Renpure Organics Shampoo & Conditioner Review + Deal at CVS

Jun 16,2011 / By Maria / 4 Comments

So again I’ll say that I’ve had a hard time switching my personal care products over to more natural alternatives. I admit, I love the way my shampoo, conditioner, soaps, body wash etc. smell and work. Since I started “CVS’ing” in 2007, I haven’t had to pay real money for any of that kind of stuff. It’s also given me the opportunity to try a lot of new brands I wouldn’t have otherwise.

I have a handful of mainstream shampoo/conditioner brands that I love. They smell good and leave my hair clean, soft, shiny and silky. At any given time, I have 4-6 bottles of shampoo (plus their matching conditioners) in my stockpile. If one of my favorites comes up free (or better than free) it goes in the back of the stockpile. If it’s not a favorite, it gets donated.

CVS usually has a lot of great deals around Thanksgiving/Black Friday, and they are open on Thanksgiving! So for the past 3 years, I’ve taken a break from cooking Thanksgiving morning and gotten a haul of good stuff. Nothing like the buzz of a great bargain shop to get you through the cooking. 🙂

Last year, CVS had Renpure Organics shampoo & conditioner on sale for $4.99, and when you bought it, you got $4.99 Extra Care Bucks back (limit 2.) Renpure has quite a selection of shampoo/conditioners, but my CVS didn’t have many. So, I got the “I love my hair” body & shine shampoo/conditioner. I’d love to try the “my savvy hair needs sleek” smoothing formula, or maybe even the revitalizing or strengthening formulas.

Anyhoo, the Renpure products do not contain sulfates, parabens, dyes, gluten, phthlates or propylene glycol. It’s made with 100% certified organic extracts and the formula I got contains hydrolyzed soy protein, green tea, chamomile and sunflower oil.

Shampoo ingredients:
•Water (Aqua)
•Decyl Glucoside
Sugar derived foaming agent based on Coconut Oil
•Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate
Vegetable Oil based foaming agent
•Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Coconut Oil based mild foaming agent
•Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
Sugar derived foam stabilizing agent based on Palm Oil
•Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract
Certified Organic anti-inflammatory
•Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract
Certified Organic anti-oxidant to protect hair color
•Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
Natural protein replenishment
•Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Natural protein replenishment
•Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
Certified Organic natural hair lipid
•Panthenol
Pro-Vitamine B5 moisturizing and hair repair
•Polyquaternium-10
Hair conditioning agent
•PEG-150 Distearate
Palm Oil based thickener
•Glycol Stearate
Palm Oil based pearl opacifier
•Polyquaternium-47
Hair conditioner
•PEG-100 Stearate
Palm Oil based thickener
•Cetyl Betaine
Coconut Oil based foaming agent
•Coco-Glucoside
Coconut Oil based foaming agent
•Glyceryl Oleate
Palm Oil based emulsifier
•Amodimethicone
Modified silicone hair conditioner
•Glycerin
Vegetable Oil moisturizing agent
•C11-15 Pareth-7
Solubilizer
•Laureth-9
Solubilizer
•Trideceth-12
Solubilizer
•Benzophenone-4
Sunscreen to protect hair color
•Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Food grade pH stabilizer
•Citric Acid
Fruit acid based pH adjuster
•Diazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
•Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Preservative
•Fragrance (Parfum)
Pineapple Olive

Conditioner ingredients:
•Water (Aqua)
•Cetearyl Alcohol
Canola Oil based emulsifier
•Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Hair conditioner derived from Rapeseed Oil
•Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract
Certified Organic anti-inflammatory
•Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract
Certified Organic anti-oxidant to protect hair color
•Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
Natural protein replenishment
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
Certified Organic source for Vitamin E
•Panthenol
Pro-Vitamine B5 moisturizing and hair repair
•Tocopherol Acetate
Vitamin E for sun protection
•Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil
Natural hair lipid
•PEG-100 Stearate
Palm Oil based thickener
•Dicetyldimonium Chloride
Palm Oil based hair conditioner
•Cetrimonium Chloride
Palm Oil based hair conditioner
•Glyceryl Stearate
Emulsifier based on Palm Oil
•Stearalkonium Chloride
Palm Oil based hair conditioner
•Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
Food grade pH stabilizer
•Citric Acid
Fruit acid based pH adjuster
•Diazolidinyl Urea
Preservative
•Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Preservative
•Fragrance (Parfum)
Pineapple Olive

It had a pleasant smell (not quite what I’m used to, but not bad) and was sudsier than I expected for a non-mainstream product.

The best part by far is that both bottles I bought had “try me free” hang tag (around the neck of the bottles) rebates. Keep in mind that I paid $10.58 in Extra Bucks, then got $9.98 back. So all it “cost” me was 60 cents Extra Bucks for the tax. Even so, I figured it was worth a stamp to try for the rebate. The forms did not limit the rebate to one per household. So, I sent both completed forms and my receipt, not expecting much. Lo and behold I was refunded for both bottles!! $9.98 was the rebate check amount, meaning the shampoo earned me $9.38 in real dollars (vs. Extra Care Bucks A.K.A. monopoly money, LOL.)

I would buy Renpure again (with a good deal of course) but I wouldn’t buy this formula again. I felt it weighed my hair down, and as though I had residue on it. It didn’t really feel clean. My husband finished the bottles because I couldn’t bring myself to use it anymore! No, it’s not exactly baking soda and apple cider vinegar, but I think it’s a good compromise for those of us would-be-crunchy ladies, who are still clutching our mainstream shampoo products in our white-knuckled, sudsy mitts. With the CVS deals, it’s certainly a great compromise for those of us who are pinching pennies too!

There’s another Renpure deal at CVS next week (6/19-6/25.) Please keep in mind that deals can be regional, so check your local ad before you buy! Renpure Organics Shampoo/Conditioner is on sale for $4.99 and when you buy a bottle, you will receive $3.00 Extra Care Bucks. That makes your net cost $1.99. Unfortunately, the limit is just one this time, so you’ll have to choose shampoo or conditioner. You can buy more than one bottle at the $4.99 price, but you will only get one $3.00 Extra Care Buck back. If my CVS has any of the other shampoo formulas I wanted to try, I might try again!

Coupon Discount Natural Personal Care Products Review Sale

Tom’s of Maine Wicked Fresh Mouthwash Review + Deal at CVS Next Week

Jun 14,2011 / By Maria / 2 Comments

So I tried the Tom’s of Maine Wicked Fresh Toothpaste as part of a BzzAgent campaign last year, then I tried the Tom’s of Maine Natural Deodorant a few months ago.

I’ve explained before that since I’ve been “CVS’ing” since 2007, I haven’t paid more than a few pennies (paid in CVS ExtraBucks mind you…not real money, LOL) for my personal care products, including toothpaste (I only “buy” that if they pay me to take it, and I donate a lot as it is!) deodorant and mouthwash. The deal with the deodorant was that it was on sale for $3.99, and you got $3.00 Extra Care Bucks back. It’s regularly around $5.29 for 16 ounces.

I’ve struggled with switching my personal care products to more natural alternatives, largely because I can’t bring myself to pay $5, $8 or more for things I can get for free (when they are for me anyway, my kids are worth it of course.) Even though 99 cents was “a lot to pay” I figured it was worth a try for something more natural.

If you read my deodorant review, you know that was a bust, but the deal was limit 2, and included the Wicked Fresh Mouthwash. I recently finished the bottle and it was OK. It was definitely worth 99 cents!

Here are the ingredients:

(Name/Purpose/Source)

Water/Consistency/Maine aquifer
Glycerin/Skin moisturizing/Vegetable oils
Sorbitol /Moistener/Corn (Zea mays)
Aloe vera leaf juice (organic)/Soothing feel/Organic aloe (Aloe barbadensis) plant
Propanediol (vegetable source)/Consistency/Corn (Zea Mays)
Natural flavors/Flavor/Natural oils derived from the leaves of mint and other aromatic plants
Benzoic acid (natural)/Preservative/Apples or Cinnamon leaf/bark
Zinc chloride/Fresh Breath/Derived from purified zinc from the earth
Menthol/Flavor/Brazilian cornmint (Mentha arvensis) oil

Sounds a little better than this, eh?: THYMOL (0.064%), EUCALYPTOL (0.092%), METHYL SALICYLATE (0.060%), MENTHOL (0.042%) INACTIVE INGREDIENTS: WATER, ALCOHOL (21.6%), SORBITOL SOLUTION, FLAVORING, POLOXAMER 407, BENZOIC ACID, SODIUM SACCHARIN, SODIUM BENZOATE, FD&C GREEN 3

Anyhoo, I’ll be honest that I don’t think it was quite as effective as the traditional stuff. My breath didn’t seem as fresh and my teeth weren’t slick-clean. However, I would continue to buy it if I can get good deals!

~~FreeVS~~ CVS has another deal on Tom’s of Maine next week, 6/19-6/25. Please keep in mind that some deals are regional,so check your local ad before you buy!!

Tom’s of Maine Toothpaste, Mouthwash or Deodorant will be on sale for $3.49 and you will get $1.00 Extra Care Buck back when you buy it (limit two.) The 6/19/11 Smart Source Coupon insert is supposed to have $1 coupon for Tom’s of Maine Toothpaste or Mouthwash, as well as a $1 coupon for Tom’s of Maine Deodorant. (Make sure you’re buying the largest paper in your area, ex: my local paper doesn’t usually have the good coupons, but the Washington Post does.) So your net cost would be $1.49 each. Not bad if you’ve been wanting to try their products, or if you already use them!

Cloth Pads Coupon Discount Eco-Friendly/Green Made in the USA Reusable Products Review

“Party in My Pants Pads” Mama Cloth Review & Discount

May 17,2011 / By Maria / 8 Comments

This is your fair warning that this post is about mama cloth. Though I try to use discretion in order to not be gross (and not attract weird google searchers!) there is bound to be at least some “TMI.”

Those who have been reading for a bit know that I’ve been interested in Mama cloth for quite a while. Though I know I’m not alone when I say I initially though “reuseable WHAT?!,” it didn’t take long for the idea to grow on me. I think it was after switching my son to cloth that I started to think “hey, I want this soft cloth instead of paper too!” A few weeks ago, Party in My Pants Pads had a special offer where they sent the first 1,000 people (who had never tried mama cloth) a liner, absolutely free to try. Who can say no to that?

From the very beginning, I was impressed with the company. They were understandably overwhelmed by the traffic the promotion brought, and I had trouble getting my form to go through. I wasn’t sure if the 1,000 liners were gone, or if it was just a traffic issue, so I sent them a quick email. I received a personal, very sweet email from Melissa almost immediately. I chose my options (I could choose from mini, demi or luxe in cotton or flannel fabric, I chose the mini in cotton) provided my address, and I was set! About a week later, I received my shipping notice with tracking number.

The package arrived so discreetly that I didn’t realize what it was at first! I opened the package while I was waiting to pick my daughter up from school. I wanted to rip into it immediately, but it was packaged so nicely (see the first picture) that I had to photograph it first to show you! I love how the liner folds up onto itself and the wing snaps keep it closed. Also that there’s a little tag labeled “mini liner,” so you don’t have to try to keep track of what’s what.

Look what I found when I opened the liner! This was such a fun surprise. It was such a small thing, but just very neat, and speaks volumes about the company. My daughter spotted the chocolate unfortunately, but I did get a bite (and boy, was it delicious!!)

One fun thing about mama cloth is all the prints you can get! I didn’t get to choose the print for my sample, but when I saw what I received, I had to laugh! If you think about it, you are wearing money in your undies when you use disposable feminine products (only you throw it away afterwards!)

Of course, there’s no adhesive on mama cloth, the wings snap closed to keep it in place. I love this. Once you snap it on, you can slide it a bit to get it placed just right. With disposable products, I always have the trouble of needing to try to peel it off and re-place it, without the adhesive sticking to everything & having the wings stick to themselves.

The top of my liner is cotton (you can also choose flannel) and honestly, it just feels so much nicer to have cloth against my skin instead of paper (not to menton it doesn’t crinkle, making me feel like I’m wearing a diaper!)

I wanted to see how it stacked up next to a disposable liner, so I grabbed what I had in my stockpile, these Kotex long liners.

I think they are very close in size. Once I got the liner situated and the wings nice and flat, I didn’t even notice it. initially I felt like you could/should be able to see the line through my jeans, but I checked (I’m sure I looked silly bending over and looking over my shoulder in the mirror, LOL!) and you couldn’t.

The mini liner measures about 7″ x 2″ and is for very light flow/every day use. They’re available in a variety of flannel, cotton and organic cotton prints and have a breathable nylon layer to guard against leaks. The snaps are also nickel free. The mini liner retails for $9.99.

The pads are available in a huge variety of sizes, from thong liners to queen pads. The Party in My Pants (P.I.M.P hee hee) website has an awesome PIMP prescription page to help you choose the right pad. They sell kits to help you get started, and even have a “Mama Rama Kit” and a “Mama Mini Kit” for postpartum Mama Cloth (you can buy the Queen and Overnight pads separately too.)

So, what my verdict?

-I’ve only used this liner for “everyday” use, so I haven’t had to figure out the washing issue yet, since right now it’s no different than washing undies. However, when my disposable pads bunch up on me, I wash my underwear, I don’t throw them away. So I’m really not that intimidated about washing cloth pads.

-They’re soft and comfy. I find disposable pads irritating in many ways, and since I had my son, tampons aren’t comfortable for me anymore.

-They’re better for the environment, and I find it far more disgusting to have that stuff sitting in my trash can, than to have cloth in a wet bag for a day or two.

-If you normally pay for feminine products, these will save you money in the long run. Like cloth diapers, there’s an initial investment, but it will pay off over time. I’m a big couponer and haven’t paid more than a few pennies for this sort of stuff for years. Still, the benefits of mama cloth are worth it to me. Be sure to check out the sale section, where they have the “Cloth Pad Curious” (what I got) available for $3.99 now that the 1,000 free liners are gone.

-I’m loving this company. Their products are great and well made. The people who own/work for the company obviously care about their work and their customers. The little things like the packaging really impressed me.

So, what are you waiting for? Go try some mama cloth!

Discount: Use coupon code MM52011 to receive $5 off your order of $35 or more. Coupon expires 6/10/2011.

FTC compliance: I received the pictured item at no cost (along with 999 other people) as part of a promotion unrelated to this blog. I was not asked to write this review, I was not compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

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Episencial All Natural Skincare – Baby Safe Summer Skincare Review, Giveaway & Discount (CLOSED 5/23)

May 16,2011 / By Maria / 10 Comments

Episencial sells natural skincare products designed just for babies and kids. Their products don’t have any icky stuff like parabens or phthlates, are manufactured using solar power, and are packaged in recycled and sustainable materials!

I received the SPF 35 Sunny Sunscreen (the MSRP for a 4 oz tube is $14), the SPF 6 Protective Face Balm (MSRP $5.99 for .75 oz) and the Soothing Cream (MSRP $10.99 for 4 oz.)

The sunscreen blocks UVA and UVB rays with zinc and titanium. It contains organic green tea extract, sesame, safflower and avocado oils, so it’s great for baby’s skin! Beeswax and organic shea butter make the sunscreen water resistant (not petroleum or chemicals.)

I have “issues” with the texture and feeling of products, but I love this Episencial sunscreen. It goes on smoothly without a lot of leftover white goop, and it doesn’t feel greasy. I am used to applying water resistant sunscreen, then washing my hands with soap 10 times to get the gross feeling off, and finding greasy spots all over everything my kids touched or leaned on!

The face balm is perfect for faces and lips, and contains aloe vera, cocoa butter and shea butter to soothe and moisturize. It’s fortified with vitamins A, C,D & E and contains raspberry juice, cranberry extract and grape seed.

Like the sunscreen, it has a nice texture and isn’t too heavy or greasy.

The soothing cream is perfect for itchy, irritated skin. It contains probiotics, cucumber extract, aloe vera, borage seed oil, jojoba seed oil, oat extract, safflower, green tea, neem oil and calendula extract. All ingredients are designed to soothe and heal dry skin and ezcema.

Keeping with the theme, it has a wonderful texture as well!

You can view complete and up to date ingredients lists on Episencial’s website. Be sure to check out Episencial on Facebook and follow Episencial on Twitter to keep up on all the latest! Check out the Episencial Store Locator to see if these great products are available near you.

Skin Cancer Awareness Month Special: Did you know it was skin cancer awareness month? Episencial has a deal for you this week only (May 16th-23rd) at Dermstore.com.

Offer: Get 15% off all Episencial products with the purchase of Episencial Sunny Sunscreen!
Promo code: DSSUNNY.
Offer valid: May 16-23 only.

Giveaway: Episencial is offering one of my readers an Episencial Suncare Kit containing a 4 oz SPF 35 Sunny Sunscreen, .75 oz SPF 6 Protective Face Balm and .75 oz Soothing Cream. The combined value of these products is $30, the ARV of the kit is $14.99.

Here’s how to enter: All entries go in the form below. I love comments (great way to remind yourself you entered) but comments do not count as entries.

Mandatory entries include your name, and email address. You may receive a bonus entry if you “like” The NEW Change-Diapers.com page. Please note: this is a new page. You must like the new page to receive this bonus entry. Feel free to “unlike” the old page after you do!

I will accept entries until Monday, May 23rd, 2011 at 9:00 P.M. Eastern. I will select a winner using random.org’s true random number generator and notify him/her by email. Winner has 48 hours to respond before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is chosen. View my giveaway rules page for complete details. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S.

# of entries received as of giveaway close: 187

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FTC compliance: I received the pictured items at no cost in order to review them. I was not otherwise compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

Disclosure: This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, nor associated with Facebook. By entering, you release Facebook from any responsibility and understand that the information entered on this form will not be disclosed to Facebook.

Baby Wearing Coupon Discount Review

Boba Baby Carrier Review PLUS Coupon/Discount Code!

Sep 16,2010 / By Maria / 6 Comments

NAP, inc. makes both the Sleepy Wrap and the Boba Baby Carrier. The Sleepy Wrap was a lifesaver for us. I love it so much that if I could marry it, I totally would. So logically, when I was looking for a soft structured carrier, I looked at Boba. The Boba is designed for babies 15-45 pounds; if you have a smaller baby, you will love the Sleepy Wrap!

My post in October on The Village of Moms is on Babywearing, so look for that to read more about the Sleepy Wrap and why I love it, along with photos and video of it!

I received the Organic Carrier in Aspen (retail $118), which is a nice, neutral color. The box it came in is really nice, I felt like I was opening a present!! It also came with a helpful instructional booklet, though you can also get information on their website. Boba recently released the Classic Carrier Collection. It is the same great carrier in fabulous colors, but comes with a lower price tag of $100 to go along with the non-organic cotton.

The Boba has a wide, padded waist band, and thick, cushy shoulder straps.

The sleeping hood attaches to the shoulder straps to support a snoozing baby’s head. It’s completely removable and tucks away neatly when not in use.

Unique to the Boba are the fully adjustable (and removable) foot straps, that provide proper leg support for older children (usually age 2 or so) and hold their knees up at hip level. They also slide along the waist band so you can get them perfectly adjusted for your little one.

Measurements above show: (clockwise, left to right) carrier height, carrier width, waist band height, strap width.

The Boba is highly adjustable, and will fit a wide range of sizes. The adjustments are sturdy straps that come with the excess neatly folded up. Aside from the foot strap and hood adjustments, you can adjust the waist, chest/back clip, move the chest/back clip up and down, and there are two adjustments for the shoulder straps themselves (seen above).

Below is a quick video demonstrating all of the adjustments on the Boba. I did this video when I first received the carrier. It becomes easier over time to adjust the straps, and I’d recommend sliding each one back & forth many times when you first receive it, before trying to adjust it while wearing it.

The carrier was a little intimidating at first with all the straps, but it was so easy to put on!

I did most of these photos and videos with my camera on a tripod while my husband was watching my son, so I had to recruit a model to help me out! Obviously, he is a little smaller than the minimum 15 pound baby the Boba recommends.

Clip the waist belt and adjust the strap.

In the pictures above, I had one strap on my shoulder before I picked Manny Bear up. Normally, I could pick up my son and hold him against my belly. Supporting his bottom with one hand, pull one shoulder strap up. Switch hands, supporting his bottom with the other hand, and putting the other shoulder strap on.

Fasten the chest/back clip and tighten. I had a little trouble tightening the back clip, and with NAP Inc.’s help I discovered it was easier to tighten this all the way before putting the carrier on, and tightening the shoulder straps instead. I am far more petite than the average petite person (I measured my shoulder width at about 15″) so I need most adjustments all the way tightened to feel secure.

Below is a quick video showing me putting the carrier on:

I will admit that it took quite a bit of playing around to get the fit just right, but once I did, it was wonderful. I didn’t know about all these awesome babywearing products when my daughter was small, so my babywearing experience with her was limited to the baby bjorn. Not only is the front facing carrier not recommended for several reasons, but it put so much strain on my shoulders that I couldn’t carry her for more than a few minutes, even when she was tiny.

One of the most important things about the Boba (to me) is that my son is sitting the same way he would be if I were holding him. His legs are held in a natural position.

My husband is more average sized, and the carrier fits wonderfully on him as well.

My husband also tried him on his back, but it was about bedtime and my son was not happy that I was taking pictures of him instead of holding him! We’re happy with the front carry right now with my son’s size and development, but the fact that we can use it in a back carry is great!

In conclusion, we LOVE the Boba Baby Carrier! My son is so happy when he is in it, and it’s very comfortable. I was sad when he seemed to be getting too big for the Sleepy Wrap, but now I can grocery shop, vacuum and do everything else I need to do in complete comfort. Woo-hoo!

Discount: Use coupon code Boba10 to get 10% off any Boba Baby Carrier.

FTC Compliance: I received the above product at no cost in order to review it. I was not otherwise compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own. I was not requested or required to write a positive review.

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Category : Discount

Renpure Organics Shampoo & Conditioner Review + Deal at CVS

Tom’s of Maine Wicked Fresh Mouthwash Review + Deal at CVS Next Week

“Party in My Pants Pads” Mama Cloth Review & Discount

Episencial All Natural Skincare – Baby Safe Summer Skincare Review, Giveaway & Discount (CLOSED 5/23)

Boba Baby Carrier Review PLUS Coupon/Discount Code!

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