Overall I’m not really into the 100% natural trend that’s out there right now, but there are a few things that I definitely search for all-natural or “more natural than the rest.” I really wanted to try Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company diapers, and while I was at it, I decided to sign up for the trial of the Family Essentials bundle as well. I ended up getting the bundle for about 3 months before I cancelled the subscription, so I tried several of the products.
My main reason for cancelling was I’m kind of a spur-of-the-moment/last-minute type of person – so running out of dish soap or hand soap means I have to run to the store and buy more NOW… and you can’t do that with these products. They’re also a bit expensive if the all-natural movement isn’t your thing.
Anyway, some of the products were good and some we didn’t like as much, so here’s a rundown of what we tried and what we thought:
Honest.com
Healing Balm
This wasn’t my go-to product when we purchased it because I’m a big fan of MotherLove products, and we’ve been using them for our diaper rash needs. However, recently my oldest had a pretty nasty cold. She was obsessive about having her nose wiped, and thus ended up with super chapped cheeks, upper lip and nostrils. This was the only thing she would let us put on her face, and it did a pretty good job. Could the MotherLove products have done the same thing? Probably, but this did a great job, and is much easier to find in the diaper bag than the small tubs of MotherLove balm. I don’t think I’d start up a subscription again just to get this, but the tube will last quite awhile anyway.
Shampoo & Conditioner
I really wanted to like these – they have a kind of orange dreamsicle smell to them that reminded me of the Schwann’s orange sherbet push-ups we used to get as kids. Unfortunately, I felt like the shampoo was overly drying and the conditioner wasn’t able to make up for that. My hair felt brittle after using it, and I wasn’t sure about using it on my girls after feeling that. As of right now the bottles are sitting in the bathroom cubpoards not being used.
Body Lotion
I wasn’t a huge fan of this, but I’m not sure I’m qualified to review because I really dislike lotion overall. The smell was fine, I just don’t like the feel of having lotion on my skin – so I don’t use it and I don’t put it on my kids either. I have given away one bottle of this, and have one more in storage.
Hand Soap
This is probably my favorite product of the bundle. I love the lemongrass smell! It also doesn’t have that slimy feel in our soft water that a lot of soaps tend to have. Again, I don’t think I’d restart the subscription for just this – but maybe I would and just fill my whole lineup with the soap, and then cancel after one month? Who knows… we’re almost out of what we have right now!
Hand Sanitizer
Neither my husband nor I like this at all. It’s very slimy feeling and takes longer than other hand sanitizers to dry on your hands. We also weren’t fans of the smell, but I can’t quite identify what the smell is that we don’t like.
Dish Soap
This one I’m pretty neutral on. We don’t wash a ton of dishes by hand (my rebellion from a childhood of not having a dishwasher… everything goes in the dishwasher here!) – but when we have, I’ve noticed the bubbles don’t stick around too long. Regardless, it seemed to get the job done, and the smell wasn’t overpowering like a lot of other dish soaps we’ve had.
Overall, these Honest Company products are pretty good, and as I mentioned before, the customer service is great!
Blooming Canvases 