Review of Josiah’s Oils products

15 Jun 2013 Leave a comment

by ecofriendlymamausa in Reviews Tags: ,

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Review of Josiah’s Oils products, based in Lancaster Pennsylvania —As all of us have different expectations, of course results will vary. These are my experiences with these products, and I don’t expect any product to satisfy 100% of the people who try it.

A little background on this business  “Our products are hand-made for our family & yours! My company is named after my son. Josiah is a precious little boy who happens to have Down syndrome.  Josiah abounds with unconditional love!  Essential oils and green-living have benefited Josiah so much that one of our goals is to educate families about our journey into holistic health. So if you have questions: ask away! A portion of our profits will assist children with special needs (a common theme I’ve seen among many of the small, WAH family ventures I’ve done reviews for is they share a spirit of donating back to organizations of importance to them!). Another tidbit I thought several of you may appreciate is that the entrepreneur behind Josiah’s Oils is a homeschooling Mama of 5!! There are so many reasons that supporting small businesses is great, knowing your money is going to help support a WAHM making great, safe, effective products is definitely one of them!

Preservatives are one of my biggest ingredients of concern in any product. I even avoid using & recommending Sodium Benzoate, a preservative many consider mild & have no hesitation putting on their skin. I will always, always use an alternative that doesn’t include a preservative if one exists, and thankfully they do exist in just about every category imaginable. How does Josiah’s Oils avoid the use of preservatives? I love reading statement such as the following: “We make every product to-order – just for you nothing is sitting on a shelf aging! That way we can promise that your lotion is FREE of un-natural preservatives! Take care of your body – start with your skin!” All products contain numerous organic ingredients.  I also love notes such as this: “Don’t see what you need?  We will be happy to whip up a custom blend JUST FOR YOU!  Just e-mail us!”

I was sent 3 products to sample: a travel-size Insect Away & Hand Sanitizer, and a full-size tube of Sun Stick. A couple of things I really love about Josiah’s Oils website is you’ll find several links to Research Pages and Safety Sheets which share important information regarding the use of an ingredient (effectiveness of Essential Oils), or why it’s important to avoid other ingredients (DEET, Triclosan, etc.). I also love that there are highly concentrated refills available for many of the products such as the hand sanitizer, insect spray and more. Add 10-12 drops of these concentrated oils per ounce of water in a spray bottle & you have a whole new batch! This is both an eco-friendly, and budget-friendly solution that I love to see businesses offer!

Hand sanitizer: Prices vary from $5.65 for 2 oz. travel size- $12.50 for the 6 oz. X-large, with one option in-between. The travel-size is perfect for the purse or diaper bag, and while I always prefer washing my hands to using a sanitizer it’s great to have a safe, effective product on hand for those times when a sink & soap are not nearby. It sprays a very nice fine mist, smells of cinnamon & clove with a hint of lemon are what stand out to me. The website includes an extensive list of ideas for using this sanitizer other than your hands (high chairs, shopping carts, etc). Sanitizer ingredients: “Our Powerful Essential Oils Mold/Virus/Bacteria Killing Blend: Purified, distilled water, Aloe, Organic  Cinnamon [leaf & bark], Rosemary, Lemon & Clove oils.   A tidbit I found informative & interesting: “Also, essential oils do not kill the “good” bacteria we need in our bodies.”

Insect away: Price varies from $4.50 for the travel-size to $12.60 for the X-Large, with a size in-between. AND, this product is on sale: 10% off on their website through the month of June. Ingredients:  ALL-Natural Insect Away Oil made from our tried-and-true Essential Oils Blend recipe including organic peppermint, lemongrass, cedar wood, citronella, eucalyptus & rose geranium!  We live on the banks of a river & have a variety of pesky insects. The gnats have been among the worst offenders thus far, and the mosquitos have just started to show themselves in the evening hours. The 1st time we used this I sprayed my toddler down, sent him out with dada & told him to report back in a few minutes. They came in and Dada said, he got bit immediately and I asked where & he said on his cheek, which was the only place I didn’t put it! I rubbed some on my hands & applied it to his face & sprayed his neck & sent them back out & he had no more new bites! It has also been effective against the gnats, which are more of an annoyance than anything! It produces a very nice, fine mist. Cedarwood & eucalyptus are the scents that stand out the most to me.   Sun Stick- SPF 30. $14.99/ 4 oz. solid tube. Also available in 2 sizes is a Sunny Day Lotion (SPF 30) and pocket-sized (lip balm size) tubes of the Sun Stick which come in a pack of 3 (great to keep in purse or diaper bag). Ingredients: Active: Zinc Oxide (22%, non-nanoparticle – SPF 30) Inactive: Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Sunflower Seed Oil, Grape Seed &  Olive Oil, Vitamin E & Beeswax. I like that the Sun Stick comes in a deodorant tube, as it makes for easy application. The 1st thing that surprised me about this product is although it is white like all sunscreens, it goes on completely clear. It has a slightly similar scent to the Insect Away, I can’t really pinpoint anything in particular, but it has a pleasant smell.  I have used this on my toddler several times on his ears, neck & face and once on his arms, back & chest, and not during the time of day when the sun is most intense as it’s his nap time, but I can say he didn’t turn the slightest shade of pink. He actually enjoyed me applying this to him, it seemed like it felt good especially going on his arms, he said “mama do more” vs. attempting to rub in a traditional more liquidy sunscreen that you squirt from a tube, which always is a slight struggle I’m sure many of you can related to. It rubs on very easily like a deodorant, and is not all that greasy, it’s quite convenient! From the website: “How does our NON-Nano particle Zinc work without these harmful chemicals? Our Zinc Oxide works as a physical block – it sits on the skin’s surface; it is NOT absorbed into the skin. In this case, light is either absorbed into sunblock material or reflected away from the skin, similar to a mirror or aluminum foil….Zinc Oxide should be reapplied often at regular intervals to provide continued protection if you’re spending time out in the sun – being especially cautious around the sea or pool and between 10 and 2 pm when the sun is the most intense.”

UPDATE (8/30/13)- SHAMPOO Just in time for the1st buying club order! Shampoo is one of my most frequently asked questions, so I’m so happy to have another safe, effective solution to offer you. I have only used this shampoo a couple of times, as it is a brand new offering by Josiah’s Oils, but I have no hesitations recommending it. It produces a decent lather, not a super lather, but it definitely does lather. I only wash my hair once or twice a week, so it’s a bit greasy when I do wash it. I find with most shampoos the lather/bubbles kind of die once they get in my hair, so I have a hard time telling if it’s the shampoo or my hair/water type. I didn’t follow up with my normal spray-in detangler to see how it felt without it, and I really didn’t need it. The apple cider vinegar is a natural conditioner. I also love that it has sea salt in it. My hair has never felt as healthy as it does after a swim in the ocean, which helps strip any build-up you might have. It smells great, and my hair doesn’t feel oily or greasy when dry. Ingredients: Purified Water, Decyl Glucoside*(from NON-GMO corn starch), Sea Salt, Organic Vegetable Glycerin, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Unrefined Shea Butter, Organic Rosemary & Orange Essential Oils*. 8 oz. $9.00 or 16 oz. $14.99, both which are great prices!

The website is full of products for all sorts of conditions and ailments. It’s quite an extensive list with absolutely no ingredients of concern which is something we all know is not easy to find. Other products include: foaming hand wash, bed bug spray, lice OFF spray, dry skin, eczema, itchy skin remedies, too much sun lotion, healing salve, UNpetroleum (Earth) jelly, whipped & infused body butters, organic veggie wash, nail fungus relief, lip balms, congestion fighters, healing deodorants, green clean your home, headache relief, poison ivy relief, zit zappers, soaps, foaming baby bath, happy baby Bum paste, Boo Boo stick, vapor rub, lotions, sleepy time relaxation blend, sore muscle relief, yeast relief, several essential oil custom blends and gift sets (and I’m sure I probably left a few things out!).   All packaging is USA made, most of their ingredients are local except for Shea as it comes from Africa.

Josiah’s Oils is offering a 10% off coupon for all new customers: ECOFRIENDLYFIRSTTIME10

Website: http://www.josiahsoils.com/index.html

Fb page: https://www.facebook.com/JosiahsOils

MamaSuds Review

14 May 2013 2 Comments

by ecofriendlymamausa in Reviews Tags: ,

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Original review of castile & laundry soap published May 14, 2013.

Review of Castile & liquid laundry soap handmade & bottled by MamaSuds, located in Goodrich, MI. As all of us have different water types & expectations, of course results will vary. These are my experiences with these products, and I don’t expect any product to satisfy 100% of the people who try it…

Laundry Soap- 1 gal= $26, cloth diaper safe. Also a borate-free option for $27. Ingredients: Castile soap, water, sodium bicarbonate, sodium tetraborate. If you’ve been on my page for very long, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of soap nuts. If you’re new to the page, well, I’m a huge fan of soap nuts   However, not everyone who has tried them loves them as much as I do, so I was happy to try out the laundry soap from MamaSuds to have an alternate recommendation for a liquid laundry soap. Normally I don’t use products containing Borax (sodium tetraborate) in my home. Many are fine using it for laundry & even dishes, but the research I’ve done on it has led me to look for alternatives that don’t contain it (many with very sensitive skin have issues with it). However, this recipe uses 1/3 cup per 5 gallon batch, so one gallon has very, very little, and each load has a miniscule amount (many homemade recipes call for equal parts Borax & Washing Soda, so it’s being used in high amounts). So, what’s the purpose of such a tiny amount? Michelle, the mama behind MamaSuds, who was great at answering any questions I had, said this: “it allows clothes to absorb the soap to get out stains and rinse clean (no residue), chemically it raises the Ph of the water. I used a lot trial an error and this was the least amount I could use to get the formula to a 9.5 Ph.”

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I put my soap nuts aside for a few weeks & put this liquid laundry soap to the test on our daily laundry, and cloth diapers. It did a great job! Our daily laundry consists mainly of normal daily wear & tear, and dirt/mud stains this time of year, as Spring finally arrived and we spend a great portion of our day outside. I have no complaints whatsoever about it not getting my clothes as clean as I’d like. It did great on the diapers too. I also was impressed with how soft everything felt when transferring it to the dryer or line, and even after it was done drying (I use dryer balls, not fabric softener). It does not produce bubbles, something I was used to as soap nuts don’t either (bubbles require additional ingredients, I’m fine going without- the fewer ingredients the better is my motto). I used ¼ cup for diapers (2 oz.) and 3/8 cup (3 oz.) for a large load of laundry.  I have a top-loading regular (not HE) machine.

Info about the liquid laundry soap from MamaSuds website: Enjoy a chemical free, all natural laundry soap product made by hand and bottled by hand. We first developed this product to clean our cloth diapers and use it for all of our household laundry. Using our all natural castile soap developed by MamaSuds, we now offer a low cost high quality alternative laundry soap for cleaning cloth diapers and everyday laundry.

For normal loads of laundry – use two ounces of our MamaSuds Laundry Soap per load. For cleaning cloth diapers use two to four ounces of MamaSuds Laundry Soap per load. Do you have a High Efficiency laundry machine? Then MamaSuds laundry soap is a must have – only ONE OUNCE PER LOAD!

Castile Soap- $10.50/ 16 oz. bottle, can add essential oils for an extra $.50. Ingredients: olive oil, saponified lye, distilled water. “MamaSuds Castile Soap is perfect for cleaning ANYTHING around the house… From babies to toilets! 100% vegan, not tested on animals and made of pure olive oil. All natural, chemical free, bottled by hand.”

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I am (and I know many of you are) a huge fan of castile soap. Dr. Bronner’s is the most well-known brand, and what I normally recommend for an all-purpose soap. Several of you have commented in the past that you feel Dr. Bronner’s is harsh on your skin (although many making such comments weren’t aware of the need/ability to dilute it). Dr. Bronner’s does contain Citric Acid (EWG rates it a 2), an ingredient I was happy to see this castile soap doesn’t!  The same size bottle of Dr. Bronner’s (16 oz.) costs a little over $10 on their website, compared to $7 for a bottle from MamaSuds. Dr. Bronner’s does use a combination of 4 organic oils vs. just the olive oil in MamaSuds, but again, less ingredients isn’t a bad thing, especially considering MamaSuds doesn’t use Citric Acid. How does it work? I feel it works just as good as Dr. Bronner’s. I diluted some 50/50 with water in my foaming hand soap dispenser, and was very impressed with the lather it produced. I used it for a few other things I would normally use Dr. Bronner’s for, like shaving my legs, and as a body wash, and it honestly worked just as well. I have no hesitation recommending MamaSuds castile soap, or laundry soap (which has their castile soap as a primary ingredient). I know many of you are looking to support fellow mamas vs. large companies, and this is a chance for you to do so.

Here is a list of uses for the castile soap, from MamaSuds website (not all-inclusive): Can Be Used To Clean Everything! From Babies to Toilets!

•Body Wash

•Shaving “cream”

•Baby Wash – This also works great as a head to toe baby wash. You do have to be a little careful with it around their eyes because it’s not tear-free, but especially if you dilute it, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. •Hand Soap

•Baby Wipes Solution– I use castile soap mixed with water as a homemade solution for my baby wipes. These wipes are great for changing diapers, but also great just to use for wiping hands and faces after eating, for cleaning spots of spit-up or other stains off of clothing, just about anything you would use a disposable baby wipe for.

•Homemade Multipurpose Cleaner

2016: Michelle has greatly expanded her line since I 1st did my review 3 years ago. Other popular items are her toilet bombs and lotions. She also has a pet shampoo, body wash, deodorant, bug spray, sun cream & several other items that are all made with minimal, safe, yet effective ingredients.

From their website: A little bit about us MamaSuds was the vision of a mother of two who was always seeking for an affordable yet safe way to clean her home and family. Michelle (mama) wanted to find an affordable cloth diaper detergent that rinsed, cleaned, and actually got the soil and stink out of the diapers! Michelle started searching detergents and wondered, why is everything that is natural, safe, and chemical-free come with a hefty price tag? After several recipes, she started giving it to friends and family to try. Shortly after Michelle started making all the soap in the house, and her husband Jim thought if their family benefited from the soap, why wouldn’t other families? MamaSuds was born!

How MamaSuds got started. From Michelle: ” I just finished watching the documentary Food, inc., and while it really enraged me at the core, it really reminded me of how I started this journey that I am on. I have struggled a little bit along the way because I didn’t know where my path was leading me, and my Type A mentality was having trouble understanding how to go down a path without having a plan or a backup plan. The journey started when I began learning about essential oils and their natural healing ability. Then I decided to make my own baby food which led me looking into cloth diapers. While I was informing myself about cloth diapers and convincing my husband of all the benefits we had purchased new nursery furniture for our second baby that was on the way. I had left a bottle of Name-brand baby soap on the nursery dresser and it had fallen over and leaked a tiny amount onto the furniture. After I noticed it, I wiped it off to see it had eaten the varnish off of the new furniture. I remember thinking, huh- if it does that to furniture what’s it doing to the skin of a baby. This of course sent me straight to the Internet to research baby soap and I opened a whole world that I was not prepared for! I bought Castile soap off the Internet and was pretty happy with it except for the fact that it was expensive and I thought, hey let’s look to see if I can make it myself (I don’t have enough to do as it is, haha) Turns out, you can make it yourself but it’s daunting (potassium hydroxide is not easy to find or fun to work with) and it takes hours to make. Nonetheless, I made a few batches and was extremely satisfied. At the same time I was trying out recipes for laundry soap that would clean my cloth diapers.

My point is, sometimes you just have to let the path lead you, even when you can’t see around the corner. I just kept “making it myself” because it felt gratifying and it was for the good of my family. So after watching that riveting documentary it made me realize my Journey is really a path of Getting Back to Basics. Our Earth is an amazing place that really can provide us with everything that we need to be healthy! If I can make it and feel gratified and proud to use it on my family, I feel like it is good enough for yours!”

Please check out her website & Facebook pages:

Website: http://www.mamasuds.com/

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/MamaSuds/257240647659779

Poofy Organics Review

06 May 2013 1 Comment

by ecofriendlymamausa in Reviews Tags: ,

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As all of us have different skin/hair/water/expectations, of course results will vary. These are my experiences with these products, and I don’t expect any product to satisfy 100% of the people who try it… AND, I did become an “official” affiliate of Poofy Organics as of 6/15/14 after more than a year of recommending these products every, single day. So, I truly appreciate your support if/when ordering your Poofy products, by using this link:  https://ecofriendlyusa.poofyorganics.com/

THANK YOU in advance 🙂

Poofy Organics has been on my “approved” list for several months, after it was suggested I check out the line by someone on my page. Looking them up in EWG put a huge smile on my face, as did reading several of their labels. EWG lists 115 products rating 0-3. You have to scroll a really long way to get past the products that rate at 0 (nearly 2 pages) to even find ones that rate at 1, only 7/115 they list rate at 2. And, as always EWG is not all that up-to-date, and I noticed several products listed that aren’t currently offered via Poofy’s website. Indeed, the 4 products that EWG rated at a 3 have been eliminated from Poofy’s line! There are no harsh preservatives to be found, the ingredient lists are minimal, and the array of organic ingredients used in each product is astounding. I liked what I saw & added them to my list. But, I hadn’t tried any of the products, so was always hesitant to recommend anything specific when asked for recommendations for frequently asked questions such as shampoo/conditioner, etc. I am SO thankful that Kristina, the owner of Poofy Organics (and one of the 4 employees in addition to her mother) agreed to send me several samples. I’m well aware that companies such as Poofy get multiple requests a day for product samples from bloggers such as myself, and would go broke if they agreed to all of them. Kristina knew she could count on me to give my honest opinion of her products, and that you all place great value in my reviews, so she agreed to send me several samples! The amazing thing about dealing with a very small company like this is any time I had a question (and I ask a LOT of questions!), Kristina had them answered beyond satisfaction within hours. She knows everything there is to know about these products. Why? Because she makes them herself. I wish I could say the same for experiences I’ve had with other companies. I’ve had questions go unanswered for a month as the person selling them is so far removed from actually making them.

So, here’s a list of products I was sent, their ingredients, prices, and my thoughts on them. Followed by additional info on this company and their products that I enjoyed learning about, and hope you will too.

Dish Soap– A safe, effective dish soap is one of the most FAQ I get on this page, and I’ve been very frustrated with the options, even the safest ones have ingredients of concern. The ingredients in this are fabulous, and it works SO well The 1st time I tried it was with a tiny sink of dishes, just to see how it worked. I did the dishes, went outside for an hour or more, and came back & there were still bubbles in the sink! Then I let the dishes build up to the point where I had 2 sinks full and put it to the test again, the bubbles lasted through the whole load, and it was a pretty greasy load too! Last night hubby did dishes & without me asking for feedback he said “Wow, this stuff gets them squeaky clean”, and it really, really did. The dishes were so clean, no leftover grease or grime that I’ve experienced with some of the more eco-friendly brands I’ve tried. I cannot recommend this highly enough, and hope many of you are as excited as I am. Ingredients: Purified Water, Saponified Organic Oils of Coconut, Olive & Jojoba, Decyl Polyglucose ( EWG rating of 0!), Organic Vegetable Glycerin, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Xanthan Gum (EWG rating of 0), Organic Aloe Vera, Organic Essential oils of Lemon & Rosemary, rosemary extract. Price=$10.00/16 oz. bottle. Many brands say just use a tiny amount, but I always find myself squirting quite a bit in for desired effect, but you honestly just need a little squirt of this stuff. AND, it has a wonderful, clean, fresh scent! Xanthan gum and Decyl Polyglucose are from non-gmo corn and the glycerine is USDA organic from soy.

Shampoo– $13/ 8 oz.  I was sent Orange Sweetness (I’m a huge citrus-scent fan). One of the most frequently asked questions asked on the page is about shampoo & conditioners. I had been using the No Poo method for several months (largely due to my frustration at finding a safe option), and was quite happy with it, but really wanted to have an answer to this question when asked, as I know the No Poo method isn’t for everyone. I had been pointing those asking to my list of ~15 ‘Approved’ companies & telling them to choose one from there, but that can be daunting too. So, I was really happy when Poofy Organics agreed to send me samples of these 2 products! Yes, the ingredient labels look great, but I always hate to recommend a product without trying it, as it’s nice to know if it really is effective. I now know that I can recommend them without hesitation. A little bit goes a long way (I did chop my hair shoulder-length recently though), it lathers, it smells great, it has all the features we all want shampoo to have. I used it a few times without conditioner, and my hair felt great, as apple cider vinegar is an ingredient that conditions also. My hair felt clean & not weighed down. I’ve been using this for about a month and have used ~1/4 of the bottle. The ingredient label is one of the most minimal I’ve seen on any shampoo: Purified Water, Decyl Polyglucose, Vegetable Glycerin, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Essential Oil, Xanthan Gum. Here’s the link to the page with all shampoo/conditioner options:

Conditioner– $15 for 8 oz. I was sent the Hair Hero Intensive conditioner. As the name implies, it’s very intensive, and not recommended for everyday use. If you have wonderful, healthy hair, this may be too much for your needs, but if you have dry/damaged hair, this is the one for you! This works well with my hair washing routine which stems from my No Poo experience, which is washing it just a couple times/week. Also, $15 may seem expensive, but HONESTLY, you need a teeny, tiny dab of this stuff, any more & you’ll have greasy hair. I literally use a pea-sized amount, rub it around in my palms a bit, and gently finger it through the ends of my hair. I did recently chop my hair to shoulder-length though, so you’ll need a bit more with longer hair obviously, but still this will be the most minimal-use conditioner you’ll ever use. It leaves my hair feeling so soft, healthy & shiny-looking, I truly love it. I was also sent a spray/leave-in conditioner which is different from the one they are currently offering. The current formula was a bit greasy, so Kristina reworked it to make it less greasy, and appropriate for kids & adults alike. I’ve only sampled it a couple of times but loved how my hair felt after drying. It was soft, yet not oily or greasy whatsoever. Kristina is putting the final touches on this product & it should be available in the next month- I’ll surely let you know when it is! Ingredients for Hair Hero Intensive Conditioner: Distilled Water, Organic Safflower Oil, Organic Avocado Oil, Organic Olive Oil, Organic Grapeseed Oil, Organic Argan Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Unrefined Shea Butter, Organic Vegetable Glycerin, Emulsifying Wax, Organic Rosemary Extract, Leuconostoc Ferment Filtrate (Kimchi Seaweed), Organic Lemon essential Oil, Organic Rosemary Essential Oil.

Toothpaste– First USDA Organic toothpaste on market!! $8.00 for 3.4 oz. tube. The search for safe, effective toothpaste has not been easy. So many of the “natural” ones on the market (Tom’s, Jason, etc) contain ingredients such as SLS, carrageenan, and others that I don’t want to use myself, let alone let my toddler put in his mouth. If you’ve been on my page for any length of time you know I’m a huge Earthpaste lover. But, it is not certified organic, which I know many of you care about—so this is the paste for you! The version I sampled leaves your mouth feeling incredibly clean & fresh, cardamom & cinnamon are the overwhelming tastes that are left in my mouth. It is too intense for my toddler, he made quite the face when sampling it, but they have a cherry flavored one for kids ($6 for that version, it does contain organic glycerin which some like to avoid in toothpaste, others are fine with, I encourage you to research this & decide for yourself).  Ingredients: Distilled Water, Organic Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Organic Maranta Arundinacea (Arrowroot) Powder, Bentonite Clay, Aluminum-Free Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda), Organic Erythritol, Organic Peppermint Essential Oil, Organic Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Essential Oil, Organic Eucalyptus Globulus (Eucalyptus) Essential Oil, Organic Elettaria Cardamomum (Cardamom) Essential Oil, Organic Cinnamomum Zeylanicum (Cinnamon) Essential Oil. This link provides more details about the ingredients used and their purpose/benefits to your teeth:

Deodorant—$10 for 2.65 oz. stick. I was sent a Peppymint tea, other scents include Piña Colada, and Patchouli Citrus Clove in stick form. They also offer a spray, and cream. This is one of the few products my hubby has been excited to have some input on. I make my own deodorant, it’s a very basic recipe that doesn’t work well as a stick so you need to apply it with your fingers, which he just isn’t thrilled about (I don’t mind it at all). Also, I’m not a huge peppermint fan, but hubby is, so this was the perfect product for him to try out. My husband is a very active outdoorsy-type, and has been using this deodorant for about a month. He really likes it! He feels it is very effective at eliminating odor and preventing sweat. Arrowroot powder is a natural moisture absorber. The beeswax and other butters seem to help clog pores to reduce sweating also, at least that’s the conclusion we’ve come to. I don’t know that that’s a scientific fact, but the stuff really works!  Ingredients: Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Beeswax, Organic Unrefined Shea Butter, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Arrowroot Powder, Aluminum-Free Baking Soda, Organic Essential Oils of Peppermint & Tea Tree

 

Argan Oil– 100% pure & raw, USDA organic. $30 for 2 oz glass bottle. I’m totally new to this product. I’ve been seeing it pop up more & more in products recently, and recommended often by others, so was very happy when this item was sent for me to review- I always love to try new products as long as I have no concern over their ingredients/source. I’m assuming many of you are as unfamiliar with this oil as I am/was, so here’s some info on it that I gleaned from Poofy’s site: “The Argan, a Moroccan tree exist no-where-else in the world! Very rich in essential fatty acids, vitamin E and more, AO is famous for its pure natural hydrating and revitalizing properties. An anti-wrinkle product that is made by mother nature.” They give many suggested uses for it: revitalizing oil for face and body, strengthening soft & brittle nails, emollient (capillary mask for beautiful hair), massage therapy, and I’m sure there are plenty of more uses for it. I have mainly been using it after washing my face before bed as a moisturizer. YES, it is expensive. BUT, it comes with a dropper, and you honestly do just need a drop here & there. I put a drop on my finger for under each eye, 2-3 drops on my chin/neck, and a couple of drops for the rest of my face. I’ve used it in my hair a few times after shampooing with no conditioner. I let my hair dry, drop 3-4 drops of the oil in the palm of my hand & lightly run my hands through my hair. It does a wonderful job taming dry, winter, static hair.

Sunscreen– $14 3.4 oz tube– SPF 30. Safe for the whole family! The only other sunscreen I’ve used on my babe, on the occasion when covering up isn’t practical, is Badger Balm. Poofy’s sunscreen is very similar to Badger’s, both contain non-nano particle zinc (a must!). The one difference that many of you who’ve tried Badger will like is that Poofy’s isn’t as thick so it applies easier & smoother. Spring has been very, very late in arriving here in Wisconsin this year, and I’ve only sampled this on my babe once so far when we went to the park for a few hours on a nice day. As it was some of his 1st sun exposure of the year I was nervous about him turning pink quickly. He kept his hat on for 1 hour, and the other hour I left the hat off to let him absorb some Vitamin D, and applied the sunscreen to his face, which didn’t turn even the slightest shade of pink. I will update my post on this as summer finally gets here & I have more occasion to sample it, but I have no doubt it is an effective, safe sunscreen that I have no hesitation recommending. Ingredients: Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Unrefined Shea Butter, Organic Beeswax, Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Camellia Oil, Organic Cocoa Butter, Zinc Oxide, Organic Rosemary Extract, Organic Eucalyptus Essential Oil, Natural Vitamin E.

***And here’s an article Jolene just wrote about all things sunscreen-related: https://www.facebook.com/notes/eco-friendly-babyfamily-products-made-in-the-usa/sunscreen-spf-is-it-just-a-numbers-game/656768194338824

All Purpose Cleaner- $8 for 17 oz. I usually use orange peel-infused vinegar as my all-purpose, but this happened to arrive right as I was at the end of a batch of that, and I didn’t have the next batch soaking yet which takes a couple of weeks, so the timing was perfect to put this to the test. I have used this on numerous surfaces in my home: everything in the bathroom & the kitchen, mirrors, anything you would use an all-purpose cleaner on. In addition to working great, what I love about it is being able to spray down my bathroom & get some cleaning done while my toddler is taking his bath right next to me with absolutely no concern for what we are both inhaling in the air. The spray has a wonderful, clean smell, and really, truly works on all surfaces I’ve tried. Ingredients: Saponified Organic Oils of Coconut, Olive & Jojoba, Organic Aloe Vera, Essential Oils of Peppermint, Lavender & Tea Tree, Rosemary Extract. h

Bug spray– $10 for 2.8 oz. I know many of you live in climates where you do have pests year-round, so wanted to bring this option to your attention. I live on the banks of a river and it’s just a matter of time before mosquitos are a real issue here. I will update this post & let you all know as soon as I’ve had a few opportunities to put this to the test. I can tell from the ingredients that it should be an effective, yet very safe option for our families! Ingredients: Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Peppermint Essential Oil, Organic Lavender Essential Oil, Organic Lemongrass Essential Oil, Organic Grapefruit Essential Oil, Organic Eucalyptus Essential Oil, Organic Geranium Rose Essential Oil, Organic Clove Essential Oil, Organic Rosemary Essential Oil.

Kristina loves making new products, and I have samples of a couple more products en route that she would like feedback on. I’m excited to try them out, and be part of this growing line of great products. Other categories of Poofy Products, with several options in each category: Holiday Gifts & Baskets, Baby & Mommy, Bath & Shower, Body Butter, Lotion, & Scrubs, Cosmetics, Deodorant & Toothpaste, Eczema Relief & Natural Remedies, Essential Oils, Facial Care, Hair Care, Henna for hair & body, Lip Balm, Nail Polish & Remover, Soap & Sanitizer, Sunscreen & Bug Spray, and their I AM goddess line.

Additional info about Poofy Organics that I’d like to share with you:

You’ve now got two lines – Poofy Naturals and Poofy Organics. What is the difference (from interview: http://www.healthybeautyproject.com/beauty-space/understanding-organic-certification-poofy-organics/)? “Poofy Organics is entirely USDA organic.  EVERY product in the line is certified USDA organic.  On the other hand, Poofy Supernaturals uses USDA organic ingredients; however, because technically the organic standards are not separated for food & personal care products, any ingredients not allowed in food are not allowed in personal care either.  So, ingredients such as decyl polyglucose which is a corn sugar (non-GMO) is not certifiable.  Rest assured, it is a completely safe and benign ingredient and used as a saponifiying agent in our shampoos. NSF allows it in their certification process, but the USDA does not.  Because of this, we have Poofy Supernaturals.  I think what makes Poofy Supernaturals different from your typical company trying to use organic ingredients with conventional ingredients is that we still uphold the strictest standards in those products.  With some companies, you can see organic ingredients mixed with chemicals.  We feel that defeats the purpose of the organic ingredient and would never do so!”

*They actually have 3 lines, with a teen line in the works! The I AM Goddess collection is a direct sales/middle-level marketing/home party line, I’m sure you’re all familiar with this idea. Here’s what Kristina had to say about this approach: “So far, with our Direct Sales portion, we have 12 DIVAs- they are doing a great job spreading the word… we do not have all the same products in the I AM goddess collection- it is much smaller in comparison to POOFY… it’s just that at the time, people were asking to do parties, so I gave in”. For $150 you can buy a starter kit & get started selling these great products from home!

Are these products only available online? The do have one retail location in Rutherford NJ. Otherwise you will find them stocked in select Whole Foods locations on the East Coast, and they also have outlets in 6 states (one in WI even, I’m hoping to make that 2 as I work to get the line on the shelves of my food co-op!). This may lead you to believe this is a large company. Poofy Organics has only 4 employees 2 of those being Kristina (the owner) and her mother. Which leads me into my next topic which I absolutely LOVE about this company. Most people think only huge companies can take the necessary steps to become organic certified. Not true. Poofy Organics is a great case in point that anyone with enough determination can make this happen. It’s not an easy process, but one I’ll gladly support by paying a couple extra dollars per product to reward. The following paragraph discusses why they decided to go for the certification, and there is a fabulous article attached that discusses what the entire process entails.

Why did you decide to get USDA certification? We wanted to show our customers what we already knew! Anyone can claim organic status. We wanted our customers to have peace of mind. I know when I look at a product, I feel better when it has a seal on it- otherwise, it’s just hearsay. There are a lot of bath & body companies who have recently launched in response to the realization that the government allows such horrendous ingredients into our products. We wanted to stand out from our competitors. Plus, I wanted my company to be the best it could possibly be. I looked at it as a challenge that I wanted to complete! To read the entire article which discusses organic certification and so much more, please follow this link: http://www.healthybeautyproject.com/beauty-space/understanding-organic-certification-poofy-organics/

I LOVE this Q & A from their FAQ section:

Q: How quickly will I receive my products?
A: We do our best to create your product the day you order it. Because all of our products are fresh, we cannot overstock our items. (How many companies can say that?!)

As you can tell, I’m VERY impressed with the products & the company philosophy of Poofy Organics. This line truly has something for everyone. I hope you found this info useful & it will help you when making future decisions regarding safe products you need for your family. For more info, please visit their Website and/or Facebook page.

Website: poofyorganics.com/ecofriendlyusa

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Poofy-Organics/137445399609077

Plumberry Parade-Buyer Beware!

03 May 2013 Leave a comment

by ecofriendlymamausa in Reviews

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Plumberry Parade– BUYER BEWARE!! When I asked y’all if I should start doing reviews, everyone that responded said yes for various reasons. One response in particular really resonated with me- the person said just because a product has a great ingredient list, it doesn’t mean the product is necessarily great. And that has proven to be very true, and the main reason I now want to review as many pro…ducts that I’m recommending as possible. Whenever I see a personal care product, I always go straight to the ingredient list, usually for either a bubble bath or shampoo. That really says a lot about a product, I’m mainly looking for what’s NOT in it. So, when I was sent a message asking if I’d please share the grand opening of an online boutique run by 2 Work-at-home-moms (WAHM) who are sisters, of course I was interested. I’ve only chatted with 1/2 of the front people for this business. She told me upfront they were not actually making any of the products, just buying them wholesale & reselling. Fair enough, that happens all the time. I checked out the website (http://plumberryparade.com/) which claim is that all products are made in the USA (actually, it’s not clear at all that ALL products are made in the USA, only the clothing, but she assured me everything was & it was just an oversight by the web designer), with certified organic clothing & personal care products, and eco-friendly toys & accessories. I went straight for the ingredient list in the toddler shampoo/body wash: “Purified Water, Organic Potassium cocoate (cleansing agent), Organic Potassium olivate (cleansing agent), Kosher Vegetable glycerin, Potassium citrate (pH adjuster), Butyrospermun parkii (organic shea) butter, Calendula officinalis (organic calendula) flower extract, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Hemp & Organic Jojoba Oils, proprietary blend of pure essential oils.” All products are eco-friendly & free from animal testing, no animal ingredients, SLS Sodium Laurel Sulfate FREE, SLES Sodium Laureth Sulfate FREE, Synthetic Fragrance FREE, Colors and Dyes FREE, Parabens FREE, Phthalates FREE, TEA and DEA FREE, Petrochemical FREE, Packaging is 100% Recyclable. Nut FREE. Looks great- I was very interested. So, I agree to plug the page on the grand opening, the samples of the products they agreed to send still hadn’t arrived, but I was excited to share these great products with y’all. LESSON LEARNED. I will never, ever again share a new venture with my page until I’ve fully checked out all details, and tried the products. Here’s what happened. On the day of the grand opening, it occurred to me– are these products CERTIFIED organic?? So, I headed over to Plumberry’s FB page & asked the simple question: Are your products USDA certified? Or some other agency?  The answer “yes”. My question back- yes they are USDA certified?  No response. So I send a message to the inbox, we’d been chatting back & forth, ” Are your products USDA certified organic– I don’t see the stamp anywhere on your bottle or website”  The response: “all of our products are private label so they are certified organic USA made products and clothes. The only items that are NOT certified are the toys. The labels were made through graphic artist companies and purchased in bulk before certification and we now have 20,000 labels left.” STILL NOT ANSWERING MY QUESTION ABOUT WHO THEIR PRODUCTS ARE CERTIFIED THROUGH. One more time- me: OK, but who are your products certified BY. The final response: “I can’t release anything other than what I’ve already said because almost 65% of all organic companies are selling the exact products as far as skincare that we are. It can be purchased just like we are and sold private label and our ideas stolen easily. I’m not willing to answer any other questions.”
On to those eco-friendly toys- I was very excited to find a wooden magnetic alphabet set. My question: “Can you tell me, or find out from the manufacturer, what type of wood & what type of paints are used.” The response: “The magnets are by a private company that doesn’t offer public purchases. And no longer available. So I can’t find out now.”  This was within days of the grand opening. And, it just was another factor in this whole thing that showed me the owner of this boutique had no idea about the products she was selling. Also, there is a silent partner involved, so I received several responses such as the following: “I have a partner and a silent partner and can’t tell anyone who actually makes our stuff- otherwise everyone would want to copy us”. It goes on & on, but that’s the gist of the brick walls I hit every time I tried to get more info.
Then, a couple days ago the product samples arrived, in teeny tiny vials. I cracked them open (a toddler lotion & body wash) I actually don’t use these products in general on my babe, but thought I’d try them on myself. The proprietary blend of essential oils smelled very perfumy to me. I’ve been buying natural/organic products for quite some time & am familiar with the way products scented with essential oils typically smell. It just didn’t smell right to me. Also, the body wash had a pearly sheen to it, like Pantene, not familiar with organic products looking like that. Given all my suspicions already with this product I decided not to even test them on myself. I’m not sharing this info with you to be mean, hyper-critical, or anything else. I’m sharing this info with you because I shared a link to this online store with you on the day of the grand opening, and I know several of you went over & liked the page & even placed orders. I feel completely obligated to get this info out there & let you decide for yourself whether or not to support these products. They do have a 30 day refund policy if you did order something but change your mind due to what I’ve told you.
My main point with my experience here is that they’re telling me that the product is indeed certified (the labels & website just say 100% organic, not certified, but in answer to various questions she’s said yes, it is certified), but can’t tell me by who, due to proprietary information. BS. Total BS. And, I know the certification process is not easy, and is very expensive. ANY & EVERY company that is indeed USDA or OTCO (Oregon Tilth- Earth Mama Angel Baby goes through them) sure the heck is going to make sure that is on the label, and on the website…
This is been a huge lesson for me. I honestly was very skeptical the entire time, but really, really wanted to be proven wrong. I was hoping my questions could be answered with honesty & transparency. Not the case. I informed the mama I’d had all the contact with that I’d not be able to endorse their product or give it a favorable review, and offered to let her/them read my review before publishing it, and I never heard back… I look forward to many POSITIVE reviews in the future. IF THEY’RE DESERVED… The only thing I’m interested in is finding the best of the best products on the market for my babe, and YOURS.

Celadon Road

03 May 2013 Leave a comment

by ecofriendlymamausa in Reviews

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About Celadon Road: “Celadon Road markets its products exclusively through its network of Independent Consultants.” So, you have to use their “locate a consultant” tab to find someone near you in order to purchase a product. No membership fees or anything, but you can’t just click on a product and buy it. Do I like the idea of supporting Work-at-Home-Moms? O…f course I do, but it also means additional costs are built into the products.

Their Mission: “Celadon Road is dedicated to promoting greener, healthier and more socially responsible living by offering our customers the highest quality natural, eco-friendly products for their everyday needs. In following our mission, we inspire individuals to discover and explore their shade of green and to purchase with a purpose. We strongly believe if we all make small changes toward a greener lifestyle, collectively we can have a profound impact on our world.”

I see Celadon Road products recommended often, but I’ve always felt those recommending the products were likely those selling the products, so I always take the recommendations with a grain of salt. When a mama on my page offered to send me some samples I thought it’d be a good opportunity to learn more about this company and their products. I was sent an all-purpose spray, an odor eliminator, stain remover & hand sanitizer. I declined the laundry soap sample offer, as I’m so in love with Soap Nuts I’m not interested in trying anything else. What I don’t like is the fact that many of the products list “proprietary blends”. I also don’t like that the ingredients aren’t listed in the catalog, I guess you have to ask for the information from your consultant. I like to see ingredient lists front & center, as that’s the most important aspect of any product. Any time a company doesn’t offer 100% full disclosure, it raises questions for me. I do like that they offer 128 oz. refills; I’m a huge proponent of shopping in bulk!

Here are the products I was sent:

Lavender Eucalyptus All Purpose Cleaner- Ingredients: Sodium Bromate, White Vinegar, Water, Eucalyptus, Lavender and Tea Tree essential oils. I find it interesting that sodium bromate is the 1st ingredient, and not vinegar. I don’t know much about sodium bromate, other than what I read on Wikipedia, EWG doesn’t have it in either of their databases. This is the only product I was sent that did list exactly what was in it (at least not “proprietary blend anyway). I happened to have just run out of my homemade orange-peel infused vinegar cleaner,  so the timing was perfect. I did like this product. It has a very nice smell & does work. I used it for cleaning my toilet bowl, and several other items in my kitchen, as I would with my homemade all-purpose vinegar cleanser. Other than the sodium bromate, I was comfortable with the ingredients used in this product, and do recommend it, if you’re not inclined to make your own all-purpose cleaner.

Odor Eliminator–Ingredients: A proprietary blend of plant-derived compounds and natural fragrances including: water, non-ionic surfactants derived from corn, palm and coconut oils, anionic surfactants derived from palm oil, lemon oil, preservative- less than .02% (which preservative they use really matters to me, why is it not disclosed?). I’m neutral about this product. Yes, it’s definitely less toxic than a Glade, or Febreeze, etc. But, as someone who makes my own air freshener using water & essential oils, I feel much more comfortable making my own, especially with the lack of disclosure on the preservative, and the proprietary stonewall.

Hand Sanitizer– Active ingredient: Benzalkonium Chloride 0.1% Inactive ingredients: water, cetrimonium chloride, lautrimonium chloride, dyhydrozyethyl cocamite oxide, glycereth-17 cocoate, citric acid. My motto is “if you can’t pronounce it, and have never heard of it before, be extremely cautious!”. I was not at all comfortable with this ingredient list, and had I viewed it in advance, I wouldn’t have accepted the product. I can’t recommend this product; it was donated to a Hurricane Sandy relief collection in my town.

Stain Remover-Ingredients: A proprietary blend of natural enzymes, bio-catalysts and plant derived cleaning agents, includes: water, non-ionic surfactants derived from corn, palm and coconut oils, anionic surfactant derived from palm oil, amphoteric surfactants derived from coconut oil, non-hazardous, non-toxic enzyme producing cleaning agents, preservative- less than 0.2%. Does anyone else find that EXTREMELY vague? I was told it’s been used to remove a 10 year old wine stain, dried blood, etc. I didn’t find it effective in trying to remove the very set in stains I had, which were some kind of oil-based stain. It did work on removing some apple cider that had stained my diaper bag.

The following is a concern for me!!! According to EWG, the Green Alligator Baby Lotion & adult body lotion contain Retinol Vitamin A, which rates an 8 on EWG due to the following concerns: “Biochemical or cellular level changes, Cancer, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Use restrictions”. However, according to the ingredient list I was sent for skin care products, that ingredient is not listed. Maybe it was reformulated & EWG hasn’t caught up? Someone who knows this for sure please let me know what the story is. It concerns me that any company would use something that toxic at any point in any personal care product.  Just make sure you read any ingredient lists very carefully, as always! Many personal care products do rate 0, but many rate 1-4– use with caution. The cleaning products are not listed in EWG cleaning products database.

In conclusion, I’m neutral about many of the products I sampled, and researched through their website. Many of them aren’t necessarily bad, but there also not great, at least as far as ingredient lists, etc. They really didn’t excite me. So, those of you consumers (not those of you selling it please) who use Celadon Road– what’s your experience?? Please share…

Natural laundry solutions- soap nuts & wool dryer balls!

03 May 2013 11 Comments

by ecofriendlymamausa in Reviews Tags: ,

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Since this is a very frequently asked question I thought I’d type up a note on it for future reference. There are many detergents out there claiming to be natural, but there really, truly is nothing as natural as a using a berry that grows on a tree to do your laundry, and then either line drying, or tossing your clothes in the dryer with some wool dryer balls.

Soap Nuts– nature’s answer to our laundry needs. I can’t stress how much I love these little berries. I use EcoNuts, mainly because they come very highly recommended by others & they’re USDA certified organic. I bought mine on Amazon. I’m still on my 1st box which says it does 100 loads & it cost ~$15 delivered. I keep track of how many loads I’ve done, and I’m currently at 120, with several berries still left in the box so it looks like I will get ~150 loads!! I use 3 for my diaper loads, and 4 for my regular laundry (keep loads on the small side of large). When it’s time to reorder I’m going to buy the box that does 360 loads, which should get me around 500 loads!!!! A few things I love about them include the fact that they contain a natural fabric softener too, and seriously my clothes/diapers have never been softer, even when line dryed. I also LOVE the tiny cardboard box they come in, which can be recycled, reused, or burned in your woodstove if you’re lucky enough to have one to heat your house, as I do! I love that you can use the same berries to do 10 loads of laundry. I love that they don’t cause buildup as other detergents do & thus I’ve never had to strip my diapers since using them. Here’s a list of other benefits taken from the site http://www.sustainablebabysteps.com/soap-nuts.html

  • Sustainable: It’s a renewable resource, easily grown organically.
  • All Natural: No funky or harmful ingredients.
  • “Green”: Less processing, less energy and less packaging.
  • Affordable: They can replace multiple cleaners, and last longer.
  • Reusable: Each berry can be used up to 6 times before it’s spent.
  • Hypoallergenic: No skin or respiratory irritation and non-toxic.
  • Not Actually Nuts: They’re totally safe for those with nut allergies.
  • Simple: Throw them in your wash or make a simple liquid detergent.
  • Odorless: But you can always add your own essential oils.
  • Gentle: Their mild nature won’t damage delicate clothing or surfaces.
  • No Fabric Softener: They naturally soften your fabrics!
  • Save Water: They rinse easier so require less water.
  • Save Energy: You can use a shorter rinse cycle in your laundry, too.
  • Front-loading Friendly: No suds are perfect for HE machines.
  • Works in Any Temperature: Use them in cold, warm or hot water.
  • Non-polluting: 100% biodegradable and safe for graywater systems.
  • Compostable: Used shells can be thrown in your compost.
  • Self-sufficient: You can even grow a soap nut tree yourself!
  • Countless Uses: Check out the link for many other uses for them! http://www.sustainablebabysteps.com/soap-nuts.html

What exactly are they & how do they work? Here are the basics from EcoNuts site: http://econutssoap.com/what-are-soap-nuts/

“Eco Nuts® Soap Nuts are a berry that grows in the Himalayas that naturally produces a soap. The soap is called saponin, a natural cleaner that works as a surfactant, breaking the surface tension of the water to penetrate the fibers of your clothing, lifting stains from the fabric and leaving dirt suspended in the water that is rinsed away.

Eco Nuts are gentle on both clothes and skin, making them ideal for those with sensitive skin, eczema, allergies and psoriasis. Because they are so mild, they are perfect for baby clothes and cloth diapers. All-Natural Eco Nuts are also great for septic and grey water systems. But don’t expect these shells to foam up like commercial soaps, which have artificial foaming agents. Foam simply does not represent cleaning power.

Eco Nuts are wild-harvested, meaning they are gathered from wild trees grown without any kind of chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides. The saponin actually tastes bad to insects so no pesticides are needed, and the trees naturally love poor uncultivated soil. They are organically grown by mother earth and certified USDA Organic by Oregon Tilth. Our soap nuts are both de-seeded and sterilized for consumer protection – the only soap nuts on the market that are both!”

Here’s a link to natural stain-fighting tips: http://econutssoap.com/how-to-remove-stains-naturally/

  • For more Frequently Asked Questions, please visit EcoNuts page: http://econutssoap.com/soap-nuts-faq/

For the dryer—  Wool dryer balls! I line dry as much as possible, but we have a lot of grey days here in Wisconsin, especially during the fall & winter. Here are some reasons why wool dryer balls are a great choice, especially over plastic dryer balls! Taken from the Stoney Mountain Farm site: http://www.stoneymountainfarm.com/pages/product-list/wool-dryer-balls.php

  • Dryer sheets and fabric softeners coat the fibers of your clothing, inhibiting their ability to breathe and/or absorb.
  • Dryer sheets and fabric softeners contain these chemicals:

Benzyl acetate: Linked to pancreatic cancer • Benzyl Alcohol: Upper respiratory tract irritant • Ethanol: On the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders • Alpha-Terpineol: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage • Ethyl Acetate: A narcotic on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list • Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders • Chloroform: Neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic • Linalool: A narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders • Pentane: A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled.

  • Dryer Sheets take years to break down in the land fill.
  • Dryer Balls create loft in the dryer allowing the heat to distribute more evenly, hence reducing drying time, hence reducing electrical use, hence reducing carbon foot print AND electric bills!
  • Dryer Balls, with a minimum life of 1 year, used several times a week for 50 weeks of a year cost less than standard dryer sheets and definetly less than the more earth friendly dryer sheets.
  • Plastic dryer balls are, PLASTIC and not made in the USA and do not support your U.S farmer. We have also gotten customer reports of the plastic dryer balls damaging the sensors inside their dryer.
  • Wool Dryer Balls are much quieter than the plastic ones.

Molly’s Suds has this great tip for fighting static: “Use 2 safety pins pinned to any two items in your dryer to stop static cling or add 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar to your rinse cycle.”

These are the original ones I purchased off Amazon  in April of 2012. So I’ve been using them almost 2 years now, and I know of people that have been using the same ones for several years, especially if alternated with line drying- 3 for $19.95: http://www.amazon.com/EveryDay-Willow-Organic-Dryer-Colors/dp/B004QF0I2U/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1340231712&sr=8-3&keywords=organic+wool+dryer+balls .

Molly’s Suds offers a 3 pack for $20. They’re larger than the one’s I bought off Amazon, smaller than the one’s available from EcoNuts: http://www.mollyssuds.com/100-wool-dryer-balls-set-of-3/

EcoNuts: 4 King Size for $26.99- they really are jumbo! http://econutssoap.com/product/set-of-4-plain-wool-dryer-balls/

Here’s a photo showing the 3 options, from left to right: Everyday Willow, Molly’s Suds, EcoNuts

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Dryer ball oils: After years of going scent-free, it was so refreshing to start using Poofy’s dryer ball oils. What most of us do: once your load is dry spritz a ball with a few squirts & run an air fluff (or other non-heat) cycle for a couple of minutes. Here’s my Poofy affiliate link to them: https://ecofriendlyusa.poofyorganics.com/search.aspx?searchterms=dryer

Smiling Tree Toys Review

03 May 2013 Leave a comment

by ecofriendlymamausa in Reviews Tags: ,

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Review of Smiling Tree Toys located in Lamberton, MN: Educational, developmental, eco-friendly toys for baby, toddler, and preschooler – Waldorf and Montessori inspired!

I have to say, I love EVERYTHING about this “company”. I put that in quotes because this is truly a mom/pop operation, and exactly the type of family business I want to support, and encourage you to support! Please browse through these few pictures to meet Justin, Kathleen & their little girl, and view the beautiful location where they lovingly make their toys: (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.183624011683796.38574.183542891691908&type=3). Compare what you just saw, a true family operation, to Melissa & Doug, or any toy, made on an assembly line in China, and tell me which you feel is more worthy of supporting with your hard earned money….

Every, single one of the 177 items in their Etsy shop are simply adorable, and I’m very impressed with the selection- here are some of the categories of offerings, but you have to take a look for yourself: cars, rattles, alphabet blocks, wood teethers, personalized toys, baby’s first ornaments, stackers, nursery decor, wooden stools, personalized gifts, and other educational learning toys: www.SmilingTreeToys.com. I feel their prices for these beautiful handcrafted toys are very reasonable, with most of them ranging from $10-$30!

Here’s some info from their site about their products and the materials used: “Sustainably harvested, American grown hardwoods — homegrown organic finish – expert and caring craftmanship — we love what we do and that shines through in every aspect of our family business!” (it TRULY does). Also, as former Peace Corps volunteers themselves they “donate to Peace Corps youth development projects for every toy sold – you help us circle the earth with smiles ;) ”. What’s NOT to love?!? They have feedback from 1885 transactions on Etsy and 100% of it is positive (which is saying a LOT)!!!

They very graciously sent me a personalized lacing toy for my son to enjoy, and I have to say, he’s had a LOT of fun with it. He recently turned 2, and is really into puzzles. I love this alternative to a standard puzzle, and it has many different fun aspects: numbers, shapes, tracing, and it helps develop motor skill coordination while having fun. The only shape he knew before using this toy was the star, however, within a few times using it he was both saying, and identifying the hexagon (hearing hexagon in a 2 year old voice is just SO cute). Sometimes he laces using the shapes, sometimes he just laces without the shapes, he loves poking & pulling the laces through. This gorgeous toy retails for $24 personalized, that seems incredibly reasonable to me!!

Receiving and opening the package was a feel-good experience in itself. The product comes in a cute white cotton drawstring bag with the Smiling Tree Toys logo, and the first thing I saw was a handwritten note from Kathleen hoping Orion loves his toy. Then I saw the shoelace with the sticker saying made from: “100% recycled soda bottles with a non-toxic dye” (I confirmed it is also made in the US). Then the beautiful toy itself, with my babes name engraved beautifully on it. What’s it finished with? “We’ve lightly coated this toy set with our very own blend of homegrown organic camelina oil and beeswax, both fresh off our family’s land. (Camelina is a relative of flaxseed.) Our finish is completely organic, safe, and non-toxic. Eco-friendly AND local?! It just doesn’t get any better than that.” NO, it really doesn’t. Have I mentioned I love everything about this family-run business

More about this particular product, the set includes: + one circular base 5.5″ in diameter (holes numbered 1-12) with your choice of personalization + six shapes (in varying colors, each measures approximately 1.75″ and is engraved with the shape name) + one 36″ shoelace (made from 100% recycled soda pop bottles and non-toxic dyes), USA-made + USA-made drawstring bag for storage and travel

**Our Green Guarantee** We do everything we can to be kind to Mother Nature. We use local and/or sustainably sourced hardwoods, recycled packaging materials, natural cotton bags, and other earth-friendly materials. Every Smiling Tree toy arrives with Mother Nature’s blessing and is radiating with GOOD VIBES and HAPPY THOUGHTS, we guarantee it! Learn about more ways we keep our eco-footprint small and green:http://www.etsy.com/shop/smilingtreetoys/policy.

I know Christmas is over, but next time you need a birthday or baby shower gift for that special child in your life, or maybe your babe is now teething, or needs some educational toys (doesn’t have to be a special occasion), please remember the wonderful selection made by this beautiful family on their small Minnesota farm!

FACEBOOK // www.facebook.com/smilingtreetoys TWITTER // www.twitter.com/SmilingTreeToys PINTEREST // www.pinterest.com/SmilingTreeToys BLOG // www.smilingtreetoys.blogspot.com GIVING BACK // http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.stories SAY HI // SmilingTreeToys@ gmail.com

Fiddlebump’s Apothecary

03 May 2013 Leave a comment

by ecofriendlymamausa in Reviews Tags: , ,

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Review of Fiddlebump’s Apothecary, located in Creswell, OR. As all of us have different skin/hair/water/expectations, of course results will vary. These are my experiences with these products, and I don’t expect any product to satisfy 100% of the people who try it…

This post was updated with: shampoo, hair detangler, foaming face wash, strawberry toner, bug repellent and bug bite salve on 6/17. You’ll find the most recent updates below the company background info.   I always like to start out my reviews by giving you some background on the company, or in this case, the full-time working mama making these products in her “spare” time. Holly Slawter, founder and operator of Fiddlebump’s Apothecary, strives to inform people of the harmful ingredients in every day products that have been linked to cancer, Alzheimers and numerous other diseases. She believes we must all be informed so that we may live healthier lives for ourselves, our children & our future. Information from her website about her products, and her mission:

Fiddlebump’s Apothecary Promise: Fiddlebump’s Apothecary products are 100% Natural and Handcrafted. Holly makes every, single product herself. NO Parabens, NO Petroleum, NO Preservatives, NO Soy, NO Nut Oils, NO Wheat.

Mission: Fiddlebump’s Apothecary offers safe, 100% Natural, toxin-free alternatives to a variety of every day products at more affordable prices than other popular “natural” companies. Quality begins with our pure botanical ingredients. We use only the finest wild-crafted, natural or organic herbs and herbal extracts, distilled pure essential oils and cold-pressed, exotic organic fruit oils and butters in our products. We choose to let our ingredients lists speak for themselves.  We pay special attention to the details; every one of our products are lovingly made “from scratch” and entirely by hand in small batches, enabling us to maintain our high standard of purity. Real people make our products, not machines! We also want to promote a “greener” lifestyle and do our part to save the Earth! All products are packaged containers that are reusable or at the very least recyclable.

Inspiration: Fiddlebump’s Apothecary was inspired by many wonderful people in owner, Holly Slawter’s life who have battled cancer & Alzheimer’s. She is also inspired by those who strive to live as natural of a life possible.

History: Holly was giving the nickname “Fiddlebump” by her Granddaddy when she was a little girl, he said she was “as little as a bump on a fiddle” With her grandfather’s battle with Alzheimer’s, one of the key inspirations for her business, the name “Fiddlebump” seemed very fitting for her company. Holly was born & raised in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. She now resides in Oregon with her wonderful husband and two incredible children. In addition to her beloved Granddaddy, her Grandma also now battles Alzheimer’s. Both her husband and mother in law are cancer survivors and she has lost other family members to cancer and heart disease. As Holly had her own children, she began to realize the impact that chemical & synthetic ingredients could have on our health. She wants to prevent chemical and toxin exposure for her family and yours. Holly donates 10% of all Sales are to the Alzeheimer’s Association!

Shampoo: $10.00/ 8 oz. plastic bottle with foaming pump. Ingredients ~ Saponified Organic High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Essential Oil blend ( Rosemary, Orange, Peppermint, Lavender, Lemon, Tea Tree). Due to the pump it comes out as foam into your hand, but does not produce a lather in your hair (or at least it didn’t in mine). I am OK with no lather, as I used the “No Poo” method for several months & know that lather does not equal clean. But for those that want/need a shampoo that lathers, this may not be for you. I will tell you though that my hair feels amazingly clean and healthy after using this shampoo. I do have healthy, shoulder-length hair to begin with, but I am truly impressed with how thick & healthy it feels after washing with this shampoo. 2 squirts is plenty for my hair, but as I said it’s pretty short (was ready for a change after having very long hair for 10+ years). I rub it in my hands 1st and mainly concentrate on rubbing it into my scalp well & then work it out towards the ends. I have followed up with the hair detangler which I’ll discuss next, but also have not followed up with any type of conditioner and found my hair to feel excellent even without the use of conditioner. I use it once-twice/week, as I’ve been doing for many months with both the No Poo method & other shampoo I’ve sampled, my hair does not get greasy in-between washes, and really feels great. Of course, as climates, water types, your expectations vary, you may find yourself washing your hair more or less. I highly recommend this product if you’re looking for a very, very safe shampoo and OK with the fact that it doesn’t lather. In order to produce the lather, Holly would have to add an ingredient such as Decyl Polyglucose, for example, and I can appreciate the fact that she is keeping it very basic, yet it is an incredibly effective product.

Hair Detangler. $7.00/8 oz. plastic bottle with spray top. Ingredients ~ Lavender Hydrosol, Aloe Vera Juice, Essential Oils (Lavender, Orange, Rose Geranium). I have really come to like using a spray-in/leave-in conditioner. It’s one less thing to do while in the shower, as those of us with young children know the days of long showers are over. I towel dry my hair for 5 minutes or so, spray it with the detangler & comb out. As I mentioned above I don’t use the conditioner every, single time (static season is over so that helps), but I do most times I wash. It does a great job in my hair. It makes it easier to comb out & does not leave my hair feeling the least bit greasy or weighed down. My hair dries feeling soft, healthy & very full-bodied. It produces a nice fine mist out of the bottle that distributes evenly in your hair, so a little bit goes a long way. A bottle will last a very long time & I feel the priced is very reasonable!

Foaming Face Wash- $9.00/ 2 oz. bottle. Ingredients ~ Saponified Oils of Unrefined Hemp Seed, Organic coconut Oil, Unrefined Shea Butter, Essential Oils of Lavender & Tea Tree. I really love this product! Previously I had been using just Witchazel to clean my face nightly, but am enjoying the addition of this foaming face wash. It comes in a small plastic bottle with a foaming pump on it. I had never used products with foaming pumps much until recently, but I’m now in love with them. The bottle recommends 2 pumps, I have found 1 pump to be sufficient for my face. So while it seems like a small bottle, when you’re using 1 pump vs. pouring a bunch into your hand, a bottle lasts a really, really long time which makes it both eco- and budget-friendly. Holly has also told me that refills for products such as this are in the works, so you can keep the pump bottle & order a more generic, larger sized bottle to refill it with. Strawberry Leaf Toner: $6.00/ 4 oz. bottle. Product description: “Perfect to aid in balancing the ph of all skin types. Strawberry leaves contains a high level of Vitamin C & Natural Salicylic Acid, Apple Cider Vinegar helps to rebalance the ph of your skin & Rose Water for its soothing, moisturizing and calming abilities”. Ingredients ~ Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with mother, Rose Hyrdosol, Aloe Vera Juice, Distilled Water, Organic Strawberry Leaves. This makes a great follow-up after washing your face. I have seen strawberry leaf used in other natural toners before & know it’s touted for its skin care properties. I honestly can’t say what it’s really doing for my skin, I don’t have a before & after shot, etc. about all I can say is it is a product with several beneficial skin care ingredients and I recommend it for those of you who like to use toners. Holly sent me her Skin Food which is a moisturizer (comes in formulas for sensitive, problem and mature skin) in the 1st batch of products to review & I absolutely love it still. The combo of the wash, toner, Skin Food is just fabulous, and I highly recommend it to anyone in search of a great facial care routine. You can read my review of that product below.

Bug Repellent- $10.00/ 8 oz. plastic bottle with spray top. Also comes in stick form. Product description: “This product contains Neem Oil which has been shown to be as effective as DEET! Safe for babies, children, adults, pets and even your plants!” Ingredients : Lavender Hydrosol, Distilled Water, Neem Oil, Essential Oil blend (peppermint, catnip, eucalyptus, Virginia Cedarwood). Spray top produces a nice fine mist that distributes it evenly over skin, and it has a very pleasant smell. The 1st thing I tried it on was gnats which have been very pesky this season here in WI. I was sitting outside & they were swarming all over & I went to grab this spray, sat back down & waited for them to start swarming again & sprayed liberally- they stayed away! Next test was on a day when I noticed a bunch of black flies gathered on a pile of something decomposing in our yard (we live in the country and have a black lab who like to bring surpasses home). I grabbed the spray, sprayed the unknown lump down, and the flies would not touch it afterwards, this impressed hubby too! The mosquitos have just started to be an issue as we’ve had a very cool spring thus far, but I live on the banks of a river and when they do hatch, we have a serious problem. Over the weekend I was pulling weeds in my flower bed in the evening hours & they came on suddenly & started landing on my arms. I went and got the spray, sprayed most of my body liberally and went back at it and although I could hear them buzzing around me, I pulled weeds for about 15 min. (all I can handle @ 38 weeks pregnant) and came back in with no bites. Compared to other natural bug repellents I’ve used & am aware of, I feel the price is very reasonable for this product!

Bug Bite Salve–$10/ 2 oz. glass jar, which may seem like a small amount, but you need just a tiny dab per bite, I think a jar should last an entire season.  Product description: “aids in relieving symptoms and discomfort associated with bug bites and stings. This blend of plant ingredients aids in reducing inflammation, swelling, redness and itching. Neem Oil has been used for ages to aid in drawing poison out of bug bites. Ingredients ~ Unrefined Shea Butter, Neem Oil, Unrefined Hemp Seed Oil, Calendula, Parsley, Witch Hazel Bark, Beeswax, Vitamin E, Essential Oils of Lavender, Tea Tree & Eucalyptus. I used this on my toddler a few times & noticed the redness did go away, but I was unsure if he experienced any relief. As I was laying him down for his nap a couple days ago he was itching various bites he had which were preventing him from falling asleep and he said “Mama, bug balm”. I went and got it, applied it to his bites and he quit itching them, and fell asleep within minutes! My other experience using it thus far was a few nights ago when he ended up with several bites while indoors, somehow without Hubby or I noticing any bugs indoors, and the salve definitely helped take the itch out of most of them, but he had one or 2 in particular that really bothered him & he continued to itch after applying the salve. So, I can’t say it worked 100% of the time for all bites, but I don’t know that any product would do so. My hubby has had horse fly bites on a couple of occasions, which really leave quite the bite. The 1st time I noticed him rubbing a huge, red lump and ran to grab the Bug Salve and applied it immediately. I waited a couple minutes and asked him if it felt better & indeed he said it didn’t bother him whatsoever anymore, and the redness was gone. A couple days later he came in from outside & retrieved the Bug Salve, brought it to me and asked him to apply it to another horse fly bite on his back, same results- stinging & redness disappeared almost immediately.

Tiny Heiny Cream- $10.00/ 2 oz. glass jar. Ingredients ~ Unrefined Shea Butter, Organic High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Beeswax, Calendula, Essential Oils of Tea Tree, Lavender & Orange. This was sent to have on hand for the arrival of my new babe, who should be gracing us with his/her presence any day. I was very fortunate that my 1st child has had 2 diaper rashes in 2 years, and we made it through his entire 1st year without any rash whatsoever. Of course that may not be the case this time around, and I’m happy to have this product on hand should I need it, and not have to wait a week for something to come in the mail. I will update this item if/when I use it, but just wanted to make you aware that it exists and is completely cloth diaper safe.

Previous reviews (posted April 1):

Here are the wonderful  products sent to me: Belly Butter, Sensitive Skin Food, Lip Balm, Boo Boo Balm, and Healing Salve. She offers a great selection, and one thing I really like is that she posts the price right up front alongside the photo & description of the item. It can be discouraging to browse through items on a website, and then see in the very fine print at the bottom of the description that the item is out of the budget. Here are the categories of offerings, with selections in each category: baby, deodorant, hair care, skin care, spa, cleaning, first aid, pet and soap. I have no concern over a single ingredient Holly is using in her line (I wish I could say that for more lines)!

1st I have to rave about the Belly Butter. If you are currently pregnant, or know someone who is, order some of this immediately—you won’t regret it! I had been using Shea Butter on my growing belly, which is a very nourishing butter in and of itself (just starting my 3rd trimester now), and didn’t feel I was missing anything by using a non-scented product. But I have to tell you, this rose geranium scented Belly Butter is one of the most delightful smelling products I’ve ever used! I’ve never looked forward to buttering up my belly so much. With the Shea butter I would do it here & there, maybe every couple of days when I would look at the jar and remember. Now, I can’t wait to apply it several times a day, and my skin is thanking me for it. I apply it before bed and honestly lay there inhaling & saying “ahhhhhh” in my head (don’t want to wake my son), it’s a delightful, relaxing smell. It’s a firm butter, and at 1st I wasn’t having the best of luck getting it to melt to my touch to apply it so I dumped it upside down & gave it a tap & it came out nicely, like a bar of soap, and I rub it on that way, and it applies wonderfully. I look forward to using it every time, and it has a great non-greasy feel. I wake up in the morning and my belly feels very soft. I have been using this 2-3 times/day for about 2 weeks, and have barely put a dent in the bar, I have no doubt it will last the rest of my pregnancy. I love it so much I coat my hands in it too, and breathe in that wonderful smell!  Info from the website: “Fiddlebump’s Belly Butter is specially formulated to help prevent and or reduce stretch marks. This unique blend of butters, vitamins and oils relieves itching associated with stretching skin and promotes healthy skin elasticity. This is a firm butter; it will melt with contact to the skin.” Ingredients: Ingredients ~ Organic Cocoa Butter, Unrefined Shea Butter, Unrefined Mango Butter, Organic High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Beeswax, Vitamin E, Rose Geranium Essential Oil. $15 for 4 oz. http://fiddlebumps.com/?p=11.

I have been using coconut oil as a facial moisturizer this winter, and Shea butter for extra-dry problem skin. However, many feel coconut oil is too greasy/oily, and some feel it clogs their pores, so I am delighted to have had this sent to me as a sample, and even more delighted to tell you that I feel it’s a great product for those looking for a healthy moisturizer. The calendula adds a wonderful, subtle flowery/herbal scent that I absolutely love! As I said, I didn’t think I was missing using scented products by using plain oils/butters as is, but sampling these wonderful smelling products has made me realize that I did miss having a bit of scent in my products! It does feel oily/greasy while going on, but most all lotion will. After a couple minutes it absorbs into your skin, and I truly love the way my skin feels afterward. It comes in several formulas in addition to the sensitive blend sent to me: mature formula, problem formula, manly, and eczema/psoriasis. From the website: “Each skin food is specially formulated to nourish every skin deficiency.  Skin food provides nourishment for your skin and each formula has a special extra function of its own. Skin Food is a blend of plant butters, plant oils vitamins & Essential Oils.  When combined, these ingredients help protect skin from sun damage, heal dry cracked skin, improve skin elasticity, promote collagen production, reduce scarring, soothes sunburn, helps prevent peeling, and soothes minor skin irritations.  These blends have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Ingredients ~ Unrefined Shea Butter, Organic High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Organic Calendula, Beeswax. Comes in a glass jar– $10 for 2 oz. (2 oz. doesn’t sound like a lot, but I’ve been using it mainly on my face without hardly putting a dent in the jar, I expect the jar to last several months)/ http://fiddlebumps.com/?p=265

Lipbalm normally doesn’t get me that excited. I’ve been using plain Shea butter for the last couple of months, and had sampled a few local creations prior to that which I just didn’t love-they were too greasy/oily. But, this lip balm has a perfect consistency, with a wonderful, subtle coconut smell. The info from the website describes it perfectly- I will be keeping this in stock in my house for sure! “Heal and prevent dry, chapped lips with the gentle ingredients in this heavy, non-waxy lip balm ideal for even sensitive skin. It leaves lips feeling soft without encouraging dependency. Plant butters join beeswax to seal in moisture and protect while providing a silky shine.” Available in Mint, Cherry & Coconut. Ingredients ~ Unrefined Shea Butter, Organic High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Beeswax, and one of the following (Peppermint Essential Oil, Organic Coconut or Organic Cherry Oil). $3.00/tube. http://fiddlebumps.com/?p=234

I was also sent 2 products that I’m grateful to have as part of my 1st aid kit, although I hope not to need them of course: Boo Boo Balm, and Healing Salve. It is great to be prepared for the inevitable day that my toddler (or I) take a spill and need one of these products. From the website: “Fiddlebump’s Boo Boo Balm is a great go to for all of your first aid needs. This gentle & natural balm treats everyday boo boos and doesn’t sting. Use for cuts, abrasions, bug bites, dry skin, burns and more…… With anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties minor cuts and scrapes will heal quickly.  The high percentage of unrefined Shea butter in this balm helps to prevent scarring. Children really like this balm because they can do it themselves!  This is a favorite among children and moms alike!!  Packaged in a convenient, easy to take on the go roll up container. Ingredients ~ Unrefined Shea Butter, Organic High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Beeswax, Essential Oils of Tea Tree, Orange & Lavender. $4.00 for a cute little deodorant-type container (which I’ll save and reuse for deodorant for a gift/for sale when I’m done with it). http://fiddlebumps.com/?p=208

The Healing Salve: Fiddlebump’s Apothecary Healing Salve is very effective in speeding up the healing process of minor cuts, burns, sores, scrapes, bites, hemorrhoids and just about every first aid need you can imagine. This salve is a super multi-tasker. Shea Butter helps improve skin elasticity & aids in reducing scars, this essential oil blend provides anti-bacterial, anti-fungal & anti- inflammatory properties. Ingredients ~ Unrefined Shea Butter, Unrefined Hemp Seed Oil, Organic High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Organic Calendula, Beeswax, Wildcrafted Balm of Gilead, Wildcrafted Blue Violet Leaf, Essential Oils (Lavender, Tea Tree, Orange) $5.00 for a 1 oz. container. http://fiddlebumps.com/?p=63

Holly makes many great items for your 1st aid kit/problem skin: bug bite salve, respiratory balm, joint balm, jewelweed salve, hair & scalp food, skin food, muscle balm and unpetroleum jelly. Also, a few cleaning products which look great: furniture polish, glass cleaner and lavender all-purpose cleaner. I also love that her Website has a DIY recipe tab which includes numerous spa & around the house cleanser recipes.

Another GREAT tidbit about these products: ALL packaging is MADE in the USA!!

I can’t thank Holly enough for sharing these wonderful products with me! I agree with her assertion that they are quite reasonably priced compared to numerous other products on the “natural” market. If you’re new to natural products made with organic ingredients and unrefined oils/butters, you may glance at the prices and feel they’re expensive. True, they’re more expensive than ‘conventional’ products, but what you have to take into consideration is that most ‘conventional’ products have water as their first ingredient, and then they therefore need a preservative which is one of my main ingredients of concern in any line, no matter how safe they claim the preservative to be. So, while the sticker price may be cheaper, you’re paying for water, and I don’t know anyone who likes to do that. These products are pure, highly concentrated, and preservative-free as they contain no water. A little dab will truly suffice for your needs, which helps the products last much longer than the products you may be used to, while eliminating excess packaging materials from our landfills/recycling centers. I will definitely be placing orders with Fiddlebump’s in the future, as well as gifting every pregnant mama I know with some of her awesome Belly Butter. Please go take a look at the wonderful products made by this hard-working mama, there truly is something for everyone: Website: http://fiddlebumps.com/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fiddlebumps/208583480806?fref=ts Her products are available in select locations in Oregon, Michigan, and Virgina: http://fiddlebumps.com/?page_id=625

Earthpaste Review

03 May 2013 5 Comments

by ecofriendlymamausa in Reviews Tags: , , ,

epaste

Review of Earthpaste made by Redmond Trading Company- based in Utah: As all of us have different expectations, of course results will vary. These are my experiences with these products, and I don’t expect any product to satisfy 100% of the people who try it, but I can tell you that numerous people have tried this toothpaste & found it to be a wonderful, safe product for their families.

Read the back of an Earthpaste tube & you’ll immediately realize you’re dealing with a paste unlike any other: “Earthpaste is safe to eat. Rinse or swallow at your discretion- either would be fine” vs “call poison control center if more than a pea-sized amount is ingested”!!! In fact, the Redmond clay, the main ingredient in Earthpaste, is ingested by many for its medicinal properties. There are few reviews I’ve been more excited to share with this page—why? Because I was on the search for the perfect toothpaste for my family (and one I feel comfortable recommending to the page) for quite some time, and finally found it! Every “natural”, fluoride-free toothpaste I’ve looked at has ingredients that I don’t like, especially for my 2 year old who is still learning how to brush his teeth. Popular brands like Tom’s (owned by Colgate), Jason, and the host of others contain ingredients such as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, carrageenan, and a host of others are additives. I kept feeling that there had to be a great, safe toothpaste made in the USA (Jack N Jill is often recommended, but made in Australia). Earthpaste is everything I’ve been looking for in toothpaste & more. Earthpaste is not certified organic, which is an important characteristic for me & many of you. However, it is so highly natural, as it’s made of Redmond Clay & Real Salt which are harvested from deposits deep within the earth, plus Non-GMO xylitol and essential oils (which are all Wildcrafted), that the lack of a “certified organic” label doesn’t bother me in this instance!

Unique facts about Earthpaste: *It is free of fluoride. *It does not contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) which is a foaming agent. It can take a bit to get used to a non-foaming toothpaste for adults who are used to such products, but children do not have these expectations so will not know what they are missing! *It does not contain Titanium Dioxide to whiten it. Thus the toothpaste is brown, as its main ingredient is bentonite clay. *It also does not contain glycerin, an ingredient which coats your teeth & prevents them from absorbing beneficial minerals. *It does not contain Carrageenan.

Here’s a list of the ingredients Earthpaste does include, with their purpose (from their website): ~~Purified Water to hydrate the clay into a creamy paste.  ~~Food Grade Redmond Clay®, a polishing cleanser with antibacterial properties that has been used for centuries to promote digestive health. ~~Xylitol, a natural sweetener that has been shown to promote healthy teeth. ** Also very important to note is they use only non-GMO xylitol from birch and/or corn. ~~ Redmond Real Salt® to enhance the flavor and lend antibacterial properties associated with sea salt. ~~Tea Tree Oil, a natural, essential oil, commonly used to promote healthy skin, supports oral health with excellent anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. ~~Menthol, found in peppermint and wintergreen Earthpaste, leaves your breath fresh and mouth feeling clean. ~~Essential Oils-Wildcrafted These special oils are used for flavoring & a wide variety of other health benefits listed below. ~Peppermint will make your breath smell fresh, and it’s widely used to promote stress relief and support digestion. ~Wintergreen lends a sweet, minty flavor and has been used to promote dental health. ~Cinnamon brings a familiar, spicy flavor along with its reputation as an antioxidant used to promote healthy immune function. The Lemon Twist is their most recent release and contains lemon essential oil, lemon verbana essential oil, tangerine essential oil & lime essential oil.

So, which flavor is my favorite? I was sent a tube of each flavor, and before sampling any of the flavors my guess was that I’d love the cinnamon the most. In general I’m not a fan of lemon or peppermint flavors in most things. My expectations were completely backwards. While they all have pleasant flavors, the Lemon Twist & Peppermint turned out to be my favorite. The Lemon Twist is perfect for children as it’s not minty, or spicy as my toddler calls it. It has a fresh, pleasant taste with not the slightest burn. While it’s geared towards kids, it’s neck & neck with the Peppermint as my favorite. The Cinnamon & Wintergreen both are very good too, and if they were the only 2 to choose from I’d use them happily. I’d say the Wintergreen is a little less minty & a little sweeter than the Peppermint, and the Cinnamon has a mild cinnamon flavor. Of course, everyone has their own favorite. I’ve heard from several who don’t like the cinnamon, and others who claim the cinnamon as their favorite. There’s only one way to find out which will be your favorite, but from my opinion, they are all GREAT!!  A tube of Earthpaste runs $7.99/4 0z. tube directly from Redmond. They have generously created a coupon just for this page, offering 15% off through September 7 using the code EcoSummer15 (case sensitive), which you can use on their site:http://www.earthpaste.com/.  It is also available online through sites such as Vitacost, Amazon  & others.

How long does a tube last our family of 3? I’d say about a month. This includes the fact that my 27 month old always manages to sneak a squirt into his mouth. He’s gotten much better with me constantly reminding him to brush, not eat it. But he really loves the stuff. I let him choose his color, he almost always goes for the yellow (lemon), but sometimes the blue (peppermint), and being a toddler he insists on putting it on the brush himself. He tries to be sneaky and while squirting some on his brush always does a quick sneak (not so sneaky) to squirt some in his mouth. And he often puts too much on his brush. But the fabulous thing is that I have absolutely no worries about him eating it, and know it’s actually beneficial to his digestion. I can’t imagine going through this training stage using a traditional toothpaste such as Colgate, etc. Maybe he wouldn’t like it as much as Earthpaste and be so inclined to eat it, but I have a feeling he probably would. The peace of mind that comes with using this toothpaste is worth every cent. I also use more than a pea-sized amount. I put a solid line covering my toothbrush, wet it well, and brush away. Given all this, a tube still lasts at least a month.

GREAT news for the international fans of the page who often comment that they wish the products I’m reviewing were available to them. Earthpaste is available abroad!!!!! — Australia http://www.gpawholefoods.com.au/ – Earthpaste only. –Canada http://www.trulyorganicfoods.com/– this company sells only Earthpaste. They are FANTASTIC to work with, a small husband and wife home based business. http://well.ca/ http://www.nationalnutrition.ca/default.aspx – Earthpaste only — Internationally everywhere www.iherb.com — UK http://www.phwisdom.com/ – a fantastic company that is buying direct from Redmond shipping to the UK – Most Redmond products can be found through them. http://www.purelynaturalcosmetics.co.uk/ – They also carry most of our Redmond line, Redmond Clay, Real Salt and Earthpaste.   I love this toothpaste so much, and was so frustrated with the options on the shelves at my local food co-op (Tom’s, Jason, Auromere)  where I do 90% of my shopping, that I talked the co-op management into allowing me to open a wholesale account with Redmond. We now proudly have Earthpaste on the shelves, along with a few other great products from Redmond. We are a tiny co-op, but I look forward to getting as many of their products on our shelves as possible over time! I know it is becoming more available in stores such as Whole Foods, etc. and we get asked often if it’s available locally. At this time Redmond does not have a store locator database. My advice if you can’t find it locally is to request it, and get friends & family to request it also. Most stores are responsive to such requests!

I have seen concern raised on my page and others over the use of Xylitol. The research I’ve done has led me to feel it is a safe ingredient & I do not have concerns over its use. Here is some very detailed info on Xylitol, and why Earthpaste uses it: “As I’m sure you know Xylitol is one of those products that although most consider natural, others still have questions about it. That said, most agree that is a natural product because it is a sweetener that occurs naturally. It can be found in berries, fruit/vegetables and also occurs naturally in the human body. The average adult actually manufactures up to 15 grams of xylitol daily during normal metabolism. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol That said, to produce xylitol for use in baking etc it does go through quite a process which is probably where some of the natural concerns come from – as a side note wheat also goes through quite a process to become bread, and milk goes though quite a process to become cheese, but that’s a different story and a little different chemistry.

So why is xylitol in Earthpaste? Mostly because it is a natural sweetener that also has some unique properties that helps it to inhibit bacterial growth. I’ll save you the chemistry lesson, but in short, because xylitol is a 5 carbon sugar rather than a typical 6 carbon sugar, bacteria can’t digest it so they eat it thinking it is sugar and they starve. We considered other natural sweeteners like stevia and others but they just don’t have the properties of xylitol, have harsh flavors, and at the end of the day there are groups that have a lot of questions/concerns about those natural sweeteners too. Aside from all that, there are actually many other oral benefit properties that deal with plaque and tarter that make xylitol nice for a toothpaste (link below).

The next question you might ask is why do we want to use any sweetener at all rather than just essential oil? The main reason for that is so more people are willing to be open to trying it to make it possible to economically to produce it at all. Straight essential oils aren’t really taste friendly to most people moving from a conventional toothpaste – especially kids. The problem with having a sweetener in any product is that bacteria thrive on most sugars so if you don’t use the right sweetener you have to add additional preservatives – which we absolutely didn’t want to do. However, xylitol’s properties actually help us not have to do that and also helps more people make the transition away from a conventional toothpaste.

We are currently working on a sweetener free Earthpaste that we hope to introduce in a few months – maybe by this summer – for those don’t want any sweeteners. It is coming together very nicely. 🙂 In the meantime if you want to avoid xylitol or other sweeteners, you can just use a clay and salt mix (50/50), wet your toothbrush, dip it in the mix, and then put a drop of your favorite essential oil on it and brush away. I did that for a long time on my own before we finalized Earthpaste and it worked great.

Anyway, just like with many (most) natural products on the market today, there will always be a variety of opinions with regards to the advantages and disadvantages of xylitol and other “natural” sweeteners. There is always new information coming out, but it is hard to argue the fact that there are over 2,600 published clinical studies that prove the benefits of xylitol not to mention the fact that our own body produces xylitol and that it is all natural. That said, we can understand that many are undecided about xylitol and we are working on a sweetener free version of Earthpaste.

If you are interested in learning more, here is another summary on the other side of the xylitol story: http://knowitallhealth.com/2008/01/29/xylitol-the-all-natural-sweetener-thats-good-for-you/ and here is a summary of what xylitol is and is from those that like it: http://www.xylitol.org/questions-about-xylitol. I know you can find plenty of those that don’t like and many more that do so I just wanted to include a couple you can consider and decide for yourself.” As you can tell, I’m very happy with this toothpaste. I love what it doesn’t include almost as much as I love what it does include. I’m very happy to recommend this product as often as I possibly can on my page & others when I see a question regarding the best toothpaste for children, and adults. Again, here is the coupon code to save 15% off your entire purchase through Redmond: 15% off through September 7 using the code EcoSummer15 (case sensitive). One last thing I’ll mention is that I’ve had a great experience with my interactions with Kimberly, my go-to at Redmond with any questions I have. I have also heard from many of you that you’ve had a great customer service experience with this company, which means a lot to me!

For more info please visit Redmond’s website & Facebook page:
Earthpaste Website: http://www.earthpaste.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/earthpaste?ref=ts&fref=ts

Redmond also makes the following wonderful products:
Real Salt, Season Salt, Bath Salt Review: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=691161900899453&set=a.568349859847325.144572.397517646930548&type=1&theater
Redmond Clay Review: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=687531201262523&set=pb.397517646930548.-2207520000.1373294367.&type=3&theater

Redmond Trading Company

03 May 2013 Leave a comment

by ecofriendlymamausa in Reviews Tags: , , , , ,

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Redmond Trading Company also is the maker of Earthpaste, which I felt deserved its own review, so please follow the link to information on that product: https://ecofriendlyusa.wordpress.com/product-reviews/earthpaste/?preview=true&preview_id=401&preview_nonce=59ee21b4b1. As all of us have different skin/hair/water/expectations, of course results will vary. These are my experiences with these products, and I don’t expect any product to satisfy 100% of the people who try it…

I was sent a 1st aid ointment, some Real Salt & organic season salt, and bath salt.

About the Redmond Clay used, from their website: “For thousands of years, people have used clay to prevent and treat physical ailments. Over time, the practice of using clay medicinally was forgotten by most cultures, but as the holistic health and organic food movements gain momentum, people have become more open to traditional remedies like Redmond Clay. Used externally for things like bites and burns and internally for a variety of ailments, Redmond Clay has become a staple in households across the world. Redmond Clay First Aid is a key component of your first-aid kit. In fact, for many people, Redmond Clay is their first-aid kit! Use Redmond Clay First Aid on burns, cuts, abrasions, insect bites, bruises, rashes, bee stings, blisters, poison oak, poison ivy, and dry, itchy skin.  $9.99/4 oz. http://www.redmondtrading.com/redmond-clay/

I suffer from a seasonal skin affliction where my hands shed like a snake- usually during the transition from fall to winter, or during the depths of winter. The two winters that I’ve been pregnant (this being one of them), the symptoms have been tame compared to some winters, but I’ve been dealing with this for years. No sooner had I said to my hubby that I thought I was going to get through this winter without it happening, then it started to happen on one hand. It starts as itchy/burny red bumps all over the palm of my hand, and then patches start peeling off & I end up with raw spots on my palm and finger tips. I can’t say I’ve tried everything, but I’ve tried numerous, numerous products- bag balm, crack cream, prescription hydrocortisone cream, hand salves by many companies, and in my recent more natural years, coconut oil, Shea butter, jojoba oil, the list goes on. Nothing really helps but time. I received my lovely sample package from Redmond & there was a 1st aid cream in there- I glanced at it and thought “cool, I’ll keep this on hand in case of a burn…” Then I looked down at my hand which was raw & peeling and thought “what the heck, I’ll try it”. I applied it 3-4 times that day, and I’m not exaggerating in the slightest when I say I woke up the next morning & new skin was growing! I seriously couldn’t believe it, and you have no idea how thrilled I am to have found something that works. Within a couple of days, my hand was completely healed up!! Other products that include this fabulous clay include: Clay powder, facial mud, mineral support & daily detox.

Real Salt and Season Salt– Redmond is also the proprietor of Real Salt. I had heard of this before & thought “what the heck is Real Salt”. It is unaltered, straight from the earth as it was deposited centuries ago. Both of these will be a staple in my house from now on! Product info from their website: “Real Salt means – well, real, authentic salt. A quick glance at the ingredients label on most salts might surprise you! Many salts contain anti-caking agents and even dextrose (sugar). Others have been heat processed and stripped of their natural trace minerals. Real Salt brand, on the other hand, is unrefined and full of natural minerals and flavor – the way salt was meant to be savored.” The season salt contains a delicious blend of Real Salt, organic onion, organic coriander, organic mustard, organic black pepper, organic paprika, organic celery seed, organic turmeric, organic parsley, and no MSG. ($4.92/4.75 oz.). This has been a wonderful accompaniment to every meat and veggie dish I’ve tried it on!  Lots of sizes to choose from in each category: coarse salt with grinding mill, refill pouches, kosher salt, powder salt, organic season salt, organic garlic salt, organic onion salt, and many bulk & gift box options available. http://www.redmondtrading.com/product-category/real-salt/

Bath Salt– Product info from their website: “In Redmond™ Bath Salt you will find an abundance of trace minerals that can help restore mineral-deficient bodies back to good health. Through osmosis, toxins are released from the body into the bath water, while trace minerals from the sea salt are absorbed through the skin. Redmond Bath Salt is a completely natural mineral sea salt that comes from a sea bed dating back thousands of years. Our bath salt is so natural you can eat it! Due to its abundance of natural trace minerals, Redmond Bath Salt provides many healing properties for the skin and body. Toxins are released from the body into the bath water through osmosis, while trace minerals from the sea salt are absorbed through the skin.”  $8.99/18 oz. I really can’t attest to any detox powers, but I can say that it makes for a lovely, relaxing bath in my claw foot bath tub (best $75 rummage sale score EVER!). http://www.redmondtrading.com/redmond-bath-salt/

I love every, single product I was sent by this generous company, and will be a customer for life!

For more information, please visit their website & FB pages:

Website: http://www.redmondtrading.com/shop/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/redmondclay

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