Friday May 16th, 2008
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100% Natural Baby Products
Posted by Kim Steckler on March 28, 2007 - 7:02am.
When it comes to, well, anything and everything, my husband is fond of intoning, "You never know what's going to be the next asbestos!" And while I have to take a lot with a grain (or two) of salt when living with such an alarmist — otherwise I might be driven to pop anti-anxiety meds like candy — occasionally I admit that he just might be onto something. The tricky part is often wading through all of the information and misinformation out there to determine just what that something is. Ask five different people, and they'll probably come up with five different somethings. For me, that something is parabens. I can't even honestly remember when or where I first read about them, but at some point during my pregnancy I became aware that they were a synthetic preservative to look out for in cosmetics. And so I became fixated on them. I resolved then and there never to use any products on my delicate little baby that contained these potential irritants. Nothing but 100% natural for my baby's bum, I declared!
Later, my concern and commitment were only heightened when I learned how parabens were linked in a 2004 study to breast cancer.Though the connection is admittedly somewhat tenuous, I could nontheless hear David's mantra ringing in my ear, loud and clear. Am I overreacting? Maybe. But this is my something, so I'm playing it safe.
Problem is, it took some digging, even at the natural store, to find cruelty-free, plant-based baby products that were also paraben-free. Eventually, I found Burt's Bees recently-launched, and very affordable, Baby Bee line. (I also later discovered VedaBaby, a pricier paraben-free option created by pediatrician Natalie Geary.) But I remember fifteeen years ago, before you could even find one cruelty-free cosmetics brand at the local mall, and now you can find several. I think it's just a matter of time before paraben-free also goes mainstream.
Resources
- Concentrations of parabens in human breast tumours
- FDA on Parabens
- Dangerous Deodorant: Say It Ain't So
- How Natural Is Your Beauty?
_cause_cancer...
Recently, LIME posted a forum discussion on this very serious topic. I was taken aback when I read the article and thought about how many bubble baths I gave my two boys. Now I will always wonder if I was doing them harm. Back then, you did not have this info.
Not to push my products on you or anything but I run a company called Earth Tribe and we make baby products that are affordable and 100% free from synthetic chemicals, preservatives, dyes, and fragrances. You can check us out at www.earth-tribe.com.
Parabens are classified by the EPA as endocrine disruptors and can potentially mimic certain hormones. Some essential oils such as Clary Sage are estrogenic and shouldn't be used on children.
Another thing to watch out for is the term "fragrance". Fragrance is a generic term for a group of chemicals used to provide scent. Fragrances are protected by Trade Secret Laws and do not have to disclose their often times carcinogenic ingredients on ingredients list. That's why you will only ever see the word "Fragrance, or Fragrance Oil". They can be acutely toxic, can often trigger asthma attacks, migraine headaches, and allergies. Each compound can contain tens to hundreds of components making it really hard to pinpoint and isolate offending ingredients. The truth is we simply don't know what they do. Not enough testing has been done on individual chemicals or specific combinations of these chemicals to know what potential problems could arise.
Sorry to go on and on but I am VERY passionate about this subject!
should work now
www.earth-tribe.com
erin - i tried going on your website but all that comes up is a load of script, even if i copy and paste the link.
for my 18 month old i now use demeter baby tautropfen oel which is german. it is £15 to have sent to england but it lasts 4 months. so thats under £4 a month. having been to germany last week i stocked up as a bottle there works out £7, under half the price! so it was worth bringing some back. the ingredients are biodynamic, which is even stricter standards than organic and it has a subtle, gorgeous scent.
for my girlys bottom, IF anyhting, i use calendula and hypericum ointment, homeopathic which is great. or bepanthen which contains vitamin B17.
sincerely, Virginia
i
www.home-schooling-uk.com www.dare2baware.com www.shamanicjourney.com www.fun-travels.com
I think it's really important to educate ourselves with regard to the products we expose our children to and have found this site to be helpful http://www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep2/info_why.php
I personally only use chemical free products and especially since I was blessed with a boy child at the age of 41 yrs (which was a wonderful surprise) we have for the last 6 years only used the chemical free organic Miessence skin and personal care range. If you're interested in learning more about certified organic personal care products check out http://alove4all.mionegroup.com/MainSite/Index.aspx
products that are 100% natural, organic, should be the only products available to us. in an ideal world the manufacturers of beauty, health and food products would have their fellow humans interests at heart, wanting only the best for them. sadly, chemicals that are detrimental to our health are added to so many products. i dont get why, as by looking at all the natural products available you can see that it is possible to manufacture these products without added chemicals! but then i guess the chemical producers would be out of a job, pharma would make less money off sick people etc.
i suppose as long as those of us who are aware of these dangers and apply the knowledge to our lives, and help show those that would be interested the way, this is the best place to start.
heres to a more organic, natural way of life!
virginia www.home-schooling-uk.com www.dare2baware.com www.shamanicjourney.com www.fun-travels.com
Here is another option for products that are completely safe for babies and everyone else for that matter.
Miessence has a line of organic and certified organic products that work beautifully for babies. There is no need to label them for babies because they are safe for everyone, including babies.
You can purchase them here:
http://www.elyorganics.com
click on shop now and go into the site using the HTML cart.
If you want to understand how to read an ingredients list so that you will understand what you are buying and you can be your own ingredient detective try this link:
http://erinely.mionegroup.com/Education/Howtoread.aspx
Miessence Products that are great for babies:
Dessert Flower Shampoo
Intensive Body Cream (certified organic)
Jaffa lip balm (certified organic)
Sunflower body wash (for bubble bath and soap)
Purifying Blemish Gel (certified organic) good for cuts and insect bites
Luxurious Body Powder (no talc) lovely rose essential oils
There are no parabens, fragrances. All ingredients listed on the site, not just "Key" ingredients. When I see that term "key" ingredients that sends up a red flag to me because that means they are not showing a complete ingredients list.
Learn what organic really means for a product like this:
http://erinely.mionegroup.com/AboutUs/OrganicCert.aspx
Many products that claim to be organic are commonly a bottle of water, chemicals, and a small percentage of organic herbs.
Water is usually the first ingredient on the list. The first 3rd of the ingredients list makes up about 95% of the product content. If you know this, you can look at the ingredients list and understand what you are paying for. Frequently it is a bottle of water or a floral water which is also deceptive.
Ingredients list for Burt Bee Baby Bee shampoo and wash:
Water, decyl & lauryl glucosides (natural coconut oil, corn starch & sugar soap blend), coco betaine (coconut oil moisturizer), soy protein, coco-glucoside & glyceryl oleate (natural sunflower & coconut oil soap blend), sucrose laurate (sugar ester), vegetable glycerin, betaine (sugar beet), glucose (sugar), fragrance, orange oil, anise oil, lemon oil, vanilla extract, clove oil, xanthan gum (natural thickener), glucose oxidase & lactoperoxidase (natural thickener).
Notice how the first third of the ingredients list is water and chemicals? Ingredients that are "derived from" are still synthetic chemicals.
Really the goal here is for you as a consumer to be able to decipher for yourself if a product really is "natural" or "organic"
Don't just take my word for it.
Regards,
Erin