Natural Skincare is Best for Babies

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People are becoming aware that many modern skincare products contain potentially harmful ingredients. For this reason many seek to learn more about natural skincare or organic skincare.

Whether you call it 100% pure skincare or holistic skincare or natural skincare or organic skincare, what people are looking for is skincare products that don’t contain harmful ingredients.

If it’s news to you that many mainstream skincare products and antiaging products and cosmetics contain potentially harmful ingredients then here’s a couple of examples to demonstrate why so many people are now looking for natural skincare products.

A recent study, for example, has found lead in many of the big brand lipsticks that so many of us use. Other studies have found chemicals called Phthalates in many of our skincare and anti aging products and cosmetics. Phthalates have linked to birth defects.

Why is this so? Because the FDA doesn’t regulate or test anti aging products and skincare products for safety, (or for how well they work), and so many companies use ingredients in their products that are suspect or even dangerous, and sometimes are also damaging to your skin.

There are many other examples, which have prompted consumers to research what they are buying and created consumer organizations dedicated to exposing dangerous ingredients in skincare products and cosmetics in an attempt to clean up the industry.

For those seeking safe skincare products there is good news. There are excellent companies dedicated to developing high quality, safe, effective and pure skincare products, and safe, effective and pure cosmetics.

Scientific studies have shown many naturally occurring ingredients that can be used in skincare products to avoid the necessity of using chemicals and other suspect or dangerous ingredients.

Many of these natural ingredients provide much more than just vibrant skin, but a unique way to reintroduce vitamins and minerals back into your body. The skin has a special characteristic which allows it to absorb these nutrients from lotions and creams into the blood stream topically.

If you are looking for a better natural skincare product that is safe, affordable and effective it’s out there. Do some research and be sure to find a product you feel comfortable with and an honest company who stands behind the ingredients in their products.

How to Help you Baby Overcome Dry Skin

Treating dry skin in a baby can be a challenge, but if you are informed on steps to prevent making it worse it will be easier.

Cut back on bath time
Bathing dries a baby’s skin because it removes the skin’s natural oils along with the dirt. Following a few bathing tips will be a great first step.

First, try cutting down the time in the bath (for example if your baby is bathing 30 minutes now try 10 minutes). Use warm water — not hot — and soap up sparingly. Use a fragrance-free, soap-free cleanser, which is much less harsh than regular soap.

Let your baby have his playtime in the tub before you wash him, so he won’t be sitting in soapy water. And don’t leave the cleansing bar floating in the tub. You’ll probably want to cut bubble baths out of your baby’s routine — or at least limit them to special occasions.

While bath oils may seem like a good idea, they can make the tub dangerously slippery, and most of the oil slides down the drain anyway. Applying an emollient after bathing is a better route.

Slather on the moisturizer
Once you take your baby out of the bath, quickly and lightly dry him with a towel, then apply moisturizer immediately. Applying the moisturizer within minutes of taking your baby out of the tub will seal in the water that’s still in his skin from the bath.

As far as moisturizers go, the general rule is the thicker the better. If your baby’s skin is still dry even with daily moisturizing, try switching from a lotion to a thicker cream or ointment. You might also want to consider moisturizing twice a day — once after bathing and once during the day.

Don’t let salt or chlorine dry on his skin
Chlorine and salt water can both be very drying. After a swim in the pool or ocean, rinse off your baby with tap water, and then apply moisturizer while his skin’s still damp.

Run a humidifier
If the air in your home is dry, use a cool mist humidifier in your baby’s room.

Protect your baby from the elements
Make sure your baby wears mittens in cold weather to keep his hands from becoming dry and chapped from the cold and the wind. In summer, take steps to protect him from sunburn.

Basic Sun Care for your Baby

According to the AAP following these simple rules to protect your family from sunburns now and from skin cancer later in life.

• Keep babies younger than 6 months out of direct sunlight. Find shade under a tree, umbrella, or the stroller canopy.
  
• When possible, dress yourself and your kids in cool, comfortable clothing that covers the body, like lightweight cotton pants, long-sleeved shirts, and hats.
  
• Select clothes made with a tight weave – they protect better than clothes with a looser weave. If you’re not sure how tight a fabric’s weave is, hold it up to see how much light shines through. The less light, the better.
  
• Wear a hat or cap with a brim that faces forward to shield the face.
  
• Limit your sun exposure between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm, when UV rays are strongest.
  
• Wear sunglasses with at least 99% UV protection (look for child-sized sunglasses with UV protection for your child).
  
• Use sunscreen.
  
• Set a good example. You can be the best teacher by practicing sun protection yourself. Teach all members of your family how to protect their skin and eyes.

• Use a sunscreen that says “broad-spectrum” on the label – that means it will screen out both UVB and UVA rays.
  
• Use a sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 15. The higher the SPF, the more UVB protection the sunscreen has.
  
• Look for the new UVA “star” rating system on the label.
  
  • One star is low UVA protection.
    
  • Two stars is medium protection.
    
  • Three stars is high protection.
  • Four stars is the highest UVA protection available in an over-the-counter sunscreen product.
    
• For sensitive areas of the body, such as the nose, cheeks, tops of the ears, and the shoulders, choose a sunscreen or sunblock with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. While these products usually stay visible on the skin even after you rub them in, some now come in fun colors that kids enjoy.
  

• For babies younger than 6 months. Use sunscreen on small areas of the body, such as the face and the backs of the hands, if protective clothing and shade are not available.
• For babies older than 6 months. Apply to all areas of the body, but be careful around the eyes. If your baby rubs sunscreen into her eyes, wipe the eyes and hands clean with a damp cloth. If the sunscreen irritates her skin, try a different brand or try a sunscreen stick or sunscreen or sunblock with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. If a rash develops, talk with your child’s doctor.

• Use enough sunscreen to cover all exposed areas, especially the face, nose, ears, feet, and hands and even the backs of the knees. Rub it in well.
  
• Put sunscreen on 30 minutes before going outdoors. It needs time to absorb into the skin.
  
• Use sunscreen any time you or your child might sunburn. Remember that you can get sunburn even on cloudy days. Also, UV rays can bounce back from water, sand, snow, and concrete so make sure you’re protected.
  
• Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours. Sunscreen wears off after swimming, sweating, or just from soaking into the skin.

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