Shea Terra Organics Giveaway plus good green news!

I think it’s pretty clear, I think Shea Terra Organics is a great company, with an awesome CEO and founder and they have great products. I’ve been able to review a vast variety of these luxury body scrubs, lotions, body butters, face washes and creams of all scents and varieties. Now it’s time to share and give away one of my favorite scents, the Lavender of the Khoisan Indigenous Shea Butter gift set. This is the scent my son likes and request to use in the shower! A prize retailed at $45 U.S. dollars and anyone can win this if they live in the United States or Canada and are 18 years of age. All you have to do is leave a comment as to why you think you might need this “spa” treatment! The contest ends May 29, 2008 12am EST. One winner will be drawn randomly. One entry per email and you must leave your email address! Thanks to Shea Terra Organics for donating this lovely gift set.

This was going to be the last giveaway and contest for Green & Clean Mom but seeing that I'm so generous I'll giveaway a fun read and then some more goodies for the prelaunch. I just cannot resist waiting till the launch. There’s so much in store that I am having a hard time sleeping at night trying to organize everything and sort through the amazing giveaways. The official launch or really more of a relaunch will span over the course of two months with two giveaways each week (subject to change). If you’re following me on twitter you might know of some confirmed giveaways! So stay tuned, try to win some Shea Terra Organics, and subscribe so you don’t miss a thing. I am still accepting advertisers and giveaways from the following green categories: jewelers, accessories, toys, diapers and slings.

Part II: Shea Terra Organics Interview--with a very special mom

In honor or Mother’s Day, I thought it was very appropriate to publish this post about a very special mom, a mom who received 11 hugs and kisses today, Tammie Umbel. A few days ago I was honored to interview, Tammie Umbel, CEO and founder of Shea Terra Organics. Why is this an honor, you might wonder? Tammie’s a little busy, with 11 children that she home schools and she runs a major company. I’d say her time is a wee bit valuable but the honor part also comes into play because at the end of my conversation with Tammie, I felt empowered as a woman. Here’s why...

Tammie began her first business at 18 in the textile industry but she didn’t like it. She didn’t like how cut throat it was. She told me it wasn’t her and that she couldn’t be creative. Tammie “thinks and breathes business” but not “money” but the ideas. She got out of the textile business and literally had a dream and that dream became her next business, bringing natural products from third world countries to the U.S. at fair prices.

Tammie is a pioneer of bringing Shea butter to the United States. This fruit from a tree comes from the savannah belt of Africa and is boiled or crushed. The fat that comes from this is Shea butter. Tammie formulates 100% of her products all by herself. They are her creations and she tests them and does the research. Tammie works closely with individuals and companies in Africa to insure fairness and protection of the environment and resources. She has her own Ethiopia Project that she gives a portion of her proceeds to. This project helps buy goats, support schools and feed orphans. Simply amazing!

Tammie has faced many uphill battles with fair trade prices, the politics of natural products and the competition. When many would just have thrown in the towel…Tammie continues to plow forward. She believes in what she is doing and the products she creates and formulates. She has even lost money because she refuses to raise the prices when it isn’t fair or couldn’t be obtained by all. To me that is honorable, standing by what you know is right.

Here are a few specific questions I asked Tammie and her answers:

A portion of your proceeds for each Shea Terra Organics’ product is donated to self-empowerment and environmental programs. How do you choose which organization to give to?

I have my own program, the Ethiopian Project. This helps buy goats, feed orphans and provide schooling. I prefer to not do organizations but you don’t know how much of the money is really helping. I like the Diane Fosse Fund though.

Tell me about parabens and your products shelf life.

They all have a shelf life of 1-2 years and they have a preservative in them but not parabens. Phenooxyethanol, caprylyl glycol is the preservative we use. If you combine water and oil, you have to have preservatives. You have to have your product properly preserved and not stink. I did a lot of research and we use the best.

What advice do you have for my Green and Clean Moms that are trying to have a family, go green and start or run a business?

I’m one of those moms who you either like what I say or you don’t. I don’t believe in sacrifices. If it’s important to me, I do it. I have never used a babysitter, only family members to help me watch the children. Women can get what they want when they know its right. They have to follow their heart and gut if it is good for others.

Alright, the burning question…you have 11 children and you don’t use a nanny or sitter so how do you do it?

I just do it. Sometimes they’re in the office with me and come to work. Some of them stay home. If it makes them happy it makes me happy. My resolution is to bring up healthy, happy, children. Sometimes it’s noisy but I try to keep them quiet. Ultimately you can hear the kids but I won’t bend my beliefs or passions for business. A lady got really mad once when my daughter answered the phone and wanted to talk to me. I said, no. If someone is going to get mad because a two year old picks up the phone, then that is silly.

Do any of your 11 children have an interest in the business?

They see the world like me. They see a leaf, they see a business. I’d like them to go into the medical field. Science is for the good, there is so much potential of using natural products and things from nature.

Tammie is inspirational with her drive, her business savvy, her motivation and her passion! Be sure not to miss the big Shea Terra Organics giveaway in the next post!!!

Part I: Shea Terra Organics Review with a giveaway to come!

Moms need a break and a little time to be pampered, right? Mother’s day is coming up and frankly, I’d love a spa treatment. The problem being it costs a fortune, the products aren’t natural or organic and I asked for a clothesline! Lucky me, I have my very own spa in my bathroom right now! Shea Terra Organics offers natural body and skin care products that utilize healing African oils, botanical and butters for nearly a decade! I just turn on my shower and wahla, I have my own spa. When I first decided to give these products a try, I was reluctant. I’ve been trying to go more “green” with personal care products but many of the lotions and potions are kind of smelly. I have one lotion that my hubby calls the “sex repellent”! I wear this everyday now…just kidding! The very first time I put on my Miombo Mango body lotion I think my hubby came sniffing around the corner winking at me. It smells that good!!! Apparently my natural body odor and other natural products don’t give off such a good aroma. The smell is a just a bonus, the lotion is 20% Shea butter but happens to be wonderful for rashes, eczema, and stretch marks.

After trying the lotion I couldn’t wait to give all of the other products a try so quickly door was shut and the shower turned on. The hubby just had to deal with the kids because Mom had some products to review and needed a spa treatment! Unfortunately, I wasn’t so “green” when it came to my water conservation but I promise to make up for it or at least try. I tried Lavender of the Khoisan shower elixir, made of indigenous silk and Shea butter. Let me just tell you that not all Shea butter is created equal or use fair trade and not all silk is cruelty free. I did my research with this one and many companies don’t use fair trade and they raise the price considerably! With Shea Terra Organics, you know you’re getting the best and the silk is cruelty free. I’ve been using this for a few weeks now and it is not drying, my son requests it because it smells so nice. I had a nasty paper cut when I gave the Pink Guava Pomegranate indigenous Shea butter Dead Sea salt scrub. It hurt bad, I would have really liked one of those Pomegranate cocktails Oprah makes to make it feel better. So I waited to try this product until I was free of cuts and what I love, beside the blissful smell, would be that it wasn’t greasy. I’ve used tons of these scrubs and they feel greasy like I’m wearing baby oil. My skin felt very smooth after scrubbing down with. A great treatment for those rough and dry spots but the spa treatment didn’t end there…I have to tell you about my favorite product still!

African Lemongrass black soap elixir that also is made with 10% Shea butter and pure black soap for a clear complexion. BLACK SOAP? That’s what I thought when I read the bottle and poured the soap onto my hand. It is black like the night and I wasn’t so sure I wanted to put it on my face. I’m open minded though and black soap has been used for ages in Africa to solve all sorts of skin problems. This now happens to be my favorite product. I love, love, love this stuff. My face feels so tight and smooth. It is completely non-drying and I had some ugly spots that are smooth and clear. A Green & Clean Mom thumbs up! What is black soap you might wonder? It’s actually paw paw fruit, plantain leave, cocoa pods, coconut and herbs and its burned into an ash where oils of palm, sesame, coconut and Shea butter are added. This is the process that makes the soap naturally black.

The last two products I’ve been giving a whirl is the Bourbon Vanilla Shea butter that’s made from 40% Shea butter and the Shea Nilotica. I use these every night for the rough spots like the knees, feet and hands. Great for right before bed and my nail cuticles look so nice and they’re all healed from the rough dry winter air. I have so much more to tell you about Shea Terra Organics and can’t wait to introduce you to the woman behind the products in my next post. A woman who cares so much she formulates 100% of the products herself and contributes a portion of all her sales to a number of self-empowerment projects throughout Africa, and has created her own Ethiopian Goat Project. A woman with 11 kids should need every penny she can get to feed and cloth them but she’s the most giving and kind hearted person I’ve spoken with. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss meeting her or the giveaway!!!

Oh, and I personally ordered there sets for mother's day gifts (shhhhh) because I like these products so much AND Shea Terra Organics is committed to ecologically responsible production, with all its products made by hand to off-set carbon waste. Product packaging is recyclable. Packing materials are made from recycled paper and pulp. Promotional material is printed on recycled paper with soy ink. Yeah!!!