04 April 2014

Zoos Victoria Guide to a Palm Oil free Easter

This will be a very short post, and mainly geared to the Australian consumers.  This guide: http://www.zoo.org.au/palmoil/easter, kindly collated by Zoos Victoria, will let you know whether unsustainable palm oil is in your favourite Easter treats.  Use their chart to make the better choice for Orang-utans this year and support manufacturers and stores who either use certified sustainable palm oil or no palm oil at all.

01 April 2014

Moo Goo Products

It has been a very gradual change in our household to find more organic or natural personal care products.  It's hard to want to change from what you know and risk irritating your skin.  Or find out that your new deodorant doesn't work!!  However, I find that once I notice my shampoo has palm oil in it, I have a hard time ignoring that fact.  Fortunately we've found that switching to more natural products has been very good for the sensitive skin in this family.  This post will focus on the Australian company Moo Goo, since we've been very happy with their products.  They're natural, local, and don't cost too much.  Here's a little run-down:

1. MSM soothing cream= we had to try this to combat the keratosis pilaris in our family.  After 30 years  I finally found a product that gave my skin the gentle moisture it needed, thereby reducing the redness and bumps on my face and arms.  A little miracle.  In fact, the pores on my nose are smaller now as well.  A natural product that goes a long way because you don't need much of it, and the effects are more than I could even dream of.

2. Scalp Cream= my kids have inherited my susceptibility to seborrheic dermatitis, which means they have "cradle cap" for 5 years, while I have what look like dry zits around my nose and mouth.  Scalp cream to the rescue.  I tried all kinds of home remedies for my son and none of them worked, but my daughter will benefit from the scalp cream.  And my little break outs are controlled within a couple days.  I've even caught my hubby using it!

3. Natural Mini Moo Bubbly Wash= here's a good example of feeling OK that a product you used is going down the drain.  Everything in this wash is natural, it does the job, and I don't have to worry that it contains carcinogens like Johnson and Johnson's!  I'm even finding that since beginning to use this to wash my kids' bodies and hair, their skin and scalps are less irritated after a bath.

4. Nappy Balm= another good example of a tube of cream that will last for ages because it can be used sparingly.  My bub's rashes have gone in 24 hours.

5. Deodorant= perhaps the biggest change!  I was finding that the deodorant that worked best for me was an aerosol, and from a packaging/production standpoint those are not the best choice.  I could have just found a different form of deodorant, but I made the big leap to go natural.  In doing so, I am foregoing the antiperspirant aspect, since aluminium clogs and swells your sweat glands and Moo Goo doesn't want that.  The "natural" way to go is to see sweat as a normal body response, and to fight body odour instead.  It was a little bit scary to give this a go, but I'm quite happy with the results.  Some aluminium-free deodorants are just cover ups and don't go the extra mile to fight the odour-causing bacteria.  Fortunately I'm very happy to report that this deodorant works.  Actually it kind of took two days for my body to get used to it.  Perhaps my sweat glands needed to get used to something gentle?  I just had to apply it twice a day for the first couple days, then everything was normal.

I might sound like I'm gushing, but I'm just so happy that in going to a "greener" product, I've also found things that work incredibly well for our skin issues.  I have a few retailers near me, but Moo Goo has online stores that ship worldwide.  I recommend looking at their website because it is packed with information.