a home(school)-based business

How cool is this? Virginia Soaps and Scents sent samples of soaps to TOS Crew members for review. (Alliteration not included.) The company is owned and operated by a homeschooling family and it resulted from a unit study on colonial life in Virginia. It was, according to the Spargur family, to be a one-time project, like the time we made butter here in our homeschool. (We may or may not have done that more than once and I may or may not have licked the spoon.)

In any event, the family makes bath soap with olive and coconut oils that are wonderfully scented. The boy even likes them, which says a lot when soap gets approval from an 11-year-old. I have been using the shampoo bar, which seems to have a similar cleaning property as the baking soda and vinegar wash I tried earlier this year. (I loved the way it made my hair feel and I loved not using commercial shampoo, but the baking soda was terrible on my hands. No eczema issues with the shampoo bar.)

I also received a sample size of the Spargurs’ laundry soap kit. I will be asking a friend to try that one because the grated cleaning bar included in the kit is lard-based. This vegetarian can’t quite get past that, but as always, YMMV. I can tell you that my own use of soap/washing soda/borax for laundry is something I will use until the end of time or until someone else washes my clothes. (I think the end of time will probably come first.) If the lard doesn’t bother you and you want to try making your own laundry soap with the ease of a kit, this may be something that interests you.

The company also makes beeswax lip balm, all-in-bars (for camping and travel) and an unscented line for my fellow allergic peeps.

VSS now has holiday soaps available, including pumpkin spice scent (made from real pumpkin and cinnamon). Yum. If I buy that one and I smell like pumpkin pie, will that make me eat less at Thanksgiving?

 

Soaps are $4.50 each, 3 for $12 and 10 for $35. A regular-sized laundry soap kit is $4.95 and makes two gallons of gel – enough to wash 64 – 72 loads.