New: Softsoap Pure Foaming Hand Soap

I have to take a short break from new cosmetics to tell you about a new liquid soap. Is there anyone who doesn't use and love Softsoap? I always keep it in stock at Mom's house, where there are many of us coming and going and washing hands constantly. I use it at mine and have always loved the various scents you can select. Now, there's a new Softsoap made especially for those who don't like artificial fragrances, alcohol, or any of the other ingredients one might call contaminants in products they use often. We germ phobes wash our hands countless times each day.

Softsoap graciously sent me two bottles of Pure Foaming Hand Soap ($1.98 to $2.99, depending on source), and I love them. It's a simple, gentle formula that is dye-free, alcohol-free, has 100% natural fragrance, and effectively cleans and purifies - just as well, if not better than, the original version.

I enjoy the fresh, natural scent (I'm using Lemongrass; they also sent me Fresh) at my kitchen and bathroom sinks. While I haven't used it in the shower yet, I will. There are some very cool things I love about this new formula and its packaging.

It has a beautiful light scent that I smell while using it, but as soon as I dry my hands, it's gone. It dispenses as a foam, which I think saves product. I also think the design of the container is genius. It's bottom-weighted, so it doesn't tip over with even the slightest shove. I'm always knocking over my cylindrical and tall, rectangular liquid soaps, especially when they get low on liquid. While that's a small annoyance, I have found great delight in the shape of Softsoap's new container.

If you are in the mood for an inexpensive treat - one that you know is clean and pure - give the new Softsoap Pure Foaming Hand Soap a try. You can find it at mass market retailers, such as Walmart, Target, and others, I'm sure.

Photo courtesy of Softsoap

NEST Liquid Hand Soap - One of Life's Luxuries

I'm sure I rival the most avid germ phobes with my frequent hand washing. I can't count (and don't want to try) the number of times I wash my hands each day. I never walk in the house from being somewhere (anywhere) without washing my hands. I wash my hands after I get the mail or drag in a box left at my doorstep. I wash my hands before and after I touch food (or my face). If I'm out and about, I go wash my hands after I open a door or touch a public handrail (or make sure not to touch my face or food if I can't). After I'm seated at a restaurant, I'll go wash my hands unless I remembered to use a barrier to open the door (maybe wearing gloves is a good idea!). I even slip out to wash my hands after a round of business hand-shaking (a custom that I think should be discontinued for public health reasons). Call me crazy, but since I became a fanatical hand washer, I rarely "catch" viruses, so there's a payoff to my madness.

I haven't had a bar of soap at any sink in my house for over 10 years. I prefer scented liquid hand soap, and because I'm such a frequent hand washer, I consider it a luxury to use only the best. I was joyful when I learned that Laura Slakin had added Liquid Hand Soaps ($22) to the NEST Fragrance Collection. I love NEST, so it made sense that I would love the new hand soaps - and I do!

"This is a very important new product launch for NEST Fragrances; our Liquid Hand Soap launch is the first of many more to come," said Slatkin, founder and CEO of NEST Fragrances. "Plans are underway to transform NEST Fragrances into a luxury lifestyle brand. Over the coming year, we will be expanding our repertoire to include a wider range of fragranced products. Our customers have expressed a deep interest in having us translate these fragrances into personal care and other beauty products."

Containing natural plant extracts that clean and nourish the skin, while leaving behind a light, luscious fragrance, the new Liquid Hand Soaps are housed in custom-made, sleek, and modern plastic bottles that feature NEST's iconic branding. They are available in 10-ounce bottles in the following scents.

• Bamboo - flowering bamboo, white florals, sparking citrus, and fresh green accords (who doesn't love the Bamboo candles?)
  
• Grapefruit - pink pomelo grapefruit, watery green nuances, lily of the valley, and coriander blossom
• Moroccan Amber - Moroccan amber, sweet patchouli, helioptrope, bergamot, and eucalyptus
• Moss & Mint - garden mint, apple blossom, muguet, oakmoss, and vetiver
• Orange Blossom - orange blossom, orchid, tiare flower, freesia, tangerine, lemon, and musk
• Wasabi Pear - Anjou pear with fresh, ozonic watery notes and wasabi

How good does it get? NEST sent me some samples to try, and I'm "living in" Orange Blossom. It's a "me" kind of fragrance. Not only does it make washing my hands enjoyable (so I linger as I lather), it leaves a divine scent with me for about 30 minutes. I'm actually smitten with every one of them, except for Moroccan Amber, which contains notes that just don't appeal to me. It's masculine and exotic. I got a whiff of Grapefruit and Bamboo at Neiman Marcus and swooned. The only one I haven't had the opportunity to sniff yet is Wasabi Pear - and I must.

The bottles are beautifully designed. I care that my hand soaps don't take up too much room on the counter. The NEST bottles are sleek without being top-heavy. They dispense the right amount of liquid soap with one pump. Fortunately, they are plastic. I have a tendency to knock things over, and if I don't, Charlie will. There will be no soap all over the tile floors in my bathrooms.

If you want to join me in NEST nirvana - and you should - you can find the new Liquid Hand Soaps at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, along with specialty stores nationwide. Even if you don't want one for yourself, they make amazing house gifts. Take NEST's new Liquid Hand Soap to your next host or hostess, and you will be the most popular guest at the party.

Photo by NEST Fragrances