My Summertime Favs

Well I promised a write up on all the new fun stuff we've been trying out and though these are not all specifically summer related, we just happened to be giving them a try this season.

For the Baby...
My favorite eco-friendly diaper (with the exception of the 2 cloth swim diapers we own) would have to be the Honest Company's.  I had a sample and loved them.  But we won't subscribe because they are really pricy, even with the wipes.

The runner up is Nature Babycare.  They are so soft and cloth-like and provide more coverage than the 7th Gen dipes, however there were 2 flaws in the package we purchased. 1-The cloth-like material tore easily and 2-Several of the diapers were missing the enclosure tab across the front.  We did receive a new package from Nature Babycare, so good Customer Service there but I'm wary of subscribing to them because of this may be a problem in the future.  They are chlorine free, use NO plastics or perfumes and they also have a cute leaf pattern on them.

And finally, 7th Gen.  Not my favorite as far as material feel but they work well.  They give our little guy "saggy butt" though.  But they work and are the most cost effective.  I'm not fond of the fake tan color or the Lorax but am living with it.

Our recent favorite diaper cream is Eco-Store USA's Baby Nappy Balm.  This stuff is amazing - we buy 2 at a time, one for home, one for the diaper bag.  It's a combination of natural oils and zinc with no preservatives.  We buy direct from the store, where it is much cheaper.  Heals diaper rash in day without the addition of nasty chemicals.

In the world of sunscreens, we are still loving Elemental Herbs for Kids.  It's not greasy or powdery and works great.   I have yet to try fan favorite Badger, but that is only because I shy away from anything that needs to be really rubbed in, it's hard enough getting anything on our squirmy 16 month old.

For the Mama...
I am in love with Zoya's nail polish in Wednesday.  It is almost a greenest turquoise - my hubby calls it "institutional green."  But I really like it.  Plus it goes on nice and looks professional.  It is free of the Toxic Trio and other contaminants.  And it has yet to chip 2 weeks in!  I'm excited to try more of their colors but for now, I really like rocking the green!

For the Daddy...
I think my husband's quest for a natural deodorant that works for him was settled when he found the Rock Spray for men.   It's the Crystal Rock's normal spray deodorant with a mix of "natural" blends to give them a more manly fragrance.  And it really works.  He likes it, I like it.

Nail Polish: The Toxic Trio

Here I am raining on your parade again.  Really?  I hope not.  I have to say that I never loved getting my nails done until I discovered pedicures and then I was hooked.  And now, I need to say goodbye to them.  It's not just the smell of the salon that gets to me, it's the fear of carcinogens both breathed in and slathered on my skin (even if it is on nails) - yikes!   It's called "The Toxic Trio" and most major brands of nail polish contain them - toluene, formaldehyde and dbp (dibutyl phthalate).  Really - formaldehyde.  Some even use aluminum powder!

Today I had a baby shower to go to so last night I washed away the last of my chipped toxic polish and tried my first ever water based polish by Honeybee Gardens in "Vintage Merlot."  Now I'm not great at painting nails and I forgot to go ahead and purchase a base coat, so about 17 tries later, I found an acceptable DIY pedicure.  The best part about this stuff is that you can remove it with rubbing alcohol or even strong Vodka!  Though I'm not sure I'd be wasting vodka on my feet! So I did a little more research and thanks to info I found on The Daily Green, I have some samples of Zoya T3 free nail colors, along with a base and top coat soon coming to my door.  I even found an neat little spa that uses Zoya called Sweet Lily and immediately sent the link to my hubby for a future gift to me. I chose Zoya because of the price point - we are trying to be on a budget here.

The Daily Green lists several other brands and gives you the info on getting those nails polished when you are preggo or nursing.  Please see my link to Zoya's Share The Love (under sites and stores to your right) if you are interested in making the change with me and getting some free shipping to boot).