Photo Credit: Laura Joy Photography
There are so many differences between your baby’s skin and your own. This is why companies manufacture separate products for a baby to use when little. Unfortunately, many companies are only using this science as a way to sell an additional product and aren’t really giving you a skin care line that will protect and heal your baby’s skin.
Everyone notices how soft and smooth a baby’s skin is but have you ever wondered why? Yes, of course it has to do with the lack of weathering and exposure to elements that we as adults have inherited, but there is more to the story. The epidermis (outer layer) of baby’s skin is 20-30% thinner than yours. It will take up to one year of age for their skin barrier to properly develop. This results in high absorption and loss of moisture in their skin. This also means that other pollutants and irritants will penetrate baby’s skin more easily and in larger quantities. Babies have not developed the ability to sweat as well as adults and therefor their skin does not always have the ability to release any toxins like ours can. Not to mention, this also makes it difficult for them to regulate their temperature. This can be nerve racking when considering the amount of chemicals some companies will put in their baby products. We know our skin is a vehicle to many more important organs in our body so we don’t want to allow those pesky irritants to pass through and cause havoc.
This is why I wanted to find a product for my baby’s skin that had very few ingredients, but would properly clean and protect the skin from irritants in the environment. Luckily, a local Naturopath has created a baby skin care line that does just that called “Olive Baby”. Olive Baby’s main ingredient is a high quality olive oil. This made sense to me as oils are one of the best things to use on your skin. There are a handful of different skin care products to choose from and I’ve laid them out for you below so you can see just how pure and healthy the ingredients are in each of these products! The best part is they can be used on the entire family as an alternate to drug store bought soaps and moisturizers.
- Head to Toe Body Wash: I love this wash! Especially since my little one has skin that doesn’t react well to added fragrances. This body wash is a castile soap made from high grade saponified olive oil and purified water. This is about as pure as you can get for baby body wash and it works amazingly! It has a slight natural scent that I personally love but is free from all added fragrance including essential oils. This is especially helpful for babies who have skin issues.
My favourite part of this product is that after you’ve used up your first bottle, you can save it and purchase their refill concentrate. You simply mix a fraction of the concentrate with purified or distilled water into your bottle and you have more body wash, a recycled bottle, and a jug of concentrate to last you months!
- Body Butter: This body butter is great to use all over baby’s skin to help moisturize and can also create a barrier to other environmental irritants. It is made of Olive Oil, Calendula (a floral herb that is great for skin care due to it’s ability to heal a variety of skin issues such as inflammation and dryness), natural beeswax, and vitamin E. This body butter is a great barrier for baby’s skin if you’re planning on going into a chlorinated pool with them.
- Bottom Spray: This spray is an ideal option for anyone who uses cloth diapers as it helps clean baby during diaper changes. Just spray onto a cloth wipe and use to clean baby. You can also use this spray with face cloths to clean baby on the go or after meals. For potty training toddlers, leave this on the back of your toilet. They can spray this on the toilet paper (or you can do it for them) to help get their bottoms clean. The whole family can use this trick! This ingredients in this product are: Witch hazel, Aloe leaf juice, Chamomile, and Olive Oil.
- Healing Balm: The perfect balm for diaper rashes but can also be used for irritated skin and as a barrier in harsh weather. I’ve used this on both myself and my baby with great results. The ingredients in this product are Olive Oil, Calendula, Marshmallow root, Lavender, Natural beeswax and vitamin E.
- Baby powder: This powder can be used on baby’s bottom following diaper changes to keep excess moisture away. It’s a great solution for the areas of baby’s skin where friction occurs to keep irritation and redness at bay. Ingredients are Arrow root powder, Kaolin clay and Marshmallow root. It’s important to note that this powder is Talc-free and Cornstarch-free, which is very important when baby has a yeasty diaper rash which can be fed by cornstarch.
- Tip: I use this powder as my dry shampoo on the days when I can’t get a shower (which seem to be more often after baby) and it’s free of any chemicals and toxins that other dry shampoos carry.
- Lip Saver: A great lip balm with healing ingredients to help soothe chapped or dry lips. I found this helpful directly after having my baby as the beginnings of breastfeeding may leave you dehydrated resulting in dryer lips. Just toss it into your delivery bag! Ingredients are Olive Oil, Camellia Oil, Natural beeswax, and Vitamin E.
To check out and order some of your own Olive Baby products you can visit their website at www.olivebaby.ca
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