Radiantly You - Timeless Skin Care

I am super excited to do this review, I love Radiantly You products and their new skincare line is no exception. I was not so patiently waiting for the new line to come out this fall and as soon as it was available to order I got my hands on the trio.

It is a three piece set with a mask, a serum and a moisturiser.

Lets start with the mask. It has honey, peppermint and clay to pull toxins out of the skin and tighten your pores. You should use it at least once a week but twice is better. The 2.3oz jar should last you about a month or more if you use it twice weekly. When you open it, it smells like peppermint and honey. It has a rather thick texture like raw honey and I found it spreads better when you warm it up in your hands a bit or add a tiny bit of warm water. Apply a thin layer to your skin and leave on for about 15  minutes, rinse with some warm water. I was surprised by the cool feel of it when I apply it and then the slight tingle I felt when it is on my face. Usually tingle means redness for me but not in this case. This is super gentle and effective. After just one use I saw a difference in my pores and tightness of my skin.

After your mask you can follow it with the serum. The serum has vitamin E and Green Tea Extract to fight collagen loss and redness. This is a blend of several oils and essential oils. I only need about 1 pump per application so a 0.5 oz bottle lasts just over 30 days if you use it twice a day. I was expecting this to be greasy but it really soaks into your skin in just about a minute. I use this twice a day after I cleanse or use the mask.

Follow your serum with the new moisturiser. This little 1.0 oz bottle has a powerhouse blend of Aloe Juice, Blueberry Extract to fight ageing and lock in moisture. It has organic alcohol and I was convinced that it would be too drying on the skin but you know what? It's not! I have oily/combination skin and this stuff is just awesome. I love that it is in a pump bottle compared to the the older version of the moisturiser which came in a jar. I love that it is not greasy and absorbs so well while still miniaturising my skin. I only need about 2 pumps to cover my face and my neck.

I have been using the trio with the Radiantly You Whipped Face wash for just over 2 weeks and in that amount of time I am seeing great results. My skin tone is evening out, there is no redness on my cheeks, my T zone is not oily, my pores are smaller and  I have less breakouts. The fact that Radiantly You is a small company working hard to reduce our exposure to toxins by offering toxin free, non-animal tested products is the final icing on the cake.

The only not so great thing about this trio is the price point. While it is totally worth the price at $95.00 US with $35.00 shipping to Canada it is a bit out of my budget to use as my regular skin care line. BUT you can be sure that it is going on my Christmas and Birthday lists.

Detergent Wars Homemade VS The Other Guys

There is nothing else that I have seen spark a war between cloth diapering moms than what detergent to wash your diapers with. We can calmly discuss brands of diapers, style of diapers, WAHM that we love and accessories we use but pull out the detergent we wash in and I swear we turn into a bunch of Tie Domis and the gloves come off!
One of the things that seems to come up often in the last bit is the debate over homemade laundry detergent on your cloth diapers. A basic homemade detergent contains a mix of soap ( Fels-Naptha, Sunlight, Ivory or Castile soap), borax ( often omitted from CD recipes), sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), sodium carbonate ( washing soda) and sodium percarbonate ( oxyclean).
Here is a link to a blog that has a few different homemade recipes:
http://theecofriendlyfamily.com/2009/08/cloth-diaper-detergent/

Ok so this all looks good right? Well "soaps" can cause a build up on your diaper fibres as they are not as easy to rinse out as the cleaning agents found in detergent, so it is often advised that you don't use them for diapers. Ok so you leave out the soap. Well that leaves you with a mix of boosters but no real cleaning agent right? That couldn't possibly clean diapers, you better stick with a cloth diaper safe detergent right? But wait! Have you looked at what was in your CD safe detergent?  Here is a list of the more common ones on the market.

Crunchy Clean http://www.crunchyclean.com/
Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda)
Sodium Carbonate ( washing soda)
Oxy clean

Happy Green Life  http://stores.ahappygreenlife.com/

Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda)
Sodium Carbonate ( washing soda)
Sodium Percarbonate ( oxy clean)

Lulu's in the Fluff  http://www.glamourwash.com/


Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda)
Sodium Carbonate ( washing soda)
Sodium Percarbonate ( oxy clean)

Laundry Tarts http://www.thelaundrytarts.com/

Baking Soda
Washing Soda
Sodium percarbonate
sea salt
Rosemary extract
soap
plant extract
Essential oils
Fragrance

Are you seeing the pattern?  Most of these detergents are essentially homemade laundry detergent! I also looked at Country Save, Rockin Green, Eco Sprouts, Nellies Washing Soda and Charlie's Soap, these detergents contain surfactants in addition to the basic baking soda, washing soda, oxyclean recipes. Kind of makes you wonder...

So where does this leave you? Well you have a decision to make, just like with all things cloth diapering  You can certainly try homemade on your diapers, many families do use it successfully or you can stick to purchased detergents.  I personally have used homemade on clothes but not on diapers. I don't think that homemade packs enough of a punch to clean diapers without surfactants. The detergents that I have had the best luck with are ones that have cleaners in it in addition to the basics.

Detergent choice is just that, a choice. Each family has to make their own based on what is right for them. What works for me and what I feel good using may not work for you or you may hate the idea of company XYZ... The bottom line? Clean diapers are a must! If you like your homemade detergent stick with it, if you like your store brought green stuff... stick with it, if you like your Tide... stick with it.

Happy Fluff!

Detergent with Attitude

Hey all,

I know it has been a LONG while since I posted. It has been nuts with my older one in a new school, me going back to work full time and well, everything else to do with a toddler.

I have been happily using my Country Save but I decided that I wanted to do a trial run with something else so I began snooping around to see what else was out there that looked good enough to try. Well.... Well.ca just began carrying the Attitude line of personal care and cleaning products. So off I went to research Attitude.

Here is the link to their website:
http://www.cleanattitude.com/laundry_detergent_wildflowers_p/12070.htm

According to the web this product Features:

• Carcinogen free ingredients or by-products (IARC group 1 & 2)
• Free of 1,4-dioxane and ethylene oxide, tested by independent laboratory
• Certified eco-friendly by EcoLogo, the most recognized certification in North America
• CO2 neutral: no contribution to climate change
• Vegetable-based and biodegradable (OECD 301)
• Free of enzymes and optical brighteners
• Fragrance derived from natural ingredients, hypoallergenic, respect IFRA (International Fragrance Association) standards
• Fragrance without CMR (Carcinogens, Mutagens or toxic for Reproduction) compounds
• Designed to work in both HE (High Efficiency) & Standard machines
• Not tested on animals
• Vegan product
• Septic tank safe
• Made in Canada

Ok So far so good. I liked that they linked their MSDS sheet and listed all the ingredients on the web and the back of the bottle. So they seem to be upfront about what they are using to make this stuff and I can understand the information.  So I got a bottle to try.

I have been using this for 2 weeks or so on both cloth and my regular laundry. So far so good. I like that it has a subtle scent that does not stay behind on clothes unless I hang dry them, which I do with shirts and pants. I have a large top loading machine so I am using 2 capfull per load. It does a nice job in cold water on my regular clothes and other than 1 stain that it left behind on diapers there too. Now that stain was a pretty monstrous diaper so I am sure just about any detergent would have needed a hand getting it cleaned out. The diapers smelled nice and clean out of the wash and out of the dryer also. I don't add anything else in when I test a detergent just to see what it can actually do and with this I don't think I would need to add anything ever. It even got tomato soup out of B's shirt on the first go.

I did find it suds up lots in the wash cycle but even the built in rinse cycle ran clear so it is a clean rinsing detergent. From what I see it is not available in stores here but well.ca does ship it to all of Canada free when you order over $25.00. 

If you are after an inexpensive detergent that is versatile enough to use on all your laundry, in all temperatures and is scented ( I do love Nature Clean Liquid for unscented detergent) this is a good one to try.

First there was Newborn. Then came the One Size. Then comes the Toddler....

So I have been a bit MIA lately. I just recently returned to work and it has taken a bit to re jig the schedule to fit everything in.... oh and sleep.

Well my little man passed his first birthday and the 35" mark in his height and he is fast approaching that magical 30lb mark when many OS diapers stop fitting well.

As it sits right now Happy Heiny Pockets, most BumGenius diapers, sized Charlie Bananas and Fuzzibuns are basically the diapers that fit him OK. The BumGenius are on their way to be too short in the rise though so I decided to branch out a bit.

As we approached the toddler age and B has started to hold in his pee and then flood the diaper I am finding myself leaning more towards fitteds and prefolds.

I recently re-did my stash at home and have switched over to prefolds and fitteds. I am really loving my Motherease OS and Sandy's fitteds. The OS fit perfectly and have a fair bit of room to grow. They come in 4 fabric options including 100% organic cotton, cotton terry blend, bamboo, and stay dry inner on a cotton blend outer.

The great thing about Motherease products is that they last through several babies. They are one of the most durable and reliable diapers on the market in my opinion. This one has seen 3 babies through potty training and still works amazingly well. I do use a snap in booster as the core is a bit thinned out but still really absorbent and soft.

I am also loving my Sandy's fitteds also by Motherease, especially for overnight. They are available in 4 sizes, newborn, small, large and toddler. The larges are still a great fit and the toddler ones have enough room that they can easily last until potty training.

This is a bamboo Sandy's in a size large 20-35lbs. The snaps are at the side and honestly it took me a few tries to get the snapping technique down pack. But now I find them as easy as any other diaper. These again are really sturdy and will see you through several children before needing to be replaced. You can also purchases added booster to give you more absorbency if you need it.

In the prefold department I am favouring my Grovia and Bummis ones the most. The Grovia is a bamboo cotton blend and it stays amazingly soft even after many washes and line drying. They are available in 4 sizes to fit all the way up to 40lbs. With Bummis, I like that they also fit big enough that they can still be snappied. They are 100% unbleached cotton. Both of these ones clean up really easily, are not super bulky and are crazy thirsty.

I am a bit sad to say goodbye to most of my Hybrid fitteds. I really loved all of them and de-stashing them was next to impossible. BUT they started getting too small and not working without a cover. I managed to get down to 14 that I just love too much to part with. I kept my heavy duty hard shell windpro from TimButt2oos and Gray Star Boutique. These are 2 of my favourite WAHM's. Both of these ladies make a toddler size windpro. I love these for overnight and nap times as well. Many moms can use any windpro but I prefer the heavier weight hard shell ones. I can use these cover-less.


So this just left 1 small issue. Daycare.  They are cloth friendly but requested an All In One or a pocket. Well, even though they fit well, I am not loving Fuzzibuns and Charlie Bananas at the moment. I did like the smalls and mediums but there seems to be a HUGE size difference between the medium and the large. The mediums are 15-30lbs and the larges are supposed to be 25-45lbs. Well the hip to waist ration on the larges is not working for us at the moment at all and the mediums are way too short. Like plumbers butt short.  So I am experimenting with other options. I got a pair of Xlg Motherease All in Ones and they are awesome. They are for babies over 35lbs but fit like a glove on the smallest setting.  I took them into daycare and they are totally willing to use them as long as I still supply the flushable liners. I was a bit worried that the side snaps, like that of the Sandy`s fitted, were going to put them off. I will get a review up once I get a few more in the rotation and use them for a bit longer.

I also looked into the large baby size pockets designed by Hip Huggers diapers. These are a pocket diaper for babies 20-50lbs with a nice gusset at the legs to help hold things all in. I am excited to see how they turn out.

Timbutt2oos

So here is another one of my favorite WAHM made diapers. Timbutt2oos! 

This awesome lady makes several different styles of diapers including pockets, fitteds, hybrid fitteds and covers.

I first got one of her pocket diapers because they have a slightly higher rise than other one size diapers and with my super tall son that is definitely a feature I look for.

 

 

This diaper has 4 different rise options using the snaps on the front of the diaper. This still fits my son well at 35" although he is on the tallest rise setting now.

 

There are 4 snaps on each of the flaps giving you a large range of adjustment in the thigh and the waist.

The inside is a super soft fleece which draws the moisture away from your baby's skin making it stay dry. The pocket opening is at the back and it is generously sized so that you can stuff it with whatever you want. I like using cotton flour sack towels or bamboo prefolds best. I like that I don't have to squeeze my hands in to stuff the inserts in flat.

I like the overall fit well too. It is not too bulky if you stuff it with a trim insert but it does give you good coverage so that it's not like your baby is wearing a diaper thong.

The second style I tried was her hybrid fitteds. These quickly became one of my favorite and most absorbent diapers.  They are a OS diaper with a fold down rise to adjust the height of the diaper. She has recently added a bigger size as well for toddlers or older children who are still potty learning. I believe the tiny newborn size is in the works still.

This, like other hybrid fitteds, has a hidden layer of fleece so it is like a fitted and a fleece cover all in one piece. I can actually go coverless in these for a few hours where as my other hybrids get wet through in about an hour or so. This is the old style soaker, the soaker snaps into the back of the diaper and the booster just lays inside. She has recently changed the design to a snap in snake style soaker and a snap in booster. The inner is a soft cotton velour.

Even without the booster these are super thirsty. The ones I have are made of bamboo and bamboo fleece. I use them without the booster for everyday use and with the booster for nap times. If I am going out I do put a cover over it.

Then I tried her night time bamboo fitted and OMG! It is absorbent, soft and trim fitting. I was really impressed. It has the same snake style soaker with the added booster.

The inside is the same nice plush cotton velour that is used in the hybrids. This isn't stay dry but it is super soft against the skin and it stays soft even with repeat washes. These are so squishy and soft I just want to hug them.

 

The fitteds are also a OS diaper with a fold down rise to adjust the height of the diaper. These need a cover.

 

If I knew then, when I was building my stash, what I know now, I would have gotten most of my fitted stash from Timbutt2oos and Diapers by Chris (another one of my favorite WAHMs).  I truly appreciate that this WAHM is willing to work with me  as I need some sizing adjustments to accommodate my tall baby. The diapers are made from high quality materials and the workmanship is great.

 

I only have 2 complaints about Timbutt2oos.

 

1. I only need so many diapers and she keeps getting super cute prints for diapers.

and

2. US Post and Canada Post take too long to get them here! It is only about 2 weeks shipping but man it is like torture!

 

Check out her facebook page and her store on Hyena Cart for details on prices, shipping, group and custom orders.

 



My Top 5 Pet Peeves with Cloth

So everyone has their own pet peeves about various things, I have to say that my CD pet peeves really bug me. Like sky rocketing blood pressure bug me. I would like to share my top 5 of these with you all.

5. Complicated Wash Routines

This one can really get under my skin. Cloth diapers are supposed to be easy and convenient. Adding a bunch of things into a routine just complicates things  too much. If your detergent isn't doing the job of cleaning your diapers you are either not using enough detergent or you are using the wrong one. If a detergent wasn't cleaning your laundry well you would switch detergents right? So why not with diaper laundry?

4. Unnecessary Additives

Things like Dawn, RLR, Vinegar, Washing Soda ect drive me nuts!!! You don't need them. If you have a build up from soap what is the point of adding more soap to the mix? RLR is good for removing mineral build up but at the end of the day you still have to do repeat hot washes to get it all out of the fibres so why add it in? A few hot washes on their own will remove build up just the same. Then there's washing soda. It is hard on fabrics and it is a major skin irritant. If it is not all rinsed away correctly it can cause major rashes and you may have fixed one issue but you now created a new one.

This ties into the above too in that if your detergent isn't doing the job you expect then why add in oxyclean, bleach or whatever? Why not just switch to a detergent that works.

3. Dawn to strip soap build up

This one deserves it's own point because this one makes me boil. Dawn is a degreaser, so it is great if you got a greasy non cloth safe diaper cream on your diaper and need to get it off. But if you are having stink issues and need to remove soap build up why on earth would you add Dawn to the mix. I know many moms use it, swear by it and get really heated about this. That's ok, you can use what works for you but it is not necessary and I don't have the time to mess around with rinsing all the Dawn out of my diapers. Using dishsoap in your wash machine can also void your warranty too so keep that in mind if you have a new machine.

2. Tide

This is touchy. I know many people use and love Tide I get that, I don't use, love or recommend it usually. I stopped using it for moral reasons and have kept from using it because it turns out my youngest is sensitive to it. He breaks out in blisters if he is exposed to fabric washed in it.
Tide is full of additives and harsh chemicals that can cause cancer and genetic disorders. I cloth diaper to be  green and help the planet so why would I dump poison into the water each time I wash laundry? I don't mind if you use Tide, it is your decision. It does drive me insane when people behave as if Tide was the Holy Grail, The end all be all of detergents. It's not. You can cloth diaper without stains, stink or issues and not use Tide.

and finally:

1. When Bloggers suggest outrageous and unsafe things to do with your diapers. This would include using Fish Tank Ammonia Remover for stink and Iron Out for stains. I am baffled that so many people follow blogs and never take a second to look into things a bit deeper. Do you know what is in the product you are about to use on clothing that goes against the most sensitive area on your baby? Do you know the side effects of exposure to these ingredients? Do you know what happens when these things get dumped into the waterways? Is it tested safe for human use? You don't know? Then don't use it! You need to be an educated consumer and know what it is you are buying into.
You should do some homework too because I have come across cloth experts who never cloth diaper they just repeat what they read on other blogs, or ones who only cloth diapered part time for a few months, quit, but are now dishing out advice.

These are my top 5, what are yours?

Diapers By Chris

So here is another WAHM whose diapers I tried.  Diapers By Chris is hand  made by Chris Fannin out of the US.  She makes pockets, AIO, and Fitteds.

I tried out her pocket diapers first. They are a one size diaper and would fit really well if my little one wasn't so tall in the torso.  Because of his height he outgrew most OS diapers already and he is only 26lbs. I did love these pockets while they fit. They were really nice and trim and the pocket was wide enough to stuff with a variety of inserts. I don't like microfiber so I usually use either bamboo or cotton inserts. The inner is suede cloth but I believe she can make them with fleece instead of micro suede.

 

 



I like how the flap opening is nicely finished unlike Fuzzibunz or Happy Heineys. I also like the snap placement, I always got a good snug fit.

 

 

Then I tried her bamboo fitteds for night time

 

 

 

This is also a OS diaper. Now because my son is so tall, Chris was nice enough to add a bit extra to the rise of the diaper to fit. This is all bamboo. After it is fully prepped it is a super trim and absorbent option for overnight. Pair it with a good cover and you are all set.

 

 

 

The soaker snaps in at the back and it is a long snake style so that you can fold it in a number of ways to boost the absorbency where you need it most. In the morning the front would be wet but the back half dry. It cleans up really well and it is easy to care for. Some of my other bamboo fitteds like to hold onto the stink but this one is great. The only thing I didn't like about it that after a 12 hour night the front would be wet and it would get really hard. It didn't seem to bother my baby but occasionally he did have a red mark on the inner thigh.  I recently got a second one of these from Chris and after I mentioned that it was getting hard she suggested adding cotton velour to the inside of the diaper and the top of the soaker. She also added a bit more to the rise of the diaper. I LOVE it. It is super soft and absorbent.

 

The diapers are all very reasonably priced and are an excellent quality. I would recommend these to anyone looking for a night worthy option. Check out her page on Facebook, you won't regret it.