Monday, April 20

soothe it with O+O





One of my life's greatest passions has become to support mamas who make products that I believe in, whether that includes handmade clothes, slings, vintage collections, art, or skin and beauty products.  Becoming a mother has been one of the greatest privileges in my life, and throughout this journey, my eyes have been opened to a whole new world of dreams, ambitions, purpose, but also fears and concerns.

When Jillian contacted me about trying her completely natural skin products made with essential oils, it honestly could not have come at a more perfect time.  I was going through a stage where Ari Love had a constant diaper rash, and nothing that I used was working.  I will shamefully admit that I was that mother who was embarrassed to change her daughter's diaper in front of other parents because her poor little bum was so red, and I felt so helpless.  Ariella would grab at her diaper and cry and nothing in this world breaks my heart more than seeing our sweet baby in pain.  She even got to where she would not lay down to have her diaper changed, we would have to change it while she was usually standing up, trying to run away.  It's amazing the skills that we develop as parents...haha I digress, since we live in a very humid climate here in Hawaii, it is a race against time in making sure that she stays dry and does not sweat.  I gave up cloth diapering because I felt like I could never change her diaper in enough time before she would develop a diaper rash.  While I felt like I was doing a good job mothering our sweet baby, I felt like I was failing her in the most sensitive of ways and places at that.

Truthfully, I have had more than enough time to review Jillian's products to tell you how wonderful they are.  I started using the salve as soon as I received it and it has been about 6 months now that I use her lavender salve on a daily basis as well as with almost every diaper change and it has been a life saver.  I realized that for us, the only way to keep the diaper rash away is to prevent it by always applying the lavender salve when we change her diaper.  Ari even loves it so much that she will bring the "bum bum cream" as we like to call it, to us and will literally lay down to let us know that she needs her diaper changed.  It has worked miracles for us and I also use it when she gets cuts or scratches anywhere on her skin, because lavender is great at keeping microbes away.  Her salves are also cloth diaper friendly, which was a huge plus for me when we were still cloth diapering.

As if you probably didn't already think that I'm a super hippy, I also stopped using antiperspirant/deodorant for good right about this time last year after years of contemplation and personally purchased lemongrass salve from Jillian as well, to keep my underarms fresh and happy.  I love it!  I got to a place where I just didn't feel right about putting products with chemicals that I could not pronounce on my skin, especially those areas closest to my chest that attempt to hinder a very natural and protective process like sweating.  I have actually stopped using antiperspirant/deodorant a few times before already but could never find a product that worked for me.  The Tom's of Maine brand caused me to itch so bad that I practically clawed the skin off my underarms.  I actually used the men's brand of Old Spice for years because it was the only one that I could find that didn't have any antiperspirant in it, but I grew tired of smelling like a man and went back to Secret.  I always complained that there is not a single brand of women's product on the shelves of drugstores that is only deodorant and not a combination of antiperspirant/deodorant.  Even the men's brands have more selection than women's.  When I became a mother and more bold, which I think is just something that has come innately with my motherhood, I decided to stop permanently.  It really has nothing to do with being hippy or crunchy, but everything to do with breastfeeding and knowing that anything that I come in contact with has the potential to affect our baby as well.  That was a good enough reason for me to stop using antiperspirant and replace it with a simple natural salve to keep me smelling pleasantly feminine and beautiful.  Do I still glisten? (I like to think that glistening is the more feminine form of sweating haha) yes, as I should because my body needs to sweat to keep me cool in this beautiful tropical weather, but I smell and feel good doing it :)

Thank you, Jillian, for making these amazing products that have enriched our lives in so many ways.  To order or simply check out the products that she makes with so much love, visit her site at Soothe it with O + O.


*as always, these words and opinions are completely my own.  As a mother and faithful believer, I stand behind products that I believe in and this is one of them.*

2 comments:

  1. I hope you'll do more posts like this, sharing brands/products you like and use! I'll have to check o+o soothe it out. I've been on the market for a good deodorant that is natural and haven't found one yet. I also tried the TOMS and it didn't work well for me and also left stains on my clothing although I tried to let it "dry" before dressing. Unfortunately I sweat..A LOT...like on the manly level. Haha.

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  2. I'm so glad you enjoyed this post! I will definitely be doing more posts like this, and don't worry, I probably sweat more than anyone that I know! I did a huge presentation when I was in pharmacy school specifically on this topic called "hyperhydrosis" because I wanted to know why I sweated so much! haha love to you darling <3

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