i like to be clean. i like washing my hair (and i usually “repeat” even though i know that direction on the shampoo bottle was just a genius marketing ploy and is not really necessary), i like scrubbing and sudsing and then putting on nice, clean clothes (or better, pajamas, if i am showering in the evening.) i also like my children to be clean. i like their hair to smell fresh, their skin to feel soft and have a healthy, pink glow, i like their nails to be short and dirt free and of course, i don’t like to see any unmentionables dangling around in their ears or noses.

it is difficult for me to put my children in “dirty” situations. i think my son was eleven months old before i was mocked into letting him sit IN the sandbox, rather than on my lap on the edge. “jen, he’s like little lord fauntleroy… you have to let him touch the sand,” my girlfriend said. and so i did and the first thing he did was shove a whole handful of sand/cat pee/ebola into his mouth. he DID survive, but i was traumatized. 

little lord fauntleroy

theo hanging safely ABOVE the sand

these days, my children continue to get dirty climbing trees, running in muddy grass, playing on rocks and even sweating. i know that it’s good for them, i just like them to wash off all the nature when they get home. my son is really good about this… mostly because he is very vain about his hair and likes to style it wet. my daughter, on the other hand, would be perfectly happy indefinitely putting off a shower, which she calls, “busywork.” i don’t know WHERE she came from… my children were conceived via IVF and i sometimes wonder if pig pen’s stuff accidentally got mixed into my petri dish.

and then, a few months ago, my girlfriend gave me a sample of the hair and body wash (pleni naturals) she created and produces. “pleni” in latin means “full” and the pleni natural products are full of healthy fruit and vegetable ingredients. the label depicts cute little apple, broccoli and orange characters in a super bubbly bath.

i left the sample in the shower and waited for lucy to notice it (which took a bit of time, as she doesn’t like to go in there.) when she finally discovered it, she found the label alone hilarious. “is this soap for me?” she asked… “WHY is there broccoli in it? HOW does that clean you?” she was so tickled by the broccoli soap that she lathered right up and scrubbed herself clean… and i haven’t had to beg or bribe her to shower since. PRAISE JESUS! the fact that allyson’s soap is a completely organic, non-toxic, biodegradable product, safely packaged in BPA/phthalate-free containers is a HUGE bonus.

allyson owens is a former aesthetician with a professional background in skin care product education and development. pleni naturals was inspired by her passions: nutrition, skin care and her two darling children. she wanted to create a wholesome line of natural skin care products for babies and kids and help them develop a lifelong love of veggies. allyson’s understanding that what we put on our skin goes into our bodies is the premise behind the organic fruit and vegetable ingredients, which are packed full of beneficial vitamins, antioxidants and essential fatty acids.

i am just so grateful that allyson’s healthy, whimsical bath soap has transformed my little pig pen into a girl who ENJOYS her bath time.

to read more about cleanliness click here