Thursday, July 17, 2014

soap = hope Made in the USA Blog Carnival

 

Welcome to the July 2014 
Natural Living Blog Carnival: 
Made in the USA.  
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Natural Living Blog Carnival hosted by Happy Mothering and the Green Moms Network. This month, our members are talking about shopping for products that are Made in the USA. Stop by all of the posts listed at the bottom of mine to get ideas on how your family can support more US-based businesses.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I received product and/or compensation in exchange for the possibility of a review. All opinions expressed are my own honest opinions.



I was shopping at Whole Foods a few months ago and met a young man who had a display of soaps from a company called, SoapBox. We had a lovely conversation, followed by an exchange of business cards. A week or so later, I received an email from Aaron and agreed to do a review of the products. I must admit, I was already loving one of the products, as I had purchased it at Whole Foods the day I was introduced to SoapBox. And it wasn't just the product I loved... it was the entire concept of this Virginia company. 

Let me tell you about it. SoapBox products are:
  • Made in the USA, which automatically cuts down on the environmental impact that importing products can cause.
  • Cruelty free & Vegan certified. I'm personally not concerned about the second part of that statement, but I know it's important to some of you.
  • Gluten free. Again, not an issue for me personally, but for those of you with gluten sensitivities, it's good to know.
  • They use 100% recyclable packaging. Notice, it's not 50% or even 90%. It's 100% recyclable.
  • Palm Oil free.
  • Paraben free.
  • Petrochemical free. Keeps getting better, doesn't it?
  • Phthalate free.
  • Sulfate free.
  • And here's the best part -- Made with 100% pure hope.
 So, what's the deal with SoapBox soaps? The above reasons would be enough motivation to buy their products, right? But it gets better. Much, much better.



SoapBox works with local bar soap makers around the world to empower communities, not create aid dependency. The company is dedicated to saving and improving lives across the globe, as well as here in the United States.  They do this in three ways:

1. Every time a bar of soap is purchased, SoapBox donates a bar to someone in need. More than 3,000 children's lives could be save every day if they simply had access to soap and clean water.**

2. A month's supply of clean water is provided through their partner, RainCatcher, for every Liquid Hand Soap purchase. Did you know that every week, more than 27,000 children's lives could be saved by clean water and improved living conditions around the world?**

3. With each purchase of Body Wash, a year's supply of vitamins is donated to someone in need through their partner, vitamin angels. More than half a million children under the age of five die every year from malnutrition. Nearly one in four of these children's lives could be saved through vitamin A supplementation alone.**

That's where their slogan "soap = hope" comes in -- buy one and they give one to a person in need. Their mission is simple: "to empower customers with the ability to make the world a better place through everyday, quality purchases."

Through soap, water development, and vitamins, each of their products helps to save the more than 24,000 people's lives that could be saved through preventable measures.**

**According to the 2012 Report by UNICEF & World Health Organization.


So who makes up this amazing company? It's just a small bunch of young, dedicated people who plan to change the world through their partnerships with homeless shelters, food pantries, and orphanages. I'm impressed. Aren't you?

Of course, the only way they can accomplish their goal is by producing a good product. Right? Well, they hit their mark on that one. I love, love, love, the All-Natural Bar Soap, the Liquid Hand Soap, and the Body Wash. So does my husband. And the various guests I've had in my home who have washed their hands and asked me about the "wonderful" soaps I have in the bathrooms and kitchen. 


I love the scents. At least the ones I've tried. I especially appreciate how the entire bar is scented so that it retains its light scent as it gets smaller and smaller. We're currently using the Spearmint Bar Soap in the upstairs shower and love the invigorating scent.



I have the Mandarin Body Wash in the downstairs bathroom. I love the refreshing citrus aroma that mixes with the steam as I shower. Ahhh. 





Finally, I have the Liquid Hand Soaps in the bathrooms and kitchen. I love how soft my hands feel after washing with these soaps. We just finished the Lavender Liquid Hand Soap upstairs and savored the relaxing aroma each time we washed our hands. Now we're using the Apple Liquid Hand Soap (with aloe and jojoba oil) and are loving the crisp apple scent. 

We're using the Tea & Ginger Liquid Hand Soap in the downstairs bathroom. Again... ahhhh... The aloe and shea butter are a perfect combination with the tea and ginger scent. I'm especially enjoying the choice I made for the kitchen, both because I like how the soap cleans my hands and because I love how the bottle looks on my kitchen counter. It is most likely my favorite: Black Liquid Hand Soap. I mean, who does black/gray in their liquid soap packaging? It's awesome.The Black Soap (bar and liquid) has activated charcoal mixed with sea salt, which works to draw toxins out of your skin while it exfoliates. Brilliant.

There are more varieties available. You can check out the ingredients and scents on the SoapBox website, where you can buy individual products or money-saving bundles. Sign up for their subscription service and save even more! 

But you don't have to order from website because SoapBox soaps are now conveniently available at your local Target stores, too. How cool is that? So you can add to the positive environmental impact of the soaps by skipping the shipping and picking them up on your next shopping trip.

With SoapBox soaps, it's not just about buying an environmentally friendly, natural, and effective product for you and your family. No. It goes beyond that. And that is what drives me to give them the Green Grandma's Two Green Thumbs Up Award!

Reviewing it for you,

 





   
Visit Happy Mothering and to learn more about participating in next month’s Natural Living Blog Carnival! Please take some time to enjoy the posts our other carnival participants have contributed:

 

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