Pure Nuff Stuff

To start us off, I'll chip in with our thoughts on the issues. Aluminium Chlorhydrate isn't suitable in our our opinions for use on the skin at all, let alone in such a delicate area. Google it and you can see some of the background on why and yes, before you say it, there isn't yet any huge amount of conclusive proof as to the link with breast cancer. But I'd rather play it safe than sorry on that particular issue to be honest. And don't get me STARTED on the idea of putting depilatories (hair dissolving ingredients) in deos either, that's just horrific - and I don't use that work lightly - in every conceivable way.

So, with all that in mind, I still like to be nice to be near at the end of a hard working day. So what's the solution? I wasn't particularly struck on the idea of using a lemon (no, really, that's a natural alternative and it does work for a short time, or maybe I'm just particularly sweaty, it wasn't enough for me though) and many of the other products on the market (rosemary or dill based products for example) just smelled a bit, well, hedgey, to me. So that's where the idea of rubbing a stick of salt on came from, the mineral salts kill the bacteria that cause the smell so I can stay sweet smelling to the end of the day without potential added risk of breast cancer. They're incredibly cost effective as they last for ages and they also double up as a great little spot stick, so I like them.

There are a couple ways of mining the allum salts though and not everyone can make the leap from roll-on to salt stick, so it's a big subject. So, what do YOU think? Are natural deos effective enough for you? Do you hate the idea of using a solid stick of salt or is that appealing to you?

posted by Emily @ 16:37

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Friday 24th April 2009

DEODORANT

Hello, I am your big fun! I am just trying my first products from you and I love it! I have been a little disappointed about your deodorants. I have read somewhere that even salt rock deodorants arent so healthy. Did you heard about baking soda? It is suppose to be quite good natural deodorant if mixed with cream.

posted by Hana Surrey @ 11:26

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Friday 24th April 2009

Hi there Hana and welcome :)

Thanks for joining in, nice to hear from you! I'm not quite sure about your reference to the salt deos being not good for you, can you point me at what you read please? And what about the deos disappointed you just out of interest please?

As for the baking soda idea, yes, I did try that one a few years ago when experimenting with all kinds of natural alternatives, I think it's one of those ideas that works for some people better than others perhaps, have you tried it yourself?

posted by Emily @ 12:45

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Wednesday 22nd April 2009

Ingredients for unscented roll on deodorant

Hi, thanks for doing the thread. Before I start ranting and raving, can you tell me what the ingredients are in the unscented roll on deodorant that you sell? I have looked it up on a few sites and the ingredient listings have been a bit confusing? Once I've established what the ingredients actually are then I'll start the ranting and raving or may be not!!!!

posted by PNS Fan @ 23:36

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Friday 24th April 2009

OK there they are

Look forward to hearing your thoughts, as usual :)

The Lafe's unscented deo ingredients are here: Purified Water, Potassium Allum, Mineral Salts, Celquat, Certified organic Aloe Vera, Certified organic Hemp Seed Oil & Grapefruit Seed Oil.

And just for my own sanity, where did the confusion come from please, is there someone I need to gently nudge to update a web site somewhere? And yes, I will be checking our own pages RIGHT NOW just in case it's us that's the culprit :)

posted by Emily @ 12:30

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Friday 24th April 2009

HELP - I'M CONFUSED!!!

OK, the first issue is potassium alum. Your ingredients list states potassium alum, mineral salts, etc as does other sites e.g. Handmade Naturals and Orga-nics. However, if you look at Lafe’s own site it states potassium alum (mineral salts). So the question I ask is: does this deodorant contain potassium allum only which is a mineral salt as implied by Lafe’s site or does it contain potassium alum and other unspecified mineral salts as suggested by your site and the others I have mentioned. So really it’s down to what the parenthesis means on the Lafe’s site and the lack of parenthesis on the other sites. NB: I note that the US packaging is different to the UK one. Secondly, your site states that the roll-on contains grapefruit seed OIL whereas all the other aforementioned sites state grapefruit seed EXTRACT including Lafes site. Now, if you check these two ingredients on the Skin Deep website the extract has contamination implications – three grapefruit seed extracts were shown to contain triclosan and methyparaben and all extracts contained benzethonium chloride (cancer and neurotoxicty concerns). The OIL however does not state any of these this but the data gap is 100% for the oil and 97% for the extract so obviously more research has been done on the extract. Therefore, how do we know which extract is in the deodorant if it is extract that is used. Finally – you’ll be glad to hear, polyquaternium-10. This is often called cotton cellulose which sounds fairly innocuous - is this what you mean by celquat? UK sites use the term celquat but Lafe’s use polyquaternium 10. Such salts can react with for e.g. DEA to produce carcinogens (Sin Deep by Pat Thomas) but polyquaternium-10 is given a rating of 0 by the Skin Deep site. It is probably unlikely that there would be a reaction if you are using all natural products but still worth thinking about. Also, does the Lafe’s roll-on have a watery consistency or is it thicker. Its just that I tried a natural roll-on a few years ago and it was very watery and basically just ran off my armpit upon application and wasn’t very effective. I am using Mum unscented roll-on at the moment but this contains aluminium chlorohydrate – hence my concerns. If the polyquaternium-10 isn’t as bad as I am thinking it is, have you come across the Deodorant Stone UK brand. Their unscented roll-on contains just water, potassium alum and polyquaternium-10. As you have probably gathered by now I’m confused – HELP! My deodorant is the last nasty that I need to change and I don’t mind sweating – I think its a natural process that needs to happen but I don’t want to smell!

posted by PNS Fan @ 18:11

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Monday 27th April 2009

You're quite right, it's confusing isn't it?

I've checked out Lafe's American site, ours, the bottles and a few other sites that stock it and there seems to be a bit of confusion around. I can only imagine that Lafe has been changing the formulation and somehow we've missed the change, the ingredients I listed out for you are off the bottles we have here in the shop and our ingredients listing on the site was done when we got our first shipment in (some time ago, we've stocked it for a while). And looking at some of the different scent options, there seems to be some other differences too, so I'm just as confused as you are now. So I've emailed Lafe your questions and I'll post his reply as soon as I get it. He's usually pretty good about getting back to us, so hopefully it won't be long.

Just goes to show you have to keep reading labels even if you know and like the brand, huh? Lesson learned and thanks for pointing it out PNSF ;)

posted by Emily @ 13:09

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Tuesday 5th May 2009

REPLY FROM LAFE

Hi Emily,

I’ll answer each point, try to be brief, let me know if you have additional questions…

1) Our roll-ons, sprays and crystal rocks are made with potassium alum primarily, with trace amounts of other minerals; potassium alum is a naturally occurring mineral salt that is an effective antibacterial reducing body odor; the other mineral are less than one percent, hence trace amounts;

2) There are MANY different forms of grapefruit seed oil and grapefruit seed extract. The oil we use does NOT contain triclosan, any parabens or benzethonium chloride. We are careful to use reputable suppliers, those who we know and trust and make certain raw materials meet our formulating standards;

3) We have tested the polyquaternium-10 that we use and it does NOT react to produce known carcinogens. We are well aware of those concerns and formulate with only natural, earth derived ingredients to avoid possible toxic reactions;

4) We thicken our roll-ons to avoid an overly runny consistency and reduce the possibility of unexpected leaking. Lafe’s Natural and Organic Hemp Roll-ons are formulated with certified organic hemp, aloe and essentials to replenish the natural oils and soften and sooth the skin. The mineral salts provide effective antibacterial action to reduce unpleasant body odor.

Thanks.

Lafe Larson

posted by Emily @ 10:49

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Tuesday 5th May 2009

Thanks.....

.... that's great. I feel a lot more confident with this product now. I'll be ordering soon. Wow, I am now fully converted to naturals with all my toiletries. Hope it works in the summer.

posted by PNS Fan @ 14:05

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Saturday 25th April 2009

Choices

PNSF It sounds to me like the best thing for you to try first is the deo stone that I am using...combined with the diluted essential oil droplet added to your armpit afterwards. This works really well for me but as said below I am not sure about the efficacy during summer as I have not been that brave yet! I have not noticed any smell at all during winter and I too found that the sprays/roll ons tended to drip quite a lot! This method seems to have minimal ingredients that you have relative control of. However I too echo your confusion about the exact composition of the mineral salts.

posted by HelenG @ 08:48

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Friday 24th April 2009

Correction....

Sorry, I know your actual site doesn't state grapefruit seed oil but its just that you listed it on the blog.

posted by PNS Fan @ 19:38

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Friday 24th April 2009

Mineral salts

Just to say that I am using the Deo Stone and find that they are pretty effective,compared to other things. However I have not (even after 2 years of trying these things) worked up the courage to continue use over the summer months. Also I like to add a drop of diluted essential oil to add some smell. I am not too impressed by the perspiration but I guess I have to live with that. Perhaps this year I will have the courage to continue use throughout the summer! The "ingredient" mineral salts is a little vague for my liking as it could turn out to be a miriad of things, and the Allum is still aluminium salts even if it is not chlorohydrate. Can you clarify the mineral salts issue. Thanks.

posted by Helen G @ 17:06

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Thursday 7th May 2009

Hello :)

Hope your concerns are also put to rest by Lafe's reply, are they? And I do know what you mean about natural deos and the summer months, it gets pretty warm here in Cornwall and I do worry a bit myself - you're kind of expected to be pretty fresh when you work in a shop like this - but I've never found it to be a problem yet. Though sometimes I have to admit that a re-application is necessary if we have a water delivery or something like that (carrying 100 or so 20 gallon tubs down a circular staircase into the cellar is a bit of a test for any deo to be honest!). Do let me know how you get on, OK? All the best x

posted by Emily @ 09:51

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Wednesday 22nd April 2009

PS...

.....please don't mention the hair dissolving idea again. I've not heard that there were any plans to put these sort of things in deodorants. It really did send a shiver down my spine when I read about it (seriously) and I could think of alot worse words to describe the idea than horrific, that I wouldn't be allowed to print on this site!

posted by PNS Fan @ 23:42

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Friday 24th April 2009

Check out the new Dove Hair Minimising Deo range

And scare yourself. Why or why oh why would anyone ever consider leaving a depilatory ingredient on their skin all day long? I can't work out from the ingredients if it's in such small concentrations as to be ineffective (as so often the case) or what, but it horrifies me all the same. I know this industry loves a new idea and people love to be sold new products, but this one really strikes me as a seriously dangerous idea.

posted by Emily @ 12:25

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Tuesday 21st April 2009

Natural deos rule!

I tried Pitrock and found after a few months it wasn't very effective ( in fact the stick went smelly - weird!) Switched to the crystal spray that you stock and it's the best I've ever used - find it more effective than the Sure I used before I knew better. Definitely don't need chemicals to stay fresh as a daisy!

posted by Karen J @ 17:11

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Friday 24th April 2009

Hi Karen :)

How odd, the stick started to smell strange did it? Never heard of that one before... did you wash it or bin it? Anyway, very happy that you're happy with the Lafe's sprays, I like them too, especially the fact that you can add a couple of drops of your own essential oil so you can smell the way you want to.

posted by Emily @ 12:17

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Saturday 25th April 2009

Hi Emily

Bad person that I am, I binned it, but it didn't have too much left. It was at the end of 2 weeks in Menorca - maybe it didn't like the heat in the bathroom - hot enough that mother-in-laws face cream looked like it had curdled! :o)

posted by Karen @ 16:40

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Monday 27th April 2009

Hot enough to curdle a face cream?

Wow, that sounds fabulous to me, am shivering away in the shop today... But any kind of extreme heat can affect a natural product, that's very true, so quite possibly that was what did it. In any event, I hope you had a top holiday :)

posted by Emily @ 13:12

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Tuesday 21st April 2009

I vote natural!

I use the natural sprays and I think they are fab. They work just as well as normal deos I also like the fact that they don't smell as strong as normal deos. Not used them during the summer months though so will be interesting if they still work as well!

posted by Emsie @ 20:52

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Friday 24th April 2009

Hi there Emsie :)

And welcome, dont' believe we've spoken before have we?

In any event, you'll keep us posted about how you get on won't you please?

posted by Emily @ 12:08

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Monday 27th April 2009

Hi Emily

No we haven't spoken before but I think I own nearly all pns products :-) Will let you know how I get on! Emsie

posted by Emsie @ 11:58

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Monday 27th April 2009

Oh how nice

Thanks for posting and letting us know you're happy :)

posted by Emily @ 13:02

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Thursday 30th April 2009

natural deos- my opinion...

Personally I prefer the natuaral deos, I use both the stick and the spray(from pns) and they work very well. Although I havent used them during the summer yet, considering I often get in a sweat because of my job and I do a lot of dancing too(which gets very sweaty!) I think that counts, do you think? I've tried all the super duper deos that claim to keep you dry and they either don't work or I end up sweating even more everywhere else! So I've come the conclusion that I'm just a sweaty person and I'd rather smell of clean sweat than that sour smell you get from the nasty ones with all the perfume in. The only other natural deo I tried and wasnt impressed with( bought it from a health food shop, not PNS), had natural fragrance in. Which was ok but when I got wet patches under my arms it actually stained my clothing and I couldn't get the marks out! If you're interested, I think I still have it and can list the ingregients and maybe someone could tell me what made my clothes stain?! As for the new Dove deo that is supposed to hold back re-growth, I was thinking the same when I saw it for the first time. And it just cant be healthy. Going back to sweating buckets... my Mum reckons that drinking Sage tea helps reduce the amount you sweat. I don't know why, but it could be a natural and healthy alternative!

posted by Ursula @ 16:54

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Thursday 30th April 2009

Reveal all........

Yes, list the ingredients and lets see what it contained and the brand as well if possible. Can't guarantee an answer but it would be interesting and would at least let us know what brands to avoid. Hope it didn't spoil any favourite clothes - that would be so annoying!

posted by PNS Fan @ 17:42

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Saturday 2nd May 2009

Brand and ingredients...

It's called 'Calendula blossom Natural Deodrant Spray',and made by Aubrey Organics. The ingredients are: deionized water,natural grain alcohol,vegetable glycerin, calendula oil,d-alpha tocopherol(vit E), chamomile oil,arnica extract, rose water, calamine powder and a complex of sandalwood oil,patchouli oil, jasmine oil,fir oil, vanilla oil,cedarwood and rose oil. Is it me or did they just about pile in everything they could think of?!- Smells nice though... Yes I'm afraid it did ruin some tops, they were just vest tops and tea shirts. So I had to make make them into dusters! Maybe it was just coincedence but I haden't had that happen before.

posted by Ursula @ 00:43

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Saturday 2nd May 2009

Calamine powder?

Maybe it was the calamine powder - it reminds me of when I was younger and used calamine lotion for chicken pox and rashes. I've been checking a lot of so-called natural deodorants lately, as this is the last toiletry that I need to change, but haven't come across this ingredient in any of them. Given how calamine lotion dries on your skin - leaving a very powdery residue, then maybe it was this that caused the problem. But I do agree with you - so many natural toiletries do seem to have a lot of ingredients - that's one of the reasons that I Iike PNS so much -they just seem to have the knack of putting in exactly what is required for the product to carry out its function effectively - no more, no less - and a little EO if you want some fragrance. Perfect!

posted by PNS Fan @ 16:40

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Sunday 3rd May 2009

Ah yes...calamine powder

Yes that does make sense actually, well done! I do remember thinking it was bit odd that Calamine powder was in it but I can understand the drying and calming effects it has. Come to think of it the residue from the deodrant was very similar to that of the Calamine aswell. Thanks for clearing that one up for me. I agree with you on the reasons why PNS is such a fave aswell. I never feel insecure about buying their products because I know they do the job. I used to get fed-up of trying to decide what products were worth spending my pennies on because of not knowing whether they would do the miracles they claim to do. PNS actually send out a very subtle message that you're not expected to look a certain way, but you can definately feel good. :)

posted by Ursula @ 14:19

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Wednesday 6th May 2009

Fascinating

I can sort of see the logic in including calamine, it would be in there as an absorbant I would imagine, but with little in there to deal with the bacteria that actually cause odour (the rose, patchouli and fir have some antibac properties, but they're not power-houses really) then the rest is as you suggested, there to mask odour rather than deal with it. Bet it smells good though :)

Nice to hear from you though Ursula, thanks for your thoughts (and your kind words, that really made our day).

posted by Emily @ 12:49

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Sunday 31st May 2009

Just to update

Well I have been using my crystal spray deo during these lovely hot days we have been having and I haven't had any 'pongy' problems at all. They are fab!! Just got to convert my hubby now!

posted by Emsie @ 20:42

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Thursday 4th June 2009

How's the conversion attempt going?

That's always the tough one, once you've had the epiphany moment and converted to natural products, you always want to convert everyone around you too don't you? Welcome to the Soap Box Club Emsie :)

posted by Emily @ 10:24

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2010/06/24 - Pure Nuff Pirate Punch
2010/06/03 - Lafe's deodorants - why our stock is currently on sale
2010/05/07 - Are you a bit bored?
2010/04/23 - Ethical Consumer Magazine BEST BUY
2010/04/14 - Things we liked at the Natural & Organics Show last weekend
2010/03/23 - Heaps of things....
2010/02/25 - Palm Oil
2010/02/17 - Sunscreen Lotion, why it's not on the site any longer
2010/02/11 - Our Rowing Boys have made it half way!
2010/01/18 - Good news for us geeks...
2010/01/04 - Happy New Year
2009/12/22 - Happy Christmas to you ALL
2009/12/03 - PNS and Makeup
2009/11/11 - Our rowing boys are close to going - wish them luck!
2009/11/03 - Facebook, we now have a page
2009/10/29 - Don't throw away pumpkin pieces
2009/10/24 - Are you ready for the clock to go back yet? No? We're not either....
2009/09/21 - I've been reading again
2009/09/10 - MEEP! We're getting excited!
2009/09/09 - Autumn is in the air here
2009/09/01 - Magazines
2009/08/21 - Home pedicures, like a day at a spa, but without the weight loss in the pocket...
2009/08/20 - It's been a while again, holidays and all that
2009/08/04 - PNS and the Fish Mish
2009/07/20 - Sorry it's been a touch quiet on the blog front...
2009/07/13 - We have a new brochure
2009/07/06 - Our interests are hitting the mainstream press, well I never...
2009/06/24 - We've had fun, very, very silly fun
2009/06/19 - We have produced a TON of this beautiful stuff this year :)
2009/06/15 - Perhaps it's just Monday, but I'm a little cross
2009/06/05 - I've been having a clear out today
2009/06/03 - Last Friday Kevin arrived, today we rescued Steven Seagull
2009/06/01 - Glamour and more glamour
2009/05/29 - We have a new member of the PNS team
2009/05/28 - Back from Gardening Leave
2009/05/22 - How We Are!!!!!!!!!!!
2009/05/14 - Essential Oils
2009/05/13 - PNS perfumes, possibly
2009/05/06 - We now have a "Home" section on the site
2009/04/27 - "She smells of lemons!"
2009/04/21 - What are your thoughts on natural deodorants?
2009/04/07 - We've just come back from the Natural & Organic Exhibition at Olympia
2009/03/30 - Botanicals - Do you think it's safe to Grow Your Own Drugs like the telly programme says?
2009/03/26 - Our Big Announcement - PNS has won a Natural Health Magazine Award
2009/03/26 - Our Big Announcement - PNS has won a Natural Health Magazine Award
2009/03/18 - The Kasbah Box
2009/03/13 - We've made some big changes in the soaps
2009/03/10 - Grow your own drugs - did you see that on telly last night?
2009/03/05 - If you've ever had trouble getting to sleep, read this.
2009/03/02 - A day in the life of a whiteboard....
2009/02/23 - Twitter, we have succumbed
2009/02/18 - Goodness, it's been a while
2009/02/10 - Mobile phones, I'm now properly scared
2009/02/05 - Good reference books on the subject of vile chemicals in toiletries
2009/01/29 - Hormone disrupting
2009/01/22 - That didn't take long....
2009/01/05 - Happy New Year!!!
2008/12/23 - Happy Christmas to everyone
2008/12/19 - Quick hello and apologies for recent quietness
2008/12/10 - Exfoliation. Did anyone see Horizon last night?
2008/12/02 - We're doing our elf impressions now
2008/11/27 - Two local men doing a trans-Atlantic row
2008/11/25 - Our mums approve
2008/11/20 - Green is now mainstream - it's official
2008/11/16 - The links page has been updated
2008/11/11 - Back to the natural cleaning discussion again
2008/11/04 - So what do you think of the new site please?
2008/10/24 - Are you ever tempted to get false nails put on?
2008/10/22 - Meep! We just had a famous person in the shop, we're all starstruck
2008/10/20 - Borax a RESOUNDING success - I have finally banished bleach from the house forever!!
2008/10/09 - Onward and upward now, an explanation of why we hate phthalates
2008/10/07 - We're a bit sad at the moment
2008/09/29 - All this has got me thinking again...
2008/09/16 - Another question
2008/09/10 - I feel like Jesse from the Fast Show,
2008/09/04 - Conditioner, Creams and Christmas
2008/08/29 - So, what about nail varnish then?
2008/08/23 - I am not ignoring the blog, I promise
2008/08/12 - Update on the Washing Question
2008/08/04 - Another washing question
2008/07/31 - Green Fatigue
2008/07/28 - What do you use to wash your clothes with?
2008/07/16 - Natural Toothpastes
2008/07/15 - We're just ordering some new brushes and scrubby things
2008/07/07 - Oh we love summer
2008/06/26 - We have sand in our toes and ice cream on our faces
2008/06/25 - I'm all alone :(
2008/06/20 - Friday and we're shattered
2008/06/16 - A Blip
2008/06/02 - Well THAT was fun!!
2008/05/28 - Well how exciting....
2008/05/21 - Animal Testing of Cosmetics - PLEASE HELP
2008/05/12 - Organic companies finding thier teeth
2008/05/08 - Channel 4 - Dispatches, The truth about Beauty Creams I think the programme's called
2008/04/30 - Today we are mostly smelling of frankincense....
2008/04/25 - Baby Wipes
2008/04/22 - Tuesday and we have our brains back again
2008/04/21 - Mondayitis
2008/04/14 - An exciting phase
2008/04/08 - Hello and Welcome, oh, and spots