As a parent, today’s news was a little disturbing. But the Associated Press story earlier today about chemicals in baby care products just reaffirms why I created Episencial skincare. The reason we, Episencial, are here is because we firmly believe the products we use on our children and ourselves should be “Free From the Bad Stuff™.”
In addition, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics released a report today entitled, “Baby’s Tub is Still Toxic,” that raises even more issues.
I completely understand that parents may have questions about the products they are using to care for their baby’s skin. But I urge moms to go beyond the boycott. Choose all-natural products. But, if you can’t, skip the baby shampoo and just use water and a washcloth. Pediatricians have long recommended plain old water as the simplest method for keeping baby clean. If you don’t have access to products that are free from harmful chemicals, then skip them. You absolutely have that option. But if you do use baby care products, here are some things you can look out for.
1. I agree that harsh chemicals have no place on baby skin – or anyone’s skin for that matter – because 70 percent of what goes on the skin can be absorbed into the body very quickly. Choosing products made only of all natural ingredients is a positive, actively healthy step.
2. Reading labels takes effort – no question – but, if the ingredients are naturally derived, they should be pretty easy to understand. The best product labels list the chemical AND common name of natural ingredients.
3. When choosing baby lotion, avoid petroleum-based products, such as mineral oil. Instead, look for plant-based oils such as olive, sunflower, avocado or jojoba because, in addition to moisturizing and lubricating the skin, they have actively healthy antioxidants and other good-for-you nutrients.
4. Your nose doesn’t always know. An easy way to identify chemicals in personal care products is the ingredient “fragrance” a compound of up to several thousand chemicals – some quite harmful. If a product contains fragrance, it likely contains other questionable chemical ingredients.
5. Parents should know skin plays an important role in our overall health and immunity, so taking care of it is important.
6. All natural, actively healthy skincare formulas that are free from the bad stuff are more available and more affordable than ever before. But if, for whatever reason, those products aren’t available to you – remember warm water and a wash cloth does a fine job!
Kim Walls, CEO — An Episencial Mom