Are you looking for organic shampoo, hand cream, etc. made in Canada? Of course, you want something that works well, is safe to use on all members of your family and at a reasonable price too. Well....read on to find out about a company we've discovered that seems to meet all of these criteria, at least in our opinion.
Ok, this is going to be a long review! Marco, owner of
La Coursière Bio-Organic, sent our family quite a few items from his ever-growing collection of personal care products. There are products for infants, children, women and men, and we tried at least one item from every category. We are very pleased with each product - they have all worked well for us, and some have had unexpected bonus benefits (read on!).
Before we get to the actual products we tried though, you should know how this company operates.
We do not use: Sulfate (Sodium Laureth Sulfate), Cocamide (DEA, MEA), Propylene Glycol, Parabens, Synthetic (or artificial) perfumes or fragrances, PEG, EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, Phenoxyethanol, Artificial Colours, Silicone, Petrolatum..."
I'm really happy to be able to avoid these ingredients commonly used in personal care products. You can read more about La Coursière Bio-Organic's
mission and commitment on their
website (click on "English" at the top left if you need to!)
All products are developed and produced in Quebec. They are packaged in recyclable containers. The prices are much more reasonable than many organic personal care products I've seen. Most of the website has been translated into English (only the Men's line is still waiting for more detailed descriptions and translations). All packaging is bilingual (French and English) and the ingredient lists use the INCI format (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients).
Infant Products - "Douce Mousse" Line
Daniel has been using the shampoo and body wash (2 separate products) since we received them in February. Yes, February! Our kids don't bathe every night, and we don't wash their hair every bath, but still, 1 bottle of shampoo, still not empty, from February, is exceptional I think! The shampoo foams up nicely, leaves his hair smelling clean (it's unscented) and is tear-free. Best of all, I think, is something we noticed by accident after a few weeks of using it. His cradle cap/scalp issues are completely resolved! Wow! No need for prescribed medicines or creams or oils, no trying to let oil sit on his hair for a while, then working at the loosened scales with a comb! This is so much easier, and so much safer and more gentle on the skin. In reading through the testimonials about the baby shampoo, I noticed that many other customers had mentioned the same result.
The body wash, also unscented, certainly does what it's supposed to do. It's noticeably less foamy than non-organic products, but if you use it on a bath/shower puff it still bubbles up well. And, more important than the bubbles, Daniel is clean! (and smells clean!) :) It's conveniently packaged in a pump - great for one-handed maneuvers!
The "Douce Mousse" line also includes a few other products which we haven't tried out yet:
diaper cream - has received rave reviews from customers using it;
baby lotion
a travel/trial pack with a collection of samples
organic cotton washcloths (at this point only available in the travel pack, but likely also separately upon request)
Children's Products - "Mission Nature" Line
Jonathan is really pleased with his "fruit punch" smelling shampoo. Once again, we have been using the same bottle since February. Both boys have short hair, so I imagine you would use more if you were washing a girl's hair, but still, a little seems to go a long way. Jonathan also has had issues with cradle cap since birth, sometimes better, sometimes worse, but never completely cleared, UNTIL NOW!! As far as I'm concerned, that in itself is enough to recommend this shampoo!
There is also a body wash with the same scent. We haven't had opportunity to test this one, but seeing as the ingredients are similar to the baby body wash, I would expect it to work just as well.
Women's Products - "Botanika" Line
I received a bottle of shower gel and a container of lotion. The shower gel has a great, light scent which doesn't linger - I really don't want to smell like my shower gel all day! We are also careful with scented products in our home, as some members of our family have allergies and asthma and scent-sensitivities, and this has been a great product here! My shower gel didn't last as long as the boys', but it still lasted longer than I expected it to. Again, I found that if I used it on a cloth, it wasn't as foamy, but on a shower puff it worked great!
The lotion has been great too. It's easy to rub in, not greasy, and I've used it a lot on my face, without any break-out issues. It's good as a general body lotion too, but I liked it so well for my face that I've mostly used it there. It's also great for hands - leaves them soft but not slippery.
There is also a shampoo and a shampoo for coloured hair. A conditioner and a deodorant are coming soon.
Men's Products - "Formule Homme Actif" Line
Richard also tried out the men's shower gel and was very happy with it. He is anxiously waiting for a new bottle! It's a great-smelling (naturally scented) product which cleans well and left him feeling refreshed. It didn't make his skin dry like many other body washes have.
There is also a shampoo for men available which we haven't tried.
Right now, shipping is free for orders over $100.
If you are a retailer interested in La Coursière Bio-Organic's products, please
contact Marco La Coursière for more information.
We love snacks in our home! If you were to visit, you'd hear our kids asking for snacks almost all day long some days. :) (For some reason, it's much more fun to eat snacks than it is to eat meals ;) ). Well, we recently received some great re-useable snack and sandwich bags from The Silver Bobbin. These are perfect for taking snacks or lunches to the park, a friends house, church, or for a long ride in the van. Tate and Emily are thrilled with their colorful new snack bags...and so am I! It's so nice to have some bags for lunches or snacks that will not rip or tear and that save both money and the environment. These bags are sewed with triple seams on each side and open and close with a wide band of velcro (which is very sticky and won't open up easily). Each bag is lined with nylon which is water resistant and super easy to clean. Our little snack and sandwich bags have been put to good use already and are showing no signs of wear yet! I can definitely see that they have been created to be durable and to last for many, many lunches and snacks.
WIN IT!
