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A & D ointment: does anyone else have this issue?

I've used A&D for my baby diaper area sometimes and in my opinion the product works really well.  However, after sometime of using A&D I find that the paint on the tubes starts to rub off. This concerned me, as I was getting small specs of red paint on my hands and if not careful it is easily transferred to my infant's skin. I called the company and informed them of this and the representative said that it is not normal for the paint to rub off after usage. She told me to send back the unused portion of A&D which I did. I sent the product back along with a letter explaining what happened, and also commented that it will be great if the huge container of A&D would have a safety seal especially since it's used for babies and if you use it you would not have to touch the paint on the label.
I've bought A&D again after that, in fact 2 tubes and the same thing happened. I resorted to putting a napkin over the tube while squeezing it. I have safety concerns over this because I am not sure what ingredient the paint on the tubes contain, and if there is lead in it or any other potentially harmful chemicals that should not be on skin.  I called the company and told them about this once again. The representative could not tell me if the paint on their tubes contain lead. 

I will not be buying A&D again because of this.  I've tried equate which is the same ingredients but not affiliated with A&D and so far the paint has not rubbed off, and hasn't rubbed off when handled with some of the ointment on hands.  I urge mammas out there who love A&D and may have experienced the same problem as I have to contact the company about this.  Maybe they won't listen to one or two voices but if everyone who has this problem were to bring it to their attention, the company would listen and do something about the paint rubbing off. Safety is priority.

Healing Diaper rash

 Numerous parents are plagued when their babies have diaper rash. I know I had a hard time when my baby had one.  I tried several different diaper rash creams, and none of them seemed to help much.  The one thing that did help for my baby's diaper rash is when I started using cloth diaper for awhile and stopped using baby wipes. Instead of baby wipes I use a solution of distilled water and Apple cider vinegar (Braggs ACV).  That solution cleared up her diaper rash very quickly, and I recommend all you moms out there to try it!  I now use a combination of cloth and disposable diapers.  When I use the disposable diapers, I use A&D ointment sometimes and I always use the distilled water/ apple cider vinegar solution.  Just think of it, baby wipes has chemicals in them. Imagine wiping them into the babies skin every time you change them every day and for years?  In my opinion water, herbal solutions, or the ACV solution is much cleaner, healthier and fresher for the baby. Not to mention they cost much less!   

Goodbye Tushies-- the world's ONLY gel free diaper

Has anyone been wondering where is Tushies diapers??  I know I have been wondering and trying to find answers! Since late last year, I have had a hard time finding them, and was curious as to what was going on.  I called the company Hains Celestial group (they bought out the small family owned company) and inquired about the diminishing Tushies diapers supply.  They were always vague in their response to me.  Their response was that they didn't really know...they could only tell me that the diapers were in limited production.  As I recall, one woman I spoke with said "maybe they are making more." 
I sensed something was wrong, and I bought any boxes of Tushies I could find on the internet.  I recently heard that Tushies diapers had been discontinued.  I wanted to confirm if this were true and called the Hains Celestial group again this month and spoke with a woman who identified herself as Juliette.  At first, she was "stand offish" and told me that she didn't know much.  As I questioned her more, she went to read some notes that the company had on Tushies and told me that their Toddler, and large diapers were discontinued and that's all she could tell me.  I continued to ask her questions and she "conveniently" at the moment read that their medium and small diapers had been discontinued as well.  So to sum it up, Tushies is discontinued!  I am upset about this, as the diaper worked very well for my LO.  The most natural diaper on the market with no SAP (Super Absorbent Polymers).  The diaper was soft, and she did not have a diaper rash problem with them.  Unfortunately, Tushies was the only diaper in the world that did not have SAPs.  The diaper worked well, absorbed well and I am sorry to see them go.  I am disappointed with Hains Celestial group for trying to cover this up. They play the "ignorant card" with concerned consumers who want answers when they knew all along that these diapers were discontinued.  I have now switched to using mainly cloth diapers.  I find the all in one pocket diapers absorb really well better than disposable diapers!  I know it may sound crazy for those moms who use only disposable.  If your concerned about all the chemicals that are in disposable diapers, and are searching for a natural alternative, cloth diaper is the way.  However, I am still on the search for a more natural disposable diaper for when we are out, and let me tell you, it's hard to find. 

I'm sure that those who love the Tushies diapers appreciate them so much more now.  I hope that one day, they will come back. 

Homemade makeup remover

I had a 100 ml bottle of jojoba oil that only had a small amount left in it.  I added a bit more jojoba oil, about a teaspoon or 2 of olive oil, a few drops of wheat germ oil, vitamin E, about a teaspoon of honey (can be used as a natural preservative), a couple drops of vegetable glycerin, and then added rosewater to oils.  In the picture above you can see that the rosewater separated from the oil.  It settles below the oil.  When I'm ready to take off my makeup, or even to clean my skin I shake up the solution, apply it on a cotton square and take off my makeup and it also cleans the face.  Even though the vitamin E and honey acts as a natural preservative, I only make a small amount of the solution as seen above.  I personally think it's better that way.  
Sometimes coconut oil, or olive oil alone can do the trick for me.  However, I find that the rosewater helps to remove the makeup faster than using the plain oils alone.

Hair oil

I made a hair oil yesterday which contains:
Coconut oil (about 4 solid tablespoons it would work out to be more if it was melted) 
Jojoba oil ( aprox. 7 tbs)  
Grapeseed oil (aprox 6 tbs) 
Wheat germ oil (aprox 2 tbs)  
Sweet almond oil (aprox 2 tbs) 
Extra virgin olive oil (aprox 1 tbs)
Castor oil (1/2 tbs), 
Beta carotene mixed w/ coconut oil (1 tbs) 
2 hazelnuts
a small piece of cactus


I infused the oils (using a double boiler) with about 1 heaping tbs of:  
Nettle (known to promote hair growth and prevent hair from falling out)
Lavender (known to improve circulation and aid in hair growth)
Hibiscus, (known to reduce breakage of hair)  This has a very strong smell so if you want another scent predominant go easy on the hibiscus! 
Also a small piece of cactus.   
After, the oils were cool I strained the oil and added essential oils of rosemary (about 20 drops) , lavender (aprox 10 drops), geranium (aprox 7 drops) vitamin E (aprox 1 tsp), and lemon oil (since I wanted a citrus smell for the oil, I added about 30 drops or more).  (Hmmm.. wonder if I OD on the oils lol) I bottled the oil and stored it in a dark cool place.  
I haven't tried that combination before.  I used it this morning and my hair is shiny and soft. 
It's definitely good for thick hair.  If you have thin hair and you decide to try this formula or a similar one, I recommend you use the oil sparingly because of it's potencyJ


Update Oct. 7th, The oil is working good, but if I were to make this same combination again I would try leaving out the hibiscus to see how it goes.  The reason being is that the smell is strong, and it has sediments left over even after straining it (although the sediments can be avoided if you strain the oil with a cloth). 

Which path do you choose? (Extended)

Many of you who come across this blog may feel the same way I do...
Have you ever took the time to look past the pretty, glittering package of your newly purchased makeup, or beauty products and took notice of the ingredients? Chances are, you probably can't even pronounce most of the ingredients at first glance!  What do they mean?  Many of us don't know.
Our skin is our largest organ; it absorbs everything that we put on our bodies.  Therefore, it is very important that we are fully aware of what we are absorbing through our skins if we so choose.
We should be aware of what we put on our bodies as well as in our bodies.  Our bodies cannot break down inorganic minerals, or inorganic compounds.  If these ingredients are present in our beauty products and even our food, whatever we do not excrete will be deposited and accumulated over time into the joints, organs, and arteries.  This accumulation could lead to calcification, hardening of the arteries and organs, according to many studies.
A good site that I've been using for a long time now in order to rate my cosmetics, products and ingredients is: cosmeticdatabase. com

All that glitters is not gold!

A lot of people invest time and money fixing up their superficial appearance while neglecting their inner health, their inner well- being, which most of us have done at some point and time in our lives.  I believe that true beauty starts from within.  If we are healthy on the inside, from what we eat, use on our bodies and even our very thoughts, it will definitely radiate on the outside:-)  We all have our own path which we must choose, let's choose the right one!