Friday

Ecostore USA Review

All of the items I am reviewing for ecostore USA

I am still in the process of switching our family over to more natural products that are not chemically laden, but thanks to ecostore USA I was able to switch over even my bath products to more natural options and I am loving them! 

I recently went on a tour of one of the ecostore USA facilities with my mom and my three children. It happens to be not too far from me and I was very excited about the opportunity to go.

We had a great time learning more about ecostore USA and I am happy to report back to you all that I learned about many of their products. I'm so thankful Connie took the time to give us such a great tour (and sent me home with so many great products to report back to you about!)
 

We started our tour off by admiring the artwork you see here which was done by children and in the picture below, Carter is standing next to some of the winning pieces from the annual "My Green School Art Contest" (click here for the 2012 flyer so you can get an idea of what it's all about.)


Connie showed the kids some of the products and let them each choose one of their very own to take home which they were very excited about!  
 
 
The kids love using their new bath products every time they take a bath. Two of them chose the Baby Sleep Time Bath and one chose the Baby Shampoo. They love using their very own bath goodies and I love that they can use them and I don't need to be concerned about yucky chemicals being lathered on their sweet little bodies. 



ecostore USA has had numerous article reviews which were neat to see here. These are also some gift basket ideas of items you can put together for someone special.



We even got to check out the science lab where a chemist works on the products and even tests competitor's products to see if they are truly natural. (This lovely lady filled in for a photo op for me because the picture I took of the actual chemist didn't turn out.) Boo!



And last, but not least, ecostore USA has the sweetest receptionist ever and we enjoyed getting to know her as well. She's expecting her first little bundle in November and we're very happy for her.



Safety of Ingredients

I'd like to share some information about ecostore USA and their product ratings, approvals and safety.

First, ecostore USA has the Healthy Child Healthy World seal of approval which is wonderful and they also have received the Champion Status from Skin Deep because of their baby products so both of these make me feel confident about the products I am reviewing.


Skin Deep is an online site that is very helpful by giving you an overall rating of a specific product (it is always my go-to for sunscreen options). But it allows you to type in specific ingredients that might be of concern to you and they will tell you if they rate high or low on their safety scale and if they contribute to cancer, reproductive issues, etc.

For example, when I typed in the ingredients for the Pear Conditioner on Skin Deep's site they all came up safe with a rating of 2 or less with the exception of Phenoxyethanol (scored 3-4; Fair rating) and Tocopheryl Acetate (scored a 4; Fair rating). However, in asking someone that knows more about ingredients and takes an even stricter approach to chemicals than I do, Chrystal from Happy Mothering said she didn't have a problem with Phenoxyethanol being used if it's for the right reasons. In this case, it is most likely used as a preservative to keep bacterial growth from occurring since the water content in this product is high.

Skin Deep has specifically reviewed only the following products from ecostore USA: Baby Nappy Balm, Baby Body Wash, Baby Moisturizer and Baby Sleepytime Bath and as a result has awarded them Champion status by meeting the following standards by November 2011 when the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics' Compact program closed:
  • Complied with the European Union's Cosmetics Directive, widely considered the current global gold standard of cosmetics safety regulation.
  • Disclosed all ingredients, including chemicals in "fragrance," an ingredient in 40 percent of all personal care products which in the United States can be claimed as a trade secret, even when it contains hormone disruptors, carcinogens and other harmful chemicals.
  • Published and regularly updated product information in Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep cosmetics database so that consumers had ready, online access to a listing of all product ingredients.
  • Complied with any additional ingredient prohibitions and restrictions under the Compact for Safe Cosmetics and substitute ingredients of concern with safer alternatives.
  • Participated in the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. source
What I Reviewed

The pear shampoo and conditioner are some of my absolute favorite products. They are moisturizing, volumizing, color safe and on par with salon products in terms of quality and performance yet without sulfates, parabens, synthetic parfumes, dyes or petrochemicals.

But can I tell you a secret?

The reason I love this product the most is because it cleared up my acne. Yep. Within three days of using it my acne was gone. Here's the scoop...I had been struggling with it for about six months and chalked it up to good ol' hormones, except this kind of acne itched and hurt terribly and it was only on certain sections of my face.

We had been on vacation with my family when I was bemoaning my facial plight to my brother and sister-in-law. My brother wondered if it might be my shampoo and conditioner and suggested I switch to a specific brand. I wasn't too excited about switching to that particular brand because I'd never cared for the smell of it (I know, I'm so picky, right?) but at the same time I was tired of dealing with this painful, itchy and embarrassing plight on my face.

I figured I'd pick up the new shampoo as soon as we got home except, guess what was waiting for me on my front porch when I got home?

My ecostore USA shampoo and conditioner that I was supposed to review.

I figured I'd start with that and I'm glad I did. I'll be sticking with this one for years to come. In fact, I love this product so much that I stocked up on it a few weeks back when ecostore USA had their 50% off sale (I hope those of you on my Facebook page took advantage of that great deal!) Retails for $6.50 each for conditioner and shampoo.


I also reviewed this plant based Toilet Bowl Cleaner and I am very happy with it. The one we were using previously smelled horrible and you knew you shouldn't be breathing it in so I switched to a brand from Whole Foods...and wasn't happy with the results.

We have well water and with the natural brand I was using before the yucky grimy gray look would return to the bowl after just a day or so. With this brand it made it about a week. I have now found my solution to cleaning the toilet bowl without using harmful chemicals! This product does not contain bleach, Hydrochloric Acid, or phosphates and retails for $3.00. It's a winner in my book.


Next I reviewed the Glass Cleaner which is made from water, Glucosides (from simple glucose) and Vinegar and it does not have Glycols, Ammonia, Alcohol or Dyes. Retails for $3.00. Obviously when I make my own out of vinegar and water it is cheaper, but I will say, ecostore's was more effective because I had to do less rubbing to get rid of the streaks. Their product came out on top of mine.

I also reviewed the All Purpose Cleaner which I've been using in my kitchen for the countertops, table, and black stovetop. It seems to work well and I haven't had any issues with it and it was nice to have a break from making my own. At $3.95 it's really your call but I think that even with using Essential Oils I can make mine for cheaper. Again, it just depends on if your prefer to buy or make your own. The scent in this is not overwhelming versus another natural, storebought brand that I couldn't stand the smell of.

This cleaner is made from D-Limonene (made from citrus rinds and from what I have read is safe and more effective than typical cleaning solutions), Palm and coconut based non-ionic and anionic surfactants, Fatty acid derivative, Ethanol and Filtered water.
For tougher scrubbing jobs in the kitchen (like on my stove top) I use the Cream Cleanser and it is definitely something I will purchase in the future. It's a fabulous alternative to bleach based cleansers that I've never been comfortable breathing, not to mention they can ruin your clothes. This cleanser worked fairly well on my stove top, although I still had to put some muscle into it. :) My favorite place to use it is in the bathtub. It worked wonderfully at getting that yucky dingy look off the inside of my tub and I wasn't breathing in any chemicals while I worked. Of course I would have finished cleaning the whole tub, but I had to get back to blogging, you know! But, with this great cleanser, now even the kids can do it. I know they'll be "thrilled"! :) Retails for $3.95.


Super Concentrate Dishwash Liquid: Good stuff here! When they say a little goes a long way, they mean it. For example, when I put just a dab of it in my Vitamix to clean it, it will start frothing like crazy if I let it go too long (which the kids think is funny!). I thought it worked great on my pots and pans that I hand wash and it made the job go by quickly because I didn't have to spend a lot of time scrubbing. The only thing I would suggest is that they make it a little thicker so that it's easier to get just the right amount. Retails for $5.50 for a 32 oz bottle, but remember it is very concentrated.



Choosing safe laundry options is high on my list of priorities in our home.  (You can read more about why you should choose healthier options here.)

ecostore offers you a great alternative to chemically laden laundry soap in their very concentrated Liquid Laundry Soap. This soap can be used in HE washers and is safe for delicates and woolens in addition to your regular washing. The fragrance is pleasing and as far as I can tell, it is cleaning our clothes well. A 32-oz. bottle retails for $6.75.
Now this stuff I am excited about and I absolutely love it! The Pure Oxygen Whitener is one of my top favorite items from ecostore. I had the opportunity to use it within an hour of receiving it because no sooner did we get done with our tour that my youngest son get his brand new white polo shirt filthy! Seriously, he had dirt all over it. I wasn't at home, but did have access to a sink so I stripped it off him, got it wet and scrubbed it with some whitener and it came out beautifully!

This is a great alternative to chlorine-based bleaches and will whiten whites and help to brighten colors.  Once it is dissolved in water, it releases pure oxygen which helps remove stains while preserving the integrity of your clothing.

I use this in every load of whites and I also spot treat stains with it. My next goal is to figure out if I can replace either the Borax or Super Washing Soda with this Pure Oxygen Whitener in my homemade laundry detergent.  This product is definitely something I will continue to purchase. Retails for $7.85

As I mentioned, our kids love their new Sleepytime Bath ($2.75), Baby Shampoo ($4.40) and Baby Moisturizer ($4.75) and I do too! These all have a great approval rating from Skin Deep.

A couple suggestions for these products is to make them a little thicker (with the exception of the lotion) and to also give them pump style tops to help ensure I get only the necessary amount. A pump style would also help if you happen to be bathing an infant because it would make it easier to keep one hand on the baby and the other hand free to get the body wash. 

I reviewed one of the hand wash soaps ($3.40 each) from ecostore, as well as purchased one of my own, but really was only happy with the Manuka Honey and Kelp Bar Soap ($1.80).

The hand wash soaps were too runny, didn't lather and left kind of an odd feeling on my hands. Unfortunately, I didn't care for the scent of them either. The Manuka Honey soap on the other hand lathers up well and smells nice too. Manuka Honey is actually a very good thing to have in your house! I have never purchased it but would love to have some. You can read more about it here.

I had given up all body washes for myself because I didn't feel it was worth it to lather those chemicals all over my body, but when I came across this one, it was a real treat. I love the smell of the Coconut and Vanilla Body Wash and the price isn't too bad either at $4.75 (especially since I purchased some for 1/2 off!). My one recommendation would be to thicken it up. It's a little hard to work with since it's pretty runny, but still something I plan to continue to use.

All in all, I am extremely happy with my ecostore USA products. They are plant based and are very reasonably priced for those Mamas like me who are trying to choose healthier options for our family.

Swing by their site and check out their stuff when you get a chance. Oh, and they even have pet stuff too!

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*Disclaimer: I received products from Ecostore USA in exchange for a candid review.

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