I was recently invited to sign up at Influenster to be part of a review panel of various green products. Influenster is an “Exclusive Community of Trendsetters Invited to Receive Free Products” and I was honored to receive the request. . The VoxBox showed up about 2 weeks ago and included:

• Pureology Hydrate Shampoo
• Pureology Hydrate Light Condition
• Desert Essence Oil Control Moisturizer
• Maxim Hygiene Variety Pack
• Kiss My Face Peace Soap
• ZSweet All Natural Zero Calorie Sweetener Box (packets)
• ZSweet All Natural Zero Calorie Sweetener Canister
• Rishi Tea Chocolate Chai Tea

I haven’t tried every product yet, but I have gotten a good start in sampling most of them.

Hands down my favorite is the Pureology Hydrate Light Condition.  Made with organic botanical Peppermint, Sage, and Rosemary, it smells heavenly in the bottle, in your hair and even on your hands and body long after rinsing it out!  A little bit goes a long way which is great since I tend to have to use a lot. Although it claims to be a “light” conditioner, it has the consistency of a creme rinse, which is mandatory for my thick curls. I have fallen in love with this product.

The Pureology Hydrate Shampoo has also worked great on my hair, although I will say I don’t keep up well with my coloring so I could not test it’s Anti Fade claims. The Multiweight Protein Complex: Soy, Oat, and Wheat and Signature Aromatherapy Blend: Ylang Ylang, Bergamot, Anise, and Patchouli make for a great lather and wonderful scented product.

Kiss My Face Peace Soap was another favorite from the bunch. This light Pomegranate Acai scented castile soap with claims to have 101 uses including body wash, veggie wash, laundry and more, has been a great addition to the house.  Additionally, 10% of profits from each product sold supports Seeds of Peace and their mission to help young people from regions of conflict develop the leadership skills necessary to advance reconciliation and coexistence.  The only place this product fell short so far was the bubble bath. The suds disappeared almost instantly, but it still made for a great scented bath, so all is well.

I have been pushing the Desert Essence Oil Control Moisturizer on my 15 year old son. I was always blessed with fairly clear skin and I cringe at all the harsh chemicals he puts on his face. I love tea tree products, they leave me feeling so refreshed. It works as a great moisturizer, not greasy feeling at all and it almost has a tightening feeling.

On a shorter note, I’m not one to use sweeteners, my preferred option is organic pure cane sugar, so I have not tried the Zsweet products and honestly, I don’t know if I will. However, I did let my mother-in-law have a few packets and she liked it very much. I still have to try the Chocolate Chai, too. Maybe if I need to sweeten it up, I’ll try the Zsweet, stay tuned.

I also tried the Maxim tampon made with Organic and Natural Cotton, Chlorine/Dioxin Free, Synthetic Free, Wood Fluff Pulp Free, Hypoallergenic/Irritation Free, Eco-Friendly & User-Friendly, too. With the long list of healthy pluses and it did the job at hand, I recommend trying these as an alternative to their toxic competition.

Influenster did a great job putting together a variety of great eco-friendly products to try.  I really can’t say anything bad about any of them. If you are a blogger check them out on Twitter and Facebook for upcoming boxes to review and too see what others are saying about their VoxBox green products.  I think the next box headed out is for foodie bloggers.  YUM! Would love to try to  qualify for that! Can we squeeze it in with Green Biz??

Have you tried any of the products above? What do you think of them?

Disclosure:  I received this VoxBox free of charge from Influenster. All ideas, thoughts, words and opinions are my own and are not influenced by Influenster or the product companies featured.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Influenster: Green VoxBox Review

It’s been quite a while since I did a flaunt it, hasn’t it? I have several products to review and plenty of giveaways to do, but tending to my clients needs has come first and so Flaunt It fell behind.

Today we will pick back up with Eden Home I discovered them on Twitter quite a few months ago and admired all the beautiful and organic products on their site. I contacted them and we started chatting. A little about Eden Home (from the site):

Offering a complete selection of organic, all natural and eco-friendly products for your home and life that won’t have you compromising your sense of style.

Most people do not realize how cotton is grown, processed and finished. As many as 2000 different chemicals are used in the textile industry! Those chemicals are often left on the fabric and then transferred to you or your baby when absorbed through the skin.

Unfortunately, many of the so-called “organic” and “natural” products sold today are either not truly pure or not beautiful. So we started Eden Home to offer healthy choices ranging from organic clothes for baby to natural bath towels, from organic cookware to all natural shampoos.

The Garden of Eden was created to be lovely and beautiful, perfect and pure. At Eden Home our mission is to offer the purity of organic without losing the beauty, whether you’re looking for organic bedding, clothes for baby, natural bath towels or organic cookware and more.

Since I had not yet done a review of “green cookware” I expressed my interest in trying some. Eden Home sent the La Chamba Natural Cookware – Small Oval Casserole with Lid.

Made from black clay found in central Columbia, La Chamba cookware can be used in the oven, microwave, and on the stovetop. There are no toxins used in the production of La Chamba cookware and tableware. The makers of this unique product use no glazes and there is no lead in the clay. You can feel safe and confident using this unique and authentic traditional clay cookware. La Chamba cookware has also been featured by celebrity chefs such as Rachael Ray.  2.0 Qts.

I must say I am impressed and admittedly a little afraid of this large pot. It is heavy, beautifully made and I REALLY don’t want to break it! It’s much nicer then any of my other cookware for sure! I have made chili and spaghetti sauces in the pot on the stove, and a roast right in the oven. The temperature takes a little getting used to.  It takes a little longer for things to get boiling, I’m guessing due to the thickness.  I did burn the chili a little the first time I used the pot and had to let it soak for quite some time to get all the burnt stuff off. I was more careful the next time. It’s great to have a large pot like this and know your not leaching chemicals into the food. I can’t say this for my old, beat up, thin Teflon set that must be discarded! It’s been been a wonderful opportunity to review this pot from Eden Home Organic, be sure to check them out!

So, how about a chance to try out some goodies from Eden Home? They are giving one lucky reader a $35 Gift Certificate to use in their store ! Do as many of the below as you wish and leave a separate comment for each one:

• Visit Eden Home and comment here on which product you would love to buy if you won the GC.
• Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post.
• Follow @edenhomeorganic on Twitter or become a Fan on Facebook and comment that you did.
• Tweet this giveaway
• Stumble this giveaway
• Use other forms of social networking to spread the word about this giveaway.
• Subscribe to my feed to stay up to date with the latest from Eco-Office Gals.
• Buy anything from Eden Home Organic and comment 5 times that you did! (I will confirm)

The deadline for entering is Wednesday 06/30/10 at 8pm EST at which time one winner will be randomly chosen.  Please don’t forget to leave a separate entry for each one of the above that you do and any entries that show obvious laziness i.e. a simple “Thanks for the great giveaway” will not be published therefore not counted. It’s just not fair for the people that do know how to follow simple directions. US residents only. Thanks!

(In compliance with the new FTC Guildlines, please note that this is a sponsored post.  I was given these products to test and review free of charge.  However, I was not paid for the review and the opinions are my own.)

Here are your random numbers:

10

Timestamp: 2010-07-02 02:28:39 UTC

Congrats Tammy!

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Flaunt Your Green! Eden Home

Promote Your Business the Natural Way

Promotional Products are one of the greatest way to Promote your Brand and convey your message among your audience. But with the increasing awareness about the environment most customers prefer to use Eco-friendly products. By using Eco friendly promotional products not only are you able to promote your brand but also establish it as an environment friendly Brand among your customers. There are lots of Environment friendly products which you can use as your promotional products by imprinting your company logo on them. Discover the most popular Eco-friendly promotions which not only protect the environment but would also keep your brand name in the mind of your customers.

• Bamboo Flash Drives: Everybody needs to Transfer data from one place to another and now they can do this in smarter way with the help of Eco-friendly custom Flash Drives. Bamboo Flash Drives imprinted with your Logo are one the coolest way to promote your brand in better way.
• Organic Tote Bags: Organic Tote Bags are available in various Sizes, shapes and colors providing you a lot of options to select from. Organic Tote Bags are made with 100% cotton fabric and perfect for carrying items to work, markets and meetings.
• Biodegradable pens: Promotional pens imprinted with your logo are one of the most common way to promote a product But you can make it special by giving Eco-friendly Biodegradable pens. These Pens are same like other promotional pens and come with your logo on it but these pens are made from biodegradable material Plastic providing no harm to environment.
• Organic Caps and T-Shirts: Organic Caps and T-shirts imprinted with your logos would take your promotional campaign to the next level. Attractive organic caps and t-shirts are available on lots of colors and sizes and advertise your brand to countless people who see them at an affordable price.
• Solar Powered Devices: Solar powered Electronic Products are a great way to promote your business in Eco-friendly way. There are lot or Solar devices available in market like Solar Calculators, Solar Flashlights, solar Chargers which never need any batteries and get themselves charged by sunlight. These solar powered devices are easy to use and would keep your brand name in your customers mind every time they use it.

Gagandeep Singh is working as internet marketing Executive for Fortepromo, which create a wide range of Eco-friendly Promotional Products for all kind of businesses and help them to promote their brand in a cost effective way.

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Guest Post: Eco-Friendly Promotional Products

Good Monday morning!  It’s been pretty dang chilly in SC, we even had a few snow flurries the other night!!  Hope everyone is staying warm. Time to feature another great company growing green.

Radius is a small natural products design company in the USA. Most well known for its innovative toothbrushes, RADIUS was started by entrepreneur Kevin Foley, an architect now product designer. Kevin one day decided to start on a new journey. And Radius was born. Radius is dedicated to having fun with design to make life better. And that’s IT. Radius is not a product. Radius is a lifestyle. Love Your Radius. Love your Life.

Radius is another company I came across on Twitter.  I was given the opportunity to check out their SOURCE tooth brush.

I’ll begin with customer service.  My box arrived in the mail with not just my toothbrush, but 2 toothbrushes and 2 types of floss & 2 travel cases!  They really went beyond my expectations, I had so many neat things to try!

The product:  I have been using the Source toothbrush for almost a month now and I am very happy with it.  This is what Radius tells us about the Source:

• 93% Recycled Material – 47% Renewable Resource

• Replaceable Heads + Wooden Handle = Only 7% of toothbrush wasted as compared to 100% of ordinary toothbrushes.

• Wooden Handle is molded from recycled wood bio-plastic resulting in 100% renewable resource.

• New lightweight unbreakable replacement heads made from surgical-grade nylon.

• Dramatically increases softness and efficacy of brushing with 65% more bristle tufts than ordinary toothbrush.

• Reversible for both Right or Left handed brushing – Available in soft or medium bristles.

• Handle lasts forever. Simply throw the heads away!

I love the bristles, it really gives coverage I have not had in my typical toothbrushes and makes a great tounge scrubber! The design is unique, functional and eco-friendly all the way down to the packaging made from recycled plastic soda bottles.

Now I have to admit, I was a little nervous about the cranberry floss.  I love cranberries; in a muffin, class of juice or on my plate on Thanksgiving.  However, I guess I’ve been a little brainwashed when it comes to brushing.  When I think of paste and floss I think of minty fresh!   So, why cranberry?  This informative site give us a little insight:

Coated with pure unsweetened cranberry essence, which is removed during the action of flossing and deposited on the gums to help break up plaque. The floss is spun in natural beeswax to help sliding through tight spaces.

Research has shown that the proanthocyanidins present in cranberry essence are effective in reversing and inhibiting the clumping of bacteria that cause plaque and subsequently may help in maintaining good oral hygiene.

Plaque is considered the major source of pathogens that cause gingival irritation and periodontal disease.

So, there is a method behind the madness!  Alas, I gave it a try and I really don’t taste anything.  Now it’s a matter of getting religious about using it.  I’m trying Dr. Reynolds, I really am!

Overall, I am really happy to have found this product and the Radius site.  Radius is currently running a Winter Sale and all products are 25% Off with FREE Shipping for orders over $50! And, just to make things a little sweeter for one lucky reader Radius is giving away a Source toothbrush!  So, go check out Radius and come back here with your thoughts or product wish list.  Mine’s the 6-pk kidz brushes!

For addtional entries, spread the word: blog it, twitter it, stumble it, whatever and let me know what you did in seperate comments for each one you did.

Finally, If you’re not signed up for my RSS feed do so.  That way you don’t miss out on any Flaunt It! Mondays! Yep, another entry, too!

I will announce a winner on Wednesday, Nov. 26th.  Good Luck!

And the winner is!!

Here are your random numbers:

9

Timestamp: 2008-11-27 02:51:19 UTC

Congrats LaMamaNaturale!

Post from: Eco-Office Gals

Flaunt It! Monday: Radius