Connie with Lost River Naturals

I am thrilled to get to do a feature on Lost River Naturals! I was first introduced to Connie a few months ago and I'm not only happy to have made a new friend but I'm ecstatic that I get to find such awesome earthy homemade products locally.

What does Connie make? Natural and Organic Bath & Body Care Essentials along with Organic Herbal Teas. Scrubs, Herbal Salves, Body Oils, Bath Salts, Dream Pillows, Syrups, Tooth Polish, Perfumes are just a few of the products Connie whips up. She uses pure, certified organic essential oils and herbs to scent and color her products.  You won't find any harmful chemicals inside.

Her Lip Balms made from a base of organic butters, natural beeswax and organic vegan oils, was the first product I ever purchased. In Lavender Mint flavor. It is soooo yummy. But do you know what even sounds yummier? White Chocolate. Yep, that is a lip balm flavor. Maybe you like a little color on your lips? Get her Perfect Pink Lip Tint.

Next came the Sugar Scrub. Once you try this, you'll never buy a cleanser from the store again. Use on the entire body ~ even on delicate facial skin. The sugar serves as a gentle exfoliator that whisks away the dead skin cells making way for the nourishing oils to do their job.  Finally, the gentle castile soap lathers and cleans your skin beautifully. I have to share all the different kinds with you. 

Peppermint Lime ( with peppermint, bergamot and lime)

Honey Chai (with ginger, citrus, clove, nutmeg and honey) 

Patchouli (with oils of patchouli, lavender and frankincense)

Chocolate Almond (with cocoa ~ a natural skin softener)

Lemon Poppyseed (with lemony fresh oils and poppy seeds)

Blemish Scrub (with tea tree, lemongrass, lavender and patchouli)

Grits and Coffee ~ (with finely ground grits, coffee and almond oil)

Her best selling product? Deodorant! If you're like me, finding a good natural one that works is a challenge. Look no more! Connie's Freedom Deodorant Cream is made with NO harmful parabens, refined aluminum or other toxic chemicals. Try it and you'll be covered for 24 hours!  It's easy to apply with a silky texture ~ just rub a pea sized amount under each arm.  Also try it on the soles of your feet to inhibit odor causing bacteria. Isn't that cool? Her newest scent ~ Vanilla/Chamomile.

I could go on forever but one more thing I want to cover - Herbal Syrup - which is basically a super concentrated tea to aid in the healing of common colds, coughs and other mild ailments such as chicken pox, eczema, allergies, and to help boost immunity.  This was a great find for me because in our house we don't use pharmacy/over the counter drugs unless absolutely necessary so finding a herbal based remedy to help with our symptoms was much needed! And it TASTES good :)

Now we have to ask Connie ~ Are you a crunchy mama? (But I think we already know the answer to that don't we :)

I suppose that overall I am a crunchy mama, but not 100%. I never really got the hang of the sling thing and gave cloth diapering a good college try but it didn't last. Gentle discipline is definitely important to me, we do not spank and ~try~ not to yell, but, hey, I'm not perfect. We are a simple, Christian family and I do homeschool my kiddos and cherish every moment we spend together.

I most definitely question many conventional medical practices and believe that prescriptions drugs and vaccines are money, not health driven. In our family we use whole foods as medicine and include supplements such as Cod Liver Oil, and various herbs to remain healthy and stay away from the doctor's office. We also use homeopathic remedies, chiropractic care and massage as "medicine".

I will be experiencing my second home birth in February with my 3rd child and whole heartily believe that women are meant to birth naturally with little to no medical intervention. Having had both a hospital birth and a home birth, I cannot imagine setting foot into another hospital to give birth. Long story short ~ at home I felt empowered, relaxed, comforted, loved, nurtured, respected... in the hospital I felt hurried, worried, scared, defeated, belittled. 

I wish that instead of just reading about these products and looking at a few pictures, that I could reach out and let you take a sample. You would love love love them!! But guess what? One lucky reader IS going to get to sample them! Connie is giving away a sample basket. It contains:

Chocolate Almond Sugar Scrub

Tea Tree/Bergamot Deodorant

Elderberry Bliss and Twilight Teas

Mandatory Entry - Visit Lost River Naturals - I can't wait for you to do this! - and tell me which products you would like to try AND you must be a beachbum follower of my blog.

Extra Entries

Like Lost River Naturals on Facebook - tell her Crunchy Beach Mama sent you! :) - 1 entry

Follow Crunchy Beach Mama on Facebook, Twitter, RSS Feeds, Email Subscription (links above) - 1 entry each

Tweet or FB status about the giveaway - 1 entry each daily

Grab my button - 3 entries

Make a purchase from Lost River Naturals (send me email confirmation) - 5 entries

This giveaway will end on Sept. 10, 2010 at 11:59 ET. Winner will be drawn via random.org. Once a winner is drawn I will contact them and they will have 48 hours to reply before I draw a new winner. Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only who are 18 years of age or older.