Online Shops I Love!:)

In the past months, I have become more health conscious – triggered after learning of a friend’s brush with a health scare that was a tad too close for comfort.

My quest started with the search for a simple deodorant that did not contain nasty stuff like parabens and aluminum, and in the process, I found that there were many better alternatives to the numerous chemical laden products that we use in our day-to-day life.

If you ever tried reading the ingredient list of some products – you would be left in a daze!  I see *stars* and what I do is to delay purchasing the product, check the ingredients online, and then decide if I still want to get it.

I  avoid a few key ingredients (parabens, urea, tricolsan) like the plague and tolerate some depending on use (e.g. SLS in dish washing liquid is ok.  better than not knowing what’s in your dishwashing liquid).   I am still in the process of switching – so it’s still a works-in-progress….

A delight I discovered is that switching to better products is possible – without burning a hole in my pocket thanks to the many great sources online!  And I thought I would share with you the places I get some of my stuff!  

Their Mission is “Providing the best overall value for natural products” – indeed!

If you are a new customer, you can get $5 / $10 off your first purchase [below USD 40 / above USD 40] – by using the code LBN237 .  FYI, I get referral points.

Variety of goods: Very good.  At least the items I am interested to buy are available.  So far my purchases include Dr Bronner’s soap, Magnesium oil, deodorant powder, toothpaste, dental floss, shea butter, jojoba oil.  There are more items I’m keen to try…but slow and steady!  It’s a tad easy to be addicted!

Value for money:  Excellent.  Most items are cheaper than other online shops (about 10%) and shipping is really reasonable if you buy items above USD 60. What I do to reach this amount is that I buy on behalf of my family.  And crazily – after conversion from USD to SGD, and taking into account international shipping – it is cheaper than buying from retailers in Singapore!  Still you gotta do your home work and check the prices!

Shipping:  Superb!  The very first order I made took 8 – 9 days to deliver.  Very fast considering shipping was only USD 8 (sadly this cheap option is no longer available) – and it was travelling from thousands of miles from the USA to Singapore!  A slight leak in the coconut oil, but nothing serious.  I’m now waiting for my parent’s order – will update soon!  The 2nd order is about 7 kg, and cost USD 17 via DHL.  estimated 3-5 days!

Referral Program:  iherb creates a new code for every new customer – you can pass your code on to family / friends you recommend it to so they save USD 5 for purchase below US$40 and more savings of USD 10 for purchase above US$40.

In additional, for orders above US$60 – there is an additional 5% as well as cheaper shipping charges!  Of course share the love – provided you love it! If you are planning to purchase stuff from iherb – you can use my code LBN237!:)

Of course, there are many other great sources online – currently I use iherb cos’ of the variety of choice, convenience, good value and very importantly – the reasonable international shipping rates.  There are some items that are slightly cheaper elsewhere but for the moment I am still using iherb cos’ separately buying from different retailers is a pain, and the separate shipping will wipe out any cost savings.

Variety of goods:  Focussed on organic and natural products – they screen the products and while product line is selected, you can be assured that the items they do sell are of quality.

Value for money: Depends on what you buy. I bought Soapwalla’s deodorant, and it’s cheaper than if I had shipped it from the US myself.  They were also having a 20% christmas sale – so i got a good deal!  I also tried their Buddha Nose Girl Balm – for PMS pains, and I admit it was expensive, luckily there was a 20% discount!

Shipping:  Carol provides a choice of self collection at Novena MRT for free or you can request for postage.  I went for the self collection to save on postage – and also to go shopping right after that! haaa….