Kosmatology – A Review

I decided with this new year that I would post a review of either a green product or company every Wednesday! I’ve been posting reviews occasionally when I find a brand or product I really love, but I decided it was time to make it a regular series on the blog. I hope you’re as excited about this as I am. I’ve found quite a few new green brands and products that I absolutely love and I can’t wait to share them with you.Today’s review is of Kosmatology. I found the brand when I was researching hand soaps, and let me just tell you…they have THE BEST foaming hand soaps I’ve ever tried! I purchased two different types of hand soaps, two different types of body wash, all the types of hand sanitizer the had in stock and the corresponding mini-lotion bars. I also purchased their bug repellent, however I can’t use that until summer so I’ll have to get back to you on that. I also received a free sample of their rose geranium face oil to try out.All of Kosmatology’s products are formulated without preservatives, parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfates, sodium laureth sulfates, triclosan, animal derived ingredients and they do not test on animals. Seriously, they have just pure ingredients and essential oils!I gave the hand sanitizers and lotion bars as gifts at Christmas. They made wonderful little additions to the presents I already had. The sanitizers smell amazing and since they aren’t formulated with tricolsan they are fantastic for situations where you need to wash your hands but there isn’t a sink available. The small lotion bars are excellent for in your purse or car. I found them to be a bit oily but if you rub it into your skin it doesn’t matter so much.The face oil I received I really didn’t like. The formulation was alright, however the smell was very unpleasant for me. I’m not a huge fan of lemongrass either so I don’t think I’ll be making regular use of this product from them.The body washes are pretty excellent. I purchased the Herbal Fresh and Spruced Up scents. They come in a huge 8.5oz bottle and have incredibly pure ingredients. Since they aren’t formulated with SLS or laureth sulfates they don’t foam much at all. However, once you get used to this it really doesn’t matter that much. The best part of these washes is the fact that the scent lasts of a long time after you get out of the shower. I have other green body washes that the smell doesn’t really linger.The previous products are all great, however the shining product I’ve found from Kosmatology is their foaming hand soaps. They clean incredibly well, in fact my Mom was at my house a few weeks ago and remarked that her hands felt so clean after using a soap! Currently they only sell in contains with the pump, however they mentioned on Instagram that they plan to offer refills later this year! This is definitely a product you want to try if you’re looking for a greener soap.

Moisturizing Hand Soap

Recently I had the chance to write a couple of guest posts for another blog, and the first post is up today! Check out Poverty Luxe for a hand lotion recipe if you're interested.  You won't want to miss it! I've had so many compliments from people who I've given jars of this lotion to. If you've found my blog from Poverty Luxe, welcome! I'm glad you've taken a moment to stop by.Hand soap is a super easy thing to make at home. The base is simply soap flakes and water. I personally use Dr Bronner’s Castile bar soap when making this but you can use any soap you have laying around. You could use those bits of leftover soap you might have laying in a drawer, or even those little bars of soap from hotels. This soap will have a gel like consistency. I find I prefer that since it makes me feel like I’ve actually washed my hands.By using coconut milk and shea butter in the soap it is highly moisturizing. It is completely optional, but you do get a smoother product that counteracts the drying effects of the castile soap if you use it. You want to make sure that you don’t use the coconut milk from the refrigerated aisle. You want the real stuff from the can, you will get far better results this way.Vegetable glycerin is a natural substitute for Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS). SLS is an ingredient found in commercial hand soaps to make it foamier. It also happens to be a know carcinogen so I've been trying to remove it from our household products. Vegetable glycerin gives a foamier product while still being completely natural and organic. It is not necessary to add this to the soap, however you will get a more "soap" like feel if you do use it.The essential oil blend I’ve created for this shower gel is a wonderful smell as we are heading into autumn. If you don’t have these EO’s on hand you can substitute whatever you do have, just make sure to add 35-50 drops of oils. Make sure to include Tea Tree or Lavender oils since they have antibacterial properties.If you are interested in the container, I found the lid at the Target dollar spot. The jar was leftover from last year's canning and I purchased the pump on Amazon. Any size regular mouth canning jar will work. I used Kerr brand because that is what I had on hand. The pump fit through the pre-made hole in the lid. I simply trimmed the straw to the appropriate length before attaching it. Due to the tight fit of the pump through the hole I did not need to add any sort of adhesive to the lid. If you are worried about them separating you can always add something to seal it up. The recipe below will make one 8oz container (pint canning jar size) of hand soap.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:86]