impact. Our packaging is tree free. We use post consumer waste, recycled materials, and no virgin plastics.

We support: Just and Fair wages. Women’s cooperatives. Environmental advocacy groups. Sustainable businesses. Local businesses. Non-profit environmental organizations.

We’re carbon neutral!

Respect our Planet, Support Human Rights & Start a Clean Revolution!

Enjoy your shower. Love your soap.

Haskell & Melanie Martin
Owners/Founders, mōksa organics, inc.

 

…  Continue Reading…

Natural Products for Mom with Moxxie Essential Care

 

Many of you entered to win a soap, solid sugar scrub cubes, and body creme last month from Moxxie Essential Care. Jackie, the creator/owner, was so pleased with your interest that she has decided to sponsor another giveaway…a much bigger giveaway! For those of you that didn’t read my previous review, you can go HERE.

 

To remind you….Moxxie products contain no parabens, no phalates, no detergents, and no synthetics. Moxxie produces cold processed soaps that are made with fatty oils, with lye and water. This process is called saponification, which creates glycerin and soap. Many soap companies extract the glycerin and add synthetic fragrances, artificial moisturizers and other chemical additives to mass produce their cheap soap…but not Moxxie!

 

Moxxie’s cold processed soap is made with only pure food grade edible plant oils like olive, palm and coconut. These are the base oils for the soap. Combinations of aloe vera oil, castor oil, almond oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, wheat germ oil, and cocoa butter are added to create specific beneficial moisturizing and conditioning properties. Moxxie also uses essential oils to provide scent and other benefits, no artificial fragrance oils. For texture and color, Moxxie adds natural whole botanicals such as herbs, flowers and teas. In a few soaps small amounts of non-toxic clays, minerals and iron oxides are added to enhance color and texture and provide other beneficial properties. Moxxie soap cures for a minimum of 4 weeks. This process creates moisturizing soaps that are good for your body and the planet.

 

I was sent an assortment of Moisturizing Body Cremes. Jackie sent me a 4 oz Citrus Blend and 1 oz of each of the other scents: Eucalyptus, Lavender, and Peppermint. This package made for one happy girl! The body creme is made with Water, Prunus amygdalus dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Vegetable Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Phenoxyethanol and Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopherol (vitamin E), and pure essential oils. The body creme contains no parabens, no mineral oils, no petroleum products and no synthetics. Jackie is not trying to hide anything with her products. You can see ingredients to every one of her products online. Her body cremes are 95% natural, as you can probably tell from the ingredient list above.

 

The body creme is not greasy at all! It absorbs really quickly and is great for dry skin. I like that Moxxie products are scented with pure essential oils! The Citrus Blend has a mixture of grapefruit and lime essential oils and has a very sweet smell to it. The other cremes are more straight forward scented with peppermint, eucalyptus and lavender essential oils. The Lavender creme makes me feel like I am in the middle of a lavender field…it smells amazing! The Peppermint creme smells like a sweet candy cane and the Eucalyptus definitely smells like eucalyptus! My daughter is a little stuffed up right now and I am going to use the eucalyptus body creme on her and see if it helps! One thing I love about these body cremes is that the scent smells very strong in the container, but once you have been wearing it a while the scent goes down.  I can still smell it, but I it is not overpowering. I look forward to wearing these cremes more in the winter because it gets so dry where I live!

 

 

You can buy Moxxie products directly from the website or visit a few Southern California shops that carry their products. Moxxie is also available at the Fullerton Farmer’s Market every Thursday evening and the occasional craft fair! Moxxie Essential Care products are all made in Santa Ana, California. The soaps are valued at $5.95, the body creme is $7 for 4 oz and $10 for 8 oz, and the solid sugar scrub cubes are $8. {Moxxie Solid Sugar Scrub Cubes are the best solid sugar scrub I have ever used and I love the Peppermint ones}

 

Connect with Moxxie Essential Care on their website, and .

 

Review Disclosure

Moxxie Essential Care {Review/Giveaway} 3 Winners! Ends 7/24

 

I love going to craft fairs! I love homemade items and talking with people that actually make their products themselves. Talking to someone that has created something is different than just buying something off the shelf from a retail store. I recently went to a craft fair where I met Jackie, the creator of Moxxie Essential Care. I love handmade soap, especially when it is natural. I was also drawn to her bath and body care items. I bought some Peppermint Solid Sugar Scrub Cubes and in the process was given a My Sous Chef bar soap to review!

Mission & Philosophy

Our goal is to create bath & body products which are pure and gentle, non-drying, hydrating, lightly scented and wonderfully textured – a healthful and spirited approach to skincare
. We seek to craft the highest quality natural bath & body care products that promote healthy skin while nurturing the mind, body and spirit.

 

Moxxie products contain no parabens, no phalates, no detergents, and no synthetics. Moxxie produces cold processed soaps that are made with fatty oils, with lye and water. This process is called saponification, which creates glycerin and soap. Many soap companies extract the glycerin and add synthetic fragrances, artificial moisturizers and other chemical additives to mass produce their cheap soap…but not Moxxie! Moxxie’s cold processed soap is made with only pure food grade edible plant oils like olive, palm and coconut. These are the base oils for the soap. Combinations of aloe vera oil, castor oil, almond oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, wheat germ oil, and cocoa butter are added to create specific beneficial moisturizing and conditioning properties. Moxxie also uses essential oils to provide scent and other benefits, no artificial fragrance oils. For texture and color, Moxxie adds natural whole botanicals such as herbs, flowers and teas. In a few soaps small amounts of non-toxic clays, minerals and iron oxides are added to enhance color and texture and provide other beneficial properties. Moxxie soap cures for a minimum of 4 weeks. This process creates moisturizing soaps that are good for your body and the planet.

 

You can buy Moxxie products directly from their website or visit a few Southern California shops that carry their products. Moxxie is also available at the Fullerton Farmer’s Market every Thursday evening and the occasional craft fair! Moxxie Essential Care products are all made in Santa Ana, California.

 

Moxxie carries more than just bar soap!

 

Herbal Bath Tea

Herbal Bath Tea

 

Moxxie Essential Care 9 Piece Soap Bucket

9 Piece Soap Bucket with 1 oz soaps in the most popular scents!

 

moxxie handcrafted natrual shea butter body creme

Moisturizing Body Creme

 

I bought the Peppermint Solid Sugar Scrub Cubes ($8). They are made with pure cane sugar, shea butter, vegetable glycerin soap, pure olive oil, sweet almond oil, pure essential oils, vitamin E, clays and/or mineral oxides. These cubes are amazing! I have tried sugar scrub cubes before and they were hard…so hard that it hurt to scrub and they didn’t spread…it was like a solid bar that wouldn’t break down. These cubes were solid enough to stay a cube, but once I put it in the shower and starting scrubbing my body, it gently fell apart and felt like I had scooped out scrub from a jar! (I don’t really like getting scrub out of a jar in the shower because it is hard to screw off and then screw the lid back on while you are holding the scrub). These sugar cubes provide great exfoliation, but are also moisturizing. Sugar Scrub Cubes are available in Lavender, Peppermint, Citrus, and Eucalyptus.

 

 

Jackie gave me the opportunity to try out a soap and I chose My Sous Chef ($5.95) because I was looking for the perfect hand soap for my kitchen. I no longer have liquid hand soap as an option in my house, so I wanted a soap that would make sense in the kitchen. My Sous Chef is a citrus kitchen soap that has odor cutting abilities. My Sous Chef is made with saponified coconut, olive, aloe vera, castor, jojoba, and wheat germ oils, sweet orange, lemon, grapefruit and lime pure essential oils, and botanicals. I absolutely love the scent of this soap and the way it feels on my hands! It has some botanicals in it that makes it semi scrubby, but it is still very moisturizing. This soap has been in my kitchen since the last week of May and it is still going strong (obviously if you use a soap bar in the shower it won’t last as long). I also love the simplicity of the bar. It looks usable and I love the ridge cut that Jackie uses to cut up her soap.

 

 

Connect with Moxxie Essential Care on their website, and .

 

Jackie has generously offered a giveaway for my readers! There will be 3 winners! Each winner will get one product from Moxxie! Options are a soap bar, body creme or solid sugar cubes. Winnings are selected based on the answer given below in the form and order of being selected. Giveaway is open to US. Ends 7/24! Good Luck!

…  Continue Reading…

SoapBox Soaps {Review/Sponsor Spotlight} #USAMade

 

My love for soap bars is increasing as I keep crossing paths with some amazing companies! SoapBox Soaps is a company that is dedicated to bringing you certified organic soap as well as committed to a cause that delivers soap to people in need.

 

 

I met the co-founder of SoapBox Soaps, David Simnick, at the NPA Marketplace last month. I had a great time talking with him about the company and their mission. David and Eric Vong, the co-founders of SoapBox Soaps, were Boy Scouts together in Naperville, Illinois. David started making soap in Washington DC and his small batch of soap grew into a business that is now two years old. Eric oversees the development of the website, and partnerships with organizations that distribute soap around the world.

 

SoapBox Soaps feature three scents: Oatmeal Clove, Lavender, and Lemongrass. Their soap is literally unlike many soaps I have tried! Most commercial soap companies remove glycerin from their soap bars that is produced during the saponification process. Saponification is the chemical reaction required to produce soap. Glycerin is a traded commodity which is why many soap makers remove it from their soap, to sell. Some keep small amounts in their soap in order to list it on the label. SoapBox Soaps leaves the natural occurring glycerin, that comes from organic vegetable oils, in their soaps. The glycerin provides a better feeling and accounts for 9-10% of their moisturizing soap. SoapBox Soaps does not add sodium laurel sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate or any other surfactants that are often added during the saponification process to their soaps. Other companies add these ingredients to increase lather quality. Unfortunately, these synthetic compounds often dry out and irritate peoples’ skin. SoapBox creates a lather by using natural ingredients and organic oils. You will also never find any parabans or artificial ingredients.

 

SoapBox Soaps are certified organic and are made up of 85% organic ingredients.

So how does certification happen?

To become USDA certified, we had to prove that the ingredients that are essential to the production of soap, like sunflower and safflower oils, and fragrances are made from materials that are found in nature. We had to prove that we were not using artificial ingredients, harsh chemicals, or chemical production processes that would hurt the environment. We submit our soap to the USDA, they analyzed it, and granted us that certification. In 2010, the state of Montana granted us organic certification.

 

What makes us organic certified?

We are organic certified because over 85% of the ingredients that go into our soap are organic. They aren’t created using harsh chemical processes.

 

What does that mean for our soap?

It means that our soap is certified good. Good for you, because it doesn’t contain elements that would destroy or irritate your skin, and good for the environment, not harming the ecosystems surrounding production areas, or creating chemical waste that would be harmful if released into the environment.

 

Besides offering amazing soap, SoapBox Soaps is committed to a mission. Every time a bar of soap is purchased, a bar of soap is sent to a child in need. This company goes above and beyond, and sends a bar of soap that will work for the specific location that it is being sent to. They will not get the same bar as you, rather one that is formulated for their temperature, humidity, storage conditions and water properties. This mission-specific soap is designed to be gentle on all skin types, especially for people who may have never used soap before. This bar is still made with all natural ingredients, is glycerin based, and has the same quality as their retail soaps. SoapBox Soaps mission is to create healthy hygienic conditions for people in order to eliminate deaths that are caused by diseases that are spread through germs. In order to see their mission succeed, SoapBox Soaps has partnered with Clean the World, Thrive DC, Loaves and Fishes, and Global Handwashing Day. Soaps are being delivered here in the US as well as other countries.

 

 

I was given the Lavender soap bar to try out, as well as samples of the Oatmeal Clove and Lemongrass! I think they are beautiful to look at…even the colors of the bar make the soap appear natural and organic! I appreciate that their packaging is made from recycled material, therefore making itself recyclable again! I was very curious about the glycerin and how this soap would feel. I would not say that the bar is “soft” (because I have used bar soap that feels pretty soft to the touch), but the bar is not a rock either. It lathers rather quickly and feels heavenly on my skin. The glycerin makes the lather feel oily (not in a bad way) and very moisturizing. I have tried soaps before that lather, but leave your skin feeling dry. I know that this is a bar of soap that both me and my husband will love. The scent wasn’t overpowering but very present. I love all three of their scents and I look forward to the other scents they may produce in the future. I use bar soap everywhere in my house, so I always am in need of at least 4 soaps to be out at once. My kids also like using bar soap and I can safely say that I will probably never use liquid soap again (unless I can find one that is as great as these natural and organic ones and leave my hands feeling soft and moisturized). When I am out in public or at someone’s house who uses “fake” soap like SoftSoap, it makes me gag! I can’t stand the synthetic smells and scent left on my hands after using it (I actually think about the residue being left on my hands). I can say that my life has been changed since I started using natural products and I will never turn back to the artificial way, even if it is on sale! :)

 

I encourage you to find a natural/organic soap company that works for you and go with it. Give this soap a try and hopefully you will love it like I do. You can buy SoapBox Soaps online for $17.97 for a three pack or $33.97 for a six pack. You can choose to get a set of all the same scent or a variety pack! This company has dedicated themselves to serving the public as well as helping those in need. For only being around for two years, they have a large mission and I hope to see them succeed and go beyond what they dreamed.

 

Connect with SoapBox Soaps on their website, , and .

 

Made in the USA

 

SoapBox Soaps is sponsoring a 3 bar Variety Pack of their threes soap scents for the Made in the USA giveaway hop! The value of the 3 pack is $17.97. The giveaway will go live on July 4th and end on the 13th! Please come back on the 4th to enter to win this #USAMade soap along with other USA made prize packs.

 

Interested in getting an extra entry? Visit SoapBox Soaps and leave a comment below telling me something you learned AND your favorite scent of the three.

 

Thank you to SoapBox Soaps for providing the products mentioned in this post for review. Although I received these products at no charge, all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

 

Moksa Organics ~ Fair Trade and Organic Bath & Body Products

 Product was given to me in order to post my honest opinion. 

 

Melanie & Haskell Martin founded moksa organics with a “clean revolution” in mind. A Revolution that combines their deep love for nature, a love for activism, and a desire to be a part of a world that offers peace and well being for all species. moksa organics operates as a small business doing great things. Social Entrepreneurship is the heart of their Revolution.
Based in Gainesville, Fl, Melanie & Haskell produce and manufacture by hand thousands of their organic bar soaps, body butters and bath products each month. They use 100% certified organic ingredients, as well as sustainably sourced, fair trade ingredients whenever possible. Every purchase means, a designated dollar amount is contributed to organizations that work to promote social justice, environmental preservation & activism, educational workshops, & conservation of habitat and endangered species. 

 

I have been a customer of Moksa for over a year now and I love their Organic line of soap bars, body oils, and body butter. I first heard about Moksa through a daily deal site for natural and organic products. I was a little hesitant to purchase the deal because it was a preset offer of two soaps and a body oil. I don’t think my soap love affair had officially started yet, but I was intrigued by the companies use of organic materials. I was hesitant because of the body oil. 

 

…  Continue Reading…