Alba Botanica SPF 50 SunScreen (review)

Last year I found an organic sunscreen I liked a lot, but we couldn't find it without driving roughly 90 miles. While that's not always a big deal (since that's right near the zoo and we like making zoo trips), it's not very practical for the rest of the time. I also couldn't find it higher than SPF30, and it had only 40 minutes of water resistance.

I did some searching and found Alba Botanica's Hawaiian Clear Spray Sunscreen with SPF50. It's not organic, but the ingredients are 100% vegetarian, biodegradable, and it is water resistant for 80 minutes.

One of my favourite things about this sunscreen is that it is air-propelled (no CFCs) and it is biodegradable. It is also free of parabens, phthalates, and ..... synthetic fragrances!!! This last one is huge for me because most fake scents don't agree with me. Well, at least not my sinuses.

In addition to the benefits above, it's an easy spray-on sunscreen that doesn't need to be rubbed in. Instead of being a white sunscreen that sprays on and you rub in, this sunscreen is clear.

If heavily applied (as on Squiggle's arm above), it's still just clear. Also, don't spray that much on. That happened because Bobble was helping! I just used the extra to apply to her face. Bobble's back (also seen above) shows immediately after applying the sunscreen (in the proper amount).

To apply to faces, simply spray on your hand and then apply to the face. Alternatively, wipe the extra off that your child attempted to apply themselves and use that.

Another neat feature is the locking cap. If you twist the cap to the right, it won't spray. While not exactly child-proof, it certainly helps with sunscreen transport in a bag!

I haven't been able to find this locally, though Walmart apparently carries it (at least online). Having Amazon Prime, however, it's a non-issue. Though I could also order the other sunscreen I liked (mentioned at the beginning of the post), this one lasts longer and is much less expensive.

Disclaimer: The above products were purchased by me. Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated in any way for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own.

Blogger Beach Bash!

Welcome to week 5 of the Blogger Beach Bash sponsored by Kelly’s Closet! I’m honoured to get to participate with all the other lovely bloggers, and to work with Diapershops.com! Don’t forget to head on over to the Diapershops.com blog and enter the prize package of sunscreen, a reusable swim diaper, and a medium wet bag! You can also enter to win a $15 gift certificate to Kelly’s Closet at the bottom of this entry!

I thought long and hard about what to post, and I was torn between summer traveling tips and making a long list of must-haves for the summer time…. So I am doing both, but a shorter version! I have my top 5 summer must-haves on Pinterest, and a little tidbit about travel too!

Traveling with Pocket Diapers

We never travel more than 4 hours to get to our destination (well, we haven’t yet, anyway!), so please keep that in mind if you’re going to use this for a travel guide! We also normally do NOT wash diapers while we are gone, as we are normally only gone 3 days/2 nights. Yes, I have that many (pocket) diapers. That aside, Bobble is now 18 months, so you need to adjust any amounts to take into consideration that he does not mess as many diapers as a newborn, or even a 6 month old.

When traveling for an extended period of time (read: over 2 hours), I always use a “night time diaper” on our Bobble. A “night time diaper” is really just any pocket (aplix) diaper that I have double stuffed, or a double-stuffed Rump-a-rooz diaper. Since Bobble likes to peel at aplix, we generally cannot put them on him unless he’s either sleeping, or in a carseat. I always pack enough “night time diapers” to get me through however many nights I’ll be away from home, however many naps he’ll take in that time frame, and one for each leg of the journey. That normally equates to 5 diapers since we try to travel during his nap time to make everything easier on us. Our favorite diapers to use as “night time diapers” are:

• ·         BumGenius 4.0
• ·         Rump-a-rooz
• ·         Blueberry Deluxe Pocket

We also make sure to bring a FuzziBunz hanging pail to use while we are at our destination because this is easy to transport and the elastic at the top, while it doesn’t seal anything, helps keep some of the smell inside. I also take a medium wet bag (either Bummis or Blueberry) for each leg of the journey, one of the non-traveling day, plus one more (one extra one to sit in the diaper bag in case we end up with wet clothes that don’t need to be with smelly diapers). Since they are size medium, I am able to fit all dirty diapers for that day (while out and about) into the bag.

We made our own liners from a yard of anti-pill fleece (just cut them into rectangles!) to use for non-clothdiapering safe creams, but they also work great for traveling! I almost always place one of these liners in the diaper while out of town so any messy diapers keep most (or all) of the mess from staining our actual diaper. This is great since we often don’t get to do diaper laundry while out of town, and I’d much rather have a discoloured piece of fleece than a discoloured diaper, and I’d much rather have any leftover particles stuck on a liner than my diaper!

I’m not very squeamish, so I had no problem taking the liners and holding them under the water in the toilet (hey, that’s clean water anyway! Well…. It was clean!) and folding the material of either the diaper or the liners and rubbing it together to break off any particles. It works pretty well for those messier diapers! In an ideal world, my mother-in-law would let me hook up a diaper sprayer at her house to leave there.  I tried explaining how much easier it would make cleaning her entire bathroom (mostly tiled), but she was convinced her water (heavy on the calcium) would ruin the sprayer. I would definitely recommend providing a diaper sprayer to your family to keep there if they will go for it. I just explained how great it was for helping clean toilets, providing water for mopping (seriously, no bucket!) and more, and it was pretty convincing for them. It would make cleaning more convenient for them, and spraying diapers more convenient for you when you visit!

We do our diaper laundry as soon as we get home, especially in the summer time since the heat doesn’t help the smell of those dirty diapers!

Top 5 Summer Must-Haves On Pinterest

Speaking of summer heat, I wanted to share with you my must-haves for summer! Best of all, you can find 4 of the 5 items on Kelly’s Closet! So what are the top 5 Summer Must-haves?

1.       Episencial Sunny Sunscreen

Source: kellyscloset.com via Thoughts on Pinterest

Everyone needs protection from the sun, so why not go natural with Episencial Sunny Sunscreen SPF 35? Great for all ages (and water-resistant, too)!

2.       Imse Vimse Swim Diapers

Source: kellyscloset.com via Thoughts on Pinterest

Looking for a great swim diaper? Imse Vimse Swim Diapers not only come in adorable prints, but they are super trim! (Sizes run a little large, so size down if you're unsure!)

3.       Planet Wise Wet Bags

Source: kellyscloset.com via Thoughts on Pinterest

Planet Wise Wet Bags are fantastic for storing wet clothing in, and have great prints/patterns like Tropical Retreat (shown above).

4.       Episencial Soothing Cream

Source: kellyscloset.com via Thoughts on Pinterest

Re-moisturize your skin after playing in the sun with Episencial Soothing Cream-4OZ. Safe for all ages, and all-natural!

5.       EnviroSax Reusable Bags

Source: envirosax.com via Thoughts on Pinterest

Looking for the perfect beach/pool bag? Check out Envirosax (pictured: Sydney)! Many different prints to suit your style, large enough to hold everything you need, but with a wide strap to prevent it from digging into your arm! Rolls up to be compact for storage!

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I am part of the Kelly’s Closet Blogger Beach Bash.  Kelly’s Closet sent me Super Undies (size Medium) for my participation in the campaign.  To see a complete list of bloggers who are participating visit the Kelly’s Closet blog.

Episencial 3-step system review & giveaway!

With the summer sun growing seemingly hotter by the day, many mothers are looking for a natural sun screen to protect both them and their little ones. This is how I found Episencial. Episencial makes natural products for your whole family, and is great for those with skin sensitivities. The company was kind enough to send me their 3-Step System for review. This 3 pack contained their Soothing Cream, Playful Wash, and Sunny Sunscreen.

The first item we used was the Sunny Sunscreen since it has been very sunny and my little Bobble loves playing outside.  The sunscreen doesn’t really have much of a smell other than normal “lotion” smell. It’s not strongly scented like when someone walks by you in the store and you get a sudden whiff of sunscreen. (That actually happened to me this morning!) The sunscreen rubbed in very easily, and it didn’t leave you feeling (or looking) oily or greasy. I liked that I could apply it to my son and not rub it in all the way (so his skin was still white from the sunscreen) to make sure I didn’t miss any spots, but that it rubbed in super easily once I was done applying it. We’ve tried this sunscreen while just playing outside, while playing in the hose, playing in a kiddie pool, and playing in a big pool. Here in the Midwest, we’ve been pounded with scorching hot temperatures and sun, so when I saw the SPF on the Sunny Sunscreen was only 35, I was a tiny bit concerned. I’d been using higher SPFs for our little one, but hated the chemical-laden products. Now I’m wondering if that higher SPF was even necessary as none of us have gotten burned (or even dried-out skin!) since using Episencial’s Sunny Sunscreen. Not one burn! Very impressive!

The Playful Wash is a 2-in-1 shampoo and body gel. I decided to test this on myself since Bobble doesn’t really have much hair to test it on and my hair is VERY thick. I loved the scent of the Playful Wash immediately. It was a subtle orange scent (it has tangerine oil in it) that didn’t overpower you at all. I am very sensitive to scents, and I quite often find myself sneezing at anything and everything… even my deodorants! I have found that natural scents don’t really aggravate me, and this held true with the Playful wash. Episencial doesn’t use fragrances, just fruit juice extracts. I thoroughly tested out the wash, using it every way possible. This includes shaving, washing, and using it as my shampoo. Normally I use shampoo and conditioner. My hair is gets difficult to comb or brush if I don’t use conditioner, but it tends to get greasy looking fairly quickly too. I was pleasantly surprised that my hair was so soft and shiny, and no tangles! While my hair is short now, it still can be difficult to comb if no conditioner is used. Thankfully, this was not the case! I also put no styling products in it and let it dry to see what my hair did. It looks soft and shiny… just like if I used conditioner! I can’t guarantee this would be the case for all hair types, but this mama is definitely pleased with how it turned out for her! As for the shaving and body washing, it did a great job. I really didn’t have any issues. I had no razor burn, no dry skin, no weird/itchy feeling (I sometimes get that with body washes)… just a nice, refreshing wash with a touch of orange in the air.

The Soothing Cream test was my absolute favorite. That may be, of course, because I talked my husband into massaging my legs and back with it after my shower! Hehe. That aside, it was great. It’s a full day later and my legs are still feeling super soft and smooth. It didn’t leave any oily or greasy feeling, and the extra lotion washed off my husband’s hands very easily. The Soothing Cream doesn’t really have a scent either, so it would be great for use at work where you could be around people with lots of sensitivities (or if you have sensitivities yourself!). The Soothing Cream is also non-staining to cloth!

I also took a sample of the Soothing Cream to a coworker that has lots of sensitivities. She commented how soft her hands felt after using it, and a while later commented that she loved how soft her hands were even after she washed her hands. It’s definitely a winner!

The above is a smear of sunscreen (left) next to the lotion (right).

If all this fantastic stuff about these 3 products were not enough, Episencial goes and makes it even better by packaging their products in containers that are recycled, food-grade, non-leaching, with no residues of dioxins, BpA, phthalates, or other xenoestrogens. Need more? They use botanical, sustainably farmed, and certified organic ingredients. The products are also manufactured under solar power. They also use all natural ingredients, many of which are organic. Go check out their ingredients to learn more about what they use in their products and why these products not only prevent damage and sooth damaged skin, but also support skin immunity!  From what I’ve tried, I’ve fallen in love with these products, and the lengths the company goes through to be green and offer natural products makes me love them even more. I would love to list pros and cons on these products for you, but I couldn’t find any cons. The only thing I might want to change is offering a Soothing Cream with the same lovely orange scent that the Playful Wash has!

These products are only a couple of the products that Episencial has to offer, so head on over to their page to check out everything else! You can shop by product or shop by skin concern.  The products are for ages 0+, so they are safe for everyone in your household, including your newborn.

To learn more about who Episencial is and what they believe, visit their About Us page. You can purchase your own 3-step system for $30 (saving $5!) on their web page, or you can enter to win one below.  Episencial was also nice enough to offer my readers a 20% discount at their store if you use the code EPIFLUFFY, and they have free shipping on orders over $45. Happy shopping!

Surprise! Episencial is going to offer a SECOND 3-step system to one of my readers! Enter to win in the new rafflecopter form below!



 a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I receive sample(s) for the purpose of testing and review. These opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Thoughts Of Fluff is not responsible for shipment of the prize(s).