By Man it was such a busy and FUN week last week! I’m sure you saw my numerous, redundant stories about walking in NYFW on Thursday night. I left for Baltimore, Maryland bright and early the next morning to attend Expo East for my real job!
If you’re not familiar, Expo East is a MASSIVE get together for food brands of all shapes and sizes. Retailer representatives (think Whole Foods, Mom’s Organics, grocery stores big and small) are typically there to place orders for brands that they want on their own shelves and that end up in the aisle for people like you and me to buy on our Monday night grocery trips.
Throughout the day, I came across these three products that really blew my mind in terms of innovation and meeting needs. I even came home to do a show and tell to talk about each of these for my weekend company, haha!
1. Deep Sea Waters by Ocean’s Halo
“This delicious refreshing drink contains deep sea water with naturally occurring electrolytes such as calcium, magnesium and potassium. The ocean is a replenishable source for water, and deep sea water originates from the ocean’s polar glaciers as a nutrient-dense water retaining its purity at approximately 600 meters below the surface. Extract from ocean kelp, perhaps the most sustainable crop, provides additional nutrients and minerals, such as iodine.”
WOW. Okay so deep ocean water and kelp. Okay AND SUSTAINABLE!? I had to do a little research on kelp. A superfood?
KELP: According to WebMD, Kelp has been linked to cancer prevention and thyroid regulation. One bottle has a TON of Iodine in it from the kelp itself (50% of your recommended daily value) which your thyroid leverages in order to produce your thyroid hormone. This is the hormone that then regulates all of your other hormones (metabolism and more) and keeps things balanced for you based on what your body needs.
Fun fact: Iodine is not produced by the body and can only be found it foods…
Why is it sustainable?
Think about it. Kelp requires no additional water OR fertilizer to grow. It forests at the bottom of the ocean and is a HUGE absorber and storer of CO2 even all the way down there! When harvested, it also grows back super quick in optimal conditions. 🌍*
Some say that it’s just as ecologically relevant to the ocean as the Amazon is to land.
Available on Amazon, Walmart or their website. Try their Ramen and other products offered in Whole Foods….soooo good.
2. ARIA Toilet Paper
Talk about a disruptor here in the toilet paper industry! I’ve really only seen the typically Charmin, Cottonelle and Scott’s is it? on the TP shelves growing up all my life. Lord knows that it’s a pain to lug home from the grocery store taking up a full arm to carry.
So why do I consider Aria a disruptor? They are thinking and being strategically proactive about their impact with regard to the production of their toilet paper.
- They partner with a company called Longleaf Alliance to plant three new trees for every one that they use for their toilet paper production.
- They are made using 100% Renewable Power (via energy credits)
- Their packaging is 52% plant based, and all of it recyclable packaging
I know that they are a little more expensive than what we’re used to for toilet paper as millennials but I would highly recommend giving them a try and seeing how you feel about the “harmony” that you’ve become a part of in terms of planting more trees than taken from the Earth.
You can buy Aria here on Amazon.
Okay last one I had to share.
3. “Som Sleep” Sleep Water
Zzzz. Sip Sip. You’re getting verrrrry sleepy….
This water you guessed it makes it sleepy. You’re supposed to take it 30 minutes before you would like to fall asleep and it includes a blend of melatonin. What are everyone’s thoughts on melatonin? I take HALF of a 5 mg at night sometimes but still feel drowsy the next day! I feel like this has a smaller amount so I’m curious to try… This drink also includes a significant amount of Vitamin B6 (100% of your daily value) which is shown to have reduced PMS symptoms for women and continue to keep your brain and nervous system happy.
It also includes a couple of amino acids (GABA & Theanine) which are known to help you sleep and calm you down.
This sounds like a sleeping spa in a can.
What types of cool products have you guys been seeing on the shelves? Any that you now can’t live without!?!
The Sustennial
Thanks for sharing, Christina! I loved reading this! The Som Sleep drink really caught my eye for three reasons: (1) I’ve only heard about and seen melatonin in the form of a pill and (2) I like the added calming benefits this drink offers and (3) they make a sugar-free version of the drink. If we’re being honest I don’t know much about the benefits of melatonin, but I’m all for getting a good night sleep for overall health & wellness. That said, I don’t necessarily struggle with sleep, but some nights I toss and turn and don’t feel well rested the next morning. I’m thinking this could be the trick?! If you’ve tried it, I’d be curious to know if it’s helped you!
One product that I’ve recently bought is a non-toxic deodorant from Primally Pure. Another blogger I follow recommended it. I’m seeing a shift in the beauty industry to remove toxic products from your routine and incorporate more natural ones, deodorant being one. I bought the charcoal one and the blue tansy one. Both are god for everyday use, but a lot of the reviews say the charcoal one is best for the gym- I’d agree. I bought both in the summer, so it’s been a true test to helping prevent body odor and I feel like it really works! I also bought the smallest size to try and it’s lasted me the whole summer, and I still feel like there is a lot left.
Girl – thank YOU for reading this! It means the world. I actually learned that Melatonin is the sleep hormone that our bodies make internally as it is (obviously the hormone needed for sleep) so that’s why it’s said it’s typically better for you than a typical sleeping aid in over the counter drug form. Melatonin is already being produced within our chemical make up so it’s considered just a normal, more natural, supplement. Just as you would take supplement for certain vitamins and minerals. How cool is that.
That is SO ironic that you bring up your favorite non-toxic deodorant because I was thinking about reviewing a couple for an additional post! I’m so glad to hear about a brand that you like because it’s kind of hard right now. You have super high hopes that it will compare to regular deodorant and it’s challenging every time to keep smelling good lol! I recently googled why aluminum was a “bad” ingredient in deodorant and it turns out it’s because it keeps all of your toxins inside of you (aka what sweat’s purpose is, to get the toxins out) and I just was like mind blown. That’s apparently a potential causation with tumors growing in that area because toxins are unable to eliminate from the body with too much traditional deodorant on blocking them from doing so!?!
With that being said I’m definitely going to order Primally Pure (charcoal) for the gym – I really need one! I’m currently using the Love Beauty Planet branded one and it’s pretty good as well but I’d love to keep trying to find what’s best. I would say this one really works until it doesn’t work if you know what I mean…. lol!
Anyways thanks so much for your feedback on this Allie – I miss you so much and hope you’re doing well!!!!