Oct

Review: LuSa Organics

From the moment I opened the box and found the lovingly eco-wrapped products, I felt I had found a company with my own values in mind. Lusa Organics is a natural body care company for adults, babies and children. Their mission is to enrich lives through the pleasure of their products and business practices. They succeed in promoting and practicing environmental and social stewardship through minimal, yet pleasing packaging, primarily organic and naturally sourced ingredients made into high quality products, and a 10% donation of their profits each year to organizations that promote positive global change. What a treat to find out that La Leche League International is one of the organizations they support! This is a breastfeeding family company! In addition, they passionately strive to continue to secure fair-trade and organic ingredients and support local orgainc farmers to move their business towards further sustainability.

Inside the brown paper tied with the green paper ribbon were my carefully wrapped treats: A bottle of Sleeping Potion for the girls, Citrus Lip Balm for me, Purification Soap for me and the hubby, and a Patcholi Lotion Bar for me.

Sleeping Potion. The Sleeping Potion comes in a .25 fluid oz bottle with a rub-on applicator. It is made out of lavender, tangerine, chamomile and ylang ylang essential oils blended in certified organic jojoba oil and tocopherol (vitamin e). The high notes of lavender and tangerine, when combined, smell like candy. When I dabbed this on the wrists of my daughters, modeling for them how to rub their wrists together, they loved it. At bedtime, dabs of the potion behind their ears and whispers of magic and kisses helped settle and quiet them for a good night’s sleep. LuSa Organics suggest applying the Sleeping Potion to the pulse points (throat and behind ears) of anyone over six months, and for younger babies to apply to the caregiver’s chest and snuggle the baby in. Anyone who justs wants to relax with some yummy aromatherapy will also benefit from this blend. If you have sensitivities to smells, like me, you might want to start out applying this to your wrists first and then work your way up to the other pulse points. I did find I was able to do this. Whether it is the small amount of essential oils or the type of oils or organics used, I don’t know, but I am totally able to handle the essential oils in LuSa Organic products, whereas other, even homemade products with essential oils in them can overwhelm my senses completely, and not in a good way. Hooray for finding a company I can enjoy the smells of!

Citrus Lip Balm. My first taste of Lusa Organics. Yummy Citrus! Their lip balm is a soft oily blend of avocado oil, castor oil, beeswax, evening primrose oil, sweet orange, ginger and lime essential oils and tocopherol (vitamin e). It is seriously good enough to eat! And anything you put on your mouth should be a food grade product, don’t you think? It lasted on my lips for over four hours before I needed to reapply it, but I wanted to reapply it sooner – it was just so good! Kissable? Oh yes. For lip balm addicts, I strongly recommend this one! If citrus isn’t your thing you have the choice of two other blends: Herbal (Rosemary and Lavender) or Healing (Tea Tree and Peppermint).

Purification Soap. This soap is a combination of cedar and sage, made to resemble the smell of smudge sticks. And indeed it does. It’s strange how bathing yourself in smoke can feel purifying, and it is an equally odd feeling to bathe yourself with a soap with an earthy, smoky smell. But I love it! Coming out of the shower or bath feels like a spiritual renewal, like I just rolled around on the forest floor next to a ceremonial campfire. And I love the smell of it on my husband! Ladies who like a real musky earth smell on their partners will love this too! If you want a spiritual, mind clearing, centering kind of experience with your soap (who knew it was possible?) this is the soap for you!

The only thing I don’t love about this soap is that it feels a little harsh on my sensitive skin. It has rubbed sage in it which makes it a bit scratchy, but this isn’t what I mean. Some handmade soaps can tend to feel a bit harsh, or drying, and that is what I found with this one. It is a rare handmade soap that doesn’t feel like this and those that don’t, I have no idea what their secret is so I can’t even describe it to tell you. But people who don’t have sensitive skin should be fine with this, and I will be able to finish using my bar, happily so. Knowing my senstivities, I should have started with their very mild Calendula Baby Soap or maybe even the Chamomile and Sage Goat Milk Soap, but now I know better for next time. And believe me, there will be a next time! One thing to mention about the soaps is that you can buy them boxed or “naked.” Sans packaging you will save .60 cents per bar. Nice option!

Patcholi Lotion Bar. This is my favorite item probably because I love the smell of Patcholi (I’m such a hippy, I know!) but I haven’t owned anything Patcholi-smelling since high school! It comes as a bar in a round tin, that you can take out or scrape out with your fingernails and rub on your feet, elbows, knees and hands – anywhere you have especially dry, callused or cracked skin. The other night after a particularly tiring, spirit stretching day with the kids, I grabbed my book, and went and had a nice hot bath. Afterwards I treated myself to a luxurious aromatic moisturizing with my Patcholi lotion bar. Feeling more like my old self, irritability gone and peace in my soul renewed, I was able to enjoy the rest of my evening and have a very good night’s sleep.

In conclusion, I encourage everyone reading this to check out the LuSa Organics on-line store. Mothering Magazine has featured their products more than once for good reason! LuSa Organics also has a blog I highly recommend. It reminds me a bit of Soule Mama – it’s restful, inspiring, has beautiful pictures, and a lovely earthy, homemade, Waldorf mama feel to it. It makes me feel right at home. So give yourself some peace and joy, and make a LuSa Organics bar of soap your new friend.