A few weeks ago, I received a really cool kit from United Spirit of America. According to the website, they are a “personal care product company specializing in toiletries for military, law enforcement, outdoor and the travel markets. USA-Spirit is a woman and minority-owned company based out of Boynton Beach, Florida. Specializing in convenient, portable products that are made with biodegradable content and superior formulation as the ultimate in personal hygiene; USA-Spirit products bring high-tech innovation to personal cleaning and protection. With a product line specifically designed for military personnel, USA-Spirit has considered every angle, from unique packaging to the environment, in which the products may be used.”
I have to tell you that I learned something. Women and minorities really know how to make a guy smell good – even if no one will notice while he’s fighting evil in Afghanistan!
The company sent me their Basic Edition Product Line that included a 3×1 Wash (Shampoo + Body Wash + Shaving Lather), Anti-Bacterial Gel, Anti-Bacterial Wipes (15 ct), Anti-Fungal Foot Powder, Basic Edition Deodorant, Sunscreen SPF30+, and a carabineer Clip.
Over the past month, I’ve eschewed my normal Axe grooming products so that I could get the full effect of these products. Bottom line: I’m impressed.
This is a great product that I think every Soldier would love. All the products came in tubes no larger than 3 oz in a container made of rugged plastic with a secure top to prevent leakage. They do this so that the junk gropers at the Transportation “Security” Administration doesn’t confiscate your smelly goods to take home and try them out on their butt buddies (USOA does not condone my use of the word “butt buddies” in conjunction with their product review – I wouldn’t think). One of my frustrations when I was deployed was that my deodorant would melt during the summer. It was a pain in the butt! I’m not usually a big fan of roll-on deodorants, but USOA deodorant not only did the job, but left me with a cool, protected feeling. It took a little getting used to the initial feeling of a liquid roll-on, but it worked! But, their nano-shield roll-on deodorant and anti-perspirant provided me with the “all-day deodorant roll-on decreases underarm perspiration and provides odor protection” they advertised.
While the deodorant was really cool – and I mean it left a cool, minty feeling – my favorite was by far the sunscreen. Many of you may know that I recently had some skin cancer removed. For the majority of military career, I’ve been stationed or deployed to a desert. Berets don’t provide much skin protection AT ALL!! I still some spots of actinic keratosis that I get treated for on a regular basis. What I’m saying is that I have to wear sunblock when I’m outside to prevent any further spots from forming or the current ones from getting worse. But, I HATE sunblock. It’s oily, smells putrid, and is so freakin’ expensive if you don’t get the No-Ad.
USOA’s TSS (Total Shield Sunscreen) SPF30+ is different. Its higher SPF gives extra sunburn protection and it’s also got that cooling affect of whatever ingredient is in there. It doesn’t leave my skin feeling oily or greasy and comes at a good price – $7.99 for a bottle. Keep in mind, it’s cheaper overall to get the Basic Edition kit. I actually USE this product on a regular basis now and feel a little safer walking around in the sun. To be honest, I don’t wear sunscreen like I should and just try to stay out of the sun as a result. It’s a sacrifice I no longer have to make. And you won’t either.
I’m not going to go product by product that is included in the Basic Edition kit. Suffice it to say that I enjoyed everything in there (except the anti-bacterial wipes which were absconded by one of my young nephews and flushed down the toilet into our septic system). I kids you not when I say that THIS is something I want when I deploy again. If I need to go out on a mission, everything is modular, compact, and rugged. I don’t have to worry about opening my rucksack and finding a broken plastic bottle of shampoo or melted stick of deodorant in there.
While I was testing these two products, I left my normal shaving kit with all my personal care products (mostly Axe) in there AND carried this kit. The compact bottles I normally use leak into the kit or are too bulky while the USOA products never had a problem. I really loved the cooling effect of the foot powder too, by the way! And, I didn’t need an additional bag to carry everything as the kit came with a cool carabineer that kept everything together.
So, to conclude, if you’re looking for a cool care package that isn’t overly expensive but incredibly useful and versatile for the tactical troop in your life, look no further than United Spirit of America’s Basic Edition product line. I highly endorse (me, not You Served or the VAMC) these products because they’re made in America and a portion of their net sales goes directly to sponsor the Forgotten Soldiers Outreach Project.
Disclaimer: I was provided with a free kit that included the products described above. I was not paid, coerced, encouraged, or bribed to write this positive review. I wrote this based off my personal experiences and my personal experiences below. Some of the descriptions that I truly believe describe the product were taken directly from the USOA website. I received nothing else in exchange for this review. These opinions are my own.
