Obsessions of the Trophy Wife: natural ingredients

Showing posts with label natural ingredients. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Earth Mama Angel Baby Review and Giveaway! - CLOSED

Earth Mama Angel Baby is an amazing all natural, organic product company. I first found EMAB when The Raconteur Daddy gave me the best Christmas present ever! It was when I was pregnant with Little Man. He bought me the Heartburn Tea, Third Trimester Tea, and Natural Nipple Butter...along with a Boppy Wedge pillow. I still swear by the Heartburn Tea and share it with all my family when they are complaining about heartburn because it works even if you're not pregnant! In fact, I share all of the products that I've tried with family and friends.

Washing your cares away.

Now that we all know about the different variables that can affect your cloth diaper laundering, we can get more specific on how to wash and maintain your fluffy stash. I'm going to start by talking about the types of pails to use to store your dirty diapers. There are dry pails that consist of either a wet bag or an actual pail with a pail liner. You simply toss your soiled diaper in the pail after flushing down any solids. Then you take it to the washer on wash day and away you go! This is recommended by most modern cloth diaperers. Then there is the wet pail. The wet pail is a pail that is filled with water to put your soiled diapers into. Then you have to drain it out on wash day and fill again with fresh water. The reason the wet pail was originally used was to help ward off the stinkies and stains that came when using the cotton prefolds/flats way back when. This was because the washing machines or hand washing diapers was not as efficient or effective as machines and hand washing are now. The wet pail is really not necessary now with the advances that we've had with diaper manufacturing and better machines, water quality and detergents. The wet pail also poses some serious problems. Having standing water can cause an increase in mold, mildew and foxing (foxing is the red, rusty colored stains that come from a build up of minerals from water with a combination of mold). If you use a wet pail, it needs to be stored in a dry and cool area of the house. The other problem with wet pails is that they are a potential drowning hazard. Plus, the inconvenience of having to lug a heavy water-filled pail to the laundry room or having to take your diaper to the wet pail that's stored in the laundry room after every change (not recommended because of the heat and humidity in those rooms) seems like a big hassle to me. Not to mention having to dispose of the water that is filled with human waste before laundering. I would suggest that if you want to use a wet pail, to only do it with prefolds/flats. Wet pails are very hard on modern cloth diapers that use PUL and other waterproof fabrics. It is, however, your choice as to what type of pail works for you.

Every diaper style (and even each brand) will launder differently. Prefolds, flats and fitteds can be laundered and dried at a higher temperature (as long as there are no snaps). Plus you can use laundry aides that you can't use with PUL (like vinegar, borax, bleach, and other whiteners/brighteners). I always suggest that if you do use these types of additives, that you fully wash and rinse afterward to make sure that there is no residue left that can irritate baby's bottom. Personally, I stay away from these harsh chemicals except for vinegar. Vinegar is my go-to cleaner for almost everything. Pockets, AI2s, AIOs and Hybrids need to be laundered and more importantly dried at lower temperatures. They require a little more finesse from your routine.

Laundry routines vary greatly for each person. The number one thing that everyone needs to do (no matter what type of pail you use) is the first rinse. This is very important. It removes the bulk of soiled product from your diapers. After that, the routines vary greatly. Find what works best for you from warm or hot water used, water level in the washer, heavy or normal agitation, type and amount of detergent, and need for extra rinses. Fell free to contact me if you want help finding that routine that works best for you (if I can't help, I know just the people who can!)

Diaper maintenance is a very important thing to do. Some people believe that there isn't a need to strip diapers if you are washing perfectly every time, but the truth is that no one can wash perfectly every time. Regular diaper maintenance will extend the life of your diapers and is a good thing to do to prevent problems from occurring. Think of it like changing the oil in your car. I try to 'maintain' my diapers once every 6 weeks unless needed sooner. Your diapers don't have to smell or cause rashes to do a maintenance wash, but if they do cause rashes or smell bad then it is definitely time for it. There are many different ways to strip diapers and, just like your wash routine, you need to find the one that works best for you. I'm going to tell you about a few that I like to do.

The overnight soak: This is very easy to do and great for those in between times when you don't have a problem with your diapers, but you want to maintain them. The way that I do it is I do my first cold rinse. Then I start my hot, heavy, full water wash cycle and I add twice as much detergent as I would with a normal wash. Then I let the washer agitate for 1 or 2 minutes to get everything moved around and the detergent dispersed in the water. I then leave the door open (or stop the cycle) and I let it sit overnight or about 8 hours. I start the cycle again and let it run through. After the first cycle is done, I start a second hot water cycle with no detergent in it. To finish, I throw everything in the dryer or put everything in the sun to dry (depending on the weather and the time of year). For those of you with an HE machine: If you can't stop your wash cycle by the push of a button, you can always do an overnight soak in the bathtub. To do that, fill your tub with hot water, your diapers and detergent. Then swish it around to get the detergent distributed. When your time is up, empty your tub and step on the diapers (with clean feet) to squish out excess water. Take them to your washer and do a hot wash cycle. If there are still bubbles or smells like detergent, then do an extra rinse or wash cycle.

The strip: This is great to do when you have a problem or you sense that your diapers need a little more deep cleaning. The way I do it is to start with my first cold rinse (I only skip this if I'm stripping diapers that are already cleaned and dry). Then I start my hot, heavy, full water wash cycle and I add 1 teaspoon (yep, just a little tsp!) of Blue Dawn Dish soap to the washer. *It is important to only use the blue colored Dawn; like what they use to clean off poor little ducks that get caught in oil spills.* Then let your wash cycle go. After the first cycle is done, you continue with a second hot wash cycle with no detergents. Continue additional hot wash cycles until the rinse cycle runs clear with no bubbles. For me, this usually takes 3-4 wash cycles. Finish up by drying your diapers. I like to do this every 4-6 months or so unless I have some problems because it is a little more labor intensive with all the extra wash cycles. For HE users: Add the dawn to your detergent area when the water is running through it just a few drops at a time and make sure that you don't exceed a tsp.

The boil: Yes. You can boil some things. *DO NOT boil anything that has PUL or other waterproof materials, elastic, snaps or aplix. You will melt your fabric and snaps if you boil them.* What you can boil is your inserts with no snaps and prefolds/flats and other natural fabric diapers. All you have to do is fill a large pot with water, put in your inserts/diapers in, and boil for 5 minutes (you can put a plate on top to weigh down the inserts so they can't float). I always boil my hemp inserts. It is the perfect way to prep hemp inserts and to maintain them because it gets the natural oils out that cause repelling and it thoroughly cleans them.

Maintaining your diapers will help ward off the dreaded 'stinkies' and it will keep them working like new. I always love how soft and white my diapers come out as after a maintenance wash. I also do a maintenance wash when I switch detergents or if I use a different washer (like when traveling). Happy washing!!!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Ruby Moon Detergent Review and Giveaway! - CLOSED

To round out this month celebration of my cloth diaper favorites is one of the most important things for cloth diapering parents besides the diapers.....Cloth Diaper Laundry Detergent!!!!

I stumbled upon Ruby Moon in my long search for different kinds of natural detergents. I was drawn to Ruby Moon products because of her experience with mainstream detergents was like mine. I also love to purchase WAHM detergents and lotions because I've found that they use high quality ingredients with allergies in mind.

We received our bag of Ruby Moon cloth diaper detergent in the scent of Sweet Clementine. I loved how light, tangy and not too overpowering the scent was. It is such a refreshing smell. The powder is a nice fine powder and not sticky at all.

We are currently in an area that has moderate hard water but we have a water softener. I tried out Ruby Moon and realized there was a big build up of minerals and other detergents from our extreme hard water at home. It took two wash cycles with 2-3 tbsp of detergent each for the diapers to smell clean in the washer. I was shocked to see them so white, but even better than that they were all so fluffy too! I haven't found my normal routine with any of our detergents yet with the new water and washer, plus I think that the extreme heat and humidity doesn't help either. I am so grateful to have the Ruby Moon though, because it has made stripping my diapers a breeze! To strip with Ruby Moon I do my cold rinse, followed by two hot wash cycles with 2-3 tbsp of Ruby Moon in each. They come out so clean, soft and smelling fresh. It works so much better than any other way to strip that I've found, plus it takes less time and less washing and rinsing cycles!

Ruby Moon Natural Detergent has graciously offered one lucky reader a chance to win a bag of Ruby Moon detergent of their own!

To Buy:

Go to Ruby Moon Natural Detergent.

To Win:

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Those red nuisances.

I'm talking about rashes. I come from a long line of people with sensitive skin issues. Rashes and red spots are a common occurrence. I would like to focus more on our experience with rashes and cloth diapering, but I will refer to other experience with rashes too.

As many of you have heard, we had a terrible experience with enzyme burns. They present themselves as a rash like looking redness that gets bigger and develops into little sores. From there it can expand and cover like a chemical burn. The skin is tender to the touch, very large red patches, leathery skin and sometimes blisters. This happened to us after a month of starting cloth diapers. To fix the problem, you need to change detergents and thoroughly strip your diapers. Then let baby have as much air as possible (either by bare bottom time or using a fitted with no cover). If it's really bad, your Dr. can prescribe a hydro cortisone ointment to apply to the area to heal it quicker. After having this experience, we almost gave up our cloth diapering attempt altogether. That's when I started getting online and doing a little more research. What I learned was that the "Cloth Diaper Safe" free and clear detergent that I bought at Target because a list online told me that it would be 'safe' to use on cloth diapers was actually the culprit. All mainstream free and clear detergents contain enzymes (Tide, All, Arm and Hammer, etc.). Some people haven't noticed a problem with using these, but most of the complaints that I hear from parents with rashes or with leaking diaper problems use these types of detergents. I always urge people to use natural detergents that have no added enzymes. There are brands that you can buy at Target or your local store. Two that I know of are Vaska and Dropps Baby. Both of these are made with all natural ingredients with no added enzymes. Otherwise, I suggest finding the cloth diaper specific detergent that works with not only your water ph and hardness, but with your wash routine too. I'm finding that each detergent works differently even though they are made from basically the same stuff. You can find more information on cloth diaper specific posts here. I am also working to get a more comprehensive list put together for everyone in the near future!

The next type of bad rash that we had to deal with was an irritation rash. This was caused by a combination of heat and activity with PUL exposed on the skin. Little Man would rub and itch the area, causing the rash to persist. It looked like heat rash at first and then grew to look almost like a yeast rash. We knew it wasn't a yeast rash though because it was located on the hip and lower abdomen area, not on the sensitive or normally moist areas. It was also small patches of red bumps. Hydro cortisone ointment for 2 days on the area cleared it up, along with changing to a different style of diaper.

I've had many parents contact me about other strange rashes. I am very glad that they contacted me about this because it ends up being the same cause; sensitivity to man made textiles. This is actually a more common problem than people realize. It presents itself in different ways. The most common way is by causing a rash that will not go away in sensitive areas. Women find out that they have a sensitivity to synthetic fabrics because of an itchy or red area around the bra area. Babies will show it first in the diaper area when synthetic fabric diapers are used. The reaction can range anywhere from a redness or small rash that won't go away, even after changing detergents, stripping, and using creams. It can also get as severe as a large blistery, pussy rash that requires a Dr. visit. If this type of rash comes on quickly, take your child to the Dr. or ER immediately to avoid any infections. The only solution to this is to avoid all man made fabrics and stay with 100% cotton or other natural fibers, like hemp.

***I have a big cautionary note about fabrics that claim to be natural. Rayon, Suede cloth, microfiber, and microterry can never be considered natural no matter what base plant is used!**** I will give you the most common misconception to 'natural fabrics' that fall under this category. It is Bamboo. Bamboo that is made into Rayon is not a natural fabric. It is a man made fabric. To make Rayon, the cellulose of the plant is used and heavily processed to create a fabric. There is no natural fiber used from the plant; therefore there are no natural or beneficial properties left to the fabric. Bamboo is very absorbent and is good to use if there are no sensitivities, but you cannot use Rayon made from Bamboo if your child has a sensitivity to man made fabrics. Stick with your all natural cotton prefolds with a nice cover, or find one of the few 100% cotton AIO, AI2 or pocket diapers that are made. I am doing more research into this topic and look forward to being able to share more with you.

There are many creams out there to help aid with diaper rash. If you use a cream that you buy at the store like A&D, Desitin, or Bag Balm with your cloth diapers please remember to use a liner. These types of creams have a petroleum jelly base and they will build up on the diapers and cause repelling. These types of creams are also extremely difficult to remove from cloth diapers, especially microfiber and man made fabrics. Plus, they will void your warranty. There are companies out there that have made diaper rash creams specifically for use with cloth diapers. I hear that they will still build up on the diaper, but they are easier to wash or strip out when needed. Most of these creams use lanolin or aloe, so I haven't tried them because of our allergies to these ingredients. The only one that I've found to be truly cloth diaper friendly and hypo allergenic is Boo-Hiney Butter. I'm sure that there are many other creams or ointments out there that I haven't heard of, but this is the one that I really do love. Another good alternative to helping diaper rash and redness instead of using a cream is Corn Starch. I swear it works wonders! We use it on red skin, rashy skin or burned skin. It works really well on rug burn on bellies when the kids slide down the carpeted stairs too many times or when little crawlers get sore knees. Just put a little plain corn starch on your fingers and apply to the area. Plus, there's no need for a liner with corn starch because it washes right out!

I always urge people to use liners when using creams in their diapers. You can buy disposable liners, like Kushies. You can also get reusable liners. I also find that taking an old t-shirt or flannel nightgown and cutting it into strips work well as liners too.

When it comes to rashes, if you are worried about it then it is always worth a trip to the doctor. They can help out to avoid infections and they can help ease the discomfort. I know that we all have experienced a rash and redness in one form or another. I am just so thankful that it is not such a huge issue for Little Man as it was for Sweet Pea and I am so thankful for my modern cloth diapers.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Boo-Hiney Butter Review and Giveaway! - CLOSED!

This week I'm taking some time to talk about diaper creams and rashes. We've been very lucky that we haven't had to deal with diaper rashes and I attribute that greatly to the use of cloth diapers. The two rashes that we have had to deal with were not your standard diaper rash. One was an enzyme burn caused by my naivety at the start of our cloth diapering days by using a 'Free and Clear' detergent. I soon learned better. The second was an irritation rash caused by PUL rubbing directly on the skin. It was cleared in two days with the help of a little hydro cortisone. Outside of that, we do deal with an occasional pinkness on the bottom.

I started researching diaper creams that were safe for cloth diaper use after the irritation rash. I have a big allergy to lanolin and aloe, so finding a cream that left those ingredients out was hard to do. I was about to give up the search until I met the maker of Boo-Hiney Butter! She was telling me about her search for the perfect cloth diaper cream was getting frustrating and that is what led her to start making her own. She uses all natural oils and butters with essential oils to make her diaper cream. She told me that her goal was to not only have a natural product that would heal baby's skin, but also one that wouldn't build up on cloth diapers even with daily uses.

She graciously sent me a jar to try out. I am always skeptical of new products because of our varying skin sensitivities between myself and the kids. I have to say that I was excited when I first opened that beautiful blue jar. The cream on the inside is dense yet whipped. It leaves a nice light and creamy feel on your skin. It soaks in really well and doesn't leave the skin sticky. The scent that I have is the Tea Tree and Lavender. It is a very light scent and well balanced between the tea tree and lavender (which I find can both be very powerful scents). She also has her cream in an Orange scent which I am excited to try out when I buy my next jar.

I love using this on Little Man. It leaves a nice scent and it helps take away the redness. It also has helped keep any irritation rashes at bay. I was impressed after a few weeks of continual use that it really didn't build up or leave a mess on the cloth diapers!

I personally love to use it too. With my growing belly, I get itchy red bumps near my existing stretch marks (or my badges of honor). I love to take a little on my finger tip and rub it on my belly. A little bit goes a long way. Instantly, my itchy spots are no longer itchy and the redness fades. After a few uses, they are gone. Here are some pictures to show you. I took the one on the top, then I applied the cream and immediately took the one on the bottom. (I thought this would be more appropriate to show than a baby bottom.)