The feel and smell of your new born baby's soft and wrinkly, but ever so precious, skin is incrediby special. We all want the best for our little ones so let's ask the question - is there gentle ways to take care of it naturally?  

Less is more

Less is definitley more with little babies and skincare! Their skin is so delicate and benefits from keeping products to a minimum. In fact to clean your baby's skin plain water is often adequate. Lukewarm water is best as heat can aggrivate irritated skin.

Keep soap to an absolute minimum and apply sparingly only where necessary. Use a super kind and gentle one with a generous 'super-fat' such as Bleating Lovely which is unscented and contains Irish goat's milk and lashings of shea butter. Bleating Lovely is also suitable for use on hair and scalp.

 Keep baby skincare unscented

Beacuse baby skin is delicate and more sensitive to irritation it is highly recommended that any products you use are fragrance free. I know it sounds a wonderful idea to have the calming effects of lavender working its wonders on your baby BUT regularly exposing your baby's skin to essential oils may sensitise their skin and increase their own risk of allergy. This is even more important if eczema and allergies run in your family. 

Use floral waters instead of essential oils

An excellent recommendation from The Tisserand Institute is to use hydrosols (floral waters) instead of essential oils in children under 6. Floral water is a by product of the extraction of essential oil by steam distallation.

To quote "..These “floral waters” contain a significantly lower concentration of aromatic molecules while still providing an effective therapeutic tool...add a tablespoon or eucalytyptus HYDROSOL to a bath to help with congestion"

Here is the link to the infograph and information https://tisserandinstitute.org/learn-more/hydrosols-children-safety

Safety assessed for babies 

Make sure the natural skincare product you are using is safety assessed for babies. Products created and sold for use on a baby should carry a specific assessment for this age group as the risks are greater. Watch the video below and see Au Naturel Skin Mousse being made and hear about some of its key benefits. It's safety assessed and carries a certificate for use from newborn.

References

https://tisserandinstitute.org/learn-more/recommended-dilutions-for-children/
https://tisserandinstitute.org/learn-more/kids-inhalation-safety/

https://irishskin.ie/