Ashlee and Her Tribe

Lifestyle + Motherhood Blog

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Drink More Water

This blog post is in partnership with Primo Water. All opinions are my own.

As a mother I always tried to give my children healthier food and drink options. I try and offer fresh organic foods and water as their drink of choice. Now to be realistic that does not always happen. With having 3 kids, I learned that life is crazy! I have learned to chill and allow my kids some fast food and sugary drinks. However, one thing that I will not change is the quality of the water we consume as a family. Tap water can contain lead, arsenic, mercury, and chlorine. To keep my family safe from these harmful chemicals we decided to get a Primo Water dispenser.

Primo Water goes through a multi step purification process which includes reverse osmosis to eliminate any potential harmful contaminants. You can get your water filled (or refilled) at many stores across the US and Canada (Lowes ,Walmart, and various grocery stores). Every Primo bottle is used 40 times before it’s made into a new bottle. This means 1 Primo bottle saves 1110 single used bottles from ending up in the landfills. I love that as a family we are cutting down on waste.

Having the sleek dispenser in your house will be a great way for your family to drink more water and less sugary drinks. They have free and fast shipping and they give you coupons for free drinking water jugs. Head to Primowater.com to get more information and to check out all their water dispenser options. They even have one that has a water bowl attached to the bottom for pets!!

Enjoy your summer and drink more water

Ashlee

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Anxiety + Butterfly Pea Flowers

I think a lot of us suffer from some sort of ANXIETY at different parts of our lives. Some of us may have it worse than others. I have always been a type A personality. I can get neurotic over things little that don’t really matter. For an example, if I know I have something that I need to do whether it is an Instagram post, household chores, pack for vacation, fill out my kids back to school forms….. I get consumed by the task I need to complete and I OBSESS over it all until its done. This can really take a toll on my every day life. When I start getting anxiety over the task, I don’t prioritize my time. I then go in a million directions at once. I will start to clean my closet, prep dinner, clean out that random junk drawer, fold the laundry, and worry about that sponsored Instagram post I need to get done. It’s a cycle and I burn myself out sometimes!!! If you are around me during my neurotic state I will probably burn you out too….
I don’t believe in taking medication (if you do that’s wonderful and I hope it helps). I tend to have a more holistic approach to health and wellness. I believe in eating the right foods, essential oils, mediation, yoga, chiropractic care, and herbal tea. I discovered Butterfly Pea Flowers. They’re dried tea leaves that are packed with antioxidants, flavonoids, and peptides. (Which are all amazing for your skin). For centuries, Asian cultures have used these flowers to help with anxiety, stress, cognitive health, skin care and hair health.
I use these flowers in the a tea form. I soak them in boiling water for 3-5 minutes and add a little honey. I drink this indigo colored tea while, I diffuse some lavender oil and frankincense and I feel like a new person!!!! You can add these flowers to your favorite smoothie or baking recipes as well as your coffee. If you are stressed, suffer from any type of anxiety, or want to up your antioxidants/health game, I encourage you to check out SouZen over on Amazon. Here is the direct link. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_8?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=sou+zen&sprefix=sou+zen+%2Caps%2C442&crid=1KF9U0EMNXOHW

Take a minute to unwind and get centered with this herbal tea. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
xoxo
Ashlee

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Let’s talk about DEODORANT

Hey guys I want to talk about natural deodorant: Why it‘s important to use a chemical free brand and what brands I recommend.
For years I have used Dove advanced care deodorant. I love the way it makes my underarms feel, it smells good, and actually works. I decided I wanted to “clean up” some of the toxic beauty products I use in my day to day life. I started with my skincare routine awhile back. To read that blog post about my natural skin care click here.
I wanted to change out mine and my husband’s deodorant for a less toxic brand. He used Degree and like I said I used Dove for years. Some of the ingredients found in these brands and other leading brands are
-Aluminum-linked to breast cancer, prostate cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.
-Parabens- disrupt hormonal balance, cancer, early puberty in children, organ toxicity
-Triclosan- Considered a pesticide by the FDA
-Phthalates- increases cell mutation, hormone disruption
-Propylene glycol- can cause damange to central nervous system, liver, and heart
(source: https://www.naturalnews.com/055197_deodorant_harmful_chemicals_natural_products.html)
I did some research and tried out 3 brands that have less toxic chemicals in them and real ingredients I can pronounce. I will add more brands to this post as I try them out down the line. If you have any you recommend please comment below!!!
So far I tried Tom’s of Maine, Native, and Schmidt’s
I ranked them by my favorite first and so on. I give you mine and Patrick’s honest opinions.
Hands down Schmidt’s is both mine and my husband’s FAVORITE deodorant. It has no aluminum, no propylene glycol, no artificial fragrance. It contains baking soda, arrowroot, coconut oil, cerifera wax, jojoba seed oil, bergamot essential oil, lime, and vitamin E. My favorite scent is the one pictured Bergamot lime. I also love the rose-vanilla. My husband had a really positive experience with the charcoal-magnesium one. Here is what I like about it: It actually works in hot humid weather. I can apply it in the AM and still smell fresh in the evening, it doesn’t get chalky, and it smells amazing. My husband who sweats a lot loves this brand and said it works really well.
The one negative I want to share is that it is hard when applying. You may want to warm it up a bit with your body heat or with the warm steam from the shower. If you have just shaved and apply it before warming it up, it can irritate your underarm. Be aware that if you have sensitive underarms make sure you soften it up a bit before applying.
This brand is paraben and aluminum free. They offer free shipping on their website. It contains baking soda, arrowroot powder, shea butter, coconut oil, beeswax, essential oils, and vitamin E. My husband likes the citrus and herbal musk scent. I love the lavender and rose scent. I think overall this brand works really well! It does appear clumpy under my arms after wearing for awhile. If I was going somewhere and I knew I was going to sweat A LOT, I would probably put on my Schmidt’s.
This brand is aluminum free and has no artificial fragrance or preservatives. It contains water, aloe juice leaf, sunflower seed oil, and acsorbic acid. I think this brand is ok in the winter time when you aren’t going to sweat much. I wish it had more essential oils in the ingreidents and baking soda. I honestly won’t buy this brand again. My husband reports it doesn’t work well at all.
I want to try Young Livings brand of deodorant next. I will add more to this list as I try them out. Please comment below and share any toxic free brands that are a must or a don’t.
Thanks for reading my post!
xoxo
Ashlee

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My skincare routine

In April I am turning 33. I now need to take my skincare routine very seriously. I take a more natural approach to skincare because your skin is your largest organ and I want what I am putting on my skin to be as natural as can be. I do admit I am torn because in my teens and 20s I was a sun worshiper! I hardly ever put sunscreen on and always laid out. I mean who doesn’t want to look like a golden goddess? All that vitamin D I soaked up is totally showing on my face and neck. I have a lot of sun spots and my crows feet are getting bad. I want to eventually get Botox ( I know you must be thinking you just said you love using natural skin care products how could you think about Botox)? I call it BALANCE. Mama still wants to look good!! Do you watch the Real Housewives on Bravo? These women are in their 50’s and look like teens. Oh to have endless amounts of money to spend on yourself care!! Rant over now back to the products I swear by and use in my everyday life.
* Update July 2018* I have since started using this antimicrobial face brush from Michael Todd Beauty I use it a few times a week at night time with my face wash. I wet the brush put a little of my face wash in the center of the brush and move it around my face and neck for about 2 minutes. It is amazing! It helps deep clean my skin making my pores look smaller, it helps fight wrinkles by increasing circulation to my face, and it improves my skin elasticity.
I discovered a family owned company called OSEA about two years ago and I am Obsessed. Their products are natural, non-toxic, and vegan, free of parabens and synthetic chemicals.
I use this creamy Ocean Cleanser every night. It is an organic seaweed gel cleanser. It takes off all my makeup and my skin feel so soft after I rinse it off.
 I use this Thayers Witch Hazel as my toner every night after I wash my face. I like this one because its cheap and after I use it my skin feels tingly and free of all excess dirt and grime. I buy mine from Target.
I put this serum on next. It is so lightweight and gives my skin a glow. I use this in the AM too. Its hyaluronic acid helps fight fine lines and wrinkles.
I use this cream around my eyes and lips to fight wrinkles. It has mineral peptides that help firm and gives me the extra moisture I need around my eyes.
This moisturizer is life!! I use it every AM and in the PM. It is so light and quickly absorbs in my skin. It has organic algae, shea butter, and avocado oil in it.
I use this mineral spray after I do my makeup every morning. It gives me a nice dewy glow and helps plumps my skin. I also use it every day in the winter time when my skin is looking dull and dry. It brings me back to life!!
I use this Dirt Joe coffee scrub once a week to exfoliate my skin. I use it all over my whole body and gently use it on my face. It has coconut oil and coffee grinds in it.
I swear by this algae oil. I used it all over my whole body when I was pregnant with Winter to avoid stretch marks. I also use it on dry patches on my face during the harsh dry winter months. It has an amazing citrus smell and gives your skin a healthy glow.
I get this clay mask off of amazon and I love it. My skin looks so healthy after I use this and my pores look smaller. I generally use this about 1x a week.
I use the cheapest eye makeup remover I can find. I either use Target up-up brand or neutrogena. I think eye makeup remover is something you can go really cheap on and it makes no difference.
*Update July 2018 I have been playing around with Young Living Essential oils. I have been slowly adding them to my skin care routine. I really like Frankincense. I add one drop to my nightly moisturizer or to some coconut oil. It helps to fight wrinkles and the smell is great for anti stress and anxiety. If Frankincense was good enough for baby Jesus it works for me!!!
*Update February 2019
Jade Roller: A jade roller is an ancient Chinese beauty tool that you use on your face and neck. You apply your favorite serum (In my case I either use Frankincense oil or the OSEA algae oil I shared above) and then roll the jade roller up your face in an upwards motion. You do each spot on your face and neck about 3 times. The jade roller helps penetrate the serum deeper into your skin, improve circulation, gives your skin a healthy glow because its increasing blood circulation, it reduces puffiness and helps with any head tension.
*Update April 2019
Tula Eye Balm- This product is the bomb!!!! It’s an instant pick me up for under eyes. I use it after I wash my face in the morning. It brightens and tightens my under eye.
If you have any recommendations for some good wrinkle creams please comment below! I am always open to trying new products. I strongly believe in using natural products but once in awhile I open to chemicals. Life is to short and you need a little balance! I hope you enjoyed reading all the skincare products I love and use in my every day life. I am not sponsored by any of these products.
xoxo
Ashlee