What Ya Got Under There?

I often have people ask me what the number one, most important "health thing" is they should invest-in or change in their lives.  I really can't narrow it down to one thing.  Healthy eating, good sleep, stress-management, reduction in toxin exposure (personal care and cleaning products)...and the list goes on.  I know it is not realistic to expect people to throw everything out and start over, but you can start by doing a few switcheroos and building from there.

You can't have 100% organic everything in your life, but in addition to food I feel that underwear and pajamas should be high on your priority list.  Underwear, for obvious reasons (those are delicate areas) - and this includes socks (the health of our feet is more important than we realize - and we release a lot of toxins out through them), and pajamas because we spend a lot of time in bed/sleeping (hopefully), and while we sleep is when our body essentially takes out the trash and repairs itself.  While we sleep everything can relax and open up to breathe, and if our body is covered in something synthetic or toxic, that's what we are taking in...and then our body is tied up trying to process that stuff instead of focusing on its most important job.

Again, for these "favorite things" posts I am not going to dive into the science and data too much, but by now we all know sleep is very important.  Our bodies and brains do amazing things while we sleep, and if you do want to know more, you can start here.

They always say that no one does better research and investigating than a mother!  Well, it's true!  Our go-to store for my sons underwear and pajamas (and most of his clothes) has always been Hanna Andersson.  We love their quality, softness, durability, and the fact that ALL of their "Unders" and PJs are 100% Organic Cotton.  In addition to those most important qualifications they come in THE CUTEST colors and prints...including our all-time favorite, Snoopy and The Peanuts Gang!  I basically refuse to pay full-price for anything, so I get most of my "Hannas" during sales or promotions.  We are also lucky to live fairly close to a Hanna Andersson Outlet Store.  They also carry women's clothing, which I love.  I have some of their "adult" stuff, but I am also able to wear their largest kids size, so that saves me a lot of money, too (plus they are way more fun and I can match with my son...until the day he thinks that is an awful and embarrassing idea!)  One other thing to note is that they have just about the best Customer Service I have ever dealt with!  *ATTENTION: Kids jams are $29 right now online (normally $44-46) - including the licensed stuff (Disney, Peanuts, Star Wars, etc.), which is rare.

Our latest Hanna Andersson treasures!

An awesome source of adult underwear and socks is PACT Apparel!  They are super comfy, last a long time, and come in lots of colors and patterns...as well as the basic solids.  I also love their leggings, tanks/camis, and t-shirts.  They are a company with an amazing mission, too...which makes me want to support them even more!  You can read all about it here.

Another website I want to mention is Faerie's Dance.  It is one of the very first places I shopped for these sorts of items back before they were easier to find.  It's where I learned about BGREEN products, which I also really like.

A couple of times I have indulged in Coyuchi pajamas, which are wonderful...they are just over-priced.  I have been lucky enough to catch some pretty awesome sales...when the pajamas are already on-sale, and then they send an additional coupon, is when I jump on them.

I have also noticed that Burt's Bees now makes organic clothing.  I have bought some of their baby pajamas as gifts, and they seem very nice.  I also noticed some of their pretty holiday sleepwear when I was at a local Whole Foods the other day.  It looks like they have some matching kids and adults pjs for the season...check it out tonight (12/3), and you can get 25%-off: Burt's Bees Family Pajamas.

One last tip, because I know these things can be quite pricey...head on over to an "overstock/discount" site like Sierra Trading Post, 6PM, Backcountry, etc., and type "organic" in their search bar.  I find lots of good stuff, at very reasonable prices, this way!

If you are going to be buying gifts for loved ones (or yourself) anyway, buy fewer things, but make sure they are healthier and higher quality!  That's a good way to show you really care!

Some of our favorites from our organic PJ collection!