Monthly Archives: October 2008
Website Review: Eco Me
| October 29, 2008 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
Eco-Me is a store that sells kits to help you go green. They are do it yourself kits with everything you need to make eco-friendly products.
There are kits for your home, baby, body, dog, and cat. These would make great gifts to those just starting or for those that have already gone green.
The price is amazing for all the stuff you can make! Be sure to check them out.
Eco-Me has been nice enough to offer a 10% off coupon to my readers! Just use the code emblreview .
Product Review: Nature’s Baby Organics
| October 28, 2008 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
By: Christi Nelson Gallagher (one of my reviewers for kids products)
I received the box of products about three weeks ago and was so excited to start using them. In the last two weeks we have tested the Hair and Body Wash, the Conditioner/Detangler, the All Purpose Deodorizer, the Face and Body Moisturizer and the Ah-Choo Chest Rub. During this time I have noticed such a difference in my children, one that I didn’t even expect. Let’s start with the body wash.
I have used ALL of the leading baby soaps for my son in the last two years. He, like his sister, has very sensitive skin and he tends to react to most products, breaking out within seconds in a very bright red rash. The first night that I bathed him with the body wash I noticed that he didn’t have a reaction at all. I also noted that it was 100% tearless. So having used Nature’s Baby for the last three weeks I have seen an improvement in his skin. It seems softer even without the lotion (which is also wonderful by the way.) and, whether or not they are related I can’t be sure but I have noticed that his other allergies seem to be milder as well.
The lotion was the first product that I used. Having just done a sink full of greasy dishes before opening the box I needed something for my hands. I thought, let’s try the new stuff, and I wasn’t disappointed! My hands were soft for hours! It is a light, moderately concentrated formula with a very mild scent that reminds me of rose water. I took it to work with me last week and my coworkers were impressed too. At the end of the day I had three people comment that their hands were still soft. Five stars here!
On to the conditioner. I have been using that on my daughter’s hair every night before bed. It’s leave or rinse but we choose to leave it in for the intense conditioning effect. She has very fine VERY blonde hair that gets tangled very easily. I have used EVERYTHING from children’s products to salon products on her hair to tame the frizz and try to keep it manageable in the mornings. Nothing has worked like Nature’s Organic. She woke up the morning after the first use and I had to ask her if she had already brushed her hair! It was so smooth and silky. Too good to be true I thought. Most products work well for the first week and then magically stop working at some point. This one hasn’t stopped being wonderful and the scent has lasted through out the day. I am very impressed!
Now the deodorizer.. I am not proud to say I am one of the many Americans who is attempting to quit smoking. I hate the smell and not wanting to expose my children to smoke residue on my clothes, I find myself searching for a deodorizer that lives up to it’s claim. The leading brand of fabric deodorizer has helped but has never really worked completely. Well, today I returned to work and went into a meeting just following lunch. I asked the lady sitting next to me if she could smell smoke. Her response was, “no I smell lavender. Why is something on fire??” I explained that I was a smoker and then pulled out the All Purpose Deodorizer and showed it to her. She told me that she never would have known that I was a smoker if I hadn’t told her. That speaks volumes!
I have been using the Ah-choo chest rub for the last couple of days (I have a cold). This is the only product that I can’t give five stars to. It is wonderful when you apply it with the exception of being a little on the greasy side. My only reservation is that the aroma of the eucalyptus only lasts for a little while and then you have to reapply. Granted this is the nature of essential oils.
The body products and the deodorizer come in two wonderful scents. Vanilla Tangerine and Lavender Chamomile. The Vanilla Tangerine is my daughter’s favorite. It reminds me of the smell of sugar cookies baking, Grace says it smells like lemon birthday cake. Either way it’s nice but not overwhelming. Both are very subtle. The Lavender is my favorite.
I am very much looking forward to ordering the diaper rash cream and the lavender sheet spray. I know that they will be just as great as the other products!
So my over all opinion of this product is two thumbs up. I can guarantee they have a life long customer in me!
Be sure to check out all the products at Nature’s Baby Organics.
Giveaway: Refresh’n Dryer Towels *closed*
| October 27, 2008 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
I got to review Refresh’n Dryer Towels awhile ago and love them. Guess what the company is going to give you a chance to win some for yourself!
They are offering a double pack so you can do up to 8 pieces of clothing at once!
Here are the rules-
1. Post your e-mail!!!!! Every time people forget, you can’t win if you don’t leave an e-mail address. If you don’t want to leave it say in the comment that you don’t then send it to my e-mail address- love_cats05@yahoo.com (if you have a blogger account that has your e-mail that works as well, or if you fill it out in the info, just somewhere please!)
2. Go to and Refresh’n Dryer Towel tell me a neat fact about the company.
3. Enter by Nov. 2nd at 11:59 p.m.
Giveaway: Mashala Baby Organics *closed*
| October 27, 2008 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
You may remember I got to review Mashala Baby Organics massage oils two weeks ago. Well now you can win some!! Would make a great baby shower gift or a nice gift for yourself.
You can win the Organic Blessings Infant Massage Gift Set.
Here are the rules-
1. Post your e-mail!!!!! Every time people forget, you can’t win if you don’t leave an e-mail address. If you don’t want to leave it say in the comment that you don’t then send it to my e-mail address- love_cats05@yahoo.com (if you have a blogger account that has your e-mail that works as well, or if you fill it out in the info, just somewhere please!)
2. Go to Mashala Baby Organics and tell me a neat fact about the company.
3. Enter by Nov. 2nd at 11:59 p.m.
Giveaway: Yes To Carrots *closed*
| October 27, 2008 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
I was able to review some Yes To Carrot products and they were nice enough to offer some for you to win!
One person will win-
Pampering Hand & Nail Spa
Hair & Scalp Moisturizing Mud Mask
Carrot Rich Moisturizing Body Scrub
Eye and Face Makeup Remover
and a Carrot Organic Lip Butter
Here are the rules-
1. Post your e-mail!!!!! Every time people forget, you can’t win if you don’t leave an e-mail address. If you don’t want to leave it say in the comment that you don’t then send it to my e-mail address- love_cats05@yahoo.com (if you have a blogger account that has your e-mail that works as well, or if you fill it out in the info, just somewhere please!)
2. Go to Yes To Carrots and tell me a product that sounds cool to you other than the ones you can win.
3. Enter by Nov. 2nd at 11:59 p.m.
4. Only continental US addresses.
Have fun and tell your friends!
Product Review: Yes To Carrots
| October 26, 2008 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
Yes To Carrots makes affordable natural beauty products. They have everything from shampoo to lip butters. All products are made with fruits and vegetables from certified organic farmers and are paraben free.
I got to try the Eye and Face Makeup Remover, Carrot Rich Moisturizing Body Scrub, Pampering Hand & Nail Spa, Hair & Scalp Moisturizing Mud Mask, and Lip Butters. Here is what I thought of each product.
Pampering Hand & Nail Spa
I was very excited about this one. I had a product like this one from a big name beauty product company, but got rid of it when I started using natural beauty products.
It contains carrot, fig, jojoba, almond and olive oil leaves. All you do is stir, put a teaspoon in your palm and massage as if washing. It leaves your hands super soft and your cuticles looking healthier.
Hair & Scalp Moisturizing Mud Mask
This stuff leaves your hair very soft! Now to keep it eco-friendly, turn off the water while you have it in your hair because you need to leave it in 12-15 minutes.
I have used this for a few weeks and my hair is in great shape. I got my hair cut almost two months ago but I have no split ends. It may take some time but it’s worth it!!
Carrot Rich Moisturizing Body Scrub
If winter leaves your skin dry like it does mine, you need this product! My skin is staying a lot softer since I have been using this. It has carrot juice and Dead Sea mud. You only need to use it three times a week to keep your skin soft.
Eye and Face Makeup Remover
This makeup remover leaves your skin much softer than most. It also takes off my loose powder eye liner with no problems. Yet is still not hard on my sensitive skin.
Organic Lip Butter
The lip butters come in Carrot, Berry, Mint, Citrus, and Melon. My favorite is the Melon. They leave your lips very soft and smell nice. And contain no petroleum!
When I first was researching Yes To Carrots I was worried because I found sodium lauryl sulfate in their shampoo. I e-mailed the company to ask about this and was told “We have addressed the sulfate issue and it has been removed from our shampoos and shower gels. (It is not found in any other products in our line up.) We are currently in the process of transitioning; however all of the new products and latest shipments found on shelves are SLS-Free. For example, Target carries the latest shipment of SLS-Free Yes To Carrots products.”
One of the best things about all of these products is the price. They are all very affordable and good sized products. Yes To Carrots is helping people on a budget still buy great green products! They also have Yes To Tomatoes which is for oily/combination skin. And Yes To Cucumbers for sensitive skin.
Walgreens carries Yes To Carrots and often has great sales! You can also check their website to find more stores that carry their products.
Watch for a giveaway tomorrow!
The Not So Sweet Surprise of High Fructose Corn Syrup
| October 24, 2008 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
“1. Research has found that diets high in fructose can accelerate the aging process. The fructose interferes and alters the metabolic process in our cells, which causes oxidative damage. The fructose breaks down collagen (based on studies done on rats), and plays a larger part in this breakdown than glucose does.
2. For women using oral contraceptives, fructose interacts with them and actually elevates insulin levels in the body. If the level of insulin in the body is high, it can lead to high blood pressure. High insulin levels also contribute to the retention of sodium, which in turn leads to water retention. This can also attribute to high blood pressure, and even congestive heart failure.
3. Fructose causes a deficiency in copper in our bodies and inhibits its metabolism. When we are deficient in copper, this leads to: “bone fragility, anemia, defects of the connective tissue, arteries, and bone, infertility, heart arrhythmias, high cholesterol levels, heart attacks, and an inability to control blood sugar levels.”
4. If your motivation comes more so from weight loss, HFCS contributes to weight gain since it stops our brain from getting the signal that we are full. HFCS inhibits the production of ghrelin (the hormone of hunger) and increases the production of leptin (the hormone of satisfaction).
5. “HFCS can be manufactured to either contain equal amounts of fructose and glucose, or up to 80 percent fructose and 20 percent glucose.” Fructose and glucose are metabolized differently in the body. “Glucose is metabolized in every cell in the body, however all fructose must be metabolized in the liver.”
When the fructose is dumped directly in the liver to be metabolized, this creates fatty deposits and results in a “fatty liver”. The liver also develops cirrhosis, a disease that is normally seen in alcoholics. A person who has not had a alcoholic beverage in their life, but who eats a diet high in HFCS ends up having a liver that is similar to that of an alcoholic.
There have been studies done on today’s children and found that they actually have fatty livers because of all of the HFCS they are ingesting. Most of this is ingested in the form of soda and fruit juices as they contain HFCS.”
-From The Fit Shack.
Scary stuff, no wonder Corn Refiners Association feel they need to spend so much money trying to make us believe HFCS is safe and “natural.” I don’t know about you but I will stick to making my own soda and buying HFCS free foods. It may cost a bit more to buy HFCS free products but in the long run you will save on health care costs.
So what is your view on HFCS? Does your family eat it? Are you sick of seeing the ads?
My thoughts for the day…
| October 24, 2008 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
I know why those of us tree huggers live like we do but I can’t understand why people live wastefully.
I don’t do the things I do only because of global warming. So I don’t think not believing in global warming is much of a reason to live wastefully. I just can’t wrap my mind around the way some people live.
I see my neighbors take out huge amounts of trash twice a week while I have my one bag of trash. (which I feel guilty about) I see people litter all the time and pick up tons of trash in my yard each week. I see people drink tons of bottled water and wonder if they know that tap water is cleaner and cheaper. I see a mom hand their kid snacks full of dyes, HFCS, and other things that don’t belong in our body and I wonder if she is buying in to the new pro-HFCS ads.
Is it people just don’t care? Do they not know the impact they have on everything? Do they think it takes to much time?
And why do I sometimes get nasty looks when I use reusable bags? Why do I get teased for recycling? Why are people sometimes mean when I’m doing the right thing? Why do I get called a liberal because I care about the planet?
Can anyone give me answers?
Clean Coals Dirty Little Secrets
| October 24, 2008 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
Ads like this want us to think “clean coal” is a good environmental option.
Don’t you feel like black lung and pollution are sexy after watching that? “Clean coal” isn’t even ready, it’s still just an idea. You wouldn’t know that from the ad. Sounds like this stuff is ready now, right? Here is an ad from the Sierra Club telling us the truth about “clean coal.”
What about the fact that “clean coal” doesn’t do anything about the way coal is mined. As seen in this video.
Coal is not the answer. Even if “clean coal” worked like they said it will, we will run out, still pollute our waters, destroy mountains, and do a number of other bad things to the environment.
You can learn more and help stop mountaintop coal removal by going to this site ilovemountains.org and go to the Sierra Club’s website to sign a petition urging power companies to look to cleaner options.
Save 10% at ReusableBags.com
| October 23, 2008 | Posted by Lisa Sharp under Uncategorized |
The awesome people at ReusableBags.com are giving Retro Housewife Goes Green readers 10% off on there site for a week. They have awesome stuff like the Acme Bags I reviewed, Wrap-N-Mats, and pretty much everything you need to get rid of those disposables saving you money and helping you go green. I have ordered many times from them and have been nothing but happy with the service and products. So go check them out today!
How to get 10% off your entire order at ReusableBags.com:
1. Visit www.reusablebags.com
2. Add desired items to cart
3. Proceed through check-out
4. Redeem your special code: Enter the following code in the Gift Certificates/Discount Coupons section: e56e48 (note that it is case sensitive).
5. Complete check out process (discount will be shown before confirming the order).
Special offer is valid from 10-23-08 to 11-07-08. One use per customer. Cannot be combined with any other coupon code.
ReusableBags.com offers a wide selection of safe and reusable bottles for kids and parents, as well as lead free lunch bags and reusable shopping bags.
Why shop at ReusableBags.com?
We donate 1% of all sales to the environment
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Member BBBonline and 100% satisfaction guarantee
Thousands of product reviews & customer testimonials
Questions: contact ReusableBags.com at service@reusablebags.com or 888.707.3873
