Skin MD Review and Giveaway

I was so thrilled when Skin MD Natural contacted me and asked me to do a review of their skin care items. You'd be hard pressed to find a negative review of this stuff! I had never had a problem with eczema before last winter and it hit hard. It was all over my hands and forearms, so itchy and irritating. Nothing I tried was working to make it better, until I found Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion. This stuff truly is amazing!!

[From the manufacturers website]
A shielding lotion does the real work to prevent dry skin in two ways.

First, it assists the inner layers of skin to absorb moisture. The humectant (an ingredient that attracts moisture) used in Skin MD Natural is unique to it and has been laboratory tested to be 6 times more effective than any other you will find in common creams.

Second, a shielding lotion enhances the power of the top layer of the skin to resist environmental irritants while protecting the inner natural moisture.

This can be a big benefit for those who cook, wash dishes and garden because Skin MD Natural helps skin retain its natural moisture and oils in the face of all those irritating soaps and chemicals.

 www.skinmdnatural.com has hundreds of dermatologist and user reviews including many addressing severe dry skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis. People with sensitive skin -- and those of us who like to live as naturally as possible -- will appreciate that Skin MD Natural is hypoallergenic, free of fragrances, parabens and colorants. It is made with more than 90% natural ingredients and 100% food-grade ingredients that are on the FDA's "most safe" list.

I'm not having as much of a problem with eczema this year (my midwife swears it's due to the fish oil supplement that I'm taking), but HOLY COW, do I have dry skin!!! I'm sure most of you mothers can relate to washing your hands a million times/day as I do. I really love that Skin MD is a natural product that works by strengthening your skin's own defenses and not just coating you with greasy film. It's super soft and silky. And, the best part is, it works!

I did notice a weird little red patch on the back of my daughter's knee and thought I would try the Skin MD on it. I think it might be psoriasis, but I'm not sure, anyway, here are the results:

before

after

You can see that it's much less red, splotchy and angry looking. And this is only after a couple applications of Skin MD. I'm confident that with regular use, it'll totally clear up. I'm picky about the type of skincare products that I use on my daughter and I love that there are no artificial or weird chemical ingredients in Skin MD, I wouldn't even think twice about putting it on my daughter! Oh, one more thing to LOVE: Skin MD Natural is made in the US, using 100% solar power, without animal ingredients and it is not tested on animals. How many skincare products can claim that?

You can buy Skin MD natural from their website or select retailers.

OR

Skin MD Natural is generously offering one of my readers a full size bottle of Skin MD Natural Shielding lotion!

How to enter:
Each action counts as one entry unless otherwise stated. Leave a separate comment for each entry and please include your email address. You must complete the mandatory entry before you are eligible for any other entries.

**Mandatory Entry**
Visit the Skin MD website and tell me something else about their amazing products not mentioned here. There is lots of information!

Extra Entries:
*like Skin MD on Facebook
*like Skin MD on Twitter
*sign up for the Skin MD mailing list
*Follow me publicly through google friend connect-counts as 3 entries! Leave 3 separate comments.
*Subscribe to my blog by email, through feedburner-counts as 3 entries!
*Grab my button and tell me where it is posted
*Blog about this giveaway, link back to my site and leave me the URL of your blog
*NEW!!! Like my brand new Facebook page- counts as 5 entries!!!!

The fine print:
This giveaway is open worldwide and will end April 26, 2011 at 9PM pacific time.
Winner will be chosen by random.org and contacted by e-mail, then must respond within 48 hours or else a new winner will be chosen.
I was not paid for this review, and received no compensation. I was provided samples of the product mentioned for review purposes. All opinions expressed are my own and completely truthful.

Episencial review and giveaway!

I was so thrilled when I contacted Episencial and they agreed to let me do a review. I'd been coveting their body wash and lotion every time I saw them at Target. The packing is what caught my eye first, so cute. Each of the products features a fruit from the Eric Carle book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The whole line of Episencial products are all natural (no synthetics, parabens, SLS or anything nasty that you wouldn't want touching your baby's precious skin) and formulated for the delicate skin of babies and kids. The packing is also completely recyclable and manufactured using solar power. I just love this company!
A little about the founder, Kim Walls, from the Episencial website:

Kim Walls, M.S., is the CEO of Episencial® and creator of the Epicuren® Baby and Episencial skin care products and philosophy. A second-generation skin care expert from the family that developed the world renowned Epicuren® anti-aging skin care products, she now combines her environmental activism with expertise in clinical skin care and nutritional science to develop green, effective skin care for pregnant women and children. For more than a decade, Walls has honed her perspective focusing on botanically-based skin care and transdermal nutrient absorption as a pathway to improved health and beauty for women and children. She shares her experience internationally with dermatologists and estheticians, as well as childbirth and postpartum professionals, underscoring the relationship between optimum health and skin care. Now through Episencial, she is dedicated to sharing that knowledge with new and growing families to support the enhanced health and immunity that effective, all natural products can provide.

We were sent the Sweet Dreams Bubble Bath, Soothing Cream, and Protective Face Balm to review.

I can't say enough good things about these products. I had stopped using bubble bath for Emma because she was getting yeast rashes and I feared it was because of the nasty, synthetic products I was using, I won't mention any names, but it starts with a J. On the contrary, the Sweet Dreams Bubble Bath has nothing but natural, safe and pure ingredients and I didn't hesitate at all to add it to Emma's bath water. It smells fantastic and she loves it! The gel concentrate is super thick so you don't need a lot to make a luxuriously bubbly bath time experience.

As you can see, Emma was enthralled with the bubbles and had a blast!

The Soothing Cream comes at the perfect time, as my seasonal eczema has flared up again, uggg. It's so darn irritating, I get it pretty badly on my forearms and this cream has been a Godsend! I just put a small amount on and it immediately soothes and keeps my itchy skin under control. I so wish I had taken "before and after" pictures to prove the wonders of this cream, but you'll just have to take my word for it. And I love that it's all natural so I don't have to resort to my prescription steroid cream, which of course works, but is not a good choice for a pregnant woman, like me.

I'm sure the Protective Face Balm will come in handy later this winter after playing outside in the snow (hopefully we'll get lots!) and coming in with rosy cheeks and lips.

So, how can you try these products, too?!

Buy it

Of course you can buy Episencial products from their website, and other fine online retailers like Ecomom. You can use the search function on the website to look for local retailers. I'm so excited that Target stores are a carrier of Episencial, I'm always at Target.


-or-


Win it!

One lucky reader is going to win the same Episencial products that I received, plus a $5 Target gift card!!



How to enter:

Each action counts as one entry unless otherwise stated. Leave a separate comment for each entry and please include your email address. You must complete the mandatory entry before you are eligible for any other entries.



**Mandatory Entry**

Visit Episencial and let me know another of their products that you'd like to try.


Extra Entries

*Go to the Episencial website and tell me something else you learned about this awesome company that I didn't mention here.

*Make a purchase from Episencial or pick up some of their products at a local retailer, come back here and tell me what you bought-5 extra entries!

*Follow me publicly through google friend connect-counts as 3 entries! Leave 3 separate comments.

*Subscribe to my blog by email, through feedburner

*Grab my button and tell me where it is posted

*Blog about this giveaway, link back to my site and leave me the URL of your blog







The fine print

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents and will end November 24, 2010.

Winner will be chosen by random.org and contacted by e-mail, then must respond within 48 hours or else a new winner will be chosen.

I was not paid for this review, and received no compensation. I was provided the products mentioned for review purposes. All opinions expressed are my own and completely truthful.

Giving up the Johnson's

When I found out I was pregnant I began doing research and looking into the most natural/organic methods of all things parenting. I chose cloth diapers over disposables, I made all of my own baby food from organic fruits and vegetables and I breastfed as much as I could (I had low supply issues :(). I didn't, however, give much thought to soap and lotion. I'm not sure why, and looking back now, I'm kicking myself. I mean, my parents used Johnson's on me and I turned out OK, didn't I?

What I didn't know then, but do know now is that toxins found in everyday household products can build up in skin and organs. I have to wonder....is it just coincidence that there is a much higher rate of cancer, neurological and other health problems today than in years past (before massive amounts of synthetic chemicals and preservatives were routinely added to health and beauty products)? Probably not!

I was so excited to discover the Environmental Working Group's cosmetics database. It's so cool! You can look up a particular product or an ingredient and find out if there are health risks associated with them. I'm a pretty cynical consumer and I question almost everything. That's why I love that the database is completely unbiased and research based. I was shocked to find out some of the main ingredients in Johnson's bedtime wash and lotion, which is what I used on Emma for a few months (I LOVE the way it smells!), are toxic and linked to developmental/reproductive toxicity, allergies/immunotoxicity and neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Miscellaneous, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Enhanced skin absorption, Contamination concerns, Occupational hazards, Biochemical or cellular level changes . Wow! That's a lot of concerns!

Not to mention the ingredient list. In the past few years, I've changed my diet to include more whole foods, organic produce and simple ingredient meals. When buying packaged foods, a good rule to follow is: the simpler, the better. It never really occurred to me to read the ingredient list on the soap and lotion I was using on my baby, but of course I should have been doing it! Baby's skin is so much more sensitive and porous, absorbing almost everything put on it, than adults. That's why it is so important to read labels and choose products wisely. I'm happy to report that I'm now an avid label reader for EVERYTHING concerning my child and I've switched to all natural, organic bath and body products. Not only do I feel better about this change, but my daughter doesn't have skin issues, like yeast infections, anymore.

Just compare the ingredient lists of Johnson's bedtime wash to that of another popular organic children's hair and body wash:

Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Sodium Trideceth Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Hydroxide, Fragrance, Glycol Distearate, Glycerin, Laureth-4, Lauryl Methyl Gluceth-10, Hydroxypropyldimonium Chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA, Quaternium-15, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aloe barbadensis Leaf Juice.

Saponified Cocos nucifera (organic coconut) oil, Saponified Olea europaea (organic olive) oil, Aloe barbadensis (organic aloe) leaf juice, Vanilla planifolia (organic vanilla) bean extract, Citrus sinensis (organic orange) oil, Kosher vegetable glycerin, Potassium citrate, Butyrospermun parkii (organic shea) butter, Calendula officinalis (organic calendula) extract
 
I would much rather use the product whose ingredients I can actually pronounce and know what they are. There is even a warning on the Johnson's bottle: "Keep out of reach of children. Do not use without consulting a doctor if child has asthma or allergies or if there is a family history of either. Serious breathing problems could occur." Yikes!
 
While I actually switched to all natural products a while ago, I've had a stash of Johnson's in the closet. Today is the day I'm setting it all free.
 

I didn't want to give it up because I just LOVED the way it smelled and I hate wasting, but I didn't want to use it because of all the health risks/concerns. So, it's just been sitting in the closet. I gave it all away to my neighbor (who also loves the way it smells). I don't judge and I realize that millions (I'd guess) of people use Johnson's products and most are probably just fine. But, It's just not the right choice for my family.

I'd encourage all parents to read labels and use the EWG's cosmetic database for products relating to your children. What do you have to loose?