An Honest Review of The Honest Company Products

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Baby Products, Celebrity, Diapers, eco-friendly, Jessica Alba, Mom, Momtrends, non-toxic, Organic, Review

Last week, I was invited by MomTrends to the launch party for The Honest Company. Jessica Alba and Christopher Gavigan joined us in New York City to talk about their newest eco-friendly, e-commerce venture and gave us samples to take home and try out on our own kids for review purposes.

The Honest Company was founded by Jessica Alba and her business partner Christopher Gavigan, the author of Healthy Child Healthy World, because they wanted to create a safer, better world for their children and they realized they would have to do it themselves if they wanted to get it done and not take “no” for an answer. Based on this personal mission, all of The Honest Company’s products are free of harsh and synthetic chemicals and they are offered via an affordable-priced home delivery service so all moms across the U.S. can have convenient access without having to leave their home.

The first two products I tried out were The Honest Company diapers and wipes, which are 100% non-toxic, chlorine-free, sustainable, and made with plant-based materials. This is to make sure the baby is safe and not exposed to harsh or synthetic chemicals.

Diapers = 5 out of 5
The first thing I thought about the diapers was, “They are really, really cute but do they work?”

I have used:

• Pampers Swaddlers – They worked great but are only sold up to size 2/3, so I had to experiment with new diapers once my son was size 3. I am now scared to find out about all the chemicals in those that I was putting them on my newborn baby!
• Pampers Cruisers – I did not like these at all! They leaked and gave my son a rash.
• Huggies Little Movers, Huggies Snug and Dry – More diapers that I did not like. These did not leak as much but they still gave my son a rash!
• Huggies Pure and Natural – These are my go-to diapers right now but are hard to find in the stores and are not sold by the case, so I am paying a premium for these.

I have used The Honest Company diapers on my son for almost a week and they hold up just as well as the Huggies Pure and Natural over night (a few leaks at the top but my son sleeps 12+ hours); however, they are so much softer, cuter, cheaper, and easier to get because of the home delivery service (I don’t have to balance huge packages of diapers on my stroller anymore). Also similar to the Huggies the Honest diapers have an elastic type band across the back as an extra step to hold in blowouts.  My son has not acquired a rash and is totally intrigued by the playful designs saying “ooh” and “ah” when I put a new diaper on him.

Wipes = 3 out of 5 (UPDATE the new wipes are 100 times better)
The wipes get the job done, but they are a bit too thin and have small hand coverage for those big messes. The scent is okay (it’s not the best scent of The Honest Company products), but it is better than the smell of the chemical-filled wipes I am currently using that I hate.

Despite the wipes having some room for improvement, I think the diapers are great (they’re also offered in white) so I plan to subscribe to the service and try them out for an extended period of time.

The Honest Company currently carries nine bath and body products: shampoo & body wash, healing balm, conditioner, sunscreen, face & body lotion, hand sanitizer, bubble bath, body oil and hand soap. I was given a sample of four of these bath and body products and my review of each is below.

Shampoo & Body Wash = 5 out of 5
The shampoo & body wash combo is a tear-free, plant-based cleanser that safely and gently washes head-to-toe using organic and natural ingredients. I first tried the shampoo & body wash on my own hair and thought this shampoo does not lather. But after drying my hair and going through a normal day of being a mom chasing around a 1 year old and doing Pilates, my hair still looked good and the greasy build-up did not form around my crown like when I use other shampoos.

So then I thought, “Does shampoo need to lather to work when washing hair?” I did a Google search and learned that lather is created from adding sodium lauryl sulfate to the product and it is a common component of many domestic cleaning products (yuck!). It has been shown to irritate the skin on the face after prolonged and constant exposure. After learning this, I decided that I will never put a lathering shampoo with that chemical ingredient on my son again.

I also tried the shampoo on my son and two days later his hair still had the sweet scent of vanilla, looked clean, and was easy to brush through. His music teacher even commented on the nice smell of his hair.

Healing Balm = 4 out of 5
Made with organic plant extracts, the balm gently protects, reduces redness, and soothes even the most sensitive, dry, and allergy prone skin. I have mostly used the healing balm on my son’s cheeks. NYC has been lucky enough to have a snow-free season, but these last few days were blistering cold and windy. His whole body is nicely bundled up when walking around with the stroller but his face is still exposed, making his cheeks very red and chapped. The healing balm has worked nicely to lessen the redness and veiny look while moisturizing his skin. The only down side is the balm is a bit greasy and I needed to wipe my fingers after each use. But then if it was not greasy would it really work to soothe his cheeks?

Face & Body Lotion = 4 out of 5
The lotion is made of a rich blend of organic olive oil, shea butter, and organic aloe designed to naturally hydrate, nurture, and moisturize dry and sensitive skin. I really like this lotion and will probably use it everyday on myself. It is not greasy, rubs in well, and has a delicate rose scent. However, because of this rose scent, I will probably not be using it on my son (for myself and little girls the lotion is wonderful).

Hand Soap = 4 out of 5
The liquid soap is made with plant-based ingredients that are effective, soothing, and non-drying. My hands feel so clean after I use this soap. It washes off easily not leaving a film on my hands and has a great grapefruit lemongrass scent. My hands did feel a bit dry after each use, so I had to follow up my hand washing with The Honest Company face & body lotion.

The Honest Company also has four household cleaning products: multi-surface cleaner, dish soap, auto dishwasher gel, and laundry detergent. I was given a sample of the laundry detergent.

Laundry Detergent = 5 out of 5
The laundry detergent is formulated to be the purest and most effective laundry detergent without using chemicals that can harm fabrics, irritate your skin, and the ecosystems. The detergent has no scent that I could detect when I used it on a mixed load of baby clothes, bed sheets, gym clothes, and “Raffi” my son’s beloved lovey. All dirty laundry smells and food crusties were removed. The fabrics felt soft even though I didn’t use any fabric softener or dryer sheets. I am very impressed with this formula and will be ordering more especially because my son has inherited his father’s sensitive skin.

What other eco-friendly, non-toxic products would you like to see The Honest Company create?

I would love to see a solid bar soap, a fabric softener that smells like the shampoo or hand soap, and some gender neutral diaper designs.

To learn more about The Honest Company and their home delivery service click here.

Please check out my original Post on Salt and Nectar - The Goods: An Honest Review of The Honest Company Products

I was not paid for this review I was given these free samples along with other mom bloggers by The Honest Company at the MomTrends launch party hosted at ABC Kitchen on January 17, 2012 for review purposes.

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