Nine Naturals just became a sponsor of The Leaky Boob, and to help celebrate we’re offering you this beautiful giveaway opportunity.  Why “beautiful” you may ask?  Because Nine Naturals is all about offering beauty products that are safe for moms – especially expectant mothers.  Natural, organic, simple, smart, and safe: these are the qualities that go into each of their beauty products.  After using them ourselves, we agree!  Luxuriously simple and a list of wholesome ingredients so expertly combined, not only did we feel pampered in our quick shower, we felt safe knowing there was nothing we were putting on our bodies that could harm us or our children. We’ve invited Grace, co-founder and CEO of Nine Naturals, to tell us a little more about their company and products:

Grace Lee, Co-Founder and CEO of Nine Naturals

TLB: What was the inspiration that led to the birth of Nine Naturals?

Grace: We were inspired (and continue to be inspired!) by pregnant and breastfeeding women who are choosing safer beauty routines for themselves and their babies.

It’s not easy! When my friends and I were looking for safe beauty products to use during pregnancy, we kept running into two problems –1) most products that claimed to be natural still contained harmful ingredients and 2) many natural products simply didn’t perform well! The shampoos didn’t lather well or the body products didn’t do much for their skin.

When I started developing Nine Naturals products, I focused on using natural, pure ingredients safe for pregnancy while maintaining a high standard for beauty and performance.

TLB: Were you surprised by any of the research you discovered when developing your products?

Grace: Yes! I was shocked to learn how prevalent certain toxins are in beauty products, despite research that links these chemicals to negative health effects – particularly on babies.

Have you ever read the ingredient labels of the products you use? The average woman uses 12 beauty products a day –a routine that exposes her to as many about 168 different ingredients! Some of these ingredients, like parabens and phthalates, are toxic and can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Many synthetic chemicals have been associated with diseases and health problems like cancer, endocrine disruption and behavioral disorders.

With pregnancy being the stage when babies are most vulnerable to environmental toxin exposure, it is imperative that we act on the mounting research. Unfortunately, given the prevalence of toxins in commercial products, the onus is on us parents to minimize our babies’ prenatal exposure.

TLB: What are the values that go into the products you make?

Grace: We believe that pregnancy and breastfeeding are periods in a woman’s life when she should feel peaceful and safe but also a time she can indulge and feel amazing about herself. We believe that every pregnant and breastfeeding woman deserves to feel pampered.

We believe in the inherent quality and effectiveness of natural ingredients. We believe in handpicking all of our ingredients; diligent research and scrupulous sourcing are critical parts of product development, from ideation to formulation to production.

TLB: What is your favorite breastfeeding tip?

Grace: Don’t be afraid to get help. Breastfeeding can be difficult in the beginning. Hire a lactation consultant to come to your house or look for a local meeting of La Leche League to get help from a lactation expert. No woman should feel alone in their breastfeeding journey. That’s why I love the Leaky Boob!

TLB: If a parent is concerned, what can they do to limit exposure without having to drastically change their lifestyle?

Grace: Synthetic chemicals are found in the everyday products we use in our homes, on our bodies and on our children. Water bottles, beauty products, soap, toothpaste –we are literally inundated.

Limiting exposure might feel overwhelming, but small, simple changes make a difference. Start by switching out the products you use most frequently. Imagine if you substituted the shampoo you use everyday for a toxin-free alternative. With no major effort, expense or sacrifice, you’ve just eliminated one regular source of exposure.

We created Nine Naturals to facilitate these simple, high-impact changes. Our products were developed to be natural, safe replacements for the products you use everyday, and designed with performance as well as purity in mind. All of our formulations are 100% plant-based. We never, ever use sulfates, phthalates, parabens, petrochemicals, BPA, triclosan, DEA, synthetic fragrance or artificial preservatives.

TLB : What specific steps would you suggest moms take to reduce toxin exposures?

Grace: First and foremost, make sure your personal care products are safe and natural. Switch out your products that contain harmful chemicals to products that do not.

Do a sweep of your existing personal care products. Read all of the labels and verify that those products that claim to be natural actually are natural! If you don’t understand the label, that’s a good sign that there might be some chemicals in that product you want to avoid. The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) features great, safe alternatives in their Skin Deep Cosmetics Guide.

Avoid salons that are not well-ventilated! At the salon, avoid chemical-heavy hair processes, especially at the roots. At the spa, opt for treatments that use natural and organic products. For manicures, look for polish that is “three-free”, meaning free of dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde and toluene. And last but not lease, use Nine Naturals!

You should also be changing other areas of your life! Nearly all of our tips about detoxifying your beauty care routine apply to your cleaning products! Use glass where possible; avoid plastics, which often contain Bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates, industrial compounds linked with breast cancer and infertility. Eat organic and fresh! And, finally, open a window! Improving ventilation and air circulation will help deter unwanted particles from settling in your furniture, clothes and the rest of your home.

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This Nine Naturals Beautiful Giveaway is offering a Grand Prize and 5 Runner-Up Prizes for a total of 6 lucky Leakies!

Grand Prize: Complete Nine Naturals Product Line! ($285 in value)

5 Runners Up will Get a Nine Naturals Repairing Body Balm! ($15 value!)

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Good luck to everyone!  Please use the widget below to be entered.  The giveaway is open from November 7, 2014 through November 14, 2014.  A big thanks to Grace and Nine Naturals for their support of TLB and all breastfeeding women; please be sure to visit their Facebook page or follow them on twitter and thank them for their support of TLB and this giveaway opportunity.

This giveaway is restricted to U.S. and Canadian residents only.

The Leaky Boob + Nine Naturals