Dr. Bronner's: Pure Castille Magic Soaps

There are so many great hemp products out there, I wish I had time to review more. I began using vegetable soaps several years ago because I kept getting red, itchy bumps after using body wash. Dr. Bronner's was one of the first I tried.

Look/First Impressions: The packaging is pretty interesting. The labels are color-coded to the scent, and contain all types of witty quotes and nonsense. Fun to read while standing around in the personal hygiene aisle at Whole Foods.

Smell: There are eight smells to choose from. My favorites are Tea Tree, Peppermint (of course!), and Almond. There will surely be a scent that pleases you. The liquid version seems a bit stronger than the bar.

Feel: This soap makes an incredible amount of lather. It feels refreshing to smooth it all over my skin. Peppermint is tingly! The website says you can use it for skin, teeth and hair. I don't recommend this as a shampoo, unless your hair is really short. Otherwise, you will never get the tangles out! It does make my skin feel squeaky clean, though. I sometimes feel a little dry afterward, but I'm a habitual lotion/balm user anyway.

Overall: If you love lather and good smells, give this a try! One of my favorite soap brands. 4.5 out of 5 Stars! (website)

W.S. Badger: Cocoa Butter Lip Balm

There's a little health food shop called Rebecca's Natural Foods a few miles from where I live. They stock all sorts of natural and organic products, and have a huge lip balm selection. I've used a few Badger Balms with good results, and figured I'd give their lip balm a try. The flavor I picked was Creamy Cocoa.

Look/First Impressions: The first thing I noticed about this lip balm was the size of the tube. Its a big fat one! (.25 oz) I'm unlikely to misplace something so large, and its easy to tell apart by feel from other tubes when I'm digging in my abyss of a bag. A closer look at the label reveals that the ingredients are Fair Trade and USDA Certified Organic. Now, who can complain about food quality ingredients in their lip balm? With only seven (pronounceable) ingredients, there's nothing suspicious about it, and I feel good buying this one. Also, there is a magical, smiling badger on the front waving a rainbow of little berries out of his wand!

Smell/Taste: The Creamy Cocoa has a subtle smell of chocolate, and a little bit of flavor too.

Feel: Application is smooth and easy. I like to swipe twice for a complete coat. Its not too thick or too thin, and feels great when I press my lips together. I could rub this on my lips all day long, but a good coat in the morning will last me until lunchtime. I'd advise against keeping this one in your pocket though, it can get a little melty.

Rating: Overall, this is the best lip balm I've ever used. 5 out of 5 stars! (website)