The Influenster Spice VoxBox, plus Soap on a Mission!

Recently, I had the pleasure of being included in Influenster's Spice VoxBox program. And while I always love the chance to try new products, this VoxBox was particularly awesome, because it was literally packed with head-to-toe products. Here's a quick run-down of what was included:

1. Boots Botanics Organic Hydrating Day Cream: A moisturizing and light cream from the British brand, Boots, this new Botanics line has awesome ingredients that are safe and non-toxic, AND the products don't cost an arm and a leg.
2. Foot Petals "Give 'em the Boot" inserts: These guys were great in theory, but not so much in execution. The wool base certainly would add warmth to your shoe, but they're so thick that the only pair I could slide them into without the insert making my shoe too small was my UGGs and those already have a wool lining! I guess my feet will be EXTRA cozy this winter.
3. SinfulColors SinfulShine Nail Polish: I'm going to do a Nail of the Day post shortly with this polish because the color truly is beautiful and very shiny. Only, for all their talk about "gel tech," the first time I tried this polish my nails chipped just as quickly as they do with every manicure.
4. GoodHealth Veggie Straws: These are basically a healthier version of potato chips. And I devoured them in 5 days. 'Nuff said.
5. Yogi Tea: I'm not a huge tea drinker, but these were delicious! And Yogi's got some other awesome flavors out there, so I may just be buying a few more to try in the near future.
6. Not Your Mother's Whip It Up Cream Styling Mousse: As a chica who doesn't wear her hair curly, this product doesn't have a ton of use for me, but boy oh boy is the delicious vanilla cupcake scent alluring.

...and finally, the item you've all been waiting for:

7.  A full size coconut scented shampoo and conditioner from Soapbox!

I bet you're wondering why I'm so excited about this shampoo and conditioner, eh? There's a few reasons.

1. Just like TOM's Shoes, this company is on a mission to change the world. For every bar of soap you buy from them, they donate a bar of soap, and many of those bars stay right here in the United States and are delivered to the homeless. For every bottle of shampoo or conditioner that you buy, they work with an international organization to provide a month of clean water to the community. Since I don't get the chance to do quite as much volunteering as I'd like, supporting companies that are using their profits to affect social change in the world are always places I like to spend my money.
2. The ingredients are great (mostly)! I say mostly because after researching all of the ingredients from my shampoo and conditioner on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database, there wasn't a single ingredient that ranked higher than a 4 on their scale, and 95% of the ingredients were 1s or 2s. However, they do use fragrance, which is a big no-no for many people wanting natural products -- I didn't count this against them because they clearly stated on their Web site that they only use fragrances without phthalates, but that is something you should be aware of. You should also note that this "safe" declaration I'm making only applies to the shampoos and conditioners - some of their other products contain SLS, which is a huge "avoid" for me. Always read your ingredient lists!
3. The price point is amazing and you can buy the products at big box stores like Target! So often natural products can only be purchased online or at specialty stores like Whole Foods, and then they cost a bazillion dollars. But these shampoos and conditioners are only $5.99 for 16 oz! 
4. They smell amazing and work like a dream. Even without sulfates, the shampoo has a nice lather, and the conditioner (which I am very picky about) does a great job of soaking into my hair, yet still leaving it feeling silky smooth and soft after I rinse it out. 

Affordable, effective, delicious smelling, safe, non-toxic and on a social mission. Ummm...does it get much better than this?

Why, yes it does! For people that want to be even more strict about their ingredient list, the company has an "Elements" line of body washes and soaps that are truly squeaky clean. These items are slightly more expensive (but still super affordable, in my book), and are sold in more limited locations, but they're an available option for the uber careful consumer.

All of their main product line items come in four varieties - coconut (the one I got to try), acai, bataua fruit (I have no idea what this is) and argan -- I sort of want to try them all.

Just one more cool thing about this product before I sign off - each of their bottles comes printed with a "hope code" on it. You can go onto their Web site, enter the code and it'll tell you a story about how your purchase is benefiting the company's mission. For example, when I entered my conditioner code it told me that my purchase was benefiting Thailand and then when I entered my shampoo code, it told me the purchase was benefiting Cambodia. Obviously, it's hard to know how accurate this is, but either way I think the theory is nice and it encourages people to connect their purchase back to the community aspect.

And that's a wrap! Have you tried any of Soapbox's products? If you have, let me know what you think of them in the comments section below!

*Note that I did receive the Influenster Spice VoxBox for free, however, that does not influence the opinions I share or my desire to write a blog post about Soapbox! I am always honest in the statements I make on the blog and would never tell you I liked a product if I didn't. Also note that none of the links included in this post are affiliate links. They're just there to help you find the products and sites I'm talking about!