Melabuild – Page 8

Melaleuca and Costco Memberships

February 11, 2021 By Melabuild

Perhaps you’ve wondered about the practicality of having both a Melaleuca and Costco membership. After all, there is a good degree of crossover, or perhaps even apparent conflict between the two. I say there’s no actual conflict and advocate an emphatic YES to having both.

This is especially important if you’re a Costco member and considering becoming a Melaleuca member. Personally, the reverse is also true since my wife and I have been Melaleuca members considerably longer than we’ve been Costco members—by a difference of over eight years. However, the membership prices are not even comparable. Costco membership is many times that of a Melaleuca membership.

Costco membership offers two options; Melaleuca membership has only one. Currently, Costco membership prices are either $60 or $120 per year. Melaleuca is only $19 per year and to my knowledge always has been. For sure, it’s been $19 since long before we joined in 2006. In any given month, we save more than double the annual membership fee in price saving discounts Melaleuca provides to its members, even without including loyalty incentives.

With a Melaleuca membership, you will be able to skip several aisles, even sections or departments at retail stores. The same holds true when you shop at Costco and have a Melaleuca membership. That might make you wonder if the price of a Costco membership is still worth it. The answer could be different for everyone but my answer is…easily and absolutely.

Melaleuca manufactures over 400 products: home cleaning, personal care, beauty, nutritional and dietary supplements, medicinal and pure essential oils, and more

You won’t have to or want to buy certain items from Costco any more when you have a Melaleuca membership, such as: toxic household cleaning products, beauty and personal care products, or medicinal products and nutritional supplements, but that still leaves a literal warehouse full of products to buy from Costco. Costco has high standards which makes their membership very complimentary to a Melaleuca membership. I’ll restate what I said initially. There’s no actual conflict!

SPECIAL NOTICE: Until the end of this month, February 2021, the $19 Melaleuca enrollment price is only $1 for new members! Request an invitation for a No Risk Trial to take advantage of this offer.

Guy Stuff

January 14, 2021 By Melabuild

Back in what seems like a different world when people gathered together and hugs were more freely given, I would routinely get reactions during a hug such as, “You smell really good,” or more commonly, “What kind of cologne do you use?” Here I will share my secrets.

Vintage men's shaving set — Vintage men’s shaving set that went virtually unchanged for several decades

First, let me confess that I’m a blade shaver—there’s just no closer shave. It didn’t start out that way though. My dad, like many others when I was growing up, had one of those vintage shaving sets that didn’t change much over several decades.

Back in my late teen years during 1970’s when I needed to start shaving, innovation was minimal and the twin blade razors were in their crude infancy. I was spared the agony of being subjected to my dad’s method of shaving, one that had drawn blood from untold numbers of human male faces, when my mom granted a Christmas wish and gave me a cordless Norelco shaver with three floating heads for close, decently comfortable shaving without butchery.

That Norelco lasted somewhere around 5 years, by which time blade shavers had improved and my pocketbook wasn’t ready to replace the Norelco. After experimenting with different products, and brands, I discovered blades are not all created equal even though you would think that sharpened steel would not have such differences. I was able to settle on the best blades and shavers that shave comfortably, and now, shavers have continuously improved, much, much more in the last 40 years than 100+ years before that. I realized early on that the closeness of the blade shave shamed the Norelco, making modern blades an easy choice.

Shaving blades aren’t my main point but they are an important accompaniment to the men’s products being featured here, which is Melaleuca’s Alloy line.

Shown above, left to right, are the three shaving products: cologne, shaving gel, and after shave, then the antiperspirant/deodorant, and bath bar (displayed both wrapped and unwrapped). I’m a bar soap guy but Melaleuca does offer an Alloy body wash gel (not shown but packaged like the after shave in a gravity fed squeeze tube).

All Melaleuca bath bars are French milled meaning they are more dense and last significantly longer than bars you buy in the store. In addition to the Alloy bar, several other bath bar scents are available, along with seasonal scents offered for a limited time. They are formulated to rival the best brands you can get but more affordable, and they’ll win you over once you try them. Treat yourself.

Alloy deodorant or antiperspirant/deodorant compliments the line with a coordinated fragrance. Order them as a 3 pack to save money. That advice also applies to the bath bars.

The shaving gel nicely suits my demand for a close and comfortable shave to accompany my preferred razor. Over the years I’ve been a Melaleuca customer, the formulation has been improved multiple times, and though it was great 15 years ago, it keeps getting better. The after shave is a soothing lotion, perfect to apply right after shaving—no stinging.

The cologne is my secret that I started this post with. It’s not overwhelming but lasts all day. One of the things I like most, besides the quality and fragrance, is the metered sprayer. One of the pitfalls to fragrances is when you first start using them, at least when they’re of this quality, you’ll notice the fragrance hours later because your nose is part of your face. Over time, you get used to it and no longer notice. The tendency is to succumb to the temptation to apply more (I’m sure you’ve encountered people who do that). The metered sprayer is an excellent way to be consistent rather than marinate yourself and overwhelm those around you.

With just the right amount of Alloy cologne applied, you can be confident and be complimented, especially when this social distancing thing goes away.

Ditch the Hazmat Gear

December 12, 2020 By Melabuild

The bathroom in most homes is often the most hazardous of any room in the house but not for the reasons you might be thinking. Cleaning that bathroom is vital, but most bathroom cleaning products are among the most toxic threats to human health to which people are routinely exposed in their own home. Unless you actually wear hazmat gear while cleaning, and install high powered ventilation to exhaust the toxins before opening the door to the rest of the house, you would be shocked at the collateral damage caused just to achieve your shiny, clean bathroom.

Bathroom cleaner warning label — A bathroom cleaner warning label ought to be enough scare you

Part of the problem is we’ve been successfully conditioned to expect effective bathroom cleaners to assault our senses in order to work. Our natural instinct would be to run away yet even the cryptic warning labels are largely ignored because decades of conventional thinking have taught us that it’s the price to be paid when engaging in combat against the bathroom baddies. So we allow the assault to our well being thinking it is necessary in the war against unwanted forces of nature.

If you’re even remotely familiar with the content on this site you know to expect a non toxic solution. You don’t need to slowly kill yourself to kill germs, bacteria, mold and mildew, and wipe out hard water stains, soap scum, dirt and grime, and achieve a sparkling polish on glass, porcelain, fixtures, and other shiny surfaces. Not only does that totally non toxic solution rely on natural citric acid (lemons and other citrus), it works better and faster than the highly toxic products sold in stores, and, it’s even less expensive…significantly less expensive.

The 8 oz. concentrate bottle shown above fills the 16 oz. mixing/spray bottle six times!! That’s 96 oz. of powerful foaming bathroom cleaner that smells like, and is made from, citrus. The Melaleuca member price is only $5.69 for 3 quarts worth of safe cleaner. Compare that with the caustic cleaners in the store that make you pay to offend your senses, bring tears to your eyes, and shorten your life. You’ll need to find an alternative use for gloves and other protective equipment; you won’t need them to clean your bathroom any more.

Melaleuca’s EcoSense Tub & Tile Bathroom Cleaner can be used for your entire bathroom cleaning. But I personally would not want to be without their glass cleaner (microfiber cleaning cloths from Melaleuca highly recommended) and their toilet bowl cleaner made with citrus and thyme oil. Back in August I featured Sol-U-Guard Botanical® disinfectant which lends itself perfectly to bathroom use.

Gone in 24 Hours

November 12, 2020 By Melabuild

Maybe someday I could do a post about my love for fast cars and movies with intense car chase scenes but this is a different form of high octane performance. Instead of risking damages to automotive bodies we’ll be preventing or fixing blemishes on your own body. This requires heavy artillery in your arsenal against unwanted forces of nature while you thrill ride the road of life.

The three products shown will prove to be must have, no bathroom or medicine cabinet should be without necessities of life once you experience their adrenaline pumping performance. Clarity acne spot treatment (also available as a cream not shown) is because you don’t have to be a teenager to get overtaken by a sudden pimple out of nowhere. Renew lotion is great for everyday use but also has turbo charged torque for putting skin irritations in the rear view mirror. And Melaleuca’s namesake Melaleuca oil is your cylinder of nitrous oxide for outrunning ill intended forces trying to overtake you.

One common strategy dominates all three of these products and the conditions you’re trying to overcome…the earlier the better. When you punch the accelerator immediately by using their power against any threat, the faster and more effectively they work.

My experience with Clarity is that not all pimples are the same and you may not notice them as early with some as with others. Overall though, I’ve found it amazing how quickly they usually disappear. It’s not at all uncommon to see them vanish completely in lass than a day. The spot treatment bottle shown, which employs a roll on application, can be easily carried in your pocket or purse to use frequently if needed. It’s also available as a cream in a tube. For teens, having the entire Clarity 3 or 4 part regimen is recommended.

Renew is high octane lotion with turbo chargers. It’s exceptional for all the normal uses you would expect in a lotion with the additional horsepower and torque to take on various skin conditions. I will refrain from making any medical claims or indicating magical cures to serious skin conditions but speak only of personal experiences. As I post this in November in Michigan where it is currently in the 40’s and 50’s, heat rash is not an issue, but in warmer weather that is a frequent occurrence. Renew typically blows that off the road in just a few hours and soothing relief is instantaneous. In the dry and colder weather like we’re getting now, I sometimes prefer it over lip balm and it quickly reverses lip cracking.

Basically Renew is worth trying for any type of skin irritation and also works well in conjunction with the Melaleuca oil I’m outlining next.

Melaleuca oil is extremely versatile and has long been recognized for its healing properties, skin penetration and soothing capability, natural antiseptic and antifungal properties, and naturally safe usage among other benefits. Use it for bug bites and bee stings, cuts, burns, stinging or itching skin, and many types of topical skin irritations. I don’t get cold sores as much as when I was younger but Melaleuca oil at the very first indication of a cold sore forming can stop it from ever breaking out.

I mentioned using Renew in conjunction with Melaleuca oil. You tag team these two products together and they can work wonders. If Melaleuca oil is used for an extended period of time, it has a bit of a drying effect. Renew counteracts that effect, and whatever else Melaleuca uses in their proprietary and confidential formula that promotes healthy skin, often tends to add to the effectiveness of Melaleuca oil by itself.

I feel like I need to end on a clever performance car analogy so consider these products essential equipment in your personal body shop.

Order Early

October 10, 2020 By Melabuild

At the time I originally wrote this post, Melaleuca had (for several years) a cost saving incentive for early ordering which was revised in January 2022. The new cost savings no longer apply to when your order is placed but the first point made here still applies.

The first reason is fairly low impact but that impact is still real. People are natural procrastinators so order volumes at the end of the month are much higher, resulting in longer order processing times. That may not be much of an issue for you but the second reason will be much more motivating.

~~The second reason is that you save money.~~

The rest of this original post is now revised because you can procrastinate and still save money through the new loyalty incentive program. My Melaleuca Points and Pricing featured post outlines how Melaleuca’s points and pricing works, but loyalty incentive program has been enhanced to essentially provide free shipping and reward customers for switching their normal purchases to Melaleuca products.

In a nutshell, you can be a Melaleuca customer with no minimum order requirements but if you want to receive the 30% to 50% discounted price, it requires a 35 point monthly minimum (about $60 to $70). Even as empty nesters our orders well exceed that requirement. Under the new loyalty incentive program, all orders now have a flat rate shipping of $10 regardless of size which is automatic savings on larger orders (35 point orders tend to be very close to $10). Orders above 38 points receive instant rewards of $5 to be applied to the next order. Orders above 43 points get the full $10 in reward dollars.

Put another, and simpler, way, customers who order the minimum will still pay about the same, including shipping. Customers with slightly larger orders will cut their shipping costs in half. Customers with orders 44 points or higher get free shipping, plus save significantly compared to the previous program with higher shipping costs.

People who become Melaleuca customers already become loyal with escalating loyalty as they experience the superiority of Melaleuca products. Now as that loyalty results in larger orders, it also increases the savings more than before.

Supply Chain

September 9, 2020 By Melabuild

Earlier this year I posted about the availability of Melaleuca products suffering no noticeable degradation. That’s still mostly true—the hiccups are minimal and short lived when they do happen, but with supply chain issues being so widespread, no one is immune.

The term supply chain is more familiar to the public at large now but it seems previously it was mostly limited to the business or professional sector. Because of the magnitude a disrupted supply chain has on every area of life in our modern culture, awareness of the importance of our otherwise unnoticed supply chain has certainly risen significantly.

Empty store shelves and more limited choices in pretty much everything we buy shows how vital our supply chain is. None of us are exempted from noticing these effects.

How does this relate to Melaleuca and its products? I am limited to providing a layman’s point of view but I do have the advantage of understanding business and marketing. I don’t keep pace with the corporate or marketing side of Melaleuca and product flow but the general knowledge I do have puts me in a position to offer good perspective.

Let’s start with a bit of general common sense. Perhaps there isn’t much of that left but I think Melaleuca customers in general would be people who possess and value common sense…hence, it contributes to why they are customers. If I can be so bold, mindless minions would write off Melaleuca without a fair trial.

To those who are still with me, you plan ahead. When you open a new product or something is running low, you add a replacement to your next order. Given the concentration factor for Melaleuca products, you’ll have a new supply weeks or even a couple months+ before you actually need it. This approach has not failed me yet. There have been recent months where a product I wanted was interrupted by supply chain issues, but so far, never to the degree I didn’t get it before I really needed it.

I think Melaleuca has done exceptionally well at keeping product availability consistent and quickly rebounding when hiccups occur. As I noted in my previous post about the hoarding which is a real problem in the general marketplace, Melaleuca customers tend to be good neighbors, so supply chain challenges have remained short lived. Given the type of people who are attracted to the Melaleuca model, and Melaleuca’s business model itself, I expect the bumps in the road to remain minimal.