Review: Vermont Soap Organics Liquid Sunshine and Pure Shea Butter

I adore beauty products that contain only natural, nontoxic and organic ingredients.  BUT (and this is a big but) I only adore them if they actually perform.  And trust me, I've used my share of  all-natural and organic products that ended up not living up to their claims (that's putting it mildly).  So when I received a variety of products recently from Vermont Soap Organics, I was hopeful, yet cautious.

If you haven't heard of Vermont Soap Organics, you can see everything you need to know, including a virtual factory tour complete with their soap-making process, on the Vermont Soap Organics website. Based in Middlebury, Vermont, Vermont Soap Organics prides itself on making "high quality, unique and natural personal care products of usefulness and value" and the owners have pledged "to conduct our business in an environmentally aware manner emphasizing reuse and recycling, the use of natural base ingredients, and the application of appropriate technology."

Of the variety of products I received for consideration, two in particular stood out to me above the rest:

 Vermont Soap Organics Liquid Sunshine Non-Toxic Cleaner  
(retail: $5.79, 8 oz)

Vermont Soap Organics Pure African Shea Nut Butter 
(retail: $7.99, 2 oz)

If you look closely at the ingredients list for Liquid Sunshine, I think you'll find it quite impressive. Nothing toxic, all-natural and safe for just about any surface!  Oh and did I mention that Vermont Soap Organics products are cruelty-free as well?

The first thought that came to my mind when I saw this product was that it reminded me a lot of Dr. Bronner's Magic Liquid All-in-1 Soaps, which I also love.  The biggest difference though, in my opinion, is that the formula of Liquid Sunshine is a bit thicker and easier to work with if you're not diluting it. If you're using it straight from the bottle, it's just a bit easier to manage, in my opinion. Also, the smell! My goodness, the name Liquid Sunshine totally fits this product. It smells like a beautiful mixture of every citrus fruit you can imagine. Love it!

So far, I've used Liquid Sunshine as a hand cleanser and I love that it cuts through any oils and grime I  may have on my hands and really gets them squeaky clean (without drying my skin).  Mr. G was working on his car yesterday and had the usual black grease and motor oil embedded under his fingernails and all around his cuticles. I immediately told him he should try Liquid Sunshine to remove the motor oil and grease, and he was VERY pleased with the results. With the help of a nail brush, his hands were sparkling in minutes. This stuff really cuts through grease like a hot knife to butter. Plus, his hands smelled like oranges when he was done. Bonus!

But my favorite way to use Liquid Sunshine so far HAS to be as a makeup brush cleaner. In fact, I love it so much that I cleaned every brush I own the other day, including the ones that didn't really need cleaning. I usually dread cleaning my makeup brushes, but I loved seeing all the makeup and gunk rinse clean from my blush brush so quickly that I became addicted to it and had to clean every brush in sight.  

Here was my method: I took each brush, ran it under warm water, and then put just a drop or two of Liquid Sunshine on the brush itself. Using my hands, I worked Liquid Sunshine directly into the brush and watched it instantly dissolve all the makeup and oils so quickly it was like a science experiment! And the best part? Just a quick rinse under the sink and my brushes were sparkling clean (including the handles!) and the bristles were left shiny, soft and smelling of oranges when they dried.  Two HUGE thumbs up for Liquid Sunshine as a makeup brush cleanser.

The second Vermont Soap Organics product I'd like to mention is the Pure African Shea Nut Butter, pictured below:

 I forgot to take a picture of this product before I had used it, so in the above pic, you can see that I've used it multiple times since the left side of the jar has a lot of product missing. 

I've tried a lot of pure shea butters in my time, and one thing I know is that not all shea butter is created equally. The efficacy really has a lot do to with the source of the shea butter and the method of extraction. I was impressed to read that the owners of Vermont Soap Organics did a lot of research and investigation to find the source for their Pure African Shea Nut Butter (including visits to Africa). 

You may think that $7.99 for a 2-oz jar is a bit pricey for shea butter, however, if you haven't used pure shea butter before, you should know that truly, a little dab'll do ya. You just need a tiny amount to cover a large surface. This butter is solid, but once it comes in contact with the warmth of your skin, it spreads easily. I've been working this shea butter into my hands and cuticles every night, as well as my dry, rough heels, and I'm loving the results. In the morning, my skin is noticeably softer and my cuticles look better than they have in weeks. I took the image above after having used this product every night for several days in a row on both my hands and feet. You can see that I've still got a lot of product left in this tiny 2-oz jar, so I think $7.99 is a fair price for the amount of uses the average person will get.

 If you're in the market for some new, all-natural and organic products, I'd consider giving Vermont Soap Organics Liquid Sunshine and Pure Shea Nut Butter a try. In my opinion, Liquid Sunshine is a versatile product that is wonderful for cleaning makeup brushes, and Pure Shea Nut Butter is a heavy-duty helper when it comes to very dry skin. 

Have you tried anything from Vermont Soap Organics? Are you considering giving them a whirl? I'd love to hear from you!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.