REVIEW: Castile Soap Bar Company

It seems food is the easiest transition on this journey towards a chemical-free eco-friendly life, doesn't it? But when it comes to our Bombshell beauty routine it's a little more tricky. I'll be honest, it took a long time to pry the overly perfumed body gel out of my hands. Finally, though, I had to admit what I already knew – I was layering on harmful chemicals every time I showered.

So, I did what everyone does when they're looking for natural, chemical-free soap; I bought a super popular castile soap. The thing was, I just didn't like it. In the winter it was too drying and it the bar left me with a sticky film feeling. Disappointed, and entirely at a loss, I pulled out a bottle of the chemical-filled body wash remaining under my sink only to learn how harsh it really was when my legs began to itch unbearably every night. I felt stuck, frustrated, and a little bit bitter. Was it too much to ask for a nicely scented soap that wasn't harmful to me or the environment? 

Like a gift from the Universe, I received an inquiry from the Castile Bar Soap company. Did I want to try out their castile soap bars? I was hesitant. The castile soap I'd used in the past was not what I wanted out of a body wash or bar. But I figured I'd give it try, hoping they might be different. 

AND THEY WERE! 

The Castile Soap Bar Face and Body bar is cruelty free, organic, and free from sodium laurel sulfate. I received two different soaps, each organic and each touted as a "face and body" bar. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm usually skeptical of any soap that claims I can use it on both my face AND my body. I have pretty sensitive skin so the likelihood that something strong enough for my body is going to be gentle enough for my face is slim. As it turns out, my fears were completely unfounded.   

I received both the Complexion Correction Aloe Vera bar and the Detox Calendula bar (and look at that lovely personalized card they sent, too!). The Complexion Correct bar is hands down my favorite soap I've ever used. It's completely different from any castile bar I've used before. It's like a glycerin bar married a mild castile bar and had super-soap babies. I really could use it on my face, and get this, it really did help my complexion, which, given the early heat we had this spring, was a huge bonus. 

As for the Detox Calendula bar, I found it to be closer to a traditional castile, but with some fabulously unique elements; specifically the bits of what I believe were almond shell that helped to remove dead skin and detoxify at a deeper level.

Castile Soap Bar Company soap has become our family soap now. Safe for children, gentle on sensitive skin, and strong enough for my workout crazy husband, we won't be going back to our old ways. 

If you have been dragging your feet on switching your personal care products, you won't regret replacing your old chemical-filled body wash with this delicious and delicate castile soap. 

Want to know more about Castile Soap Bar Company? Try it for yourself! Visit CastileSoap.com or check them out on Facebook. 

Shift Happens!

Bombshells, I'm headed to Los Angeles!

Wait, I already live there.

Okay, well anyway, I'm headed to Shiftcon!

What is Shiftcon? It's a super awesome convention for green living bloggers like yours truly. I'll have the opportunity to meet and learn about companies that are invested in bringing us products for a greener, cleaner, healthier life. I'll have the opportunity to learn from experts in many different fields about many different topics to bring YOU more information and knowledge. I also have 6:30 AM yoga, which I'm slightly less enthusiastic about since I'm not a morning person.

But regardless, this is going to be amazing and I can't wait to share all of my newfound knowledge with you all.

Here's an excerpt from the official press release:

Taking place in the heart of Los Angeles at the Crown Plaza, ShiftCon is the three day catalyst that will help further empower those who shape the conversations filling our social media news feeds and status updates. Many of the attendees have already done that, being featured in stories on Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, USA Today, Babble as well as broadcast television (Dr. Oz, CNN, CBS, ABC, The Talk and more). Three days of panels, parties, Farm to Table food trucks, keynotes from some heavy hitters and the opportunity to connect with non-profits working to change laws and get new ones on the books will have a lasting effect well beyond those 72 hours and we’d love for your reporters to come see what it’s all about.

If you want to learn more you can visit the Shiftcon website, but I promise to bring you back the most important information about products, brands, and lifestyle practices to enhance our Chemical-Free, Eco-concious, Organic lives. 

When I'm in Vegas, I bet on…GREEN!

Okay, not really. I don't even bet on colors when I play roulette. But that's not the point.

This year, our annual Vegas anniversary trip was moved to the weekend following our anniversary, making it a Vegas BIRTHDAY trip. My birthday, to be exact. I know you're thinking there's no way this is in line with my values of living an eco-friendly life. Vegas is blinking lights and ringing bells and thousands of cubic feet of pool water that needs to be heated and buffets full of wasted food… and yes, there is plenty of that.

Where does a Green Living Bombshell stay in Vegas that will allow her to enjoy the decadence that IS Vegas while remaining true to her eco-consious principles, you ask?

THE VENETIAN!

The Venetian, in all of its Italian Renaissance glory, is LEED Gold Certified. In fact, they have an entire TV channel dedicated to walking you through exactly how they've made huge strides in the hotel industry. From over 18,000 square feet of solar panels to reclaimed water practices to recycling not just consumer waste but even up-cycling their old towels and sheets as well as turning the unused soap left behind by hotel guests into fresh bars of soap that is then sent to African villages that are in need of hygiene supplies, The Venetian is paving the way for luxury hotels into sustainability practices.

Even the eggs on their room service menu were organic, cage-free eggs! I had an amazing breakfast IN MY ROBE while overlooking the gorgeous pools and gardens. Do you hear that, Bombshells? They set up this whole beautiful spread for me in my room and I stayed IN MY ROBE. Now that is a vacation.

And speaking of the pools, they have a specially designed water heating system that uses the natural heat of the desert along with sunlight to heat the water for the all four pools.

My room was so beautiful, and since every room is a suite, we had plenty of space to make ourselves at home. My favorite little touch was the velvet covered chair in front of the vanity mirror-the perfect place to take my time doing my make up before a night on the town. And in keeping with their sustainability practices, the sinks had low flow faucets and every single lightbulb was a long-lasting, low energy usage fluorescent bulb. Even the carpet in each and every hotel suite meets LEED Certification standards. 

All of this is due to the Sands Eco 360º Global Sustainability strategy. You can even read their environmental report  here (when the heck have you ever seen a hotel release an environmental report?)

So, not only did I get to have a beautiful, romantic, luxury-filled vacation, but I could do it with a clear conscious!

If you're planning a trip to Vegas, please consider The Venetian|Palazzo for your stay. Let the hotel industry know that these guys are doing it right.




(This is NOT a paid/sponsored post. This is my own opinion and experience at The Venetian and I have not received any compensation from The Sands Corporation in exchange for this endorsement.)