An Honest Company

It's rare that a nationwide company captures my attention.  I am a big etsy/local business supporter.  I am ever-frustrated with crappy customer service.  My darling hubby sometimes thinks I get too upset about it and that I shouldn't contact as many corporate offices as I do (usually to no avail) but it's something I'm passionate about.  My grandparents owned a small deli/store in the Bronx, Naughton's Irish Deli, on 242nd st.  Though many years have passed since it was operated by our family the stories that live on are of people.  The senior citizens we delivered groceries to, the orders of individual customers that still resonate in my father's, uncles' and aunt's heads.  It was about people.  It was real.  Things were done right, corners weren't cut, and everyone took ownership in having a great relationship with and providing top notch service to the customers.

My frustration with many companies these days lies in the "that's not my job" mentality of many employees.  One would think that in today's economy with less consumer dollars to go around, local branches of larger companies would realize that how you treat your customers today, guarantees your job for tomorrow.  As my father always said about his Yankee Doodle Circus "This year's show sells next year's tickets."

So some flashy new company with an actress at the helm pops up a week ago.  I was of course skeptical but always game for free samples.  So I jumped on the bandwagon, fully intent on canceling the subscription immediately.  On a chilly, grey winter day I stalked the front door around UPS time, and sure enough he brought me a delightful box of goodies from The Honest Company.  Again, excited for free stuff, but still skeptical.  I was captivated by clean lined packaging, casual but informative info packets, and easy to open packaging.  I was romanced by "Proudly made in the USA" and delightful natural scents.  George was ready for a nap so I brought him, our new diaper and wipe samples upstairs and embarked on diaper duty.  Hmm, these are adorable!  No cartoon characters!  yay!  Soft and well thought out.  The wipes were very effective, albeit thinner than the Huggies "washcloth" wipes, lovely subtle scents and they are compostable!

After putting George down for his nap I went downstairs to dive further into the kit.  The hand soap, heavenly.  I used a drop, and by drop I mean what my grandmother would have called a "smidgen."  It was pleasantly aromatic, labeled "organic lemongrass" but reminded me of pink grapefruit from the Body Shop, great lather, not drying and I didn't get itchy hands from it.  I have discovered a soap sensitivity over the last year so try to use as much natural based soaps as I can.  No red spots, no itching.  Yay.

Joey walked in the door from school and had a chapped mouth, I think he licks his chin some, and I applied the "healing balm."  I did say to him "don't eat it" and he says "it tastes good"....good news is it's natural/organic.  It seemed to do a nice job clearing up his chapped skin over a couple days.

We've enjoyed the body lotion too, not greasy but effective and quick absorbing.

Also included was laundry detergent.  Yes I make my own.  Yes I just ran out.  So, why not?  Half of that little bottle?  OK here goes.  To be fair, we have REALLY dirty clothes.  Not me so much, but George is often covered in carrots or sweet potatoes when he tries to "help," Joey looks for dirt and dirt finds Wayne. This first load was no exception, in fact it might have been a little dirtier than an average load in our house.  I only used their soap and vinegar for the rinse.  I traditionally add a little borax, but wanted to see how it did on it's own.  Good results, not perfect, but good.  Pleasant, clean smell, but not overpoweringly perfumey.  I tossed a few diapers into the next load, but I wouldn't judge the soap on those.  I won't go into detail:)  For the next load I added a little borax (maybe 1/8th cup) and the vinegar for the rinse.  Awesome.  My kitchen towels and stubborn pot holders---bright white and no lingering stains...without bleach.  I have "killed" more clothes in the last year from bleach spillage than I would like to admit.

We had a leaky diaper issue.  (I use disposables at night these days as he was waking up soaked in the cloth ones after 12 hours.)  I posted a question to other moms on their facebook page.  In TEN minutes, TEN, the co-founder of the company wrote back wanting to know what size we were using, how big G was, etc.  Let me add, he did this on his personal account and without an introduction.  Had I not read the info packet, I may not have even known.  I love that this was about "the problem" and not about "guess who I am."   We had a few comments back and forth and a suggestion in "hose aim" that resulted in a dry night the next night.  One mom on there suggested going up a size too.

Yesterday morning one of the ladies from The Honest Company emailed me to tell me she has already sent some size 4s my way to try out and was very sweet in her email.  I emailed back with a couple questions and got a speedy, thorough and honest reply.  I wanted to know if all of the products were US made.  She explained that yes, all with the exception of the diapers which are made by an American company just over the border in Mexico, in an immaculate facility and of US materials.  Also, I had issues getting the wipes out of the trial pack with one hand (which is often the case in trial packs) she assured me that the regular sized ones are easier:)

These are real people. They care about their customers, genuinely, not just from a "damage-control" standpoint.  They understand that there are other companies out there vying for our dollars and they are putting people first.

Where do I stand?  I will certainly continue the "family essentials" bundle of the personal/household cleaning products.  I will order one case of diapers.  However, since we are a good 85% cloth I won't need them every month, but I'm likely to return.

Bottom line, it's not just a name.  They are honest in product and in commitment to the customer.

Try them out for yourself:  The Honest Company

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