Soap Nuts Review & GIVEAWAY!

I had never heard of Soap Nuts until I was introduced to them on The Funky Monkey. On their banner it stated that they were affordable, so I clicked on it thinking "I'll be the judge of that!". What I found on their site was a lot of impressive information. I found that Soap Nuts weren't actually nuts at all, but fruit grown on the Sapindus Mukorossi tree. There is "Saponin" in them there berries! And, when agitated in water the Saponin is released creating a low-sudsing detergent!! It's actually pretty simple. The more I thought about it the more it made sense...the majority of my cleaners are "plant based" - this is just using the plant itself instead of some kind of processed product I might buy at the store. 

And the price? The price is great for what you get! I bought the 250g bag of Soap Nuts for $11.60. With that I got a wash bag, enough Soap Nuts for 75-100 loads of laundry, numbered magnets to help me keep track of which load I'm on and detailed instructions and recipes. Their organic Essential Oils were also such a great price I decided to pick up a 5ML bottle of Lemongrass Oil for only $4.35! To add scent to your laundry you can put a bit of essential oils on a cloth and throw it in the dryer with them during the cool down cycle. This is a GREAT alternative to dryer sheets which aren't good for anyone.

Special Features of Demetria Organics' Soap Nuts:

• 100% Natural & Organic
• Biodegradable: can be composted after use
• Natural Fabric Softener
• Multi-purpose for other household cleaning
• Anti-Microbial: safe for septic systems
• Gentle, yet effective: mild enough for sensitive skin & delicate fabric
• Hypoallergenic: perfect for anyone with sensitive skin or allergies to commercial additives, dyes, and fragrance
• Free of manufacturing processes - From agricultural procedures through to packaging you are receiving a hand processed product

Within just a few days my Soap Nut's arrived. I had never been so excited to do the wash! I was so eager to not only see if they work, but how they worked. The packaging was pleasing, they even sent a couple of packs of Glee Gum!!


After reading the instructions I found that the Soap Nuts needed to soak  in hot water for 5 minutes for a cold water load (because I had never used them). So, I got a glass bowl and put hot water in it and placed the bag with 4 shells inside. I stood there and watched, not knowing what to expect or if I should expect anything at all. I kept dipping my fingers in to see if there was change. The water began to feel smoother, not sticky or sappy, just smooth. After another minute I could see the liquid clouding and seeping from the bag.

After 5 minutes, I poured the water and bag of Soap Nuts into my load of darks. As I poured it in I noticed suds! I know that you do not need suds to get clean, but it was encouraging to see none the less.

I placed the magnetic numbers on the washer top in a straight line and figured I would just push the numbers up with every load. Seems easy enough - and handy, too!

   

So, as the wash did it's thing I waited. Curious and eager to see if I could even tell if they had worked or not. when I finally went to get the clothes from the dryer I was pleasantly surprised at how crazy soft everything was!! I brought them upstairs and showed my best gal pal and she was equally as impressed. I did not use the Lemongrass because I wanted to get the experience with just the Soap Nuts so that I could smell the laundry afterwards and it didn't smell like anything at all, but it did smell  and feel really clean. 

So, in a nut shell (haha), I love it! I have since done multiple loads with it and am still pleased with the experience. I am only using the shells for 4 loads rather than 5 and plan on keeping the shells after I am done washing with them. When I have gone through them all  I plan to boil them down to a liquid all purpose cleaner to put in a spray bottle. I will post an update on that in the future, so keep an eye out for that.

~WIN A 250g Soap Nuts package from Demetria Organics~

How To Enter: 

MANDATORY: To enter you must Publicly follow this blog in google friend connect (on the right side bar). I am trying to grow my readership so that I may bring you more awesome giveaways like this one! After that, please visit Demetria Organics and come back here and leave a comment stating something you learned about Soap Nuts not mentioned here or another product of theirs you would like to try.

*You must do the mandatory requirements and entry before using any extra entries. Please include your E mail address with your comment so that I may notify the winner. Entries will be accepted until midnight March 4 and the winner will be announced on March 5. Winner is determined by random drawing of numbers, each comment you leave is a numbered entry.*

Want the low down on entering blog giveaways?

Juliea's Guide To Entering Giveaways

Extra Entries:

(You may do any or all of these - current subscribers or followers count too!)

• Subscribe via e mail to this blog (2 entries ~ leave two comments) 
• Fan Gypsy Jewels on Facebook 
• Follow Gypsy Jewels on Twitter
• Visit Gypsy Jewels Etsy Shop and come back stating your favorite item!
• Heart the Gypsy Jewels Etsy Shop
• Become a fan of Demetria Organics on Facebook
• Follow Demetria Organics on Twitter
• Give us a Shout Out! Plug this giveaway on your Facebook, Twitter (put "@gypsyjewels" somewhere in your tweet so I may verify), Blog (leave url where I can find it), Myspace (leave url where I can find it) or through e mail (cc:willow_moonspirit@yahoo.com) for one extra entry EACH. 

Good Luck everyone!!!