Review of Tom's Of Maine Luminous White Toothpaste

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tom’s of Maine . All opinions are 100% mine.

When Todd and I first went vegan over three years ago, we immediately began to replace our conventional toiletries, housewares, apparel, and accessories with vegan-friendly alternatives. It took some time; we didn't throw out our old products on the spot, but replaced them when they were used up.

For replacing toiletries like face wash, soap, shampoo, deodorant, lotions, etc. this meant finding natural products that did not contain animal products nor were tested on animals. For the most part, we had been buying items such as these long before becoming vegan. However, I still had a few products that didn't fit the bill and on occasion, it was harder than I thought to find cruelty-free, natural, and effective products! Toothpaste happened to be one of the items that I still had yet to find a decent substitution for. 

This is why I was so excited to test and review Tom’s of Maine new Luminous White ™ Toothpaste which is exclusively handpicked by Target for their Made To Matter collection. I don't know why it never occurred to me to check Target for the vegan products I had been seeking! The line's mission is to challenge brands to create products that meet at least one of five criteria: reduced sugar, dietary restrictions, clean label, and/or less packaging & closed loop; all of those are things that I myself look for in products, so I am super excited to support this new collection. It actually includes a ton of vegan brands!

Luminous White ™ Toothpaste is Tom's of Maine's most advanced natural whitening toothpaste. As I'm someone who has been scolded by my dentist to, "Try not to brush so hard..." I'm relieved to know that this toothpaste is completely safe for enamel and everyday use. Luminous White ™ Toothpaste is comprised of biodegradable and mineral-derived ingredients, water, and contains no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.It's also gluten and paraben free, and it's vegan; containing zero animal products. Tom's of Maine never tests on animals either, which is great.

While I haven't been using Luminous White ™ Toothpaste long enough to comment on its whitening ability, I can say that I really appreciate that it doesn't have a strong minty flavor. There was a little 'whitening' aftertaste to it, but what else would you expect from a whitening toothpaste? Subtle in flavor, this toothpaste is a more of a paste consistency as opposed to a gel consistency (I'm anti-gel toothpaste). I can't wait to see the whitening results as time goes by! 

So, if you're like me and searching for an effective, natural, and cruelty-free toothpaste that you can feel good about... look no further. Don't forget Luminous White ™ Toothpaste exclusively at Target. Have you discovered this new toothpaste or any of the items from the Made To Matter collection? With Tom’s of Maine®, there’s something for everyone in your family – Wicked Cool!TM Deodorants, Luminous White ™ Toothpaste, and Men’s Naturally Dry North Woods™ Antiperspirant. Free of artificial dyes, fragrances, flavors and preservatives, Tom’s of Maine products are good for the planet and are Made to Matter® - handpicked by Target. What did you think? I'll be excited to try more. It's great that stores are listening to their consumers and offering an easy way to discover products that matter to them and align with their values and morals: products that are good for the planet and good for us too. 

My Unruly Hair, Tamed - A Neuma Review

I have amazing friends in my life. Sometimes I look at myself and think, my God, would I ever be able to tackle what she has?

One friend, has lived years separated from her husband by over 3,400 miles! I don't know how she does it to be honest; she's so strong. Todd leaves to Ohio for 10 days and I'm an utter mess. Yep, I'm that person.

Another friend, a hairstylist, unhappy with the salon she was employed at uprooted and started her own hair salon business with two of her co-workers. They're in their mid-twenties! I wouldn't know the first thing about starting my own business, let alone having the guts to embark on such a daring adventure. She's one smart cookie. Oh and their salon has the best name ever, Whimsy & Beau, located in my hometown of Palmer, AK. How'd they even come up with that? It's such a perfect name! If you live in the Mat-Su Valley, Eagle River, or Anchorage, there's no better hairstylists or talented, deserving girls out there. 

The people in our lives constantly surprise us. So, it was with great pleasure that I got an email from the latter friend, Martha the hairstylist extraordinaire, asking me if I wanted to test and review a favorite hair care line that Whimsy & Beau carries, called Neuma.

She informed me that Neuma was:

• eco-friendly 
• completely vegan
• organic
• not tested on animals
• 90% post consumer recycled packaging
• paperless operation
• 100% certified wind power offsets used to used to manufacture products and bottles 

Neuma products are clean and transparent as well. They have no:

• synthetic fragrances
• sulfates
• parabens
• phthalates
• glutens
• neurotoxins
• aluminum compounds
• formaldehyde donors
• ureas
• carcinogens

I have naturally wavy hair. It's downright mussy and was once described by a co-worker, "...it feels like straw." Sad face. So, I was shocked at how soft the Neuma ReNue Shampoo and Conditioner made my hair. I wash it at night, and sleep on it wet. When I wake up, I straighten my bangs and head out the door. That's pretty much the extent of my styling. Ain't nobody got time for that! But because my hair wasn't dry and brittle like it usually is, when I woke up I had beautiful curls instead of odd kinks. Wavy hair girls, you know exactly what I mean. It looked liked I had actually lightly curled my hair as opposed to sleeping on a potato crimper.

I'm used to using a lot of shampoo. I must have a ton of suds to really feel comfortable that my hair is super squeaky clean. I know this is illogical, but it's my nature. And I only shampoo like twice per week so it's okay; that's what I tell myself anyway. The great thing about the Neuma line is that you just need a teeny bit for loads of suds. I'm a devoted Paul Mitchell gal myself, so the transition was kind of rough; I had to use an exorbitant amount of that shampoo. It was shameful, really. Maybe that's why they make the bottles so big?

“Why use essential oils instead of fragrance? The word “fragrance” covers over 5,000 known chemical substances. Only 1,500 have yet to be tested for safety – over 850 are known carcinogens, neurotoxins, asthma instigators, etc. By using only healthy essential oils, NEUMA can be truly transparent and show you every ingredient in our product.”

Another thing that I absolutely love about this shampoo and conditioner? The smell. OMG, it' is the best smelling hair product I have ever used. The ReNue line smells like peppermint and vanilla. The best part is that they don't contain any synthetic fragrances! It's delicious smell comes only from essential oils! I find that impossibly important and absolutely incredible.

I also adore their Argan oil. It makes my hair so soft and shiny. I put it in after I towel dry my hair and then brush it through. If I braid my hair or need a bit of texture, I'll run some of their styling clay through. It's great for men too; Todd usually uses a clay when his hair is on the shorter side and he loves it.

The bottom line is that I won't be searching for any other hair care products and I can't tell you how excited that makes me. You know when you're not completely satisfied or feeling good about what you're using and you can't wait until it's all gone so you can go find something else? I don't have to feel like that anymore! Huzzah!

Vegan, eco-friendly, transparent, sustainable products that are naturally and deliciously fragranced and contain no questionable ingredients is a complete win in my book. Neuma is a high quality product and perhaps on the spendy side (for someone who is frugal about that stuff), but I use so little of it compared to most other products, that it doesn't bother me at all. Neuma's tagline should be, "Get those feel-good vibes!" Be sure to check out my dear friends over at Whimsy and Beau too! 

Have you used Neuma? What's your favorite hair care line?

*DISCLAIMER*  PRODUCE ON PARADE IS A PERSONAL BLOG WRITTEN AND EDITED BY MYSELF ONLY, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. MY REVIEWS ARE COMPLETELY BASED ON MY OWN OPINION OF THE PRODUCT REVIEWED. THESE PRODUCTS WERE SUPPLIED TO ME AS GIFTS TO TEST AND REVIEW. OTHERWISE, IF I MENTION A COMPANY BY NAME AND THERE IS NO DISCLAIMER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST, I AM MERELY WRITING ABOUT SOMETHING I LIKE, PURCHASE AND/OR USE. THE FACT THAT I DO RECEIVE A PRODUCT AS A GIFT TO TEST AND REVIEW, WILL NEVER POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THE CONTENT MADE IN THIS POST.

Time For A Vegan Deodorant? A Tom's of Maine Review

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tom’s of Maine for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you're like me, you ask loads of people everyday if they're wearing any deodorant. Oh wait, is that just me? That's life in the day of a mammographer I guess! My point is, deodorant and antiperspirants are on my mind. A lot. 

I'm one of those people who absolutely can't stand sweating and I have a keen nose, so I pick up on lots of smells that other people wouldn't even notice. Obviously, this means I'm an avid deodorant/antiperspirant user. Until I became vegan. Yep, "stinky hippie" is truly a real thing, but it doesn't have to be!

That being said, it was really difficult to find an antiperspirant that wasn't tested on animals and contained no animal products. So I decided to turn to a more alternative product, but I couldn't find a good combination deodorant/antiperspirant.The few I did find were too wet feeling and just seemed to make the situation worse. So, I ditched the antiperspirants and decided to just use a deodorant (oftentimes I just wear nothing, I swear on Chaos Field Roast Cheese that your body acclimates, really, but I won't go into that). Turns out I don't actually sweat that much either. Lucky me! Goodbye antiperspirants, and hello deodorants! 

I've tried a few different deodorants in the past couple years, since I ditched antiperspirants. While I really liked the smell of them, they were comprised mostly of coconut oil and so they would leave big grease stains on my scrub shirts that were difficult to get out. Um...no thank you. That's how I ended up with four different deodorants in my work desk drawer...I'm happy to say that I think I've finally found the perfect deodorant!

Tom’s of Maine  makes a Long Lasting Natural Deodorant that is vegan and cruelty-free. I've been using it for about a week now and confess I really like it! It goes on a little more wet than I like, but it doesn't leave marks. There have been no big oil stains on my shirts like the other brand I sometimes use. The Wild Lavender scent is absolutely lovely too. It's not too strong and I just get a small whiff of it throughout the day. You can also choose from a Natural Powder scent and an Unscented one as well. 

Tom’s of Maine deodorant is natural, which means it has no aluminum, no petrochemicals, no parabens, and no artificial fragrances or preservatives. Woot, woot! It's been clinically proven to provide 24-hour odor protection using odor-fighting hops and odor-trapping zinc, which is always a good thing. I love that their packaging is completely recyclable, too. As a vegan hippie, recyclable products are important to me. It's why I spend three times the bank on Bailey's eco-friendly poopie bags. A clear conscious has a price, apparently.

Finally, say'll be saying no animal testing and animal ingredients with Tom's of Maine deodorant. If that wasn't enough, 10% of Tom’s of Maine profits go back to helping people and the planet, and they've been around for over 45 years based out of Kennebunk, Maine. All feel-good stuff, and who doesn't like that?

It's the deodorant I use everyday at work, but depending on my day's activities  I'll sometimes use an antiperspirant if I know I'm going on a long run or have a social outing. 

Do you use a cruelty-free deodorant? If not, maybe it's time to make the switch. When you do, here's some things you should know:

• When trying a new and/or natural deodorant for the first time, know that your body might need a little time to adjust. I'd test it out for at least a week.

• Natural formulas are free from chemicals and artificial ingredients that are usually found in conventional deodorants. 

• Make sure the scent smells good on your body. Sometimes the product smells wonderful straight from the tube, only to find out that it doesn't mesh well with your body's natural scent.

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