Dealing with your baby’s dry skin

Baby’s skin is sensitive but also very resilient and resistant because it’s the first defense barrier.  Dry skin can be a common skin condition.  If your baby has itchy red patches on his skin, it’s possible he has eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis. Sometimes even eczema will clear up with regular moisturizing with a natural baby lotioin, though, so you needn’t rush to the doctor unless the patches don’t get better or your baby seems itchy or uncomfortable.  There are several natural baby skin care product available targeted towards eczema.  The regular use of natural baby products like natural baby lotion and natural body wash are always helpful too.

In rare cases, dry skin can indicate a genetic condition called ichthyosis. Ichthyosis shows up as dry skin with scaling and, occasionally, redness. It’s also generally accompanied by a thickening of the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. If your doctor suspects that your baby has ichthyosis, she’ll probably refer you to a dermatologist for treatment.

Natural Sunscreen Lotion Advice

So what exactly do you need to avoid when choosing a sunscreen lotion? Here are some unsavory, even toxic, lotion ingredients you will want to stay away from if you can:PABA: This is not widely used anymore, but just in case. Many people are very sensitive to this ingredient and can end up with red, itchy skin. The use of natural baby products like natural baby lotion and natural body wash are always helpful.

Benzophenone (benzophenone-3), homosalate, and octy-methoxycinnamate (octinoxate): These chemicals are bad news because they have shown estrogenic activity in lab tests. Oxybenzone is aderivative of benzophenone and it is linked to allergies, hormone disruption, and cell damage. According to the CDC 97% of Americans are contaminated with this widely-used sunscreen lotion ingredient.

Parabens (butyl-, ethyl-, methyl-, and propyl-): Parabens are common in sunscreen lotions so avoiding them may prove difficult. They are preservatives that have estrogenic qualities. They have produced abnormal hormonal effects following on laboratory rodents, particularly male, resulting in decreased testosterone levels and other abnormalities. They have also been found to accumulate in the breast tissue of women with breast cancer.

Padimate-O and Parsol 1789 (Avobenzone): While on the surface of the skin these chemicals appear to prevent UV damage but when absorbed into the skin they can actually damage DNA. There is evidence that the sun’s light may cause these chemicals to become reactive and cause free-radical damage when they’re absorbed. I find it alarming that pediatricians often recommend these very ingredients.

In general if you want to know which sunscreens are usually loaded with the bad stuff….oh just the easy to find ones like Coppertone, Banana Boat, Avon, Nivea, Neutrogena, The Body Shop, etc. Also even some of the ones that appear to be more natural like Kiss My Face or Aveeno have some pretty dirty sunscreens. If you do research, natural baby products or baby lotion that can contains organic ingredients are best.

Baby Skin Care Basics

Your baby’s skin is highly sensitive. Before using any baby clothes or baby linens for the very first time, make sure to wash the baby items in a hypoallergenic soap formulated for babies. In addition, use only clean and natural products designed for babies when you bathe your little one. Products for adults are usually too harsh for your baby’s delicate skin.It is not necessary to give your newborn a bath every day. Just be sure to keep your baby clean. Wash your baby’s face, head and diaper area daily. Wipe your baby’s face and head gently with a soft, wet washcloth or use dampened cotton balls. Make sure to get into all the skin creases, especially where dribbled milk and spit up can collect. Also, wash your baby’s bottom well with each diaper change to avoid diaper rash.  The use of natural baby products like natural baby lotion and natural baby wash are always helpful.

When it is time to dress your baby, choose loose-fitting, soft garments. Baby’s clothes can be layered for warmth. Be sensitive to your baby’s environment and make sure to peel off or add a layer or two when in a warm or cold car, store or restaurant. If you find your baby has little pimples along skin folds, especially on the neck, back, shoulders, chest or diaper area, he or she may have prickly heat, which can be remedied by avoiding heat and humidity. Give your baby cool baths using natural body wash and natural baby lotion afterwards then dress him or her in light, loose-fitting baby clothes.

It is healthy and recommended to take your infant outdoors to get fresh air. Simply dress your child appropriately. You may need to protect your baby from the sun and from insect bites. While the sun is an important natural source of vitamin D, it can also do damage to your child’s skin. Shield your baby from direct sunlight by keeping the stroller hood up. Once your baby is six months old, get in the habit of using clean but effective natural sun block or sunscreens on your child year round, even on overcast days. Choose a hypoallergenic, PABA-free sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher that blocks both UVA and UVB rays. When applying sunscreen, avoid your baby’s eyes and keep it off your baby’s fingers as your child might rub his or her eyes. Also, avoid or limit exposure to the sun between 10am and 4pm. To keep bugs away from your little one, use an all natural insect repellent and for insect bites.   If there is any minor skin irritation from the elements be sure to use a natural baby lotion when you can.

Alternative Treatments like Essential Oils

“Aromatherapy” basically is a holistic treatment using natural scents. It is primarily used to care for the body with pleasant smelling botanical oils such as rose, lemon, lavender and peppermint. This natural skin care product, essential oils are added to the bath or massaged into the skin, inhaled directly or diffused to scent an entire room. Aromatherapy is used for the relief of pain, care for the skin, alleviate tension and fatigue and invigorate the entire body. Essential oils can affect the mood, alleviate fatigue, reduce anxiety and promote relaxation. When inhaled, they work on the brain and nervous system through stimulation of the olfactory nerves. The use of natural baby products like natural baby lotion and natural body wash are always helpful and often include essential oils.

The essential oils are used in baby lotion for aromatic essences extracted from plants, flowers, trees, fruits, bark, grasses and seeds with distinctive therapeutic, psychological, and physiological properties, which improve and prevent illness. There are about 150 essential oils. Most of these oils have antiseptic properties; some are antiviral, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, antidepressant and expectorant. Other properties of the essential oils which are taken advantage of in aromatherapy are their stimulation, relaxation, digestion improvement, and diuretic properties. To get the maximum benefit from essential oils, it should be made from natural, pure raw materials. Synthetically made oils do not work.

Aromatherapy is one of the fastest growing fields in alternative medicine. It is widely used at home, clinics and hospitals for a variety of applications such as pain relief for women in labor pain, baby lotion, even relieving pain caused by the side effects of the chemotherapy undergone by the cancer patients, and rehabilitation of cardiac patients. There is a growing body of scientific evidence for the many skin benefits of essential oils. Dr. Pratima Raichur, author of Absolute Beauty , (Harper Collins, 1996), points out that nearly all essential oils are anti-microbial and recommends them as part of her Ayurvedic approach to each skin condition, which, according to Ayurvedic principles, is determined by one’s specific body type, or “dosha.” For most oily or “Kapha” skin, she recommends lavender and clary sage to normalize oil production. For sensitive, “Pitta” skin, and acne rosacea, sandalwood, rose and jasmine to calm the skin. For dry, “Vata” skin, neroli, sweet orange and geranium to balance and hydrate.

Essential oils stimulate the powerful sense of smell. Many know the odors we smell have a significant impact on how we feel. In dealing with patients who have lost the sense of smell, doctors have found that a life without fragrance can lead to high incidence of psychiatric problems such as anxiety and depression. We have the capability to distinguish 10,000 different smells. It is believed that smells enter through cilia (the fine hairs lining the nose) to the limbic system, the part of the brain that controls our moods, emotions, memory and learning.

Studies with brain wave frequency has shown that smelling lavender increases alpha waves in the back of the head, which are associated with relaxation. Fragrance of Jasmine increases beta waves in the front of the head, which are associated with a more alert state.
Scientific studies have also shown that essential oils often used in baby lotion contain chemical components that can exert specific effects on the mind and body. Their chemistry is complex, but generally includes alcohols, esters, ketones, aldehydes, and terpenes.

In addition to their balancing effects, using essential oils and products made from them instead of conventionally scented skin and bath products, will spare your skin the stress of the number one ranking skin irritant: synthetic fragrance. Essential oil blends for a variety of skin types used in lotions also include super-antioxidants and marine extracts in their formulas and several others all offer balancing oils that actually can detoxify, regenerate and balance oil production in the skin.

Basic skin types

There are four dominant factors that determine your Skin Type. These factors are: oily vs. dry, sensitive vs. resistant, pigmented vs. non-pigmented, and wrinkled vs. tight. The key factors interact to determine the skin’s appearance, problems, needs, and vulnerabilities, and therefore dictate the kinds of products, ingredients, and tratments useful to address them. To get started, let me introduce you to some basics about the skin.  The use of natural baby products like natural baby lotion and natural body wash are always helpful.

THE BIOLOGY OF THE SKIN

The top layer of the skin, called the epidermis, is made up of four distinct layers. When you look at someone’s skin, you see the very top layer, made up of cells that reflect light. When that top layer is smooth, it reflects light evenly so that the skin looks more uniform and radiant than it does when the surface is rougher.

At the lowest portion of the epidermis are “mother cells,” called basal cells, which produce all the other skin cells. They divide into “daughter cells,” which rise up to the higher levels of the epidermis. As they travel, they age and eventually die, so that the top layer consists of dead cells which naturally exfoliate off in a process called the “cell cycle,” which can take anywhere from twenty-six to forty-two days. Between the third and eighth decades of life, the cell cycle slows from 30 to 50 percent of its pace in youth. That means that older skin renews itself much more slowly, forming a rough surface of cells, rather than a smooth surface. The uppermost cells contain a natural moisturizing factor (NMF), which holds moisture. The body responds to a dry environment by producing more NMF, but it takes several days for production to rev up, so your skin may become quite dehydrated before help comes. That’s why it’s important to moisturize your skin in any dry environment. Substances released by the cells in the middle of the epidermis form a protective film made of lipids (fats) that surrounds skin cells and helps keep the skin hydrated. Your fingers and toes contain fewer lipids and are therefore not as “watertight” as your legs, which is why your fingers and toes look shriveled after immersion in water but your legs do not. Your skin cracks in cold weather because the chilled lipids become stiffer and less able to adjust to movement. The goal of the best moisturizer and lotion is to increase the amount of these important lipids, helping your skin to hold moisture.

What’s in your lotion

Many consumers are frustrated by skin care products and body lotions that don’t do what they claim to. Worse still is investing in an expensive yet ineffective cream or treatment only to discover the cheapest drug-store brand would work just as well. In a world of hyper-consumerism, false advertising and a plethora of products from which to choose, how do you choose the good from the bad?  Picking the right natural skin care product like baby lotion, body wash, or facial mask requires some knowledge.

There are some great lotion products on the market that can genuinely improve your skin’s appearance and help your skin look smoother, more radiant, and youthful. But, there are literally thousands of products to choose from and unless you spend hours a day researching beauty products, it’s difficult to find the one of the few that actually produces real results and eliminates years of aging from your face and body.

Not only should a quality skin product help reduce bags under, and fine lines around, the eyes, but it should even out coloration inconsistencies caused by age spots and other unwanted pigment concentrations.

In a marketing-rich world of super models and glamorous actors, many will understandably spend any amount of money to make themselves look better or younger. Cosmetic surgery and skin care is a multi-billion dollar industry.

As the law of supply and demand proves, the higher the demand for youth and beauty, the more manufacturers will rush to provide the solution. Many times this rush results in the creation of an inferior skin care product with little to no research and development to back it.

All of the money goes into the marketing of the product. On the surface everything looks great. The bottles and jars that the creams come in look appealing. The magazine advertisements are glossy, complete with a youthful looking model or a well known celebrity who doesn’t even really use the products.

You can’t really blame these companies. When you are spending a fortune paying for marketing, whether it be on the product containers, magazine, radio, and TV ads, royalties paid to celebrities and models, you have to charge a lot of money for your products or you’re going to lose money.

On the other hand, this doesn’t mean you and I have to fall for these types of marketing schemes. After all, these companies aren’t going to encounter any shortage of people who will open their wallets and purses to purchase their skin care products anytime soon. The reality is most people simply won’t take any time to research products and understand what ingredients work and what ingredients are actually bad for your skin!

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