Eco-Friendly Mama: Safe product recommendations with a focus on organic and Made in USA!

I’m so excited to share this post with you. Without a doubt, it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, for a variety of reasons. Here’s the short version, then I’ll go into more detail. Miladys, a massage therapist and fellow Guide at Poofy Organics, reached out to me and made an incredible offer: Jess, I want you to know the power of a full body massage using our amazing Poofy products! Most of you know I’ve been a lover of all things Poofy Organics for over a decade. I tried my 1st Poofy products 12 years ago now! I have experience with many products for everyday use, but Miladys wanted me to have an elevated experience and know the power of them on a much deeper level. Here’s the thing though: she lives in Rhode Island, I live in Wisconsin. She made an absolutely incredible offer: she would fly to me and take care of every detail of the session. I just had to show up, and bring a massage table. Luckily, my friend had one in her closet!

I suggested getting a hotel near the airport in order to keep things as easy as possible, since Miladys was already traveling so far. But she insisted that every component of the experience must be perfect, including the setting. So she found an absolutely perfect Bed & Breakfast a bit north of the Milwaukee in Two Rivers, just a couple blocks from the shore of Lake MI. I made the drive across state the day before the massage was scheduled and spent the night at the B & B as well. We were the only 2 guests that night! We had never met in person, so it was a nice opportunity to get to know each other a bit and unwind in advance of the massage we had scheduled for the following day.

We got up at 5am and headed to Lake MI to watch the sunrise. It was an absolutely beautiful day, and the perfect way to set the mood and intentions for the day.

We returned to the B & B for a lovely breakfast. It was awesome because we were the only 2 guests there at the time, we had the place to ourselves! Dawn, our host, was incredibly kind and a pleasure to chat with. She enjoyed hearing our story of why we were there. It was great to hear that she raised her kids with a natural/organic mindset too, and now as a grandmother, she was seeing those same values reflected in the way her daughter was raising her kiddos. After enjoying a cup of coffee out in the gorgeous courtyard, we enjoyed a lovely breakfast. In addition to what is pictured below, Dawn made us each an omelet with toast and let us know she always used as many organic ingredients is possible in her kitchen! It was delicious, and the setting and company was just so lovely. I was SO grateful Miladys didn’t take my advice for a hotel near the airport. The setting really was crucial in the overall experience.

After breakfast, we let my belly settle a bit and it was time for the massage. Some thoughts I had in getting ready for this experience: would an hour & half long massage feel good using cheap, ordinary, nothing special products? Yes, I’m sure it would have. But the goal Miladys had for the experience was not for it to be ‘good’, it was for it to be something I would never forget in my life. For it to be all-encompassing, intentional, transformative, elevated. And she most certainly achieved that. There were many factors that had me so incredibly excited for it. Primarily, we had it planned for months in advance. You know how it is when you have that much time for the excitement to build and then the day finally arrives?! Also, the fact that she was willing to hop on a plane from RI and come to me in WI, out of the goodness of her heart and an incredible love for her profession, completely blew me away. I kept thinking it was too good to be true, but then there I was, it was happening! It was a reminder that there are so many good, kind, generous, incredible humans out there and I’m so grateful when my path crosses with theirs.

The rooms in the B & B weren’t very large, but we moved a few things around and made space for the massage table, with enough room for Miladys to be able to move freely around.

Here are the products she brought with and used, from L to R: Magnesium Lotion, Lavender Body Lotion, Jojoba oil (only non-Poofy product), Peppermint Essential Oil, Vanilla Sugar Body Spray, Energizing Blend Solid Perfume, Man-Up Body Spray, Wood Citrus Body Spray, Eucalyptus Spearmint Sugar Scrub, Lemon Sugar Body Spray, Let it Glow Shimmer oil, RUB-OLOGY, Dead Sea Mineral Mud Mask. Reminder that Miladys flew, and didn’t check a bag, so this was all brought with her via carry-on!

I started face down on the table, with relaxing music playing quietly in the background. She let me know she was not watching any clock, time was irrelevant, it would take as long as it took to do what she wanted to do. It was a blur for me, a true time warp. When it was all said & done it was 2.5 hours of total bliss!!!! Miladys started with my head, neck & shoulders and worked her way down. The 1st product she used was RUB-OLOGY, which is similar to Icy Hot. She massaged it into my back and shoulders and it absolutely got me tingling all over- it felt incredible and really woke my body up in terms of being present, while beginning to relax at the same time. While that was soaking into my back, she rubbed the Magnesium Lotion on the back of my legs and feet. After wiping away the RUB-OLOGY she applied sugar scrub, wiped that away, then lastly applied Magnesium Lotion with Peppermint EO. Throughout the process she would spritz one of the amazing body spray scents into the air and fan it around the room. Each scent was very different, distinct, and incredible! It truly was a whole sensory experience, nothing was neglected. Miladys was constantly on the go- massaging, spritzing, but with next to no sound made, never distracting me from my state of total bliss. I had head-to-toe whole body goosebumps numerous times.

When she turned me over she massaged sugar scrub into each of my hands and feet and then wrapped them in warm washcloths which she left on while she worked on my legs and arms- it felt so good! She had every detail set up, ready to go and seamlessly went from one thing to the next. I had my eyes closed the entire time and really had no idea what was happening next, it was incredible to enjoy the different sensory experiences.  My favorite spots I would have to say were my head/neck, and feet. She said she really likes to focus on the feet as they are what carry us and it makes sense that they should receive the most attention. It felt so, SO good! It was never too hard, never hurt, just right and amazing feeling. She also gave me good feedback that it was a positive sign that she was able to dig deep into my lymph node areas of my armpits, for example, and it didn’t make me uncomfortable due to tenderness or anything like that. She said in some women, she can barely touch those areas without them expressing discomfort.

The final steps were a face massage and application of mud mask onto my face. She then left the room for about 10 minutes and just let me lie there to relax and soak up all the products. After returning and washing that away, the very final step was applying the Let it Glow Shimmer Oil all over, which leaves your skin with a golden, sparkly accent. After the massage was over, I went and laid in bed for about 1/2 an hour and just let myself remain in that state of total bliss. Miladys insisted on doing all the clean-up and packing up the massage table, not letting me do a single thing! Which again, just blew me away and was not at all something I was used to!

It’s hard to describe how special this experience made me feel. It was something entirely for ME. It is so rare for me to pamper myself in any way. I’ve had two other professional massages in my life, both after an injury I was looking for relief from. To get pampered in this way, and not due to injury is something I’ve never had the pleasure of enjoying in my life. A hot bath with a bath bomb and a candle at the end of a long day is about my max level of self-care. So taking an overnight excursion, having a 4 hr. drive each way to reflect and mediate, was very powerful. Before, during, and after the experience I was absolutely bursting with a profound feeling of gratitude. As I laid there for two & a half hours, on a gorgeous Thursday afternoon near the shore of Lake MI, my mind kept wandering to all the people across the world who weren’t so fortunate. The daily world news is full of stories of war, violence, ugly politics of all sorts. So many people suffering all over the world. Yet here I was, being pampered. And I do not take such privilege for granted. I literally felt like I could burst from gratitude. And that’s my biggest takeaway from the entire experience: GRATITUDE. I’m grateful for others who believe in paying it forward when they are blessed enough to have something to share. I’m inspired to do the same myself. I’m grateful for Poofy Organics products, and the connections I’ve made with others who share similar values that led them to Poofy too.

Afterwards we went and found a lakeside restaurant where we enjoyed lunch and more wonderful conversation before I made the 4 hr. drive back home to my family.

At Poofy Organics, our mantra for 2024 has been ELEVATE. And I want to thank Miladys, from the bottom of my heart, for thinking outside of the box and helping elevate these products that I already knew and loved, to a whole new level. At Poofy, it’s not *just* about the products. It’s also about building relationships. Both with customers, but also with our fellow Guides. I’ve met other Guides while traveling across the U.S. It is a fact that those of us who represent Poofy Organics as Guides are very, very passionate about the products. What I loved about connecting with Miladys was the obvious passion for her profession as a massage therapist combined with her passion for using the best and safest products on the market. She sees Poofy products as therapeutic, medicinal almost, in the role they play in the massage. And this whole experience most certainly helped open my eyes to each of these products being more than *just* a lotion, spray, scrub. It made me think deeper about each ingredient hand selected to make these amazing products into their final form. About the organic farmers growing the crop to make the ingredient that made the finished product. How so many things must fall into place, dependent on each component, in order to bring just one product to us. And that is something I will never take for granted. I urge you to do the same. Next time you’re applying a body lotion, stop and think about it. Was it mass-produced by machines, made with ingredients that were sprayed with who knows how many chemicals? Or was it made by hand, by a small business, with organic ingredients selected for their beneficial properties? The latter is the peace of mind that comes along with products made by Poofy Organics.

If you are a massage therapist, own a spa, or are someone who uses personal care or cleaning products in your business for any reason, I hope you’ll consider one of the following ways you can offer Poofy products: establish a wholesale account, become a Guide, or an Affiliate. Join us! No promises you’ll get treated to a massage like I did, but you never know what kinds of bonds and connections you might establish when you join our tribe of like-minded, amazing entrepreneurs! Reach out with any questions you have please. I LOVE to talk Poofy!!

And if you don’t own a business but are just passionate about surrounding yourself with products that offer you the peace of mind that you’re using the very best of the best, Poofy Organics is for you. I’m able to offer a 10% discount coupon for 1st time customers: ECOFRIENDLYMAMA10. In addition, I offer a 10% rebate on top of that, to all 1st time customers. All subsequent orders earn you 5% back via rebate, all the time!

Here’s my link to check out all the great products Poofy Organics has to offer: https://poofyorganics.com/?ref=ecofriendlyusa&ref=ecofriendlyusa

THANKS FOR READING!!!!

It is with a heart & head full of emotions that I share this news: Poofy has new owners as of 12/5/22. The time has come for the next chapter. Covid, among other factors, has been so very hard on small businesses. From major supply chain issues, huge price increases on supplies, ingredients and shipping, many business owners are barely keeping their business afloat. Or, they’re going into personal debt to do so. That can only go on for so long.

At this time, here’s what I know: 2 entrepreneur friends that have ~50 years of combined experience growing businesses successfully, have invested their life savings to purchase Poofy. The people who’ve always made the products in the Poofy kitchen will be making your products. Mario, Kristina’s brother, is staying on to run the helpdesk and techy stuff. Kristina will eventually be relocating to FL, where she currently has a 2nd home, to run a Pilates studio, which is a mega passion of hers currently.

Me: I’m all about integrity. In the products, and the company. We have been assured that the new owners are so interested in, and excited about taking Poofy over because of those very things. The integrity of YOU, the customers. Of us Guides. Of the products we’ve all come to count on. We’ve been assured nothing is going to change in any of those regards. They are going to keep the name, they are going to keep the USDA organic certification, the current formulations, and consult Kristina on future formulations.

Their goal is to make Poofy more of a household name. They have the resources to really put into the brand and try to help it claim way more of a market share than it currently does. They can make a reality many concepts that Kristina had dreamed of to take the brand to the next level, but didn’t have the resources to do. That would be a good thing for all things organic. The more demand for products, the more land that stays organic, the more farmers that keep growing their organic crops to make these products.

While I’ve shed many tears of sadness at this chapter closing. I’m also filled with feelings of happiness, pride and admiration for Kristina and how far she took this little baby of hers. She is a living example of the American Dream. Working your ass off for a decade+, pouring blood, sweat and tears into your dream. And knowing when to walk away before it’s too late and there’s nothing left. The alternative to this reality would have been the brand folding. Imagine the hole that would leave, I don’t want to even consider it.

YOUR support over the years has meant the world to the entire Poofy family. Myself included. And I’m sure this news will cause some of you to seek another brand. But I’m hoping a whole lotta you will, like me, remain optimistic and hopeful that the brand will continue to offer us the Poofy Peace of Mind that we’ve all come to count on. And if anything, it will only get better