Like vinegar and baking soda, castile soap is extremely versatile. Carolina Castile Soap is just that. These soaps are made from a mixture of oils (mainly olive) as well as cocoa butter. Many if not all of the oils included in the making of soap are organic. No fake dyes or scents are used in the soaps and they do not contain sodium laureth/lauryl sulfate as many big name brands do. Carolina Castile Soap is also animal and environmental friendly, a big plus! They also do not use false foaming agents, something that can not be said about many soaps/shampoos/etc. found in big box stores. After all, it isn't the suds that clean. ;)
As mentioned earlier, castile soap is very versatile and multi-purpose. Here is just a small list of some of its uses:
Shampoo - Hand Soap - Dog Shampoo - Laundry Detergent - Face Wash - Dish Soap - Mopping Floors - General House Cleaner - Cleaning Wipes - Vegetable Rinse - Carpet Cleaner - Dishwasher Detergent - Shaving Cream - Baby Shampoo/Wash - Body Wash - Bathroom Scrub
While Carolina Castile Soap offers many fragrances available on their website, I was sent the Gentle Unscented variety to review (plus share an awesome DIY) and giveaway. This specific castile soap is made with 7 ingredients. SEVEN. Plus, I can pronounce all of them. I'm told by a very wise one (thanks momma!), that if you can't pronounce the ingredient, it probably ain't good for ya! In case you're curious, here is the ingredient list:
Organic Olive Oil - Organic & Fair Trade Cocoa Butter - Organic Coconut Oil - Citric Acid - Potassium Hydroxide - Tocopherol (Vitamin E) - Water
So anyway, my first goal was to create a shampoo recipe. I scoured Pinterest to find a recipe and gave a few a try. I just made enough of each for a single use to test them out. It turns out that there were things I liked and didn't like about each. Therefore, I took it upon myself to try my own combinations to see what I liked best. Please keep in mind that all formulas work differently with individual body chemistry. If this doesn't work for you, try tweaking the recipe until you find something that does. I will post substitutions below the recipe for you to experiment with. Lastly, don't freak out when you mix your ingredients and see that they are a consistency between water and shampoo, this is normal. I actually prefer this over the cream/gel as it isn't so heavy for your hair.
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Castile Soap
1/4 Cup Distilled Water
1/4 tsp. Vitamin E
5-10 Drops Essential Oil (I used Lavender & Orange)
Directions:
1. Pour all ingredients into a glass bowl
2. Gently stir to avoid excessive foaming
3. Store in a squeeze bottle (I just recycled an empty one)
4. Enjoy
Substitutions:
○ If you are missing ingredients, Carolina Castile Soap can be used alone
○ You may substitute the Vitamin E (though it helps preserve) with Aloe Gel for the extra moisture
○ Use all Lavender oil to soothe scalp, including helping w/ dandruff
○ Peppermint oil will provide an invigorating perk to your scalp as well as help with oily hair
○ Cedarwood provides an earthy, musky scent that may help w/ hair regrowth
○ Use any mixture of essential oils that you think smell nice
Then there's the fun part! Carolina Castile Soap was super generous in offering a 32 oz. Gentle Unscented bottle to one of my readers! Enter using the widget below.
32 oz. Carolina Castile Soap Gentle Unscented Giveaway
-Open to U.S. residents only-
-Entries will be verified-
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I received the castile soap complimentary for review purposes. Nonetheless, all opinions are 100% my own.
As you probably already know, I normally write product reviews about things that I am sent specifically to review. In this case I happened to win some products that I just really like. And so....I decided to write a review to clue all of you in. Via the Innersense Organic Facebook page, I was lucky enough to win a Shampoo, Conditioner and Leave in Conditioner.
Before even checking out the products, I was obsessed with the packaging! So simple, so...organic looking! This would make such a nice gift for someone! Please note that I do not know if all orders come exactly like this, but I assume it would be similar!
So....let's get down to the good stuff, shall we?
Shampoo
Yum! This stuff literally smells edible. When I first opened it up, I was instantly reminded of grapefruit. However, I believe the scent is actually orange based on the ingredient list. Either way, it smells phenomenal! Seriously like fresh fruit! The next thing that I absolutely love about this shampoo is that it is sulfate free! Yes, such a huge plus! Sulfate is so rough on your hair that this shampoo was already high up in my book.
When applying the product, the first thing that I noticed was that it doesn't get nearly as sudsy as big name brands. However, it does spread easily and evenly through your hair. Besides....it isn't the suds that clean your hair anyway...right? Who needs them!?
Conditioner
Then comes my favorite part! I always have a heck of a time finding a good conditioner. I have super long, tangle and frizz prone hair so a conditioner is a must for me! While the scent isn't as yummy as the shampoo, this stuff surely works wonders! Firstly...and I know this sounds weird, but I love the looks of the conditioner. It may be slightly difficult to see in the picture (click to enlarge), but there are tiny speckles of matter in there. It feels very natural, fresh and minimally processed.
As far as use goes, the conditioner is awesome at de-tangling! I was literally able to brush through my hair with my fingers after applying the conditioner. That's rare. Pretty awesome too! Not only that, but it really smooths your hair.
Leave in Conditioner
Last but not least! I have only used this product once or twice before writing this post, so I haven't formed much of an opinion yet. I do absolutely love that Rosemary Essential oil is one of the ingredients. I have recently gotten into essential oils and know that Rosemary is great for hair! I have high hopes for this leave in conditioner. After longer use, I will update you with more info on this product!
Overall, I was pleased with Innersense Organic in general. I will definitely be using their products in the future as well as recommending them to others such as YOU, my incredible readers! Big thanks to the Innersense Organic team for the win and especially Lauren for the kind emails and support!
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This product was a sweepstakes win with no obligation to review. All opinions are 100% my own.
Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. 
Sara here, back at ya with another ADOVIA review! The first time it was a mask, this time it's Dead Sea Mud Shampoo! Sounds intriguing, right?!
A little background on the shampoo:
"ADOVIA's Dead Sea Mud Shampoo is formulated with pure Dead Sea mud and natural moisturizers such as Olive Oil, Grape Seed Oil and Aloe Vera. Dead Sea minerals present in the mud provide relief for a dry or irritated scalp and leave hair naturally moisturized, fuller and manageable. Vitamin E strengthens the hair root and Chamomile leaves your hair soft and flexible."
Scent:
One of the first things that people do when they get a new shampoo is smell it, right? Or is that just me?!
Anyhow, I didn't really know what to expect by seeing the color of the shampoo. It's an almost blue/gray pearly color (very pretty). The first time, I really didn't care for the scent. I thought it was almost a floral scent. However, the more I smelled of it, the better I started to like it. Now...I really don't think it's floral but more of a clean, fresh almost soapy scent. I really can't pinpoint one certain thing that it smells like. However, the scent is very familiar!
Use:
One big thumbs down for me. Literally...for ME! I wanted to show a picture of how the shampoo works and I completely forgot!
When you squeeze it into your hand, it's a bit more gel like than what I would prefer. I'd rather it be more on the creamy side. When you do apply it in your hair, it does get nice and sudsy. Yeah, yeah...I know the suds aren't what cleans your hair, but it gives me a piece of mind! Overall, not a whole lot different than a big name brand.
Results:
As usual, I let my hair air dry once I got out of the shower to get honest results. At first I really didn't think it was different than any other brand. It was however, very soft and smooth. It also seemed much easier to comb through my hair than with my regular shampoo. When I did really notice the difference was when I went to put my hair up into a ponytail! My pony felt so THICK in my hands! I don't know what it was in the shampoo or that that was even possible, but it was!
At $23, this is probably something that I would only buy on very rare occasions. While I really like the shampoo and its thickening effect, I just can't see paying that much for something that I use on a daily basis. It just isn't economical to me.
Though I would suggest that you give it a try at least once as it is very unique. You can find this product on Amazon!
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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.
Have you ever woken up in the morning with a puff ball on your head? Or...came in from the humudity with one? I know I have! It ain't fun! That's why I was so excited when I found out that I got the chance to try the Leave in Hair Treatment w/ Argan oil from HSI!
The box makes 5 claims, I'll review all of the ones that I'm able too. Because I love you all, I took before and after pictures to show any visible difference. I will put them at the bottom of this review for you all to refer too! So anyway... let's get the ball a-rollin'!
Anti Frizz
It doesn't take much for my hair to frizz up like crazy so I had no problem testing out this claim! As you can see in the before pic, my hair was pretty frizzy (not nearly as bad as it CAN get though). In the after picture, there is still a small amount of frizz, but I'd say the HSI Treatment did a pretty good job of taming for the most part.
Leaves Hair Silky & Soft
Now this part makes me really happy! Not only did I notice that my hair was soft and silky, others did as well! My sister happened to stop over the day I had used this product. One of the first things that she said was that my hair looked really smooth and soft! She sees me quite often, so she knew that I had started using a new hair product. I best keep an eye on it....or it just might jump into some other hands! xD
Heat & Color Protectant
To be completely honest, I really don't know how to test this claim out. I straighten my hair quite often so I use many heat protectants. I know that I have used some bad ones because my hair ends up really dry and dull afterwards. After using the HSI treatment w/ Argan oil...my hair didn't look dry or dull...I'm hoping that means it works!!
Repairs Damaged Hair
Again...I'm not exactly sure how to test this. I'm thinking I would maybe have to use it for a longer period of time to get good results. Therefore, I'm not really sure how accurate this claim is. However, I have heard many, many, MANY good things about Argan oil and assume it probably would repair your hair well!
Leave in Elixir Conditioner
This is the other part that I was so excited about. I don't know about you but when I see the word oil on a hair product, I BACK AWAY! I don't know how many times I have rubbed drops of oil through my hair and it looked soooooo greasy! That's disgusting! I know I'm not alone on this.
So I took a few drops, hoping for the best but prepared for the worst, and rubbed it through my hair. I don't know how this is possible, but it's almost as it just dissolved and dissapeared. My hair did not feel even a tiny bit greasy/oily! That's incredible! It also seemed to help keep my hair manageable. So many less knots/tangles than without the treatment!
Overall, I think the HSI Leave in Hair Treatment w/ Argan Oil lived up to its claims for the most part. If I were to change one thing, I would add an eyedropper type thing to transfer the product from the bottle to your hand. Having to pour just a few drops in your hand is a bit difficult and can be messy. Other than that...I really have no complaints. This is def. a product that I will use again and that I would recommend to friends/family!
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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
