Review from Michelle Lloyd-Mkokopelli

As I was working with Earth Mama, they fed me tons of useful eco-friendly information. They told me about Skin Deep and challenged me to search my products- even labeled organic. Skin Deep is pretty much the reason why my family switched to organic products. We had already made the food switch and I didn’t even think about other products until I came across their site. I looked up some ingredients and about lost it! But, since I’ve switched our products- I have blindly trusted the “organic” labels on our personal care items and haven’t done any searches lately.

After my findings, I’m appalled. Luckily, my daughter’s products have come back pretty safe. But mine, not so much. Just because a label says, “certified organic ingredients” doesn’t mean all of the ingredients are organic and safe. I found out a “organic” shampoo and “organic” facial cleanser I had been using both had moderate and high levels of hazards. So from now on I will be reading all labels and searching ingredients before making a purchase. Here are a few ingredients to avoid when looking at labels: anything that begins with methyl-, butyl-, ethyl- and proply-, parabens, methylisothiazolinone, triclosan, boric acid, sodium borate, phenoxyethanol, diazolidinyl urea, Quaternium 15, cocomidopropyl betaine, sodium laureth sulfate, cocamide DEA, TEA (Triethanolamine), 1,4 Dioxane, and ceteareth-12 alcohol. Do those all sound confusing and something you won’t remember? You can print a Child’s Safety Guide to Personal Products from the Cosmetic Database to take with you shopping.

Or better yet, you can buy Earth Mama Angel Baby and not worry at all because they have a safety rating of 0!!!

I tried the Angel Baby Shampoo and Body Wash for my daughter and I we are hooked for life.

What I love about the shampoo, besides the redolent aroma, is that is it a foam instead of liquid. This has allowed me to use the correct amount, instead of over pouring- which will make the product last longer. I also love how I can see the lather going on to my daughter’s hair, so I know which spots I’ve gotten. Did you know that most shampoo’s lather because they are made with detergents instead of soap? You will find synthetic surfactants like sodium lauryl sulfate or ammonium lauryl sulfate combined with other foaming agents like cocamide DEA, MEA or TEA. Once the synthetic surfactants and other agents are rubbed together, they form a lather. Usually detergents need a preservative to keep mold and bacteria growth, but pure soap has a high enough PH to deter the growth. Angel Baby Shampoo is a real gentle castile soap, so no harsh surfactants are added! Angel Baby Shampoo has left my daughter’s hair feeling silky smooth with no tangles. Did I mention how wonderful it smells?? It is made with Saponified oils of Cocos nucifera (organic coconut) oil, Olea europaea (organic olive) oil, Butyrospermun parkii (organic shea) butter, kosher vegetable glycerin, Aloe barbadensis (organic aloe) leaf juice, Vanilla planifolia (organic vanilla) bean extract, Citrus sinensis (orange) oil, and tocopherol (Vitamin E).

Talking about smells, Happy Mama Spray is aromatherapy bliss in a bottle.

It is made for pregnant women to help with nausea, but is great for anyone needing a lift. Since we are in terrible 3 territory, I was really anxious to try this product. Spending 24 hours a day, attached at the hip with my little one is stressful, and by 5 p.m. I’m ready to give her away. I wouldn’t… but it has crossed my mind. With 1 spritz, the aroma is intoxicating. I can’t explain how it soothes your spirits, but it does. I don’t know much about aromatherapy, but I do know that smells can affect your mood. Think about when you walk into a house where cookies have just been baked… makes you feel all warm inside. You will smell lime, ginger, tangerine, orange, ylang ylang and more when you spritz your Happy Mama Spray on your wrists, body or all over the room. It is a 4 oz. bottle and fits perfectly in your purse. So if you are out in public and your child decides to throw a tantrum, spray a little between you both and see the results!

Be sure to check out all of the new Earth Mama Angel Baby products now being carried at Franklin Goose!

by Sheri Doyle

I get asked quite often about deodorant. Many people want to make the switch from deodorant with aluminum as an ingredient to a more natural, aluminum free solution. I find that the same comment always comes up in the conversations I have, “I am just so worried about being stinky.” This was also my dilemma when I decided to make the switch to natural deodorants.

I tried some of the better known brands in the natural world and found that I was stinky. I didn’t like that at all, but being stubborn I refused to give in and forged forward looking for a solution. I did find one that seemed to work better than the rest for “stinkiness” but it just wasn’t good enough. I felt better about what I was doing for my body by using a natural deodorant solution, but didn’t want to be smelly or sticky.

I kept trying different brands, pawning off what didn’t work for me on my husband, who seems to have no problems with any of them. I finally found one, Desert Essence, which worked better than the rest. It still wasn’t ideal but I thought it might be the best I was going to find.

Then Green Body Basics sent me one of their natural & vegan deodorants. I immediately noticed a difference but didn’t want to celebrate until I had really lived with it, in the heat, exercise, etc. Now I have and I have to say I absolutely love it! I use it with baby powder and it has not failed me yet, not even on hot days!

Green Body Basics is 100% Natural — 100% Vegan, Free of Aluminum, Alcohol, Parabens, Artificial Fragrance and Animal Testing. They offer 7 different scents, while I haven’t tried anything but classic I think  I may branch out this time and try a different scent. I really don’t have any complaints about this deodorant. The sticky feeling I got with other deodorants is gone, no smelly issues, and it is made by a work at home mom so I feel great about that! Not to mention when you read the ingredients label of Green body Basics this is what you see, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Cornstarch, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Essential Oils of (Salvia Sclarea) Clary Sage, Orange, Lemon and Grapefruit. These ingredients make me feel so much better than the ones I was buying  at the grocery store, or Target.

If you are interested check out Green Body Basics here.

Leave us a comment and tell us what your experience is with natural deodorant. Do you have a brand you prefer or a tip you would like to share with us?

We are really excited to announce that we have begun an affiliate program at Franklin Goose! We think this is a great opportunity for all of you to take your love for FG and our products and make a little money for yourselves. Our manufacturers are sending more & more inventory to us and we have a lot of orders going out to you so we feel like this is a great time to begin this program! We are so excited to have all of you involved in helping Franklin Goose grow! Check out the program here.

Franklin Goose is still hiring: Here is what we are looking for: We are looking for people who are committed to natural and organic parenting and consider themselves experts in particular manufacturers. We would expect you to be able to manage all aspects of our relationship with a single given manufacturer.
If you are interested please follow this link to our sister companies career site to apply.