CJ's BUTTer Body Products (are awesome)

I've always had an obsession with lotions and lip balms - just ask my poor mother whom I was constantly asking for money to buy more Lip Smackers.  Because in my young and inexperienced view, if you're going to use them, you really should have one in each flavour/scent, right?  As I've grown up (a bit), had children, and learned more about which ingredients are better for our bodies (or at least, which we would do well to avoid), I've developed different criteria by which I judge the products I use.  This is especially true for products I use on my children's skin.  The skin is the largest organ in (on?) the body, and anything you put on it absorbs into your bloodstream sooner or later.  And so, I try to minimize the number of products I apply to their skin.  This means a product has to be effective (so I don't have to reapply all the time), and free of known harmful chemicals (such as parabens, pthalates, SLS, etc).  CJ's BUTTer is all of these things, and more.

When I committed to cloth diapering full time (instead of part time), one of my first questions was what to do about diaper cream?  I was used to being able to slap on a disposable anytime a bit of redness appeared, and then it wasn't an issue to use an effective zinc based cream.  While I've tried a number of different creams, I had always heard rave reviews about CJ's BUTTer.  So you can imagine how excited I was to be asked to try a number of CJ's products for this review.

I decided to request the sampler of 8 individual BUTTErs, so I could try some different scents, and so I wouldn't end up with a whole tub in a scent I did not love.  As it turns out, that wouldn't have been an issue - the scents were all lovely!  Of the 8 varieties that I tried, my favourites were Lullaby Baby Lotion, My Pixie Pie, and Oatmeal, Milk and Honey.  The EO Carribean Therapy blend was also amazing.  CJ's Original BUTTers  are made with shea butter, olive oil, coconut oil, lanolin, beeswax, cocoa butter, Vitamin E (derived from soy) and gluten-free colloidal oatmeal.   The scented ones are scented either with Essential Oils/Blends, or pthalate-free synthetic fragrances (they disclose on their website which ones are scented using which method, and it's worth mentioning that the synthetic fragrances used do not come with an ingredient list except that they are indicated as being pthalate-free).  The BUTTer goes on so smoothly and is (at room temperature) exactly the right consistency to spread on a squirmy baby's skin - it goes on quickly and evenly.

I've used it to successfully treat mild redness in the diaper area (we've been blessed with few diaper rash issues), but I think one of the best things about CJ's BUTTer is how versatile it is.  I use it on my own knuckles, which for some reason (frequent hand washing associated with cold/flu season, perhaps?) are always dry and cracking, and although they aren't cured yet, they are in much better shape now than they were a month ago.  My son has a dry patch of skin (maybe eczema, but I'm not sure as we've never had it diagnosed) on one of his hands, which I had been treating nightly with various creams and balms, but it wasn't til I started putting CJ's BUTTer on it a couple of times a day that I really noticed an improvement.  I wish I could say it was gone for good, but I suspect I'll have to wait for the warmer weather before that becomes a possibility.  One patch of dry skin it has kept completely in check is my daughter's cheeks.  She has has a cold for a while and along with it, the crusty nose and red cheeks. But every time she sleeps, I put a dab of the BUTTer on her cheeks and under her nose, and over the course of a few days I saw her skin return to its normal baby-soft condition.

I also had the opportunity to try the CJ's BUTTer Lip Balm, which is unbelievably creamy and smooth, and has a long-lasting effect.  And unlike many commercial formulas, if you lick your lips, you're not stuck with some gross fake taste on your tongue.  It just tastes mildly sweet (I have the unscented version).  One last treat in my reviewer sample kit was the CJ's BUTTer Creamy Lotion.  The Creamy Lotion had a refreshing cool and creamy feeling to it, went on smoothly and absorbed quickly, and left a delicious scent (I tried Coconut Lime Dream, Monkey Farts, and Apples & Spice).

I am thrilled to let you know that you can now buy CJ's BUTTer Body Products right here in (OK, near) Halifax, NS - from CJ's All Natural - HRM.  Check out their Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/pages/CJs-All-Natural-HRM/251573734922333, view the list of scent descriptions here http://tinyurl.com/6mlfzrf, or take a closer look at the product options and price list here http://tinyurl.com/7pmqkss.  Even better, Andrea has generously offered to give away a 4oz tub of CJ's Original BUTTer (winner's choice of Monkey Farts, Warm Vanilla Cake or Apples and Spice scent - retail value of $9.95).  To enter, you must "Like" her Facebook page, and leave a comment ON HER WALL to let her know you're there via Geekmommy Reviews and what scent you would like if you win.  Contest open to NOVA SCOTIA residents only (sorry, out-of-towners), and winners who can't arrange to pick up the BUTTer in HRM will need to pay shipping to their home.  But hurry, contest closes April 22nd.  And hey, if you don't win, you can take advantage of an Earth Day special 10% off sale, good from April 18th - 22nd, by emailing your order to andrea@gettingtonatural.ca and mentioning the sale.

If you've used CJ's products, what is your favourite scent & product?  I personally can't wait to try their Peppermint Lotion, which has peppermint and tea tree oils in it, and is supposed to be great for tired feet AND for an alternative to conventional petroleum based "vapo-rub" type products.

And don't forget to "Like" CJ's All Natural - HRM on Facebook and comment on THEIR wall as I mentioned above for your chance to win a 4oz tub of BUTTer!

Cloth Wipes & Snack Bag from Boutique Little People (via Eco Fab Mama)

Those of you following this blog know that I like to feature Canadian made products and especially those made by small businesses or WAHMs.  Eoc Fab Mama is a lovely online store that brings quality WAHM-made products together and makes them available for sale to lucky customers like us.  They are "dedicated to eco-friendly/family friendly products" and so they sell a lot of items related to cloth diapering, cloth alternatives to disposable items, and handmade soaps/cleaners.

 I've recently had the opportunity to discover and appreciate the generously sized 2 layer flannel wipes lovingly made by Boutique Little People (http://www.ecofabmama.com/catalog/m-boutique-little-people-6-1.html) and available for purchase from Eco Fab Mama (http://www.ecofabmama.com/catalog/baby-wipes-36-1.html). I received a set of 5 wipes, in adorable girly prints, that have stood up well to multiple uses & launderings. As I mentioned, they are a good size (8"x8") and are made of a quality thick flannel that does a fantastic job of cleaning up messes and keeping your hands clean. The wipes are well made, the layers of flannel are equal sized and the colour co-ordinated wide serged edges are properly stitched and finished.  Some other suggested uses for these wipes from the Eco Fab Mama website are:

• Baby Wipes
• Cloth Tissues
• Wash Cloths
• Dish Cloths
• Un-paper Towels
• Napkins

I will often take a clean cloth wipe or two, wet it at home, and put it in a small wetbag to take along in case of hands/faces needing wiping while out and about (such as when I think that a chocolate coated granola bar is a suitable car back-seat snack for a 4 year old...)  Beats having to pull out the Wet Ones with their smelly scents and bitter residue they leave on your fingers!
 

In the envelope I received from Eco Fab Mama, I also found a special treat in the form of a Boutique Little People fold & go sandwich bag (http://www.ecofabmama.com/catalog/sandwich-bags-and-wraps/boutique-little-people-purple-stripes-fold-n-go-sandwich-bag-258.html).  Made of 100% cotton fabric, and available in a bunch of cute patterns, it is a simple solution to the problem of how to package a snack for on-the-go consumption without being left with a bunch of trash when the snack is eaten. While it does not have a waterproof liner or a fastened closure (it folds over, much like a simple sandwich bag does), it certainly does the trick when it comes to holding a bunch of freshly rinsed grapes, a simple sandwich, or some cheese slices & crackers.  I really liked the other suggested uses for these reusable bags on Eco Fab Mama's website:

• Snack Bag
• Toy Pouch
• Tooth Fairy pouch
• Gadget case
• Tub toy holder
• CD Sleeve
• Pen/crayon holder
• Craft holder
• Gift bag
• Halloween Treats
• Wet Bag
• Party Favors

The flannel wipes, snack bags, and many other quality WAHM-made products (such as wool dryer balls, soap, cloth wipes solution, laundry supplies, hats, gloves, and much more) can be browsed and ordered from http://www.ecofabmama.com/.  They ship to Canada and the US, and offer free shipping for orders over $125.

*Disclaimer:  Geekmommy Reviews was given free of charge the product(s) to review in exchange for featuring this product on http://www.geekmommyreviews.com.  Any opinions or statements given above come only from Geekmommy Reviews and were not influenced in any way by the product vendor.

Pipestone Soaps

Goats Milk - Lavender

I stumbled across Pipestone Soaps on Facebook, of all places, while I was browsing around for Canadian-made products I could feature on this blog.  Made in Alberta, these soaps are clearly made by someone who enjoys their work.  If you follow them on Facebook you will see new "flavours" every couple of days, such as Vanilla Mint, Dragon Tree, Sweet Orange Chili Pepper, Citrus Lavender, Maple Walnut Fudge, Toffee Apple Crunch (are you drooling yet?).  I ordered 5 or 6 bars (was able to justify this by allocating most as gifts...) and when my package arrived I sure was surprised and thrilled to find the bars I ordered, all individually wrapped with care in tissue paper, along with a bunch of samples, some solid perfume sticks, and even some candy treats (which were a big hit with the husband).  Apparently there are different samples and/or treats in all her packages, which is great because you get to try out new soap scents/types in small doses, to help you decide what you might want in your next order.  You can also see the eco-friendly packaging, as my soaps were shipped in a sturdy, repurposed Raysbestos Brake Pads box. 

After I opened the package...here are all the little treats!

Don't let the packaging fool you though, the master chef at Pipestone Soaps certainly knows her stuff.  The soaps are a generous 4.5oz (or more) and will last a long time (particularly if they are kept dry between uses, such as in a soap dish that allows the water from the bar to drain off).  They are made from scratch with "Sustainable Premium Raw Ingredients such as Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Castor Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Mango Butter, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter..." and soaps are available in all-natural, or as I mentioned above, many wonderful scents and combinations.  The bars are about an inch thick, and slightly larger than my palm, and the soap is marvelously dense and lathers up smoothly and quickly.  It rinses clean and leaves just the lightest scent on your hands.  In this season of colds, colds, and more colds, I am wiping three noses on a regular basis, and as you can imagine, washing my hands ALL THE TIME.  I find the Pipestone Soaps do not dry out my hands like some of the more common antibacterial pump soaps do, and it's nice to know that they are not full of all kinds of unpronounceable ingredients.

Goats Milk - Toasted Marshmallow

I have been using a sample of Berry Breeze in the shower for a few weeks now, and although it sits alongside the manly bar of Zest, I am noticing that even my husband seems to prefer using the Pipestone Soaps bar (as the Zest is just not getting any smaller...).  I also have a sample of the Nutcracker in my kitchen, and a full size "Monkey Farts" in the kids bathroom.  This is a really cute "kids" soap, it's got a flower shape in the middle and a creamy light colored soap around it.  The smell is fresh, clean, and kid-friendly, and I feel great about even washing my 7 month old baby with it.  If I had to make one suggestion it would be that this soap be cut smaller to better suit little kid hands...my 4 year old has a hard time picking up the big 4.5oz bar and it often gets dropped into the bottom of the sink (where I quickly snatch it out and put it back on the soap dish, no one wants a drowned soap!)

Toddler-size your soap!

*UPDATE* It turns out that Pipestone Soaps has a suggestion/fix for this - since these soaps are homemade they can be cut at home (unlike storebought soaps which tend to flake & crack...).  So if you would like to make guest size soaps, toddler size soaps, or just cut your bars smaller (so you can switch them up more often) all you need is a cutting board and a sharp knife!  Like so: 

One thing I should mention is that she also makes Goats Milk soaps, they are a bit pricier ($1 extra per bar) but they are supposed to be incredible and moisturizing for your skin.  I haven't had a chance to try my Goats Milk bar yet but I hope to break it out soon!

If you would like to find out more about Pipestone Soaps, check them out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PipestoneSoaps (but beware, seeing pictures in your feed of their gorgeous soaps may make you want to buy all kinds of them...)  Their prices are $5.50 for a regular bar, $6.50 for a Goats Milk bar, plus shipping of course, unless you are local.  If you stay tuned to their Facebook page you might even get lucky and catch a sale or 1/2 price shipping event...

The Laundry Tarts

What's powdery, white, made in Canada, smells delicious, and got the funky smell right out of my daughter's cloth diapers?   It's a magnificent new all-natural laundry detergent from The Laundry Tarts.  With delicious flavours scents such as Key Lime Pie, Black Forest Cake, and Oatmeal Almond, it's hard to believe you're not supposed to just spoon this stuff into a bowl for dessert.  I received two sample bags of The Laundry Tarts detergent from Monkey Doodlez, one Key Lime Pie, one Pina Colada (thank you!).  The first thing I noticed when I opened the shipping envelope was the lovely scent wafting up to meet my nose.  I'm not talking about anything strong or overpowering, rather, it was more of a subtle scent, clean and fresh, but not artificial or perfumey.  That's probably because the entire bag of laundry detergent contains only natural ingredients - there is nothing artificial about it.  The entire product line of detergent, stain remover, and shaker is (to quote their website) "hypoallergenic, 100% vegan and free of phosphates, EDTA, pthalates, parabens, SLS, SLES, nitrates, sulphites and chlorine".  Try saying that five times fast!  The ingredient list is shorter than you could even imagine, consisting mainly of baking soda, soda wash, powdered hydrogen peroxide, and sea salt.  Throw in some rosemary extract, saponified canola & coconut oils, and essential oils (for fragrance), and you've got yourself a bag of detergent.  It's safe for your clothes, your skin, and the environment.

I was at first skeptical about using this detergent with my daughter's cloth diapers.  As you can read in previous posts, I launder her pocket diapers & liners every 3 days, using EcoNuts, cold soak, hot wash, and double cold rinse, then I hang them to dry.  They have always come out clean, but often they smell a little funky.  On occasion, I can chalk this up to FORGETTING to toss in the bag of EcoNuts after the soak cycle (shame on me!), other times I have blamed my timing - I tend to do the soak/wash/rinse before bed, and the 2nd rinse the next morning, before hanging them out.  I figured that leaving them in the washer overnight is what caused them to sometimes pick up a funky smell.  However, it seems I might be wrong about that - after checking on The Laundry Tarts' website to make certain the detergent is safe for cloth diapers (it totally is), I followed the same process (using 3 tablespoons for my old school top loading washer) and found that the entire load of diapers smelled really fresh and clean the next morning when I was hanging them out.  Note that they did NOT smell of fragrance, artificial perfumes, or funk.  They just smelled clean.  After hanging them out to dry, I took them in and thought they looked even whiter than usual, and they were SO FREAKING SOFT - perhaps the sea salt in the detergent helped with that?  I continued to use the diapers on my daughter and there were no unusual effects, rashes, etc, that sometimes happen when switching detergents.  I'm sure she'll be thrilled when she grows up that I used her as a diaper detergent guinea pig.

I also tried using the detergent with a load of dark laundry, to make sure it rinsed clean (it did, even with a very full load of laundry, a cold wash cycle, and only a single rinse).  It even worked on my delicates and hand-wash items.  Which I wash in my machine on the delicate cycle, because honestly, is a mom supposed to have time to hand wash anything??  After washing a load of towels & facecloths with The Laundry Tarts detergent, I did one of those goofy comparisons like they used to do in fabric softener commercials... I stacked up 5 baby facecloths that were previously laundered (probably with EcoNuts), and 5 that were laundered using The Laundry Tarts, and sure enough, the stack laundered with The Laundry Tarts was taller.  I probably should have taken a photo (oops) but didn't think of it.  You'll just have to take my word for it.

Now taller stacks of facecloths are not usually a reason for me to choose one detergent over another.  But I have to say that the ability of The Laundry Tarts to brighten my diaper laundry, rinse out clean, and leave them smelling fresh instead of funky, is enough to make me want to buy a big ol' bag of this stuff. I will probably re-purpose an old measuring cup to work as a scoop for the detergent, because as of right now, it does not come with its own measuring scoop.  They recommend using 2-4 tbsp per load (half that for HE machines) so you do need to be able to get the right amount out of the bag and into your machine.  I just used one of my kitchen tablespoons for testing the samples, but when it becomes a permanent fixture in my laundry room, I would want a dedicated scoop.

If you love the fact that The Laundry Tarts detergent is all-natural, made in Canada, and (most importantly) great at getting your laundry clean, then you should also know that they have generously offered a discount code for15% off all Laundry Tarts products (detergent, samples, stain sticks and shaker bon bons) at www.monkeydoodlez.com and participating retailers.  To take advantage of this offer be sure to enter the code "geekmommy15" (without the quotes) when you are going through the checkout process.  Note that they've indicated that their shipping quotes are not working quite right on the Monkey Doodlez site, so please disregard the shipping quotes from the site and they will provide you with a correct total in an invoice prior to processing payment.  This discount expires in 7 days (so by September 20th!) so hurry if you are interested!  I know I'll be ordering some!

*Disclaimer:  Geekmommy Reviews was given free of charge two small samples of the product(s) to review in exchange for featuring this product on http://www.geekmommyreviews.com.  Any opinions or statements given above come only from Geekmommy Reviews and were not influenced in any way by the product vendor.

Review: Eco Nuts Natural Laundry Detergent

In this day and age, people are becoming more and more aware about the chemicals that surround us, and the effects they can & do have on our health and comfort.  Although our family is blessed with good health and no known chemical sensitivities/allergies, I do try to choose products with minimal impact on our health and on the cleanliness of our environment (most of the time...).  I first tried Eco Nuts Natural Laundry Soap last year, when I purchased a couple of boxes on Baby Half Off (http://www.babyhalfoff.com).  I was skeptical about how they would work, given that they are just little shriveled up brown things, but they do work, and they work at least as well as any of the laundry detergents I'd been using before.  They are great for cloth diapers, but I use them for all of our laundry needs.

They go in your wash, 5 nuts to a bag (bags are included in the boxes of nuts), and the bag lasts 5-10 washes, depending on your water & whether you're washing in hot or cold.  I let the bags dry between uses, which seems to make them last longer, and also makes it easier to tell when the nuts are "used up" they get brittle when they are ready to be replaced.  The bag of Eco Nuts Natural Laundry Detergent stays in for the wash & rinse cycle, does not leave any residue on your laundry, and has no fragrance.  The clean clothes have a slight odor of vinegar when wet, but no smell at all once they are dry.  I thought it was kind of strange that you could wash the clothes in cold water, rinse in cold water, leaving the bag of Eco Nuts in for both cycles, and still have the clothes end up clean without residue, but it works great, and the hint of saponin (active "ingredient" of the soap nuts) acts as a fabric softener when you put clothes in the dryer, so they come out extra fluffy.

Once the Eco Nuts are "used up", they are in fact not useless - I haven't tried it yet, but apparently you can make hand soap or natural cleaners from them by soaking them in hot water.  Or, if you're like me, you can put them in the compost.  No mess and no plastic bottles to throw out when you've used them up - Eco Nuts come in simple biodegradable packaging.  Since they are all natural, they are perfectly safe for septic systems too.  Oh - and the price is right - less than $0.10 per load!

I should probably include a link!  Check out Eco Nuts Natural Laundry Detergent and other eco cleaning products here at http://www.econutssoap.com/

EDIT:  A few people have expressed concern because their children have nut allergies, and would they also be allergic to Eco Nuts?  Eco Nuts on their Facebook page answered this way: "Eco Nuts are actually a fruit and not a nut and are used successfully by many people with severe nut allergies. Eco Nuts are in the lychee/horse chestnut/maple family, so if your child has any reactions to any products from those trees, do a patch test, first."

Review: Earth Elementals Mid-Summer's Night Cream

My son's cheeks and chin tend to get very dry and chapped in the cold winter, in part because he frequently licks his lips, and often bites his bottom lip, resulting in the area under his bottom lip becoming very red and raw.  I had been using a calendula based homemade cream to treat him, and it worked great, except it came in the tiniest jar imaginable, and soon ran out (especially since I was also using it for my dry cuticles...)

So I went on a mission to find a new balm/lotion that could be used to soothe and heal his dry skin.  I came across the Earth Elementals line of products (http://www.earthelementals.ca) and emailed the company to find out more.  Turns out that this product is made right in my community, and that my local spa sold it at the time.  I was informed that it would be safe for my son, and would not sting his sensitive skin, and so I bought a jar.

This cream is a subtle creamy pink/peach colour, and comes in a dark brown jar.  It smells amazing, thanks to the natural essential oils it contains, and goes on easily without stinging the skin.  Best of all, when I put it on my son's chapped skin at night, I can notice a real difference when he gets up in the morning - the redness is gone, and much of the chapped areas are healed!

I have started to use this as my regular night cream for my own skin (face and hands) and I love it.  I didn't think I'd like using it on my face, as it contains rich shea butter, and I have quite oily skin, however instead of clogging my pores and causing acne issues, it seems to have the opposite effect, making my skin smooth, soft, and helping blemishes to heal.  I also use it on my hands to help my dry cuticles to heal and stay soft.  It does not absorb super fast, especially into my hands, so I make sure it's the last thing I do before lights-out (I don't want to leave greasy fingerprints all over my bedtime reading material).

This cream is well worth the price it costs, and it will last a long time since you don't need to use very much of it at any one time.  50ml is $8 and 100ml is $14.50, and can be purchased directly from the company's website at http://www.earthelementals.ca/creams.htm.  They also list retail locations where the cream can be bought here: http://www.earthelementals.ca/findingus.htm.

Review: Buncha Farmers Stain Remover

I picked up one of these stain remover sticks at a local natural parenting store, hoping it would help out in the laundry room and not leave me resorting to the awful smelling stain removal spray that literally burns my nostrils (goodness knows what it's doing to our clothes or skin).

Buncha Farmers stain remover comes in a 60 gram stick, about 1 inch by 1 inch by 4 inches long, and sort of resembles a long thin bar of soap.  (According to their website it is, in fact, soap, "enhanced with Borax to soften the water and aid the cleaning process").  It has a clean smell which I assume comes from the Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil in the ingredient list.  It has just 8 all-natural ingredients, one of which is water, and is advertised as being 100% biodegradable.  This is a good thing as we are on a septic system and I don't like to put anything down the drain that I wouldn't want to end up in my soil!

To use it, the instructions state "Wet Stick! Rub directly on stain."  I find that wetting the garment/stained area is more effective, as the stick lathers up nicely when there's a good bit of water involved.  Simply wetting the stick doesn't seem to be quite enough to get the soap to rub into the garment, so what I usually do is hold the stained garment under the water flow in the washing machine as it fills up, then I place the garment on the dryer and give the stain a rub with the stick til it lathers up.  Then I toss the garment into the wash.

I haven't had too many stains to deal with since I bought it, but so far it's done a good job on tomato based sauce messes, Crystal Light spills, mashed blueberries, and ground-in dirt.  I will definitely continue to use this stick as my first line of defense against stubborn stains.

If you want to check it out, you can buy it locally at Nurtured (http://www.nurtured.ca) on Robie Street in Halifax or at  BLISS (http://www.facebook.com/pages/BLISS-Natural-Parenting-Resource-Centre-Every-Baby-Deserves-Breastmilk/) for about $3.  Buy it on Amazon here: Stain Remover Stick (60g) Buncha Farmers Brand: Buncha Farmers, or you can have a look at the product website at http://www.bunchafarmers.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=6 for more information.