Contests and Giveaways - June 30

This week, I've compiled some of the best Organic/Green contests for you to enter. Check them out, and if you're interested in any of them, you can click on the link to enter to win.

-Enter to win a gift basket full of Happy Future organic skin care products! Just head over to One Smiley Monkey's website to enter.

All Happy Future products are made in France and they are Paraben & Pahenoxyethanol Free, USDA approved, certified organic, hypoallergenic and dermatologist tested. Plus they contain no nut oils, heavy scents or synthetic perfumes!

-Green Shield Organic is giving away a Summer Cleaning Bundle that includes the All Purpose Cleaner, Toilet Bowl Cleaner, and the Elite Care Free & Clear Laundry Detergent, and a Green Shield Organic t-shirt to one winner. This package is valued at $30. This giveaway is open to the US only and will end on 7/6! Enter now.

-Enter for a chance to win Charlie Banana cloth diapers. Two winners will each win a set of diapers! Each winner will receive a Maple Leaf & Holly Brown diaper. Contest ends July 15th.

-Do you like to drink tea? If you so, you can enter to win a variety pack of Davidson’s Organics organic teas and a glass water bottle–with a new winner every week through August 17th! Just go to their Facebook Page to enter!

Traveling Tips

Summer is my  absolute favorite season. Weird, I know, but all the extra sunshine and longer days, the warmth, the delicious summer food...mmm...

This time of year also brings traveling for many folks and families. With three little ones, traveling isn't real high on my "fun things to do" list - I'm more of a homebody. But, we do some traveling and I've found some great tips to make these trips a bit easier.

Also, we always travel by car, since our traveling is usually short distances (a handful of hours), so feel free to share your plane/train/boat/etc traveling tips in the comments or on the Moody Sisters Facebook page. 

• Wet Bags - Most people who cloth diaper have one {if not more} of these to store dirty diapers in. They are simply bags with a waterproof inner material (so the outside of the bag doesn't get wet). We love traveling with these. Not only are they great for beach/pool trips (for holding wet clothes after changing), they great for any accidents that might occur {think little ones and potty accidents} while traveling.
• A Cooler of Snacks/Drinks - Traveling can get very expensive, very quick. It never fails, about an hour into a trip someone is hungry. Having a cooler with snacks and drinks prevents stops at fast food restaurants or gas stations - avoiding high prices and unhealthy food.
• Meal Planning - If we're staying at a place that will have a kitchen (think beach house), we'll plan for the majority of our meals to be made and eaten where we're staying (allowing us to splurge on something fun to do as a family). Frozen meals (transported in the cooler with drinks and snacks) are an excellent option, as they can be made ahead of time.
• Doing Laundry There - If we're staying at a place with a washer/dryer, I always try to do our laundry (or as much as I can) before leaving. This gives me one less thing to do when we get home (and the chaos of unpacking/detoxing the kiddos begins!).
• For those with children, Toys - I am not a lover of cheap plastic toys, however, before our most recent beach trip, we knew that we'd need a little something extra to entertain our 3 boys (5years, almost 4years and almost 2years). We made a trip to the Dollar Tree and filled some sand buckets with crayons, coloring books, cars, and other various age-appropriate toys. The buckets were a hit for the trips down and back, and they still have most of the toys upon our return. We spent maybe $15 (we already had the buckets) to fill the buckets and it was money WELL spent! (we don't have a DVD player in our van).
• Ziploc Bags - semi wasteful (you can always wash and reuse when you get home), or a Wet Bag would be a handy option if you have one the appropriate size, BUT this is great for storing your shampoos/conditioners/body wash/facial cleaners, etc... Nothing worse than getting to your destination and discovering that your favorite face wash leaked...all over your cosmetics...

What are your travel survival tips?

My Summer Skincare Routine

This time of year, my skin can become either really oily or really dry. I live in Western New York so year round my skin conditions change drastically. We had a very warm winter this year, so luckily I didn't have a terrible transition to the warm weather. We were already seeing 80 degree days in March! Unheard of here.

Right now, I'm experimenting with my skincare for the summer. I am still in the phase of switching most of my products over to natural/organic, so not all of them are chemical friendly right now. Currently, I wash my face using Murad's Time Released Acne Cleanser. This product is not organic, but it is free from Parabens, Sulfates, Synthetic Dyes, Petrochemicals, Phthalates, GMOs, Triclosan. Even so, the Skip Deep database scores this cleanser at a 7 out of 10 and I should limit the use of using it. Luckily for me, I am actually almost out of this completely and will be switching to one of the Moody Sisters facial cleansers.

I should mention that I rarely exfoliate my face. This is only due to the fact that I use the Clarisonic electric face brush. I bought it over two years ago, and the difference has been noticeable in my skin. Just splash some water on your face, a little bit of your facial cleanser and start using the brush. I had what I considered build up on my face. You know.. where you get dry/rough patches on your skin or areas on your face that just never seem exfoliated enough when you exfoliate. Since using it, I no longer have these problems and I even notice a difference in my skin if I amiss a few days of using it. There is a kind of waiting period when your skin gets used to it, so there may be a few days after using it that your skin breaks our or the pores look bigger. Mine only lasted a few days. As long as I use it regularly, I have no problems. I don't even break out anymore.

After I use the Clarisonic brush and the facial cleanser, I use witch hazel as a toner. What's great about witch hazel is that it's all natural, and only costs me a $1-2 at Walmart. If you're lucky, you can even find the T.N. Dickinson's Witch Hazel that includes a peelie for a "try me free" on it.



I only recently started using Witch Hazel in pace of my old facial toners. I figured it was the easiest thing I could replace right now in my skin care routine, and only costs a few bucks to try. The Dickinson's brand does cost a few dollars more than the brand I buy, but it's worth trying.

After using the toner, I use the matching Murad Time Released Acne Moisturizer with SPF. I typically only use this moisturizer in the morning, but in the evening I may use either coconut oil or a bottle of natural oils that I have. It has a mix of avocado oil, coconut oil, carrot seed oil, and more. It's great for my face and neck area, but I try to use it sparingly since it can rather oily. It's perfect for my skin in the winter months when my face is peeling. Right now, I am not using eye cream since I wanted to further replace chemicals. I just use the coconut oil or the bottle of natural oils when I use them. I will find a good replacement soon!

For now, that's my skincare routine for the summer. Once my facial cleanser is gone, that will be replaced with a better and natural alternative. From there, I will use what's left of my moisturizer. Once that's done, again I will be switching to a natural moisturizer. I can already notice changes to my skin, even though I haven't made the bigger switches yet.

Keeping Your Skin Healthy

Remember our series earlier this year, "5 Steps to Healthy Skin"?

As a refresher, the five steps are:

1. Cleanse to remove dirt and makeup.
2. Exfoliate to remove dead skin cells.
3. Tone to tighten and close pores.
4. Hydrate to balance skins moisture levels.
5. Protect from harsh sun and toxins in the air.

As we enter into, what could be, a harsh time of year as far as skin is concerned (Summer), we wanted to re-focus on two very important steps in this series: Hydrating and Protecting our skin. Summer can be very hard on skin - spending so much time outdoors, forgetting to cover up our skin, forgetting to drink all the water we need too...

During our 5 Steps to Healthy Skin series, we talked about how important Hydrating the skin was - making sure that you drink plenty of water in the summer months is so crucial! And, helping your skin stay soft and hydrated requires a good moisturizer, like the Moody Sisters Face & Body Whip. It can not only replenish lost water, but also trap the natural moisture of the skin.

We also talked about Protecting your skin, which can be done with a safe sunscreen and/or covering up with lightweight clothing and hats. This post also featured the Face & Body Whip which includes ingredients that naturally protect the skin from damage. This has been a skin saver for myself {Terra} when I recently got sunburnt - my skin started to peel, and I immediately turned to the Face & Body Whip to help get the peeling under control, but also help prevent (or reverse) some damage done.

It is really amazing what natural ingredients like Sunflower and Coconut Oil, Oats, and Aloe can do to help your skin during those harsh times!

Healing from Sunburns

In May, we shared with you how the Moody Sisters Lightweight Moisturizer can be vital in recovering from sunburns. Amanda reviewed this product, which you can find in its entirety here.

Moody Sisters Lightweight Moisturizer is a great aloe based product that helps hydrate your skin without leaving you feeling greasy. I have had the chance to use this moisturizer a few times now and I absolutely love the way it makes my skin feel. With the aloe, vitamins, and herbal extracts it is great for after sun use, full of healing and hydrating properties.

This is become a staple in our house, not only for my daily face washing routine, but for those times when we might be in the sun a little too long. I have found that it takes the sting of sunburn away much faster than other natural methods we've tried in the past, and doesn't leave you feeling greasy, or sticky, or unable to touch things for fear of passing on that stickiness!

If you're faced with a sunburn, and without the Lightweight Moisturizer on hand, there are a number of natural/home remedies that you can try to alleviate some of the burn/pain/sting. Some sound totally bizarre, but all of the following, we have tried, either growing up, or recently, on ourselves or our children:

• Coconut oil is great for sunburns (and our family actually uses this for sunscreen as well - when we don't...then we're using it after we burn!)
• Aloe Vera, straight from the plant
• Plain, yogurt
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Honey
• Cocoa Butter

What is your tried and true method from healing from the occasional sunburn?

Contests and Giveaways - June 16

This week, I've compiled some of the best Organic/Green contests for you to enter. Check them out, and if you're interested in any of them, you can click on the link to enter to win.

-Enter theZINN Organic Skin Care Flash Giveaway where two winners will each receive a ZINN beauty package, valued at $115.

-Win Tom Organics Tampons/Pads! Check out how here.

-Enter to win a set of the Revitalize Organics Get Up and Go Go Shower Gel, Castile Soap and Hand Soap.

-Like to snack on organic treats? Enter to win four snacks from Newman's Own organic products!

-Shield for Men (organic, non-toxic skincare for men) is sending one lucky winner the Full Man Package!

Guest Post: The Benefits of Manuka Honey Skin Care

Manuka honey is valued for its healthy, 100% natural skin care benefits. Extracted from the nectar of rare New Zealand and Australian manuka trees, this kind of honey is particularly recommended for its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, as well as its Unique Manuka Factor agents that help to speed up cell growth and regrow skin. In terms of skin care, manuka honey’s key benefits range from basic cleansing through to the treatment of particular skin conditions. Moreover, manuka honey provides excellent protection from sun damage, and can also be used as part of psoriasis and fungal treatments. These benefits are expanded on in the list below: 

1 - Cleansing
Manuka honey is an excellent antioxidant, and helps to cleanse and detoxify the skin. It is particularly useful for oily and dry skin, and act as a gentle wash of dead skin. When used regularly as part of a moisturizing regimen, manuka honey can help to balance and remove blemishes on the skin. 

2 - Anti Aging
The detoxifying ingredients of manuka honey help to reduce the effects of aging on the skin. In particular, manuka honey contains proteins and minerals that help to nourish the skin, while preventing the build up of wrinkles. 

3 - Treating Acne
Manuka honey is also an excellent anti inflammatory treatment, and can help to soothe and reduce the effects of acne. Dry skin and irritation can be reduced in this way, while manuka honey can be used to remove problems with dry skin.

4 - Eye Cream
The anti bacterial and anti inflammatory properties of manuka honey make it ideal for treating fine lines around the eyes. Used as a cream, manuka honey can help to reduce wrinkles and firm up skin.

5 - Antiseptic treatment
Manuka honey is particularly effective at treating cuts and other forms of damage to the skin. Its antimicrobial properties help to speed up wound healing, and can lead to a reduced chance of permanent scarring.

6 - Treating Burns
Manuka honey acts as an effective way of treating mild burns. Applied as an ointment, it can help both remove bacteria and prevent infection.

7 - Skin Toning
When used as a moisturizer, manuka honey works to tone and firm up the skin. Depending on your skin type and age, regular application of honey can help deal with blemishes and break outs.

8 - Protection from Sun Damage
Manuka honey is also valuable as a natural form of protection from sun damage. Its natural ingredients and soothing qualities help to repel UV rays, while preventing skin from becoming dried out by prolonged exposure to the sun.

9 - Treating Psoriasis
Manuka honey is particularly useful for treating psoriasis and other skin conditions. Able to boost the body’s autoimmune system, manuka honey can help to remove dead skin cells and moisturize affected areas.

10 - Fungal Treatments
It is also possible to use manuka honey as a treatment for fungal conditions, which can be particularly difficult to treat when they occur on the feet. Regular use of manuka honey can help to remove bacteria and treat breaks in the skin and nails.

Bio: Patrick Hegarty is freelance copywriter with a keen interest in heath and beauty and the merits of manuka honey.

A Tribute to My Husband

This Father's Day, I wanted to share how incredibly thankful I am for my husband. He is an amazing father to our children - he loves to get down on their level and act goofy, he has the patience of a saint, and comes up with the best ideas!

His job, combined with school, keeps him away from home more than he would like, but when he is home, he is totally here (or asleep). ;-)

I caught this picture the other day of our boys (ages 5 yrs, 3.5 yrs, and 1.5 yrs) impatiently waiting for daddy to arrive home! This is how it is everyday once I start making dinner - my youngest stands at the window and screams, "Daddy? Daddy? Daddy? Daddy?" and the older two take turns waiting for a few minutes. I feel this is a true testament to him! 

 

I asked our oldest son what he loved most about daddy and he responded, "He takes me to the park and helps me ride my bike and scooter!"

My middle son said he loves how daddy builds Lego houses and funny things with boxes.

My youngest heard me mention daddy, and went on a hunt to find out where daddy was (unfortunately, he was at work at the time of writing!) 

I personally am so thankful for how hard he works so I can stay home with our boys. I'm thankful for his willingness to change some of our ways to live a greener life and have a more Eco-friendly home. I could rave about him all day long!

Last week I shared some Moody Sisters products that the men in your life can use. Feel free to apply code HOLIDAY25 at check out from the Moody Sisters etsy shop and get some Father's Day shopping accomplished! 

New Blog Contributor: Lisa!

Hi everyone! My name is Lisa, and I am a new contributor to the Moody Sisters Blog! I am a 27 year old woman hailing from a small town in Western New York, and I occasionally blog about frugal money saving deals at my blog MoneySavingLisa.com in my spare time. Currently, I just started as a full-time college student pursuing a degree in Respiratory Care. Previous to my new college status, I worked full-time in the Army in Human Resources for about three and a half years. It's been almost a year since I've been discharged, but I decided I didn't want to go back to living like I was before the Army which is why I am pursing a degree in hopes to better my life. I am frugal minded, but it would be nice to not work for minimum wage. I think I can do better!

I can truly say that my interest in organic skin care isn't new, but I've only started to recently start using more natural products in the last few months. I remember a few years ago a news report on how women use up to twenty cosmetic products a day, and anything from shampoo to cosmetics is not required to be tested for the affects on human health. Although this was shocking, it didn't hit close to home yet for me. I think it's a combination of a few things that have me highly interested in making the big switch. It's been almost a year since I've dated my current boyfriend, Adam, who is also a cancer survivor. He has been cancer free for five years now, and it always worries me about what he is putting in and on his body. Since I am also trying to lose some unwanted weight and I am watching what I put into my body, it just "clicked" that I should also be watching what I put on my body as well. I typically take a look at the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database to see where the products I use score, and it can be shocking! My favorite perfume scores a 9 out of 10 in terms of hazardous to my health? Sigh. Although my switch to using organic skin care products is relatively slow since I don't want to completely waste my old products (they DO make for great gifts though) I have noticed a difference in my skin already just by making two changes in my skin care routine, which I'll talk about in a future post.

I first heard about Moody Sisters Organic Skincare products in a giveaway on another frugal blog this past winter. I had already received a sample of an organic moisturizer from an individual that worked fairly well, but I was looking for other organic companies that had an assortment of products to choose from. My skin is combination, and is fairly dry in the winter time and occasionally can break out. My lips are always chapped year round, and I wanted to find eye creams that weren't loaded with chemicals. I was happy to have stumbled upon the Moody Sisters products, and I could easily spend $100 or more in one order. I just ordered my first batch of their Eye Cream & Cuticle Cream and Hydrating Cleanser to replace my existing chemical laced products. My goal is to slowly replace all of the products I use on a daily basis to organic or chemical free, including anything from make-up and body wash

I'll be talking more about my adventures in going chemical free and my weight loss at my new bog, Lisa's Simple Life. I'll also be posting here regularly, so stay tuned!

Can men use Moody Sisters?

Moody Sisters is obviously for the women - Eye Make-up Remover, Eye and Cuticle Cream, Pregnancy Belly Cream... You might be wondering, "Is there anything the men can use?" Using my husband as a test subject, I can respond with a confident, "YES!"

My husband works in a car parts warehouse handing cardboard and car parts all day. This messes up his hands something fierce. He always reminds me when we are getting low on Intense Moisturizing Cream, as it works on his hands like no other lotion we've tried!

He also loves the Lip Balm and said that it heals his lips like no other lip balm he has used.

The Lightweight Moisturizer also came in handy on a recent beach trip where he got burnt to a crisp! He was amazed at how well the Lightweight Moisturizer soothed the itching and burning, and how quickly the burn went away.

He also has expressed a great preference for for Mint and Clean Citrus scents and flavors!

What about the man in your life? 

Has he given any Moody Sisters products a try? What were his thoughts?

Share the Moody Sisters love with the man in your life this Father's Day and save 25% off your order with code HOLIDAY25 at checkout from the Moody Sisters Etsy shop!