Windy Hill Vanilla - Homemade All-Natural Beauty Products

I love to shop local when I'm able. And when shopping local also supports a great cause (on top of supporting a local business), then all the better!  So when I was asked to review some Windy Hill Vanilla products, I was very happy to say yes!

Suz is a busy mom of four. She started Windy Hill Vanilla alongside her children after making natural homemade lip balm for their teachers as gifts. Not satisfied with the “pure” vanilla that had added colors, corn syrup or flavors, Suz sourced a more natural, less processed vanilla, and as she and the children acquired the ingredients to make more products, business expanded and grew.

Not only does this business help sustain this loving family, but they also use part of the proceeds from their sales to provide food for a group of local youths who gather at their home for Bible study lessons.  What a great example of giving back to their community!!

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As for the products themselves, Suz very kindly sent me several to try out and review.  The product in the photo to the right is their Simply Vanilla Hand and Foot Balm, which comes in a 4oz jar for $5.  This is a deep moisturizing balm for extra dry skin, perfect for the dry winter air of winter in Indiana!  My older son and I both have to moisturize our skin extra thoroughly through the winter, or else we end up with red, dry, chapped, cracked skin (especially our hands!).  His skin has been especially susceptible this year, and so this balm comes to us at a perfect time!  I've had him use it on his hands and forearms every night after his shower and we've seen great improvement in his skin.  No longer chapped, painful or itchy, this stuff works wonders!!

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I received an Apricot Freesia Shampoo Bar also.  I've never used anything but liquid shampoo in the past, so this was all new to me.  It lathers up great, smells wonderful and left my hair feeling really clean - definitely different from any commercial shampoos I've ever used.  The instructions on the card suggest a light rinse of apple cider vinegar as a conditioner or even go without using conditioner.  It is suggested to try this shampoo on its own for at least a full week for optimum results, then only using a traditional conditioner every couple of weeks, or as needed.

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These Hard Lotion Bars are amazing!!  Another really great product for the dry air and dry skin of wintertime.  These are Jamaica Me Crazy scent, which I LOVE.  They are available in different shapes and, of course, many different scents.  Best of all, the lotion and its scent lasts 10-12 hours before needing to be reapplied.  And, once spring and summer eventually get here, it's good to know that these bars can also be made with zinc and used as a sunscreen!  I have two young children, and would LOVE to use a more natural sunscreen on them during the summer months.

Also available are hard lotion bar kits (and refills) to create your very own hard lotion bars, as a great craft for children, or to give as a gift to a crafty person you know!

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And last but not least, the product that started it all.  Simply Vanilla lip balm.  After trying out this lip product, it's easy to see how it got so popular and this business began.  It goes on in a nice layer, protects lips from getting chapped and has a wonderful vanilla scent.  I've tried commercial lip balms, so many of them, trying to find just the right one.  This -all natural product- is one that I would most definitely buy in the future.

Visit Windy Hill Vanilla's website for their full range of products and scents (including sugar scrub and laundry detergent), or connect on Facebook.

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