Eco-friendly baby/family products MADE in USA

WARNING: this post discusses menstruation & reusable options. I’ve had some people react negatively to this in the past. I understand this may not be an option all of you are interested in. If you are not, turn back, keep scrolling. If you are, read on please!

My “green” journey never ends. I continue to make changes I want, slowly but surely, as my budget allows. There is ALWAYS something on my list. I always look to what disposable items I’m using, and seek reusable alternatives for them. I used cloth diapers & wipes on my 2 kids. I use cloth napkins, “kleenex”, wash cloths. I did use a menstrual cup for awhile, The Keeper, but I just never fell in love with it. I liked that it was reusable, but that was about all I liked. I had been using organic cotton tampons & pads for the last couple of years. I liked that they were organic, had minimal plastic packaging, but they are quite pricey, and still disposable!

Then suddenly I realized it was time to move to cloth pads! I had seen Party in my Pants recommended in the past when this topic has come up. I clicked around their website a bit and when I learned they were based in my state of Wisco I was extra excited! They offer a huge assortment of shapes, sizes & patterns, organic & non.

My advice: definitely try at least 2 different options! I started with the Shebang Kit. It offers one of every size, I split it up between organic cotton & organic flannel. And I’m glad I did because I learned I like the flannel a bit more. It’s a bit softer. 1 month of using this kit & I knew what I needed to have on hand to make it through an entire cycle. I place another $120 order a week later & had enough for my 2nd cycle, with 2 to spare!

Pic: Shebang Kit, you pick the pattern & fabric.

So, here it is, my collection! I looooove the options for patterns! I was looking at Glad Rags previously, they are solid beige in color. Seriously. No patterns, just solid beige. What a terrible option for a reusable pad! You will find that most of the options from Party in my Pants are dark, bold, heavily patterned, PERFECT for this product! This stash is very new indeed & I will be happy to snap a pic a year from now to compare! Also, want to make sure you know you can fold them up like I did in the bottom center, perfect for your purse, etc.

Here’s what I have, all organic cotton or flannel, with a leak-proof nylon backing:

1 small, 1 mini-liner, 1 Luxe Liner, 4 medium, 3 large, 1 overnight, 2 super overnight.

CARE: They have a lot of info about this on their website! You can totally wash them with other laundry, but you should dry them on low. For that reason, I’ve kept them separate, as I’m not good at picking things out before tossing them in the dryer together. https://partypantspads.com/pages/faq

I have heard from several of you who have used these for months, or years, and love them! I’ve also heard from some who prefer another brand for a variety of reasons. These DO have a nylon backing, so if you aren’t okay with that you’ll want to choose a different option. Everything that comes in contact with your skin is organic, so that’s what matters to me. The nylon backing helps ensure they are leak-proof.  Like with every other product recommendation I give, I do not expect 100% of you to love this as much as I do. But for me, it is working, I’m loving the product, the company, the feeling I’m voting with my dollars…

Website: https://partypantspads.com/

Nothing gets me more excited than people who think outside of the conventional “box”, or plastic jug maybe I should say! I know many of you, like myself, are on a mission to use the least amount of plastic you possibly can. And that can be very hard to get away from, especially in products such as laundry detergent. Our options: liquid in a big plastic jug, or powder in a plastic bag. That’s why I was so, so excited when I learned about Tangie laundry soap. What is it? A traditional-looking bar of soap that you dissolve in your own container to make your own liquid! 1 bar makes 1 gallon of liquid which can get you 132-264 loads, depending how much you use/load obviously. This comment from Angie, the FL entrepreneur behind this product, solidified that I’d found a great new line. It is so, so refreshing to find others who accept environmental responsibility while getting their products out there, it’s not always easy to find! “I feel the packaging issue must be addressed from my side, as the manufacturer. Natural ingredients are great but if we’re still poisoning our water supply and our soil with plastic waste…. we’re not doing the best job we can.”

Of course, it’s all about the ingredients, and I’m happy with this list of minimal, yet proven laundry aids: handmade plant based soaps (coconut & olive oil), soap nuts liquid (extracted using solar ovens), yucca powder (washing), baking soda (freshening), oxalic acid (stain lifting & whitening), sodium percarbonate (stain lifting), salt (fabric softening), & LOVE!It is very rare for me to have a plastic jug on hand, just when I have some of my friend’s organic apple cider on hand, and I didn’t necessarily want to mix up enough for 200 loads if I didn’t love it, so started with ¼ of the bar & a 1 quart glass jar: 

I’m very happy with this product as a natural laundry option, and even happier with the lack of plastic involved! I LOVE people that think outside of the norm, I learned about this product from Sarah of salonsolids, it’s a very similar concept but for shampoo/conditioner! I use 3T of liquid per load, it has been 3 weeks since I began using it & I haven’t even finished the qt yet. I do ~1 load/day. I use only cold water, and have hard well water. I was previously using Molly’s Suds, and think Tangie works as well, if not slightly better than Molly’s! I need to play around with the amount I’m using a bit, as it’s likely I could even be using less! I went with the middle ground recommendation on the packaging, not the smallest recommendation, not the largest.

Photo after 3 weeks of usage:

I was also sent a sample of the stain remover bar. Ingredients: coconut oil, grapeseed oil, soap nuts liquid, oxalic acid, sea salt, citric acid, lemon essential oil & LOVE. I was curious to try it as the 1st ingredient is coconut oil, which is one of the main stains I deal with in our clothing as I use & make coconut oil based deodorant & toothpaste. I put the Tangie stain remover to test on my kiddos wild grape stained shirt: Top= Poofy, middle=no pre-treat, bottom= Tangie’s stain removing bar:

I let it sit 8 hrs, then washed using the Tangie liquid soap, below is the after. I felt the Poofy spray & the Tangie performed very simalrily. I did not treat the stain on the lower left of the Tangie area, and that’s the only one I saw come through in the areas I treated. Both did better than no treatment for sure:

Update March 2021: I’ve been using Tangie laundry soap exclusively for 6 months now after floating around between different options. And I’m sticking with Tangie going forward! It truly is working well for my needs, and I love that it’s 0 waste. What I reallllllllly love is the dispenser lid that I picked up from Angie, it makes the whole process super user-friendly. I use 2 capfuls/load.

Please do, and please share your feedback with me! I do not expect 100% of you who try this to find it to be the  perfect solution for your laundry needs. We all have different water types, machines, and expectations. But I hope you’ll give it a try & that many of you will find it to be a great option for your family!

WEBSITE: https://wastefreeproducts.com/

FB PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/ilovetangie

Angie’s email (use to request your $1 sample): Gratefulred78@gmail.com

My original review of Simply Rustic products was 1st shared in Nov of 2012!. The products haven’t changed all that much, the line did expand a bit over the years. But the things I love about it remain: there is very, very little plastic used in this line. Most of the products come in glass jars or stainless tins. The beloved lip balms do come in a plastic tube, but I’m willing to overlook that for this particular product as I prefer a tube to a tin that I have to use my fingers to apply it from. What has changed with this line? Ownership! I was a bit sad when Amanda, the former owner, let me know she was considering giving up Simply Rustic for a full-time job elsewhere (one that she really wanted & enjoys). Amanda was running the company from Northern WI, my state, so I was sad to know it may leave here. She asked if I’d mind posting the opportunity for someone to take over the business in my group page. I thought it was a long shot, but didn’t mind posting it for her. We were both shocked how much interest there was! At least a dozen people were interested, and eventually a long-time member of my online community took over ownership just months ago. So while I was sad to see Simply Rustic leave WI, I knew it would be in good hands in the Pacific North West (WA state) with Britney. Britney is a former teacher & this shines through in her attention to detail & how she jumped right in & soaked up as much knowledge as she could from Amanda then hit the ground running, making nothing but positive changes to this line! Here is a bit about Britney from the ‘about’ link from the website: http://www.simplyrustic2011.com/about.html

Amanda had certainly been using all-natural ingredients, some local, some wild-crafted, some organic. But Britney has converted to using organic ingredients whenever possible. For each product listed you will see she includes an ingredient glossary down below, where she describes the benefits & purpose for each ingredient selected in the recipe. There is so much great info there & I’ve learned a lot in reading up on some of the oils & butters! She has also expanded the flavor selection of the lip balms so many of us love, offering warm, seasonal selections such as : Apple Spice & Pumpkin Spice! These in addition to a Vanilla Chai, Happy Birthday Cupcake (created for her daughter’s upcoming B-day), and even a S’mores flavored lip balm (created for her Son, who was jealous his Sissy got one created for her)! There is even a new Pumpkin Spice scrub & body butter for those who love that special autumn scent! I know it’s usually a love it or hate it on the seasonal offerings such as pumpkin. Personally, I’m kinda’ neutral on them, they’re not my favorite, but I don’t hate them. My opinion on Britney’s new creations: they still go on very nice & smooth & leave my lips shiny and moisturized. I don’t think I’ll ever find any I love more than the current offerings of pomegranate/coconut/vanilla (my all-time fave), chococate/strawberry & raspberry/lemonade. Those are just soooooo good, they’re hard for me to move beyond & I don’t desire any more than them, they make me happy J She did send me a choc/straw lip tube to compare to what Amanda offered. It had the same great texture, I did think it had a bit more of a chocolatey taste to it vs former batches, which wasn’t a bad thing! Britney said one reason could be because she switched to organic cocoa butter, the flavor could be a little more intense, which is definitely a possibility. My conclusion on the lip balms: they’re still great, and have gotten even better with an increase in organic ingredients & several additional flavors. Britney does plan to keep the seasonal ones around just for a few months, unless they become so loved that y’all can’t live without them, yet to be determined! The kids flavors could make excellent stocking stuffers this Holiday season! She also is offering an unflavored option, by request, for those who desire no flavor, but still want to nourish their lips. She only increased her price by $.50 to $3.50/tube, a great deal & very comparable to other great, safe choices from my ‘approved’ list. The ingredients vary, so check them out in this link here: http://www.simplyrustic2011.com/store/c10/Lip_Tubes.html

Other products I’ve tried out that she sent me: Revive Body Butter ($15). It smells so good, and the benefits of the oils used are amazing. If you’re used to a whipped body butter, this is a bit more dense. But it truly melts on your fingertips as soon as you touch it & a little goes a long way. As we head into winter, and dry skin season, I’ll be so excited to have this product on hand to nourish & protect my skin! Ingredients in this butter: Fair Trade and Organic Unrefined Shea Butter, Organic Unrefined Grape Seed Oil, Organic and Unrefined Pumpkin Seed Oil, Organic Yellow Beeswax, Organic Carrot Seed Essential Oil, NonGMO Sunflower Vitamin E Oil. E

She also included a Rise & Shine! Body Scrub ($12), it has become a favorite of mine for sure. I LOVE coffee. I love the smell of coffee. I’m just a 1-2 cup/day drinker, but I love it. This scrub has coffee grinds in it & oh my goodness, it’s such a full sensory experience. I rarely bathe in the morning, usually evening, and this has helped give me a pick-me-up on more than once occasion, my second wind to keep me up those extra couple hours I need after getting the kids to bed (on occasion, often I crash with them). Here’s what Britney says about it: “There is a coffee shop in Sequim called Rainshadow Coffee and they sell the most amazing smelling fair trade and organic coffee beans. I used these ground beans to make the Rise and Shine! Body Scrub. It smells wonderful and it feels so good on your skin, especially after the shower. No need to moisturize after the bath or shower.” And she’s right, this product exfoliates, but also hydrates so, so well. You do not need any moisturizer after you get out of your bath or shower. It comes in a 4 oz glass jar. Full List of Ingredients: Fair Trade Demerara, Organic and Fair Trade Coffee, Organic Grape Seed Oil, Organic Cocoa Powder, Fair Trade, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Castor Seed Oil, NonGMO Sunflower Seed Vitamin E Oil.

I will update this review when I’ve had a chance to use the rest of the products she sent, which are from the face line. I don’t have much of a face routine currently, usually a hot wash cloth & my nightly moisturizer, but I do want to give the products Britney sent a try as full routine. I have tried the face/body wash & as it says on the bottle, a little DOES go a long way! Seriously ½ a pump was more than enough to wash my face, it lathered incredibly well! Here’s what Britney said about the face wash: “This product is one of the many reasons we bought Simply Rustic. This was a new product that came out right before Amanda sold the company to me. I don’t think many customers knew about it or had a chance to try it. My husband LOVES this face wash. When I started talking to him about the idea of possibly buying Simply Rustic, he said that we had to do it to keep using the face wash. It smells awesome, cleans our skin so well and the bottle lasts forever. Just half a pump goes a long way. There are so many benefits to the ingredients of the African Black Soap (listed below). It is awesome!  Ingredients: Raw African Black Soap with Shea Butter (Wildharvested and Unrefined Shea Butter Fruit, Coconut Oil, Wildharvested Palm Oil, Cocoa Pod Ash, and Water), Organic Glycerin, Witch Hazel (alcohol free), Organic Frankincense Essential Oil, Wildharvested Rosewood Essential Oil and Organic Guar Gum . Comes in a 4oz glass bottle with pump cap!

The face care regimen she suggests is this (and she included all products for me). I intend to start using all 3 products & give them a full month trial & will update y’all on my thoughts. I expect nothing but a good experience!

Suggested routine:

1: face wash

2: toner (she sent me Dancing in the Meadows). Britney’s comments on her toner: “After washing your face, get a washcloth or cotton round (whatever you use), and apply the Dancing in the Meadow face toner. I love this step. The toner smells so good and makes my skin feel like anything that was left behind is being wiped away. It’s really pretty too. Those are calendula flower petals floating around. The toner is alcohol free so it won’t dry your skin.”

3: Dusk til Dawn Serum + Face Oil: From Britney: “This oil is the first product that I bought from Simply Rustic and I love it so much. I love that my face still feels moisturized when I wake up in the morning. The smell makes me happy and the benefits to my skin are amazing.” Serums + Face Oils available in a 1oz Amber Glass Bottle with Dropper Cap. Need a little more umph with your facial care? The Concentrated Serums + Face Oils are packed full of anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and graceful aging benefits plus vitamins and minerals. Yes, you can use this as the moisturizer part of a skin care routine. Dusk til Dawn has heavier oils so if you have normal or oily skin this would probably work better for you at night. In the winter, I can use this one as a daytime moisturizer. Serums + Face Oils are designed to penetrate deeper layers of the skin compared to a facial moisturizer. Don’t want to give up your moisturizer? You can use both…cleanse your skin, use toner or not, apply the serum and let absorb and then apply the moisturizer. Have frizzy hair or fly-a- ways? A few drops applied to palm of hand, rubbed between hands and smoothed through hair will tame both.”

In conclusion, thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts on this line that has been on my ‘approved’ list for several years now. I truly love the dedication, motivation, inspiration that accompanies small(ish) lines like Simply Rustic. I know many of us like supporting the “little guys” with our dollars. By purchasing from Simply Rustic, your dollars are truly going from one family, to another, and we all benefit by voting for safer products being created with the best possible ingredients.

You can purchase these great products via the website:  http://www.simplyrustic2011.com/

You can also purchase Simply Rustic via my Eco-Friendly USA One-Stop Shop order, I do 3/year: Feb, May & Sep, the Sep order opens next week! Details for that here: https://ecofriendlymamausa.com/buying-clubdeomy-poofy-organics/eco-friendly-usa-buying-club-2/