Molly’s Suds
I first heard about Molly’s Suds from The Glamorganic Goddess.
She said she really liked it, so I thought I would check it out. I contacted Monica, owner of Molly’s Suds, and she sent me a 2 load sample. Then she offered to send me a full size bag of her Laundry Powder and a full size bottle of her All Sport (a liquid especially made for sports clothes and equipment) so I could test it out for a while and write up a review. How sweet is that?
If you follow this blog, you know that I normally make my own laundry liquid with soap nuts, which works great for me, but some people don’t like it. They would rather have something that is ready to use whenever they need it instead of having to spend time to boil, cool and strain the soap nuts. Well, I think Molly’s Suds is the solution!
Molly’s Suds works great! It smells like peppermint, but since it is from essential oil the scent washes away. It doesn’t stay in your clothes- but it does make my house smell minty fresh when I’m doing laundry! It’s easy to use- just one scoop (included in the bag) in the washer, add your clothes and that’s it. They recommend using warm water unless washing instructions specifically say cold water. I think that’s mostly to make sure the powder dissolves well. I wash everything in cold water and have for years, so I didn’t exactly follow directions- whoops! I still used my cold water and was happy with the results. I always add the powder into the water first, wait a minute and then add my clothes. I don’t use any fabric softener or dryer sheets. My clothes came out smelling fresh and looking clean.
Ingredients: Proprietary blend of sodium carbonate from the Green River Basin in Wyoming, sodium bicarbonate, epsom salt and sea salt, peppermint essential oil.
All Sport is awesome, too.
It’s scented with sweet orange essential oil, which I love. I don’t have a whole lot of stinky sports clothes, so I decided to test it out on my bed sheets. They weren’t exactly fresh, I had let them go a little too long between washings. Gross, I know… don’t judge me! I washed them, dried them and put them back on the bed. I could tell they were clean when I pulled them out of the dryer, but I really didn’t pay too much attention. I was in a hurry to get the bed made and be done with it. Well, when I crawled into bed that night- I was impressed! The sheets felt great, soft and cool- just like I like them. And they smelled SO fresh and clean! I was in freshly-washed sheet heaven…
Ingredients: Proprietary blend of purified water, coconut oil, organic alcohol, essential sweet orange oil, minerals and enzymes derived from edible seed and bearing plants.
The Laundry Powder comes in a bag with a cute little scoop. There is enough for 128 loads of laundry for $21. That works out to about 17 cents per load. I do about 4 loads a week, so this one bag should last me about 8 months. That is ridiculous affordable! Imagine how much money you can save if you switch to Molly’s Suds! The All Sport has 32 loads worth for $12. That’s about 38 cents per load. Plus you can put a little of it on a wet washcloth to wipe down your sports equipment.
I also really like Molly’s Suds website. That little owl in a tree is too cute! There are laundry tips, a list of where to buy Molly’s Suds and a blog about (obviously) laundry, but also healthy food ideas for your picky eaters.
I want to send a BIG thank you to Monica for giving me the opportunity to test out Molly’s Suds products.
I highly recommend you all go and check out Molly’s Suds! It’s so much better than anything I have found in my local stores- and more economical, too!
Learn how you can get a sample
Hi. My name is Melissa and I’m a Kindlaholic.
Yeah, I know. I have been seriously MIA for most of the month. I have been wanting to write awesome, informative and helpful (maybe even funny) things for you to read but I am helpless to my new addiction. It must be fed.
I have been wanting a Kindle Fire since they came out and when we got our tax return back I hemmed and hawed over actually buying one. Would I even use it enough to justify the $200 price tag? I could buy a bunch of books for that amount of money. The hubby and I went online to look at it and while I was thinking whether I should buy it or not, D clicked “add to cart” and it was purchased before I could even blink! “What did you just do?” And all I got in return was a sly smile.
So I eagerly awaited it’s arrival. When it got here I figured I wouldn’t be able to use it right away, those things always need to be charged or set up or something.
Then one day when I came home from a trip to the grocery store… there it was. In an odd shaped box sitting next to my front door. I put those groceries away in a flash and sat down to open my new toy. I lifted the top of the box and there it was. In a thin plastic sleeve. With a charger and a piece of paper to tell me how to turn it on. That’s it. I am used to getting a thick little book with any device, so I was wondering how I was going to figure out how to use it. Luckily that wasn’t a problem.
I turned it on. Connected it to wi-fi and I was off. I already had a book to read. It was a free book of short stories that I got a while back but never read because I could only read it on my computer. And who wants to read a whole book on a laptop? Not me. I played around a little bit and then I started reading. And I kept reading. D came home and wanted to head back out for something… I can’t remember what, but I took my Kindle with me and kept reading in the car. And I finished that book. And then I went looking for more books.
Did you know there are a TON of free books that you can get? Well, I didn’t, but I quickly learned! I bought a couple of Steven King Kindle Singles because, well, I love Stephen King and the singles don’t come in book form. I will continue to buy Stephen King books (actual books in hard copy) because I have a collection- but we can talk about that later. I looked at the top 100 free books and I was intrigued by a lot of them. So I got them. Totally free. And then I realized that they change hourly. And you can see what the top 100 free books are by category. And then when you pick one Amazon puts all those recommendations on the page and half of those are free, too! Sometimes the books are only free for a day or 2, so if I’m interested, I just get it. What does it hurt, right? If I end up not liking it, who cares? I didn’t spend any money on it.
So that’s what I’ve been up to. Getting and reading free books on my awesome new Kindle Fire. It’s become a habit to check the Kindle store. Wake up, check email, look at free books. They also have a “deal of the day” which is normally a more expensive book discounted to $1. I have almost the whole collection of Scott Nicholson books and I haven’t paid a penny for them. I just keep checking back. If one of them isn’t free now, maybe it will be in a couple days when they change things up. I’ve gotten so many books, the Kindle has already paid for itself a few times over. I calculated the amount of money I’ve spent (for the Kindle, a super cute pink case and a few books) and the amount of books I now own, and it’s like I have a free Kindle and paid less than $1 per book!
Just the other day I found a site that writes posts every day listing free and bargain books for the Kindle. If you sign up, they send the list right to your inbox. If you want to check it out it’s eReader Love. They even have a section for free Kindle games if you’re into that.
So, what are you reading now? Do you all have any suggestions for books I should check out? Please let me know your favorite books in the comments.
Hi. My name is Melissa and I’m a Kindlaholic. Someday I may need an intervention…
One Love Organics
One Love Organics was recommended to me on my facebook page by one of my new friends. You know who you are! (Stefi!) So I contacted them and asked if I could get a sample for reviewing purposes. The reply I got came straight from the president of the company, Suzanne LeRoux. She let me choose 2 items to test and review, so I chose the Skin Savior Waterless Beauty Balm and the Love Springs Eternal Youth Preservation Serum.
When I received them in the mail, I was pretty impressed at the size and packaging of the samples. That’s a photo of them over there <<. The serum is .20 oz, the balm is .5 oz and the packaging is super cute. I also got a 1-2 use sample of Easy Does It Foaming Cleanser and Brand New Day Microderma Scrub and Masque.
Love Springs Eternal is a super concentrated serum made with some very precious oils known to aid in healthy skin such as rose, neroli and frankincense. It makes you feel smooth and with the watermelon seed oil it is full of essential fatty acids to nourish your skin. I love the scent- it’s floral, but not overpowering, and it just feels luxurious. After washing my face and spritzing on some rose water, I only needed to use 4-5 drops of the serum and it spread all over my face. I used it once a day and it lasted about 20 days. At $98 for a 1.5 oz bottle, it is definitely a pricey investment, but at the rate I was using it, it works out to about $21 a month.
Ingredients: citrullus vulgaris (watermelon) seed oil, caprylic/capric triglyceride (and) phoenix dactylifera (date) seed extract, organic rosa damascena (rose) oil, citrus aurantium (neroli) oil, organic boswellia carteri (frankincense) oil, organic cymbopogon martini (palmarosa) Oil, tocopherol (natural vitamin e)
Skin Savior is a balm that you can use for almost anything. I wouldn’t use it for cooking, but the ingredients are so good you could if you really wanted to! It can be used for cleansing, moisturizing and you can even mix it with mineral powder for a customized foundation. I’ve been using it for moisturizing. I seriously love this stuff. It goes on smooth and the smell? Oh so delicious! It’s like a decadent orange cream dessert for your skin. When my hubby kisses me goodnight he calls me “fruit-loop head”. Which is immensely better than “chemical head”-that’s what he was calling me when I was using something that smelled more herbal. I apply this after the serum and it locks in all the goodness. You only need to use a tiny bit- a little goes a loooong way. In fact, after I apply it to my face, I can usually just rub my hands together and they get moisturized, too. I’ve been using it twice a day, every day, for a little over a month and I have enough left for at least 2-3 more weeks of creamsicle goodness. It’s $68 for a 3.5 oz jar. According to the amount I’ve been using, that works out to less than $10 a month.
Ingredients: Organic Cocos nucifera (Virgin Coconut) Oil, Organic Glycine Soja (Sweet Soy) seed oil, Organic Beeswax, Mangifera indica (Mango) seed butter, Salvia Hispanica (Chia) Seed Extract, Avena sativa (Oat) Extract, Citrus aurantium dulcis (Orange) peel wax, Organic Vanilla planifolia fruit extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E)
I truly enjoyed testing out these products. I am a big sucker for products that smell good- these smell really good and they’re effective. I no longer have dry, itchy winter skin.
One Love Organics philosophy? “We like to avoid stuff”. Awesome.
“We embrace the simplicity and the knowledge that you can achieve more with less.” Like less products.
If you would like to try out their products they offer a gift set for $39 and a travel set for $48. Each set contains Brand New Day scrub, Easy Does It cleanser, Skin Savior balm (my favorite!) and a New Best Friend skin shammy(cleansing cloth). The travel set comes in a cotton travel bag and has the option to add a sample of Love Springs Eternal for an extra price.
They have been featured in numerous magazines. They donate 1% of their annual net revenue to Care.org and to The Children’s Scholarship Fund.
One Love Organics is Cruelty- Free. 
My Henna Experiment
Before Henna, My Natural Hair Color
Way back when, before I decided it was necessary to use only healthy beauty products, I was a hair color junkie. I colored my hair every couple of months, if not sooner. I’ve had my hair black, bleached and so many shades of red I can’t even count them! After I figured out how toxic hair dye actually is I stopped. Cold turkey. Once you learn that kind of information, there’s no going back. So I suffered through the growing out phases of my black hair. Luckily at the time I was keeping my hair short, so it was good within a year. I thought I would never again be able to do anything with my hair color. Then I discovered HENNA…
I’d heard of it before. I’ve even had a small henna tattoo before, but I never put it together that people use it to dye their hair. I bought a big container of red henna from Mountain Rose Herbs and started doing some research. I put the jar in the back of the cupboard and I thought about it every once in a while, but had a hard time building up the courage to actually use it. The process of using it seemed rather daunting to me and I just wasn’t ready.
3 Days After Using Henna
Until a few months ago. One of my blogger sisters, Natural Beauty Vixen, decided to dye her hair with henna. I asked her a few questions, and then I figured- if she can do it, maybe I can, too!
I did some more research online, read and re-read the instructions and started. Apparently, you need to mix it with some kind of acid (like lemon juice) and let it sit overnight to release the color. So, I brewed up some hibiscus tea because the instructions that came with the jar of henna powder said it would enhance the red color and I know that stuff is acidic. I mixed it up according to what I read, it’s supposed to be the consistency of a thick yogurt. I let it sit overnight.
The next morning I had to drive the hubby to work, he was going out of town and they had a car waiting for him. It was really early. When I got home I figured, I was awake, I might as well start. So I globbed the henna mixture on my head, made sure everything was coated really well and then slapped on some more. I wrapped my head in plastic wrap and I put some strips of cotton around my ears- I really didn’t want orange ears! Then I sat down to wait.
So I waited. And waited. My head was so heavy with green goo, my neck was getting stiff trying to hold it up, but I didn’t want to lay down and squish all the henna out of my super ridiculous plastic head wrap. So I sat there and kept falling asleep sitting up. Then waited some more.
At one point a delivery guy showed up and I had to answer the door. Oh, the horror! I’m sure I was the topic of conversation with them for the day. “What was on that lady’s head? And what’s up with those weird cotton strips sticking out from her ears?” They must have had a good laugh about that!
So, 6 hours later… I rinsed. And rinsed. And then rinsed some more. And then gave up. Seriously, this stuff was ridiculously hard to get out of my hair. Every time I washed my hair for about 2 weeks after, residue was still washing out.
I didn’t like the waiting or the rinsing, and at one point it started running down the back of my neck and I was freezing all day. It’s really hard not to get it on your skin around the hairline, so I had an orange line. Fortunately, I was rockin’ some bangs, so it wasn’t too noticeable.
However, I LOVE the color! The first day it’s almost shocking how bright it is, but after a few days the color deepens because of oxidation. Kinda like when the inside of an apple will turn brown when exposed to air. The color is so pretty. Unlike traditional hair dye it doesn’t make your hair all one color. It’s almost like a translucent color. You still end up with high and low-lights, just in a beautiful shade of red. I tried to get good pictures, but I still don’t think they do the color justice. Oh, and when I go out in the sun…. it’s like my hair is on fire! It’s so gorgeous! Another great thing is that it hasn’t faded. Yes, it’s growing out, and I can see it, but the color is still vibrant and beautiful months later.
Outside on a partly sunny day (Sorry, I forgot my makeup! Except lip gloss. I always wear lip gloss.)
Valentine’s Conscious Box
Did you all have a fantastic Valentine’s Day last week? I did! The hubby and I don’t buy gifts for each other, we would rather just spend time with together. And we avoid going out to dinner that night because we don’t like the crowds or having to wait an hour for a table! So we stay in, enjoy each other’s company and plan a date for a different day.
However, I still got a lovely present. Conscious Box sent me their first ever Valentine’s Box- they must really love me!! If you are reading my blog for the first time or don’t know what Conscious Box is, it’s a monthly subscription service that sends you a box filled with all kinds of “pure and sustainable products that are handpicked from businesses that care for the planet”. I think it’s a box full of fun!
As you can see, it’s quite a collection of different types of products: food, soap, personal products, etc. The Valentine’s Box included:
Love Grown Foods: Granola made with gluten-free oats and sweetened with agave and honey. I got the Simply Oats flavor and it was pretty tasty. I would love to try their other flavors with fruit and nuts AND they have one called Cocoa Goodness. Yeah, chocolate granola. Uh huh.
Mayron’s Goods: Barrier and Diaper Cream. Ok, so yeah, this stuff is better than your conventional over-the-counter diaper cream and it’s 98% natural. The problem is the other 2%. Propylene glycol, mineral oil and a few other ingredients would prevent me from using this on myself, so I definitely wouldn’t want to use it on a baby’s bum.
Natural Vitality: The Anti-Stress Drink. This is a magnesium supplement in the form of a drink powder- just add water. I got the raspberry-lemon flavor. I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s supposed to be fizzy. I might let the hubby try this one.
Nutcase Crunch: Gluten-free, high protein, low-carb blend of nuts and coconut. Developed by a Paleo-diet enthusiast. I love this stuff. It tastes really good! The downside is a serving size is only 2 1/2 tbsp, so you need to mix it with something else like yogurt or a pile of blueberries and almond milk so you feel like you actually had a meal.
Olbas Herbal Remedies: Olbas Pastilles, Maximum Strength Herbal Cough Drops. I don’t have a cough, so I haven’t tried these, but from looking at the ingredients- these are going to be some pretty powerful cough drops!
Bloomin: The Seed Paper People. See that cute little heart at the top of the photo? Well, it’s embedded with annual and perennial wildflowers. All you have to do is plant it in some dirt, water it and enjoy the flowers that grow out of it!
ResVez: Chocolate Raspberry Winetime Bar. Contains more resveratrol than 50 glasses of wine, 4 gm protein and 8gm fiber. Looking forward to trying this one when I am in need of a chocolate fix!
Badger Balm: Lip Tint & Shimmer. I think I got the Opal Shimmer. When you buy the full size product you get a dual ended tube with a color on one end and the Opal Shimmer on the other end. This sample is just about the cutest little lip balm I have ever seen! It’s a bit more than half of a regular lip balm tube. Fair trade, cruelty-free and full of great moisturizing ingredients.
Dr Cleangreen: USDA Certified Organic Instant Hand Purifier. Finally! A hand purifier without all the yucky ingredients! This is a blend of aloe, alcohol, moisturizing oils and essential oils. Excellent. This has a new home in my purse.
C3 for Stress: *calm.cool.connected. Herb, vitamin and mineral supplement blend in a lemon lime flavored drink mix to combat stress. I think this is another sample for the hubby!
Scientific Organics: Kombucha Cleanser. Most of the ingredients are ok. There are just a few that are on my “do not use” list. So I will be passing this on to someone else who has less strict standards than I do.
Himala Salt: The Purest Salt On Earth. Himalayan Pink Salt in a super cute shaker. I love Himalayan Pink salt. It tastes great and it has over 84 minerals and trace elements that can greatly improve your health in many ways such as eliminating toxins, balancing ph, normalizing blood pressure, increasing circulation and supporting proper nutrient absorption. It can also help alleviate symptoms from arthritis, flus and skin rashes.
Soapbox Soap: Sample of their Oatmeal Clove soap. It smells yummy. It kinda reminds me of Christmas. Every time you buy a bar of soap they send a bar of soap to a child in need.
Treehouse Herbs: Organic Herbal Chai teabag. This one is made with rooibos, so I will probably pass it on to someone else, rooibos isn’t really my favorite… But some of their other teas look good!
FOR ADULTS ONLY:
Good Clean Love: Almost Naked Personal Lubricant. Vegan, cruelty-free, edible. Safe for use with latex condoms and safe for pregnant ladies. I haven’t tried it yet, but I am pretty impressed with how clean the ingredient list is. Most lubricants don’t hold up to my ingredient standards, but this one passes!
Blossom Organics: Natural Moisturizing Lubricant and Pure Pleasure Arousal Gel. Unfortunately, I can’t use the Arousal Gel because it has ethylhexylglycerin. I’m not sure about the lubricant yet. I need to do some research on hydroxyethylcellulose and hyaluronic acid. Not sure I really want those things on my lady parts…
So there you have it! 17 different products to test out. Also included in the box are coupon codes for Nutcase Crunch, Bloomin, ResVez, Dr. Cleangreen, C3 for Stress, Soapbox Soap and Blossom Organics.
If you want to start living a cleaner, healthier life or are interested in trying new products you should give Conscious Box a try!
Thank you to Conscious Box for my awesome Valentine’s gift!! ♥♥♥
