A Very Green Christmas Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the A Very Green Christmas Giveaway Hop, hosted by Happy Mothering and Brittleby's Corner together with the Green Moms Network! I, along with each of the participating blogs, am offering a green Christmas Gift themed giveaway, just in time for the holidays! There’s sure to be something for everyone on your list and I hope you’ll discover some great new brands to add to your Christmas list, too!

When I decided to join the hop, I thought about who to ask to sponsor me. Then I thought about Will Reynolds Young from climbOn. I met Will at the 2012 Allegheny Green & Innovation Festival here in Pittsburgh. At that time, he gave me a couple of products to review the products won me over. I am a true fan. You can read last year's review here. I raved about the deodorant then, and I continue to rave about it now to anyone who will listen. In the 14 months since my husband and I have been using it, we've never had an issue with it. It safely keeps body odor at bay. And it's free of all the toxic crap you really shouldn't be putting on your body.

Will graciously agreed to not only host this giveaway, but also is giving a $25 gift certificate to the winner of the 2013 Christmas Giveaway Bash, which has more prizes than I can count! Additionally, he gave me a couple products to review.

The products include:

 

•  crossFIXE MUSCLE Paste, which comes in a 2 oz. jar made of recycled materials. Here are the Food Grade ingredients: Organic Aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) gel, organic oil of Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil,  Sesamum Indicum(sesame seed) oil, Coffee Arabica (butter), Cocos neucifera (coconut) oil,organic, organic Camellia sinensis (green tea leaf extract), Vaccinium angustifolium (blueberry fruit extract), organic Rubus idaeus (red raspberry seed oil), Hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn oil), organic herbs and spice blend with Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract non-GMO tocopherol (vit E). I found the paste to be creamy, easy to apply, non-greasy, and lightly fragranced. It is perfect for tired or sore muscles and can be applied before or after exercise. While it seems to be a small amount for the money ($24.95), you actually need very little for the product to work its magic. And since there aren't any fillers in the paste, a tiny bit goes far. 

 

• SKINourishment SPA Stimulate & Cleanse Face Wash. With peppermint essential oil, this face wash is perfect for arousing the senses first thing in the morning. It's also an ideal choice to use when shaving. Again, the ingredients are all food grade: Aqua (water), Organic, liquid Castile soap, organic Aloe Barbadensis (aloe vera) gel, organic oil of Olea europaea (olive) Fruit Oil, Rosa mosqueta (rosehip seed) oil, Hippophae rhamnoides (sea buckthorn ) berry oil, Rubus idaeus (red raspberry) seed oil, organic extracts of Equisetum arvense (L) (horsetail), Tussilago farfara (coltsfoot), Withania somnifera (ashwagandha), Salix nigra (willow bark) and organic essential oils of Cedrus atlantica (cedar wood),  Lavendula angustifolia (lavender), Mentha piperiat (peppermint) with Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract and tocopherol (vit E)/non-GMO. The 8 oz. bottle is just $14.50.

• SKINourishment SPA Youth Serum. This is by far, my favorite product. While I found the name somewhat deceiving (I thought it was a face serum to help rid me of these darned wrinkles!), when Will explained its use, it all made sense to me. The Youth Serum is an oil that you squirt into your palms. Then you rub them together and put them close to your face where you inhale slowly and deeply three times. As the aromatic scents reach the brain, the limbic system responds as it starts to control the involuntary responses of the body (ie, heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress levels, hormone levels, etc.). Oh yeah. I'm pretty much addicted to this stuff. My husband and I are constantly reaching for the little 1 oz. bottle! We've each taken our pulse before and after the inhalation therapy, and noticed a rather dramatic slowing down of our heart rates. A bargain at $14/bottle, the food grade ingredients include: Organic Rosa mosqueta (rosehip )seed oil, Cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, organic Vanilla planifolia (Vanilla bean extract), organic essential oils of Citrus aurantium (Petitgrain), Citrus limon (Lemon), Pelargonium graveolens (Geranium), Pogostemon cablin (Patchouli), Lavandula angustifolia (Lavender), Extracts of Stachys officinalis (Wood betony), Centella asiatica (Gotu kola), Panax ginseng (Ginseng), Helichrysum italicum (Helichrysum essential oil), Organic Equisetum arvense (Horsetail extract), Essential oils of Petroselinum sativum (Parsley),   Cananga odorata (Ylang-ylang), organic extracts of Echinacea purpurea (Echinacea root), Hypericum perforatum (St. John’s wort), Citrus bergamia (Bergamot essential oil) with non-GMO tocopherol (vit E).

So... why do I keep mentioning "food grade"? 

SKINourishment is a synthetic-free skin care company that uses only food grade ingredients in their products, rather than cosmetic grade. Their ingredients are not refined, bleached, or heavily processed. And they use only Therapeutic grade essential oils, "not cheap, adulterated fragrance oils or essential oils." Their philosophy is that what you put on the outside of your body should be as healthy as what you put on the inside. Makes sense. It's nutrition for the skin.

One thing I was curious about was the difference between arnica lotion and the crossFIXE MUSCLE paste. Here is what Polly Glasse, founder/creator of SKINourishment had to say, "Arnica is just one ingredient. It's anti-inflammatory and increases circulation. BUT our formula has every ingredient that increases circulation and 'soothes' pain, as well as being anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, antiseptic, antibacterial, and anti-fungal."

I love this company and its products and I'm thrilled to offer one of you a $25 gift certificate to try some of the products for yourself. Just enter on the Rafflecopter below. While you don't have to click every link, it's always nice when you let my sponsors know you appreciate them as much as I do. So grab some extra entries by liking them on FB or following them on Twitter. Believe me -- they're worth the follow. These are good folks working to make the world a healthier place for all of us.


After entering my giveaway, be sure to hop around and enter all of the other giveaways listed on the linky below the Rafflecopter! 

This contest will run through November 25, 2013 at 8:59 pm PST (11:59 pm EST). The winner will be chosen the following day and announced on Green Grandma. No purchase necessary. US entries only. Must be 18 years or older to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 The sponsor provided me with free samples of products to review, and I was under no obligation to review them if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to Green Grandma and not to Facebook. Please note that Green Grandma, Happy Mothering, the Green Moms Network and the A Very Green Christmas event bloggers are not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. We have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner. We will contact the sponsor regarding your prize(s). The sponsors, in most cases, are shipping their items to you directly. I will make every effort to assist you obtaining your prize. If there is an issue with a sponsor, please notify the blog you won a prize from within 4-6 weeks for assistance, after that we may be unable to assist you.