She Just Gets Me

Samantha, you just get me....you know what I like in a skin product and you seem to know how to make me happy. For the past couple of weeks I have been using Samantharoma facial soap with calendula, not only on my oily face, but I've also been using it to moisturize the dry skin on the rest of my body. When used on my face, it doesn't clog my pores or cause blemishes. When used on the rest of me, it moisturizes the skin all over my body, thanks to the olive, coconut, palm & castor oils along with shea butter. This soap is unscented so there perfumy after scent..it just leaves my skin, soft, smooth and clean. This product is just pure and natural; chemical and toxin free... just how I like it. I may not be psychic, but I would bet if you tried this product, you would realize that Samantha gets you too. 4 out of 4 stars for performance and value.
*Samantharoma is a Compact for Safe Cosmetics signer, which means "The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics — of which EWG is a founding member — is a coalition of public health, educational, religious, labor, womens, environmental, and consumer groups working on the ground in communities, in the halls of lawmakers, and directly with cosmetic manufacturers to encourage reformulations and safer ingredients. Over 500 companies have voluntarily signed a pledge called the campaign's "Compact for Safe Cosmetics," a pledge to formulate products that do not use ingredients that are known or suspected to cause certain health harms within three years of signing.
*This product scores a 1 on the EWG/ Skin Deep website.
*The Samantharoma website is: http://samantharoma.com/home.htm.
*This product is $6.00 for a 4 oz bar of soap which last quite a while, it's been 2 weeks and I've barely made a dent .

*Samantha is participating in the Komen Lowcountry Race For The Cure in memory of her mother who lost her fight to breast cancer 15 years ago. If you would like to donate to a worthy cause, please copy and paste the link below.
http://race.komenlowcountry.org/site/TR/Race/General?px=1151761&pg=personal&fr_id=1030&et=-5exoasy5FQHx0DVqauB6w..&s_tafId=3582"

Mmm Good

Mmm Good, may be the slogan for Campbell's Soup, but that's exactly what I have to say about Tom's of Maine Natural antiplaque plus whitening gel (I got the spearmint)- it really is Mmm Godd! Not only is this gel delicious and minty fresh, but it leaves my teeth slick all the while keeping the plaque from forming for several hours after I use it. Normally when I eat junk or drink wine I can feel the fuzzies forming on my teeth almost immediately, but not this time. I had a party the other night and ate a few too many cookies, a few too many brownies, and one too many glasses of wine, but I swear, my teeth really felt clean even after all of that junk. I'm an absolute believer that the antiplaque properties of xylitol really work. This product contains no artificial colors, sweeteners, flavors, or preservatives (it does contain sodium lauryl sulfate) or animal ingredients (you can't say that about Colgate or Crest, check out the animal ingredients in their products). The antiplaque properties are all natural and really do the trick to keep my mouth fresh, literally all day.
I give this product 4 out of 4 stars for performance and value.
*Tom's of Maine is not a Compact for Safe Cosmetics signer.
*This product is a 2 on the EWG/ Skin Deep scale.
*The Tom's website is: www.tomsofmaine.com
*I paid $4.49 for a 5.5 oz tube.

Just Plain Irritating

This my friends, is a strange product. Have you ever heard of a conditioner that you mix with water? Well, Dr. Bronner's Citrus Conditioning Hair Rinse does just that. Per the directions, you "Stir 1-2 capfuls of this rinse into a cup of water, close eyes and slowly pour while massaging into hair. Keep hand combing hair feels entirely sleek (~30 seconds. Rinse out well. Repeat if necessary in extra hard water conditions or with longer hair."
As far as I'm concerned, who has the time to do all that?? I tried to use it per directions but I have to tell you: after bringing in a squirt bottle into the shower and mixing this product with water and combing my hair whole doing all of this... this was a lot of effort for my hair to not feel conditioned or sleek. I then decided to cheat and just throw a dollop of this product on my hair while sticking my head under the running shower water to continue adding water, I kept combing and combing and you know what....My hair STILL didn't feel the least bit conditioned or sleek. No matter how I use this product, my hair just didn't feel good.
I also noticed every time I got a drop of this full strength product on my skin, like the back of my neck, it burned like crazy (hence the reason they tell you to dilute with water I am assuming). So I decided to read the label to figure out if there are any warnings about irritation and saw it: "Concentrated Keep rinse out of eyes and wash out with water. Consult a physician if irritation persists. The lemon juice may slightly sting abrasions of the scalp & skin but goes away with rinsing." OUCH!!
I'm all for organic, non toxic and non synthetic, but this product just didn't do it for me in the least. This product is irritating to skin, and considering my short hair still felt tangled, I can't even imagine how long hair would feel after using this product. I'm sorry Dr. Bronner but I have to give this product 1 out of 4 stars for performance and value. I just didn't like anything about it.
*Dr. Bronner's is a Campaign for Safe Cosmetics signer— of which EWG is a founding member — is a coalition of public health, educational, religious, labor, womens, environmental, and consumer groups working on the ground in communities, in the halls of lawmakers, and directly with cosmetic manufacturers to encourage reformulations and safer ingredients. Over 500 companies have voluntarily signed a pledge called the campaign's "Compact for Safe Cosmetics," a pledge to formulate products that do not use ingredients that are known or suspected to cause certain health harms within three years of signing.
*Per the EWG website, this product scores a 1 on the EWG scale.
*The Dr. Bronner's website is: http://www.drbronner.com/
*I paid $9.99 for an 8 oz bottle. *If you purchase $20 worth of products from the Dr. Bronner's website they offer free shipping.

Dirt and Grime Have Met Their Maker

I have to admit, when it's hot and humid outside like it's been this summer, I don't always wear my "full face" of make up. I may just throw on a little powder and mascara and call it a day, but even so my skin does get dirty and grimy from the heat and sweat. For the past month I have been using Encoura Facial Toner Calendula Orange Blossom and after a little getting used to, I like it quite a bit. "The base of Encoura’s Facial Toner is aloe juice infused with botanicals and essential oils" and it is truly gentle on my sensitive skin without drying it out. I also enjoy the mild citrus scent. Because there is no witch hazel or alcohol, I have to use a bit more of this product than the usual alcohol based toner (which cleans my face with one swipe), but in the name of being less toxic, I'm ok that. I may have to use a bit more than I am used to, but my skin looks good, I have no blemishes and I know I am supporting a company that believes in pure, natural and safe products. I give this product 3 out of 4 stars for performance and 3 out of 4 stars for value.
*Encoura is a is a Campaign for Safe Cosmetics signer— of which EWG is a founding member — is a coalition of public health, educational, religious, labor, womens, environmental, and consumer groups working on the ground in communities, in the halls of lawmakers, and directly with cosmetic manufacturers to encourage reformulations and safer ingredients. Over 500 companies have voluntarily signed a pledge called the campaign's "Compact for Safe Cosmetics," a pledge to formulate products that do not use ingredients that are known or suspected to cause certain health harms within three years of signing.
*Per the EWG website, this product scores a 1 on the EWG scale.
*The Encoura website is: http://www.encoura.com/
*I paid $6.50 for a 2 oz spray.

Ghostly Safe

With my family history I am fanatical about putting sunscreen on myself and my daughter, yet I am also aware of the hormone disrupting chemicals in most commercial sunscreens. I had tried Burt's Bee's Sunscreen in the past and hated it for two reasons: # 1 it stained clothes, even after washing them, they had permanent white stains on them and #2 it stunk like dead fish and made the person wearing it smell like fish.
With that being said, I was thrilled to find Badger Balm Sunscreen at my local health food store. This product smell just fine, it has a mild almost unnoticeable scent and although it seems to stain the clothes while you are wearing them, the white stains do come out in the wash. This product is really thick and concentrated so a little goes a long way. Most of these "natural, physical barrier sunscreens" are pretty difficult to rub in, so be honest, after applying this product you can definitely tell you are wearing something white on your skin (we call it the ghost lotion in my house). However, the fact that it smells fine, doesn't ruin clothes and is water resistant for up to 40 minutes....I happen to be more than happy with looking like a ghost for a few hours.
I give this product 4 out of 4 stars for performance and 3 out of 4 stars for value because it is EXPENSIVE!!!
*Badger Balm is a Compact for Safe Cosmetics signer, which means "The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics — of which EWG is a founding member — is a coalition of public health, educational, religious, labor, womens, environmental, and consumer groups working on the ground in communities, in the halls of lawmakers, and directly with cosmetic manufacturers to encourage reformulations and safer ingredients. Over 500 companies have voluntarily signed a pledge called the campaign's "Compact for Safe Cosmetics," a pledge to formulate products that do not use ingredients that are known or suspected to cause certain health harms within three years of signing.
*Th 15 SPF and above Badger Balm Sunscreen score a 2 on the EWG list and the Baby Sunscreen SPF 30 scores a 0 on the EWG/ Skin Deep website.
*The Badger Balm website is:http://www.badgerbalm.com/default.aspx.
*This product is $16.00-$18.00 for a 2.9oz. tube, so yes, it is pricey!

Talk About Multitasking!

Exposure to toxic chemicals might not kill you or compromise your health immediately, but the effects of environmental toxins (like that Glade room deodorizer or Reed diffuser you use in your powder room) can accumulate over time and eventually make you sick.
I remember back in the day I would buy those Glade Products and reed diffusers for my powder room and I couldn't figure out why I was always having headaches and coughing fits. I then read about the toxins in these products and disposed of them immediately, but the effects on my lungs continued for a days after I got rid of them. I don't know what it did to my lungs but I will never use that stuff again!
With that being said, I am so happy I found Samantharoma Peace AromaSpray in Lavender & Tangerine. This product is a body spray//room deodorizer and can be used in an oil warmer...now that's what I call multitasking at it's finest! This products is made with essential oils (not toxic chemicals) and it smells fabulous! A few pumps of this delicious lavender scent does my nose good. (I personally don't smell the tangerine, just the lavender, which is fine with me). I use it as a body spray on the rare occasion I go out with the girls and I love it because it's not too strong like most perfume and cologne. I not only use it as a bathroom spray, I also spray it in the air a few minutes prior to when I have company over too, and boy do I get the compliments on how good my house smells. I have a cat and a dog and you know how bad animal scents can be, well this product cancels out those nasty animal smells so my house smells as fresh as a lavender garden, and who wouldn't want their house to smell like a fresh organic lavender garden?
I give this product 4 out of 4 stars for the multiple uses and the wonderful performance for the body and home. I also give this product 4 out of 4 stars for value. A 4 oz. bottle has lasted me close to 6 months and I'm not quite done with it yet... now that's value!
*Samantharoma is a Compact for Safe Cosmetics signer, which means "The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics — of which EWG is a founding member — is a coalition of public health, educational, religious, labor, womens, environmental, and consumer groups working on the ground in communities, in the halls of lawmakers, and directly with cosmetic manufacturers to encourage reformulations and safer ingredients. Over 500 companies have voluntarily signed a pledge called the campaign's "Compact for Safe Cosmetics," a pledge to formulate products that do not use ingredients that are known or suspected to cause certain health harms within three years of signing.
*This product scores a 0 on the EWG/ Skin Deep website.
*The Samantharoma website is: http://samantharoma.com/home.htm.
*This product is $8.95 for a 4oz. bottle.

It's Magical

Dr.Bronner knew what he was doing when he called this product Dr. Bronner's Magic All-One Organic Fair Trade Shikakai Soap. This soap really is Magical! This product is USDA certified organic and made with organic-fair trade sugar, coconut and olive oil, mixed in with the famous Dr. Bronner's castile soap. I love that it's thick and creamy and really coats my skin. Although there is no SLS, foaming agents, synthetic detergents or preservatives, this product has a beautiful lather and you know I love my lather. It smells great too, I've tried the lavender, lemongrass, tea tree, spearmint and baby soap and trust me, each scent smells good enough to eat, but what I love best of all....you guessed it this product softens my skin better than any lotion I've ever used and there's nothing better than soft, smooth skin as far as I'm concerned. I truly can't think of anything I don't like about this product, so of course I have to give it 4 out of 4 stars for performance and 4 out of 4 star for value.
*Dr. Bronner's is a Compact for Safe Cosmetics signer. "The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics — of which EWG is a founding member — is a coalition of public health, educational, religious, labor, womens, environmental, and consumer groups working on the ground in communities, in the halls of lawmakers, and directly with cosmetic manufacturers to encourage reformulations and safer ingredients. Over 500 companies have voluntarily signed a pledge called the campaign's "Compact for Safe Cosmetics," a pledge to formulate products that do not use ingredients that are known or suspected to cause certain health harms within three years of signing."
*Depending on the scent, this product scores a 1 & a 2 on the EWG scale.
*Dr. Bronner's website is: http://www.drbronner.com/index.html.
*This product is $7.99 for a 12 oz. pump bottle and 14.99 for a 24 oz pump bottle. (The bottles are 100% post-consumer recycled bottles).