Winner + Love+Leche Lotion Bar Review

Congratulations to A Van Ness and megnolia13, you have both won super-adorable animal tote bags from Gleener - just get in touch with me via Ravelry to arrange for the delivery of your prize! Thanks to everyone who entered this giveaway; stay tuned for later this week, when I announce a BONUS giveaway for this month!

Recently, the folks at Love + Leche sent me some lotion bars to review. I am kind of a product junkie, especially when it comes to natural products, so I was pretty excited to give these a try. They let me choose which lotion bar I was sent, so I went for the Citrus Rose lotion bar in the shape of sleeping cats (act surprised, ok?). They also included two generous-sized sample lotion bars in the Cedarwood and Lemongrass scents - and I have to say, I loved all three.

What bothers me about a lot of products in general is the fake chemical fragrance that is added in lieu of essential oils (even from products claiming to be natural). That's definitely not the case here: each Love + Leche lotion bar is made by hand using local beeswax, locally-grown (and organic) calendula flowers, and plant-based essential oils. The bars themselves are very easy to use - they quickly melt into a nice emollient that is easy to rub into your skin. The fragrances are pleasant, but not overpowering. I've been doing a lot of fiber prep in anticipation for Spinzilla, which really sucks the moisture out of my hands even more than just plain knitting does. My hands have been baby-soft since adding these to my repertoire!

The lotion bars come in various shapes, and you can choose from scents such as citrus rose (which I absolutely LOVE), cedarwood, lemongrass, lavender, lavender-rosemary, and - of course - unscented. To round out their product line, they also offer goat milk soap and anywhere balm, which is a versatile lotion tin that can also double as lip balm! ETA: They are giving away a trio of anywhere balms on Facebook this week, click here for details!

As an added bonus, you can enter coupon code HMbyStefanie to receive a free mini-lotion with any $14 purchase at loveandleche.com! Offer good through September 30.

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