Staying Well with Walgreens this Winter

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Walgreens.

We've just come back from a 3-day ski trip at Tahoe, and it's amazing how much stuff you need to pack just for 3 days. Part of it, of course is all the extra gear and paraphernalia you need when you go out in the snow, and another part of it is traveling with a fussy Englishman who refuses to give up his endless daily cups of tea. But there's the stuff you can't really avoid, like clothes and shoes and toiletries and medicines -- and given the wintry season, we need more of those than ever to stay happy and healthy! I was recently chosen by Walgreen's and BlogHer to review the Walgreens' Brand Health and Wellness products of my choice, and the invitation could not have come at a better time, since I was stocking up for our trip, and we buy Walgreens' brand products all the time anyway. Here are three Walgreens' Brand Health and Wellness products that we rely on for our winter getaways: Suncare When it's cold and dull and grey, the last thing you're thinking of is sunscreen, but actually the sun's rays are just as strong; even though your body is bundled up, your face and hands need sun protection just as much as they do in the summer. And when you're in the snow, protecting your face is more important than ever! That's why we pack sunscreen sticks whenever we go up to Tahoe.
I love Walgreen's Oil-Free Sunscreen Sticks -- they're so easy to apply. You don't even have to get your hands all sticky because you hold the plastic tube and apply it, like lipstick all over your face. The Sunscreen Stick for babies is white, which I don't particularly care for, since you do have to use your hands to blend it in, but Alfie really likes it because you can easily see which areas you've already applied.
Pain/fever/cold relief Whenever we go to the snow, it always seems like one of the kids comes down with some kind of virus while we're up there. So we always take a small stash of junior-strength ibuprofen to keep them comfortable and fever-free, just in case. It has to be ibuprofen, not acetaminophen, because my twins have some kind of protein deficiency that could result in chronic anemia when they take in certain foods or chemicals -- and acetaminophen is one of them. For some reason, chewable junior-strength ibuprofen is really quite difficult to find. I've really only been able to find them at Walgreen's, so when they're in stock I really stock up.
Junior-strength ibuprofen in liquid form is pretty readily available (and the Walgreen's brand has that too), but it's so much more convenient to have it in chewable form when traveling. Allergies All of us are allergic to something or other, and it's not a seasonal thing either. 3Po's eczema bothers him year-round, Alfie's hay fever has turned into a year-round malady and the rest of us get the dreaded puffy/watery/itchy eye from time to time.
Once again, it's Walgreen's Children's Allergy Relief to the rescue. Their chewables work just as well as the name brand antihistamine that I've been using my entire life -- until I discovered that the Walgreen's brand works just as well, and costs less. Alfie and I find that the children's version works fine for us (if my symptoms are particularly strong, I just take a double kids' dose) and the kids. We have a box of these permanently in our van, and we make sure we pack a second box in our toiletry bag whenever we travel anywhere. If you compare the ingredients in Walgreens Brand products versus name-brand products, there's really no difference! They have the same ingredients, and they work just as well. The only difference is the price! I've even discovered another great reason to purchase Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products: a portion of every purchase of these products supports the Walgreens Way to Well Fund™, which brings preventative wellness services to local communities. There's no reason not to try Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness products! Visit the site for more information and check it out. Plus, if you enter my giveaway below, you might even win a $100 Walgreens gift card to try out the products yourself! Win a $100 Walgreens Gift Card One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will receive a $100 Walgreens gift card, courtesy of BlogHer. Required Entry Leave a comment on this post and tell me which Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Product(s) you need this winter season. This entry must be completed before extra entries qualify. Extra Entry For an extra entry, you can do ONE of the following (for a total of 2 entries). Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry. 1) Tweet this: Enter to win a $100 Walgreen's gift card on @bonggafinds #giveaways http://tinyurl.com/bonggagiveaways .... and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post 2) Blog about this promotion (please make sure your blog post has a link to this post) and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post 3) For those with no Twitter or blog, visit the Official Rules to learn about an alternate form of entry. More Giveaways More BlogHer reviewers are writing about their experiences with Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products, and they've all got giveaways! Visit the Exclusive Offers section for even more chances to win a $100 Walgreen's gift card. The Rules This giveaway starts at 9:00AM PST on March 14 and ends at 11:59PM PST on April 13, 2011; I will draw a winner at random on April 14 and post the winner's name after he/she confirm acceptance. Winner must confirm within 72 hrs of my email, otherwise a new winner will be selected. US residents only, 18 or older. No duplicate comments, please. Visit the Official Rules. Good Luck! Disclosure: This is a compensated post. Giveaway prize has been provided by BlogHer. Product information is provided by the featured company/product and is indicated in italics. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.