Natural Product Review: Iwi Fresh

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It is strange that we wash our faces and bodies with so many chemicals daily then wonder why we have allergies, rashes and illnesses. Combined with diet and lifestyle, we get more than our fair share of toxins everyday. Once we had The Kid, I became more aware of how many toxins are in baby soaps and products plus he had super sensitive skin. After his first rash at 2 months old, I gave up on finding a truly natural skin care line in stores and started making my own body butter. After perfect that, I moved on to making hand and body soaps for my entire family. I only use edible ingredients to make everything so it’s all zero-toxin and safe for all ages of skin plus healing for skin ailments. (Sometimes, I sell them.)

HOWEVER, for years I’ve been searching for a face and skin care product that was natural enough to be eaten…until now.

Ladies (and Gentlmen), GET YOUR LIFE with IWI FRESH! Iwi Fresh is a Black-Owned, Farm-to-Skin Spa in Atlanta, Georgia. Unfortunately, I live in Texas but my amazing cousin who knows about my zero-toxin obsession told me about Iwi Fresh. I purchased the entire face line minus the make up remover since I don’t really do make up often at all.

The results of using the Iwi Fresh Farm-to-Face and Farm-to-Body skin care products were so incredible that I made my first video, just so you can really see my skin. It was nighttime and I had no special lighting, just the ceiling fan lights of my sunroom and the glow of my computer screen.

The only thing I wish is that Iwi Fresh’s products came with instructions on how to use each product in the entire line to get the best results. It helps to know which order to use each item. Even without instructions, I got amazing results and you will too. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEM as they are this Mom’s indulgence in every shower, now. I can’t wait to see how my skin responds over time to such a natural, healthy skin care routine! Watch the video then head on over to iwifresh.com to get you some of their magic. If you live in the Atlanta area, please take advantage of the spa! I can’t wait until my next trip to ATL. Iwi Fresh will be my FIRST stop and I plan to be there all day!

And if you’re interested in some so-pure-it’s-edible Body Butter, let me know and I’ll whip your family up a nice batch 😉

Natural Product: Iwi Fresh Face and Body

I’m on vacation and taking a moment to think to better ways to take care of myself. My face and skin need to get some TLC since having Baby #2. In a few weeks I’ll be embarking on my Mommy Makeover with Alexis Shelton (IG: @lexluniverse), owner of The Groom Room, podcast Hip Hop Across The Board and blogger sowellgroomed.com. That will take care of the hair and clothes but my skin is another layer. I’ve decided to turn myself over to the products of Iwi Fresh, IwiFresh.com. I heard about this Black-owned Spa with Farm to Face and Body products from my favorite Mom, Kamille Whittaker (IG: @jumpatthesuns). Iwi Fresh of Atlanta is also where my gorgeous little cousin/niece Kamani, (IG: @kamani.forever) was an intern and is now a summer employee!! Just now, I purchased the Squash-Lettuce-Carrot-Cucumber face kit, the Flax Grits Mato Antioxidant Face Scrub and the Lettuce Strawberry Mint body scrub. I can’t wait to tell you more about these products and my skin responds!! Now, showers can include a spa skin treatment for my face and body! Talk about killing two birds with one stone!

This time, my postpartum recovery was deliberately planned so that I don’t forget about myself. I did that for six months after The Kid’s birth. I was so in love that he came ahead of my self-care. It did no one any favors to put myself last. I knew better so I did better with The Teeny One.

Can’t wait to share about Iwi Fresh!!

What 9 years of Marriage has taught me

Since 2003, we’ve been inseperable but it wasn’t always that way. I’ve learned so much in 9 years of marriage and 15 years of friendship.

Discarded Fence Wood becomes a A FREE DIY Play Set

So you may know by now that I am a DIY Girl. You can thank my Daddy for that! As the daughter of a carpenter, there’s nothing like the joy of a well done do-it-yourself project. And it’s even better when it’s FREE!

I love the Nextdoor app. Besides ways to meet neighbors and truly build a community, there are so many giveaways that can lend themselves to a great project. One of my neighbors gave me a bunch of fence wood. I wasn’t exactly sure how I would use them.

They sat for about a year as I pondered their use. And then it struck me: a playset/climber for The Kid. We’re still designing and decorating our house and backyard and the real play set I want to buy him is nearly $2000 and has about 2000 pieces. We truly haven’t had the wherewithal to tackle that project yet.

So, turning this wood into a battery burnout play set for The Kid is a win!! I didn’t have a complete design plan when I started. I literally just improvised as I went along. I knew I (aka The Hubs) wanted to do very little cutting.

My measurements were simple. I used the width of each plank to space out the ladder walls. The Hubs cut about 20 squares from two fence boards to help me space each ladder level evenly and provide better climbing support between spaced out ladder levels. I found some leftover screws from past projects. I used three fence boards as the vertical support on each ladder wall. And I made each ladder wall fit together like a puzzle for more strength and security.

All in all, it took me about 3 hours to settle on a design and throw it all together. The Hubs anchored it into the ground so no child is injured while climbing and voila!

A free play set! It’s a hit!! And it didn’t cost me a penny!! I love it when free materials get a new life!! Upcycling is fulfilling!

A Quick Breakfast

Hey Vegans!! A yummy, easy breakfast to help keep your breast milk flowing or just to keep you ladies and gents going: Avocado Toast! I don’t know why these ingredients told me to combine them but I also don’t know how the genius behind mayonnaise or ketchup came to their discoveries either. Take your favorite toast, smear it with a tart and sweet preserve combo (I went with strawberry and apricot), layer just ripening sliced avocado and sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top. It’s quick. It’s vegan. It’s delicious and it’s packed full of fiber, healthy fats, protein, magnesium, copper and manganese. Top all of this with a sweet lettuce and it will really sing (I didn’t have anything but tart kale so I skipped this step)

Pair it with fresh fruit, Protein Nut Milk or Orange Juice for a good round breakfast. Power your morning meal with a little variety and strangeness courtesy of Millbrain- always in a rush and missing breakfast but not today!

Oranges for Home and Health

I love oranges any which-a-way. Juiced, sliced, ummm…that pretty much covers the edible stuff. But once I eat or juice any citrus fruit (grapefruit, blood orange, Valencia orange, lemon or lime) I take the peels and make an all purpose cleaning product for my home!

Having kids means keeping harmful chemicals and germs at bay 24-7, 365. This cleaning solution does just that!

Materials and Ingredients:

-Large Recycled Glass Jar with Lid (Pickles, Mayo, etc)

-Spray Bottle(s)

-citrus rinds from 2-3 fruits, collect as you eat (orange or anything else)

-1/2 To 1 tsp Tea Tree Oil

-White Distilled Vinegar

-fresh mint leaves

There’s no real magic mix here. I simply stuff the peels in the jar, add mint for added aromatherapy then fill the jar with vinegar. I add a teaspoon of tea tree oil and close it up. Let it sit for two weeks and you have a CONCENTRATED cleaning solution for non-hardwood floors*, greasy gunk, sticky messes, bathrooms, non-stone countertops, glass and plastic surfaces. You’ll know it’s ready when the vinegar has turned as deep orange color.

*For hardwood floors, just use Apple cider Vinegar in the place of white vinegar to protect the floor’s finish.

No matter which vinegar you use, this concentrate should be diluted before use! For heavy duty cleaning, use a 50/50 mix of vinegar solution and water in a spray bottle. For lighter duty cleaning, you can stretch your mix further by adding more water to it.

Now here’s the BEST PART: it’s kid safe! This is a no-rinse way to clean baby’s toys, eating surfaces and floors where they love to crawl and lick. (This is why we don’t allow shoes inside our house)

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

If you incorporate chores in your children’s lives, they can clean their own bathrooms with this!! The Kid now has a weekly chore of cleaning his sink, mirror and shower and he’s (currently) excited about the rite of passage of getting to use cleaning solutions and clean his own space.

So, oranges. Good for your health and your home.

The Morning of Jubilee: He’s sleeping all night

A night of sleep! The Gods have smiled on us!