Raindrops On Roses And Whiskers On Kittens…

Blah blah blah blah blah blah cheesy blah blah

Okay, so these really are a few of my favorite things. But I didn’t want to title my post that way. The queen of talk sort of owns that phrase now. And I wouldn’t want to disappoint you, because I have no free stuff to give away. 😦

A lot, but not all, of these products come from my switch to “greener” more natural products that has happened over the last five or six years. This happened after reading a very extensive magazine article and then doing further research on the internet. The result has been that I enjoy not getting headaches and feeling light headed when cleaning. On the personal care front, my complexion is a bazillion times better and both the husband and myself have significantly decreased problems with dry skin.

Seventh Generation Disinfecting Wipes.

I have an explanation for the little bottles, I promise. 🙂

Here’s the deal, these disinfectant wipes are actually one of the only “natural” cleaning products that in my opinion smell bad. But I fix it by giving each container a few shakes of an essential oil. I already had the oils on hand. Because sometimes I get delusional, which I have mentioned several times on this blog. I actually thought at one point that I would try to make my own cleaners. Yeah right!
It’s worth noting that I also use window and glass cleaner from this company.

Bayes Granite Cleaner And Rejuvinator.

I love this stuff!

This stuff is amazing! I tried several different granite cleaners from the hardware and grocery stores, but they all left streaks. ***Special Note*** Be very careful about cleaning granite and natural stone counter tops. Glass cleaners and disinfectant wipes will dull and disintegrate the finish. This cleaner smells great and it’s biodegradable. I’ve been meaning to check out this company’s other zillion products but haven’t had the need yet. Also, I’ve had great luck buying a box of six on Amazon and getting it for a much reduced per bottle price. One final note, I use hot soapy water for everyday cleaning and this spray once or twice a week.

Here is proof that I’m not so Green: Finish dish washing detergent.

Thanks to SIL, Kristin for buying this giant tub for me over Thanksgiving!

I did try to use a couple of different “Natural” detergents, but they just weren’t cutting it. I’m open to switching if anyone knows of one that they swear by. But for right now, this stuff is kicking ass inside my dishwasher.

Bar Keepers Friend

awesome stuff

I’ve already spoken about my love of this product here. The affair continues. If you can’t find it, Bon Ami is a really good substitute.

Now for personal care products. The first is probably the most controversial. Miessence Deodorant

deodorant NOT anti-perspirant

I know what you are thinking, “Nichole stinks! And she’s crazy if she thinks I’m going to go around being stinky like her!”. People, I do not stink. But I do sweat. Guess what, you are supposed to sweat. You wear deodorant to deodorize the stink. When you wear antiperspirant, you stop yourself (mostly) from sweating, which is not super good for you. Before you freak out, I freely admit that if I was one of these people who has an abnormally large amount of sweat, I would probably be using something else. But I am not one of these people who never sweats and the husband uses it as well and he’s very manly. 🙂 The link I have provided is for the place here in the U.S. that I purchase from. Miessence is an Australian company. If you have problems with itchy pits, clogged pores in that area, etc… you should really give this a try.

Burt’s Bees!

I use this stuff every day!

This company has so many great products. The picture above contains what I use every day:
Garden Tomato Complexion Soap
Hand Sanitizer
Citrus And Ginger Root Body Wash
Beeswax Lip Balm
If you have problems with dry skin, you should check the ingredients of your personal care products for SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) and SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate). They are drying agents and are contained in almost all conventional shampoos and body washes.

Rachel Perry Oil Free Moisturizer With SPF. I love this stuff. It smells great, it feels great and never causes breakouts while giving protection from the sun.

I'm almost out, need to re-order!

As you can see from the link above, this lotion is Out Of Stock. But I have found that not only is it out of stock, the company went out of business. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m so sad! If anyone has any secret resources for discontinued products, I’d love to hear about them. Or any suggestions for a new moisturizer. I hate it when this stuff happens.

Tom’s Of Maine

No sugar!

Did you know that all the conventional brands of toothpaste have sugar in them. Not even real sugar – saccharin. Yuck!

The husband’s shaving soap is made by a really cool company in good old KCMO – Indigo Wild. You may have seen their soaps called Zum Bars. I really love all of their soaps, but I always stock up on the shaving soap which is cut from a huge bulk bar at Central Market. I am seeing from their website that they have tons of great stuff that I haven’t tried yet. I shall be sampling soon!

Zum Bar Shavng Soap

What are your favorite products? Anyone have any suggestions for me to replace my moisturizer (R.I.P. Rachel Perry 😦 )? How about a greener product to use in my dishwasher?