I’m learning about living green.  I’m not totally crunchy yet, but we are doing pretty well.  Our garden was fun, we recycle, and we buy organic products when possible.  We are teaching our kids to reuse instead of throwing things out.  My daughter couldn’t believe that we could use an empty soy sauce bottle as a vase!   I’ve been buying natural cleaning products for a while now.  The last big area of my life that I’ve clung to so tightly was personal care products.  I am not sure why.  Partly because I am so loyal to the brands I love, and I think also because many products can be bought for a song at CVS and other stores.  In the past year or so, my family has developed sensitivities to all kinds of personal care products and we knew we needed to make a change.   We’ve tried new brands of sunscreen, makeup, and even shampoo.   I’ve found that these products are typically at least as good as the products that we’ve been using, and often the quality surpasses our favorite brands.  It makes me feel good to know that my kids are safer because we’re using products with safer ingredients.

One brand that we recently tried was Original Sprout.  These products are made by a mom/stylist and it’s obvious that she took the time to develop a product that she could use herself.  The products are formulated with fragrances made with naturally derived ingredients. Since frangraces  are usually what set off my dermatitis, this factor was really important to me. Original Sprout products are certified FREE of phthalates, lavender, tea tree, PG, DPG, parabens, dioxanes, benzenes, formaldehydes, acetaldehydes, styrene, toluene, chlorobenzene & glycol ethers.  Whew!  What a long list of scary ingredients.  I don’t have to worry about this stuff touching my kids’ skin when we use Original Sprout.

We used the Island Bliss shampoo and conditioner, scrumptious baby cream, and the miracle detangler.   The products arrived just in time for our trip to Pennsylvania, so I tossed them in the suitcase as we were leaving.  The containers were perfect for travel.  They didn’t leak one bit.  My whole family used the shampoo and conditioner while we were out of town.   We took family pictures during our trip and I think my kids’ hair looked great.  The shampoo and conditioner smells so good, lightly fragranced, and rinsed out very easily.  I hoarded the baby cream for myself because it was soooooo luxurious.  It’s perfect for really dry areas like elbows and heels.   The detangler is great for those mornings when my daughter complains about her hair being too tangled….. just a couple of spritzes and we’re good to go.   Whenever I browse the Original Sprout website, I always find products that I want to try.  The next item on my list is the natural styling balm.  I also want to try the 2-in-1 body wash/shampoo (my hubby loves to use that when he travels.)   I hope to see Original Sprout expand to a cosmetics line someday.   Their products are certified vegan, which is a feature that my current makeup touts.  Oh my.  I could shop there all day.   The products are comparably priced to salon brands, so if you’re used to spending on those products then the sticker shock won’t hurt you.   To me, it’s worth spending a little more to know that my family isn’t exposed to a lot of dangerous chemicals.

Of course, I still look for a discount!  And here’s one for you.

When you place an order, use code FIRST_ORDER_10-U to get 10% off your first order at Original Sprout.  Their products are also available at select natural food stores and salons.   You can get in touch with Original Sprout on Facebookand Twitter, too.