Mums-to-be with a new baby, listen up.......
Like many of you, we didn’t pay much attention to skincare ingredients, household products, or in fact baby products until we had our own babies.
It was only until we got pregnant ourselves, rubbing copious amounts of body oils, lotions and potions on our baby bumps. Then our kids got a bit older and starting licking every floor in the house. We wondered, if we cant pronounce or understand the ingredients in these products, what are they? and are they really safe?
Unfortunately, the plain answer is NO, not really. Mums-to-be and new babies, are particularly vulnerable to the effects of harmful chemicals used in every day products.
Unborn babies & new babies are especially at risk from man-made chemicals and ingredients. They are undergoing huge growth and development at the molecular, cellular and organ levels, so we need to protect them.
You assume ‘mum-to-be’ and ‘baby products’ that are labelled, ‘natural’, ‘organic’, ‘baby’, ‘for kids’, ‘gentle’, ‘hypoallergenic’, are safe for mum and babies, but that’s not always the case. Unfortunately the cosmetic industry is struggling to be fully compliant with such terms above, at the moment anyone can make these claims, and sell items.
Did you know? Even ‘so-called’ natural skin care ranges could be harmful to your baby or child. Skin care products need only 1% natural ingredients to be called 'natural', meaning that some may contain a mix of man-made chemicals and water to make up the remaining 99%....
What can you do? Here at NAYDAYA we want to make things a bit easier for you to choose the best skincare for you and your family:
➰GOLDEN RULE➰ – if you can’t pronounce the ingredient name, don’t buy it for a new-mum or a baby.
Also check out Dr. Arora from @thefacebible as she answers all your burning postpartum skincare questions. Keep reading to learn how to get your glow back and keep that skincare on fleek.
10 ingredient you should definitely avoid for mum-to-be and new baby:
💥Fragrance💥 – This is a BAD word in the cosmetic industry. It’s a trade secret that the actual ingredients under ‘Fragrance’, do not need to be disclosed. Which means it can be hiding lots of chemicals from parabens to phthalates to artificial preservatives. It doesn’t matter if it’s synthetic fragrance, artificial fragrance, natural fragrance, nature-adjacent fragrance, or innocent sounding botanical fragrance oils, if it says “fragrance” you can’t know what it’s made of. Fragrance is a leading cause of allergy and irritation in babies.
💥Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS)💥 A synthetic detergent and surfactant, i.e. it makes bubbles. It is used in a wide range of soaps, shampoos, and toothpaste because of its ability to lather. It can irritate the skin, cause inflammation and redness.
💥Mineral Oil💥 - It is a cheap petroleum by-product which can be found in baby products such as wipes, diaper creams, and oil. It acts as a plastic sheet on the skin and prohibits the skin from releasing toxins. If the label indicates mineral oil, petrolatum, paraffinum, paraffinum liquidum, that means the product contains mineral oil.
💥Ceteareth 20💥 - A highly potent carcinogen 1,4-Dioxane - Which can irritate the baby’s eyes, nose, skin, and throat. It is also suggested that a long-term exposure to 1,4-Dioxane can even cause cancer. Any ingredients that contain the phrase eth, is an indicator of the presence of this component. Avoid polyethylene, sodium laureth sulfate, ceteareth, oleth, oxynol, and -xynol
💥Parabéns💥 - Parabens are neurotoxins and are often seen as the cause of reproductive toxicity, hormone disruption, and skin irritation. Since the baby’s immune system and hormones are underdeveloped they become more prone to the adverse effects of parabens. It is recommended to stay away from anything with ‘paraben’ in its name, as well as benzoic acid and propyl ester.
💥Sodium Benzoate 💥– a chemical preservative – this makes your cosmetics have a longer shelf life – another skin irritant for babies and mums-to-be
💥Potassium Sorbate💥 – another chemical preservative also linked to allergies, and contact detmatitis
💥Diethanolamine (DEA) and Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) Dimethicone 💥– found in a lot of hair care product, tanning agents , can be harmful to inhale
Mums-to-be should definitely avoid:
💥Retinol💥Vitamin A, retinoic acid, retinyl palmitate, retinaldehyde, adapalene, tretinoin, tazarotene and isotretinoin. (Here are some retinol alternatives.)
💥 Hydroquinone💥: A lightening agent; abstain from hydroquinone, idrochinone and quinol/1-4 dihydroxy benzene/1-4 hydroxy benzene.
To find out more on ingredients, and check products, visit Skin Deep here you can input any product or ingredient in question, it will give you full details on the effects, irritants, and safety levels.
Further reading on this topic can be found below:
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