I don’t consider myself a dirty smelly person, but I still enjoy a good soap. And by ‘good’ I mean one that makes me smell nice and doesn’t leave a lot of gunky residue behind. Because really, why come out of the shower with more ich on you then when you went in? Thus enters ecostore, a fabulous company out of New Zealand that has mastered the art of joyful body care products that are also environmentally friendly. Holla!
I am in the process of converting our family over into Green territory. But it takes some time, as I can’t just throw out everything we own and start over. So I was excited when we finished the last of our soap to jump in and try two of ecostore’s amazing bar soaps, Manuka Honey and Kelp and Lemongrass. I love the packaging, as it says clearly “No nasty chemicals” on the front with a running detailed list on the back: “No toxic petro chemicals, no animal fats or tallow, no synthetic dyes, no sodium lauryl sulphate, no propylene glycol.” The ingredients in the soap are all things I recognized and could understand too. This in turn made me feel smart which is an added bonus.
As soon as I opened the package I was greeted with such happy smells. My husband even commented immediately and said “Hey, those make me want to hurry up and go take a bath!” True story. I tried the Manuka Honey and Kelp bar first and was impressed right away. I could feel it exfoliating so I didn’t need to bust out my pumice stone. It had a light fragrance that made me feel pampered, without worrying about being too perfume-y. But the best thing? I was squeaky. As in CLEAN. The other soaps I had been using, presumably WITH nasty chemicals, never made me squeak. And I can only assume it was because it left behind petrochemical residue which skeeves me out. I don’t want that lingering on my skin! From the website:
- overexposure to petrochemicals can contribute to health problems like skin irritations, eczema, allergies, weakened immune system (children with developing immune systems can be even more susceptible), chronic fatigue, endocrine system upsets and even cancer
- many petrochemicals persist in the environment and do not biodegrade
- petrochemicals are an unsustainable, non renewable resource
I don’t want any part of that thankyouverymuch. So I’m glad I found ecostore. They also make awesome household cleaners, laundry detergent and baby care products. If all this sounds amazing then hold on to your hats because ecostore has generously offered one of our readers a $25 gift card to select whatever products tickle your fancy. Their prices are amazing–the soaps I tried are only $3.70! So toodle on over to get clean and healthy!
Mandatory entry: Leave a general comment. You can say anything, especially if it’s nice!
Bonus entries:
Subscribe to LiveWellSpendWell and leave a comment stating you did.
Follow LiveWellSpendWell on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Come back and leave the link in your comment.
If you found us through someone else, leave a comment with that person’s name and you EACH get a bonus entry.
You must leave your email in with your comments so you can be easily contacted. Only open to US and Canada residents. Winner will be selected by random.org and contacted by email. Winner will have 48 72 hours (thanks, lisa, for catching that gaffe!) to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Contest will run July 6th-July 12th 11:59 CST.
pickles & dimes
Good soaps are hard to find but sooo worth it!
July 6th, 2009 @ 9:21 am
sil
i never knew that some soaps could cause eczema! i think i’ll be looking into this site soon since i have sensitive skin now :) thanks for the recommendation!
July 6th, 2009 @ 9:43 am
Pocklock
I want to try this! I hate the slimey feeling some liquid soaps leave.
Can I ask what you use on the baby?
July 6th, 2009 @ 10:10 am
Pocklock
Subscribed in Google Reader pocklock at gmail dot com
July 6th, 2009 @ 10:11 am
Pocklock
Tweeted here!
http://twitter.com/pocklock/status/2497249183
July 6th, 2009 @ 10:11 am
melinda
Awwww Sam. Look at you, all entrepeneur-y. Love the new site!
July 6th, 2009 @ 10:16 am
melinda
Plus, I subscribed in Google Reader.
July 6th, 2009 @ 10:16 am
Alice
am loving this site so far! (the page design is really nice, too – very clean and pretty). you’re most definitely added to ye olde google reader :-)
July 6th, 2009 @ 10:34 am
Kate
I am so excited about this site! I’d also love to convert our family to Green, but man I have alot of crap to use up first! Especially baby lotion and bath stuff, good God did we get alot of that for shower gifts.
This soap sounds amazing, I can almost smell it :)
July 6th, 2009 @ 10:58 am
Kate
I also subscribed in Google Reader!
July 6th, 2009 @ 10:59 am
Twitted by katekono
[...] This post was Twitted by katekono [...]
July 6th, 2009 @ 11:18 am
Anita
Those soaps sound so interesting! I’m going to have to check them out!
July 6th, 2009 @ 11:23 am
Anita
I also subscribed via Google Reader.
July 6th, 2009 @ 11:23 am
Kate
Also tweeted!
http://twitter.com/katekono/status/2498053716
July 6th, 2009 @ 11:30 am
Jennifer
I looked through the ecostore website and found lots of cool things!
July 6th, 2009 @ 2:09 pm
Jennifer
I also subscribed via Google Reader.
July 6th, 2009 @ 2:09 pm
Anita
Applause to getting green! May I suggest your financial vote on American companies?
July 6th, 2009 @ 2:33 pm
Bridget
I love the smell of lemongrass, looks and sounds like something worth trying.
July 6th, 2009 @ 3:19 pm
Bridget
http://twitter.com/HD4Life
July 6th, 2009 @ 3:19 pm
Bridget
http://twitter.com/HD4Life
Twittered about the site. :-)
July 6th, 2009 @ 3:22 pm
Lisa G.
The site looks great and I will definitely be following it! And since I’m a Luddite who does not use Google reader or Twitter, by “following it” I mean I bookmarked it and I will be checking it frequently. Does that count? ;)
July 6th, 2009 @ 3:32 pm
Lisa G.
Ladies, I was checking out the site and I just wanted to comment on one thing: here on the page it says that the winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen, but on your “Disclosures” page I think it says that for contests/giveaways, the winner will have 72 hours. I just wanted to make sure you saw that in case you’re worried about any inconsistencies. Especially if it earns me another entry, ;). (Don’t worry, I’m just kidding about that last part.)
July 6th, 2009 @ 3:48 pm
Amanda
Wow…I’ve never heard of this brand before. I’m excited about it! I have a lot of allergies to soaps/detergents/cleansers, so I’m hoping to find something I can use! Thanks for the product info!
July 7th, 2009 @ 12:42 am
valerie2350
it would be very nice if this general comment was chosen as the winner :)
July 7th, 2009 @ 12:53 am
valerie2350
subscribe
July 7th, 2009 @ 12:53 am
valerie2350
twitter
July 7th, 2009 @ 12:54 am
el-e-e
pretty smelling soap? sign me up!
July 7th, 2009 @ 9:54 am
el-e-e
tweet tweet!
July 7th, 2009 @ 9:56 am
Jen
hey nice site ;) hehe
July 7th, 2009 @ 3:14 pm
Jen
and my twitter post: http://twitter.com/jayesel/status/2519345922
July 7th, 2009 @ 3:18 pm
Melissa
Ooh, sounds great!
July 7th, 2009 @ 5:26 pm
iheartgreen
Commenting. Commenting away. I also have it added to my Google Reader.
July 8th, 2009 @ 10:40 am
iheartgreen
Oh, also I found you through Pseudostoops, aka Katie–does she count?
July 8th, 2009 @ 10:41 am
Sarah
Good “green” soaps are hard to find- I am excited about this website!
July 8th, 2009 @ 2:40 pm
Michelle
Commenting, subscribing, tweeting http://twitter.com/notraisingbrats.
Thanks ladies!
July 9th, 2009 @ 10:43 am
Girl Gone Domestic
Love Ecostore USA products.
July 9th, 2009 @ 9:30 pm
Girl Gone Domestic
Retweeted this giveaway.
July 9th, 2009 @ 9:30 pm
Melissa M
I’m definitely going to bookmark and follow this site!
Lisa G sent me from http://lalittlecricket.livejournal.com/
July 9th, 2009 @ 11:23 pm
DRD
Looks really interesting. I try to use eco-friendly products, and am always looking for new sources–too bad our US companies are catching on so much more slowly than the rest of the world :(
July 10th, 2009 @ 1:56 pm
Patti Bright
These soaps sound so amazing. I would so love to try them
plb8156@aol.com
July 11th, 2009 @ 2:59 pm
Patti Bright
I am a subscriber
plb8156@aol.com
July 11th, 2009 @ 2:59 pm
Patti Bright
I follow on twitter & tweeted
http://twitter.com/plb8156/status/2587313625
plb8156@aol.com
July 11th, 2009 @ 3:01 pm
Patti Bright
I found you from a comment made by @samsfreestuff
plb8156@aol.com
July 11th, 2009 @ 3:01 pm
Madonna Cramer
I checked out Eco-Stores Website and really want to try the Vanilla Shampoo and Conditioner.
Thanks for the great chance to win some $$$ to spend at the Eco-Store.
July 11th, 2009 @ 11:16 pm
Madonna Cramer
I follow you on Twitter and Tweeted: http://twitter.com/madonnacramer/status/2593341706
July 11th, 2009 @ 11:19 pm
Brea's Mommy
Great site! I haven’t tried EcoStore yet but would love the opportunity!
July 12th, 2009 @ 1:22 pm
Amanda G
I would love to win this. There are so many great things to buy! I really could use some more soap.
July 12th, 2009 @ 10:27 pm
Amanda G
I follow you on Twitter (@amandagaff) and I tweeted at http://twitter.com/amandagaff/status/2607629162.
July 12th, 2009 @ 10:29 pm
Amanda G
I subscribe via Google Reader.
July 12th, 2009 @ 10:33 pm