Baby skin care has come a long way since the days of 1 product offering.
Today mothers have become hyper vigilant in knowing what ingredients go into baby's skin care products, toys and utensils.
But even with all that knowledge it is hard to consume all that information and to truly know what will work based on what we read.
Add to the fact that companies are continually upgrading their formulations and finding new ways to use ingredients.
So how do we find the right products for baby's skin care? Here are some guidelines to think about.
The most common products that you will use on baby.
Baby Soap/Wash Bathing should be limited to every second or third day.
Bathing removes the sebum (oil) on the skin and this sebum is quite beneficial in protecting the skin and making it soft.
Look for a soap that contains Coconut also known as Saponified Cocos nucifera.
Coconut is a natural surfactant and is milder than Sulfates.
It should also contain a moisturizer such as Olive Oil (Saponified Olea europaea).
The combination of a surfactant plus the moisturizer will leave your baby's skin soft.
Also avoid sulfates, soap needs a surfactant, otherwise known as Sulfates, to remove dirt - period.
There are good surfactants and those that strip a little too much and cause flaky, red skin.
TIP: if your soap or wash foams up really well - it means the formulation is heavy in Sulfates, which may cause your baby to have flaky, red skin as a result.
NOTE: Fragrance should not be found in any of your baby's products.
Fragrance is the number 1 skin irritant when it comes to ingredients.
Baby Lotion/Oil/Cream There are many reasons to use a lotion; dry patchy skin from teething, dryness due to bathing, or baby may just have dry skin.
If your baby does not have dry skin then you really don't need to use lotion - simple.
If baby has been experiencing some dry patches then you can use a lotion in that area.
Look for ingredients that provide moisture Olea europaea (Olive oil), simmondsia chinensis seed oil (Jojoba oil) and those that provide a barrier to let the skin heal itself without environmental assaults cera alba (beeswax).
TIP: use a humidifier in baby's room during the drier months or if you live in a dry climate.
Do not put any oils into the humidifier.
There are no studies that have determined the safety of baby's inhaling any natural or man-made vapors.
Diaper Rash Cream Diaper rash can be caused by many factors and unless you study your baby's habits by the minute it may be hard to determine the cause.
Causes can range from food (high protein) to diaper irritants (both cloth and disposable) and sometimes infrequent changing.
Whatever the cause, ensure your diaper cream includes to calm the skin Zinc, Bisabolol (derived from Chamomile).
TIP: limit use of ingredients that acts as barriers as they will trap moisture and cause more irritation - ingredients such as petroleum jelly (Petrolatum), or many waxes.
Baby Powder Baby Powder was used in the past when diapers did not remove the moisture away from the skin.
Baby powders are not as popular as they once were.
Powders contain ingredients that remove moisture and oil from the skin and we haven't come across many moms that use powders today.
Organic vs Natural vs Man-made In terms of efficacy, there is no proof that an organic works better than a natural one or one with man-made ingredients for that matter.
Organic products are free of synthetic peptides.
Countries have their own laws on organic standards in terms of labeling - that is some only require 75% of ingredients to be organic to be certified as organic.
Ingredients that are said to be natural are sourced from nature directly.
Natural products can be organic.
And lastly, man-made ingredients, the misunderstood ingredients of late.
Just because a ingredient is man-made/synthetic does not mean it is harmful.
There are ingredients that you should look out for but that goes for ingredients that are organic or natural or man-made as well - we will get to these later.
At the end of the day base your decision on your own philosophy, on how the company is responsible not because of the current trend.
Ingredients to Watch out for Baby or Mom Preservatives: any ingredient with the word paraben Surfactants/Detergents: any ingredient with the word sulfate, sulfolaurate, sulfoacetate, sodium laureate, ammonium laureate, sodium lauryl Fragrance: any ingredient listed as fragrance, currently there is requirement to include the ingredients that make up fragrance.
Canada and the US are moving toward full disclosure of the ingredient fragrance.
Today mothers have become hyper vigilant in knowing what ingredients go into baby's skin care products, toys and utensils.
But even with all that knowledge it is hard to consume all that information and to truly know what will work based on what we read.
Add to the fact that companies are continually upgrading their formulations and finding new ways to use ingredients.
So how do we find the right products for baby's skin care? Here are some guidelines to think about.
The most common products that you will use on baby.
Baby Soap/Wash Bathing should be limited to every second or third day.
Bathing removes the sebum (oil) on the skin and this sebum is quite beneficial in protecting the skin and making it soft.
Look for a soap that contains Coconut also known as Saponified Cocos nucifera.
Coconut is a natural surfactant and is milder than Sulfates.
It should also contain a moisturizer such as Olive Oil (Saponified Olea europaea).
The combination of a surfactant plus the moisturizer will leave your baby's skin soft.
Also avoid sulfates, soap needs a surfactant, otherwise known as Sulfates, to remove dirt - period.
There are good surfactants and those that strip a little too much and cause flaky, red skin.
TIP: if your soap or wash foams up really well - it means the formulation is heavy in Sulfates, which may cause your baby to have flaky, red skin as a result.
NOTE: Fragrance should not be found in any of your baby's products.
Fragrance is the number 1 skin irritant when it comes to ingredients.
Baby Lotion/Oil/Cream There are many reasons to use a lotion; dry patchy skin from teething, dryness due to bathing, or baby may just have dry skin.
If your baby does not have dry skin then you really don't need to use lotion - simple.
If baby has been experiencing some dry patches then you can use a lotion in that area.
Look for ingredients that provide moisture Olea europaea (Olive oil), simmondsia chinensis seed oil (Jojoba oil) and those that provide a barrier to let the skin heal itself without environmental assaults cera alba (beeswax).
TIP: use a humidifier in baby's room during the drier months or if you live in a dry climate.
Do not put any oils into the humidifier.
There are no studies that have determined the safety of baby's inhaling any natural or man-made vapors.
Diaper Rash Cream Diaper rash can be caused by many factors and unless you study your baby's habits by the minute it may be hard to determine the cause.
Causes can range from food (high protein) to diaper irritants (both cloth and disposable) and sometimes infrequent changing.
Whatever the cause, ensure your diaper cream includes to calm the skin Zinc, Bisabolol (derived from Chamomile).
TIP: limit use of ingredients that acts as barriers as they will trap moisture and cause more irritation - ingredients such as petroleum jelly (Petrolatum), or many waxes.
Baby Powder Baby Powder was used in the past when diapers did not remove the moisture away from the skin.
Baby powders are not as popular as they once were.
Powders contain ingredients that remove moisture and oil from the skin and we haven't come across many moms that use powders today.
Organic vs Natural vs Man-made In terms of efficacy, there is no proof that an organic works better than a natural one or one with man-made ingredients for that matter.
Organic products are free of synthetic peptides.
Countries have their own laws on organic standards in terms of labeling - that is some only require 75% of ingredients to be organic to be certified as organic.
Ingredients that are said to be natural are sourced from nature directly.
Natural products can be organic.
And lastly, man-made ingredients, the misunderstood ingredients of late.
Just because a ingredient is man-made/synthetic does not mean it is harmful.
There are ingredients that you should look out for but that goes for ingredients that are organic or natural or man-made as well - we will get to these later.
At the end of the day base your decision on your own philosophy, on how the company is responsible not because of the current trend.
Ingredients to Watch out for Baby or Mom Preservatives: any ingredient with the word paraben Surfactants/Detergents: any ingredient with the word sulfate, sulfolaurate, sulfoacetate, sodium laureate, ammonium laureate, sodium lauryl Fragrance: any ingredient listed as fragrance, currently there is requirement to include the ingredients that make up fragrance.
Canada and the US are moving toward full disclosure of the ingredient fragrance.
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