A couple of my close wax buddies are also really into bath and body products, mainly homemade soaps! I have heard about
A Life Deliberate several times within the past couple of years and have liked their Facebook page for some time now, and though I have had about 12 carts full of stuff throughout the years, I have never pulled the proverbial trigger and ordered. It might be TMI (??), but for some reason, I just haven't been able to use homemade soaps with any degree of success. They are always really drying on my skin. I don't know if it's because we have horribly hard water here in San Diego, but regardless, I have been deterred. The only soap I ever had any success with was one that my good pal
Deb made!
Well, here we are today. At the end of September, I did it. I bought from A Life Deliberate! There was a scent I just could not pass up. Let's take a look, shall we?
Pumpkin Lager goat's milk bar soap: the one that drew me in! The description reads:
"A warm fragrance blend of pumpkin puree, fresh ginger, crushed spice island's nutmeg, ground cinnamon, vanilla sugar, and sparking rum." Doesn't that sounds amazing enough to eat!?
No matter how many times I took the photo, the pumpkin would never come out quite right, unfortunately! I love the brown swirls and colors, very fall indeed! This smells incredible, I almost don't want to use it. You pick up on the cinnamon first, then is transitions into a sweet vanilla pumpkin, Aghhh, so good! The ingredients sound like this will be a very moisturizing bar, so I have faith it won't dry out my skin!
Happily Sever After goat's milk bar soap: the description reads:
"this fragrance is a cut above the rest with top notes of tangy lemon zest, blood oranges, and bubbly carbonation; followed by middle notes of Italian bergamot, fresh mint, gin martinis and lavender, sitting on a base of rosewood." WOWZA! I definitely pick up on the orange and lemon notes with a fizzy after scent, too. The fizz is more than just carbonation, though, there is a slightly alcoholic bubbly to it! Love that. There is a complex woody note in there as well, but I can't tell if it's a rosewood or a bergamot type of smell. I love this way more than I thought I would, and I gotta admit, I really bought it because of the finger, LOL! And look at those colors and swirls, so gorgeous.
Creepy Cooties Wax Melts: the day I bought these soaps, she mentioned on her Facebook page that she was going to be stocking a couple wax melts, too. HELLO, MOMMY! After much debate, I went with the creepy cooties because they were so dang cute. Big mistake. I should have known that I wasn't going to like this scent but still bought them anyways. It's basically an oatmeal cookie scent, but this is not your typical oatmeal that is toned down scent...all I smell is weird oatmeal stinkiness, like a face mask made from oatmeal. I am going to melt it to see if it clears off while warming, but I doubt it. I should have gone with something fruity instead!
Along with my purchases, I got 2 free samples, which I did not expect! I know wax vendors give samples, but didn't know if soap vendors did. Cool! I got a Farmhouse Shampoo sample that I'm not quite sure what to do with? Do I just rub it in like I would a cream/gal shampoo and rinse out? Do I use my conditioner after? SO MANY QUESTIONS! I also received a free sample of her gourmet body mousse in Viva La Juicy, which is a very popular perfume. This is super smooth but a bit greasy for me. I am willing to give it another shot, though!
Have you ever purchased anything from A Life Deliberate? Let me know if you have an what kinds of experiences you have had with her products!
If other handcrafted soaps have been drying, maybe goat milk will be the key. If there has been a 'sticky' sort of feeling after using handcrafted soaps, that's normal. It's because the skin is not being completely stripped of it's oils.
ReplyDeleteAs for the shampoo bar, just rub it on your hair and work up a lather. You might not get as much lather as traditional shampoo though. A lot of people don't need conditioner BUT it's very common to use a vinegar rinse after shampooing. Your hair might also need a couple shampoos to adjust. I was never a fan of the vinegar rinse, so I've never gotten into using handcrafted shampoo bars.
~Deb
You may be right about the goat's milk, I have noticed when I use it on my hands, too, they usually stay much softer and less dried than other soaps. That's why it's good we got a water softener because the oils will stay around and not be so stripped! :)
DeleteThanks for the info about the shampoo bar! I have never heard of vinegar rinse, sounds stinky! :P
People say it doesn't stink. I think apple vinegar is preferred, and I think you just mix some with water and rinse your hair with it after you shampoo and rinse. It removes residue the soap leaves behind, or something like that. Some shampoo bars though, for some people, don't need any special treatment. Try it. See how it works for you. Just do it on a day you don't have to go anywhere...lol
Delete~Deb
I am glad you are giving them a go again! Did you like the Alamo I sent or was it drying too? Those soaps and wax tarts look cool! The pumpkin one sounds festive and cozy. I hope you report back in your experience with them! I have never ordered from there.
ReplyDeleteI loved the Alamo soap, but I haven't used it since we got the water softener installed in our house. I only have a tiny sliver, and I was trying to conserve it! :P I still need to try the Blue Moon Elise soap you sent me and I will report back!
DeleteI hear you on being nervous about handmade soap, it took a lot of trial and error to find ones I was okay with. The bar I got from A Life Deliberate was not one of them unfortunately, to the extreme, but I usually think it must be me. I hope it goes better for you!!
ReplyDeleteI'm a shampoo bar user also. I can go without using conditioner if I'm in a hurry but generally it's better to use one if that's what you usually do. It's good for your hair to shake up your shampoo routine but I think shampoo bars can be more cleansing (and drying) than typical liquid shampoo if you don't have the right formula for your hair type.
DeleteWhen you use it, it is recommended to lather in your hands and then work the lather in. It takes more time but should be gentler.