A Handmade Soap Virgin's First Experience:
When I started reading this blog I had never used handmade, organic soap. My skin is so extremely sensitive that almost every soap I tried in the past caused a reaction such as a rash or dryness to the extent of peeling. I found one brand of soap that worked marginally well (meaning it didn't cause a bad reaction, but it was drying to an extent) for me in high school and have used it almost exclusively since, so I was a bit wary of venturing into uncharted territory.
Having known Clean Diva since college, I was aware that her skin is as sensitive as mine and was confident that if handmade soap did not cause her problems, I should be able to give it a try as well. When I saw that she wanted guest bloggers to review new soaps, I decided to take the plunge.
The Duplin County Wine and Sesame soap by Lovin' the Land practically jumped up and down for me to choose it. Growing up in rural south Georgia, we picked muscadines every year and to this day, the taste and scent are among my favorites.
My soap was shipped the day after I placed my order and arrived a couple of days later. The packaging was very pretty and I could smell the soap even before I unwrapped it. The combination of sesame and muscadine wine creates an interesting aroma - each scent can be deciphered, but together they create an understated and clean smell. I took the time to cut my soap into smaller pieces, as Clean Diva suggests, and then headed for the shower.
The scent of the soap does not intensify much once it's wet, it just smells even cleaner, if that makes sense. It produces a small amount of smooth, silky lather that leaves skin feeling moisturized and soft. Normally after a shower, I put on lotion to keep my skin from getting too dry, so in order to have a moisture comparison at the end of the day, I put the lotion on only one arm. There is very little difference in how my arms feel now, more than 12 hours after my shower. The arm without lotion still smells faintly like the soap, which is a nice surprise. I plan to keep every slice for myself, so I can say with confidence that this soap gets high marks.
I must admit that this experience has made me want to try more handmade soaps. Many thanks to Clean Diva for sharing her adventures in soap so that others can become enlightened!
When I started reading this blog I had never used handmade, organic soap. My skin is so extremely sensitive that almost every soap I tried in the past caused a reaction such as a rash or dryness to the extent of peeling. I found one brand of soap that worked marginally well (meaning it didn't cause a bad reaction, but it was drying to an extent) for me in high school and have used it almost exclusively since, so I was a bit wary of venturing into uncharted territory.
Having known Clean Diva since college, I was aware that her skin is as sensitive as mine and was confident that if handmade soap did not cause her problems, I should be able to give it a try as well. When I saw that she wanted guest bloggers to review new soaps, I decided to take the plunge.
The Duplin County Wine and Sesame soap by Lovin' the Land practically jumped up and down for me to choose it. Growing up in rural south Georgia, we picked muscadines every year and to this day, the taste and scent are among my favorites.
My soap was shipped the day after I placed my order and arrived a couple of days later. The packaging was very pretty and I could smell the soap even before I unwrapped it. The combination of sesame and muscadine wine creates an interesting aroma - each scent can be deciphered, but together they create an understated and clean smell. I took the time to cut my soap into smaller pieces, as Clean Diva suggests, and then headed for the shower.
The scent of the soap does not intensify much once it's wet, it just smells even cleaner, if that makes sense. It produces a small amount of smooth, silky lather that leaves skin feeling moisturized and soft. Normally after a shower, I put on lotion to keep my skin from getting too dry, so in order to have a moisture comparison at the end of the day, I put the lotion on only one arm. There is very little difference in how my arms feel now, more than 12 hours after my shower. The arm without lotion still smells faintly like the soap, which is a nice surprise. I plan to keep every slice for myself, so I can say with confidence that this soap gets high marks.
I must admit that this experience has made me want to try more handmade soaps. Many thanks to Clean Diva for sharing her adventures in soap so that others can become enlightened!
Since writing this entry, I have purchased 8 more bars of handmade soap (including a shampoo bar) and am loving the choices that I finally have. It's a great feeling to be able to wake up and have multiple soaps from which to choose that treat my skin SO much better than the one national brand I had used for more than 20 years. I already have a few more bars chosen to order when my current supply starts to dwindle. Many thanks go to Erin for exposing me (and the rest of her readers) to such a great world of products!
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