Baby Wipes and the chemicals YOU don’t know

Do you really know what you are using in your child skin?

I have knowledge in Chemistry but when I started to see my eczema on my hands be so bad, to the point of having my skin open and pain and shredded skin…I started question what was happening with me or if I was using any cleaning product that was too harsh.

I started to clean with gloves and still the hands were getting worse and worse.

Searching for the internet I came across this website that were kind to send me some samples for me to try, since their story is a bit like mine.

Do you know what my problem was? Common baby wipes! Every time I cleaned my baby bottom I was getting the chemicals entering my skin, my baby started to have even more rash (even with all the precautions I was having in his food…still).

I started reading the composition of the wipes… Good grief! Have you ever read it?? Forget the advertisement of kind to your baby bottom…

Oh!! And by the way… never use (even for once) the bottom wipes on your baby face (even for the mouth) and hands… He was starting to get rosettes on his cheeks the poor little one… hey us parents do mistakes ok? I am just human.
You can find horrible images on the web, but let me assure you they are real!
It happen to me.

Now let me share what I learned

Things you should know as a parent about chemicals in Wipes for babies or children of all ages (even for adults). Things that are Bad:

ALCOHOL

Alcohol strips the skin of its natural oils, often causing redness, irritation and inflammation. It can also stop skin’s natural ability to shed dead skin cells, causing pore clogging. By leaving it out, our products are ideal for use with delicate, sensitive or inflamed skin.

PARABENS

They destroy bacteria, so they’re strong and aggressive and are consequently a common irritant that we don’t think should be near a baby’s skin.

SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE (SLS) & SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE (SLES)

These are cheap, effective chemicals that can clean the skin, but they also strip it of its moisture. That means that these chemicals aggravate sensitive skin conditions.

LANOLIN

This is a common ingredient in many cosmetics, but some people are allergic to it, so we left it out!

BENZOATES

These are used to preserve cosmetics and as an antiseptic. They also can intensify the symptoms of asthma.

PHTHALATES

These chemicals make scents and colours last longer on shelf, but some studies have shown that they can have an effect on hormone levels, making them something we didn’t think babies should be exposed to.

METHYLISOTHIAZOLINONE (MIT)

This preservative can cause allergic reactions and irritate the skin.

PROPYLENE GLYCOL

This chemical stops water from escaping the skin, reducing the skin’s moisture factor. Studies show that it is not recommended for eczema sufferers.

PHENOXYETHANOL

This chemical has been banned by French certification organisation Eco Cert.

TRICLOSAN

An aggressive chemical that is used to control the growth of bacteria – it is regulated by the FOA and some studies highlight cancer concerns.

PETRO CHEMICALS

This range of chemicals are derived from petroleum and they have no place in an environmentally friendly product.

SOAP

Dries out the skin and can cause irritation.

Now I dare you to read the baby wipes you have at home. Crazy right?

I am not saying to trhow away what you have, that is your own decision and money. But wipes are important for your child body.

The brand that were kindly to help me is called Jackson Reece.

Jackson Reece is a group of experts who are devoted to creating natural, pure products for babies and children. Products that they are proud to say are, Kinder by Nature.

They have a range of products designed specially for children with sensitive skin or eczema (psoriasis as well).

Mucky Mitts Spray

A good spray to have in your purse or changing bag. I always like to have a spray at hand (pun intended!). This spray contains:

Skin friendly hand freshener spray
Soothing aloe vera and ylang ylang
99% naturally derived ingredients
No nasty chemicals, alcohol or parabens
100% alcohol free product
pH balanced

Unscented Baby Wipes

Made from natural aloe vera and purified water they don’t contain any alcohol, parabens, lanolin,SLS, SLES, petrochemicals, phenoxyethanol, benzoates or anything that might harm your baby’s delicate skin. That’s why they’re ‘kinder by nature’.

They contain:

Soothing certified organic aloe vera.
More than 99% naturally derived ingredients from renewable vegetable or plant extracts.
No nasty chemicals, alcohol or parabens.
100% unscented, fragrance and perfume free.
pH balanced, hypoallergenic and dermatologically approved.
Not tested on animals
Biodegradable, compostable and chlorine free cloth

Herbal Baby Wipes

The herbal baby wipes have the best of both worlds. With no harsh chemicals or fragrances and all the soothing effects of aloe vera, and just a touch of ylang ylang, they smell good and do your baby’s skin good too. They contain:

Soothing certified organic aloe vera, and aromatherapy ylang ylang.
More than 99% naturally derived ingredients from renewable vegetable or plant extracts.
No nasty chemicals, alcohol or parabens.
100% fragrance and perfume free.
pH balanced, hypoallergenic and dermatologically approved.
Not tested on animals
Biodegradable, compostable and chlorine free cloth

Nose Wipes

When it comes to colds and allergies, don’t wipe tiny noses, nuzzle them clean with pure, natural soothing saline wipes. I have been using them and are great on noses and hands (not eyes).

Saline wipes for stuffy noses
Soothing aloe vera and chamomile.
99% naturally derived ingredients from renewable vegetable or plant extracts.
No nasty chemicals, alcohol or parabens.
100% unscented.
Not tested on animals
Biodegradable, compostable and chlorine free cloth

My review:

They are very good. The only thing I noticed was just a little too much liquid on the baby wipes, sometimes leaving the skin with too much water and had to tap a bit with a towel. But then I took some wipes and let them dry and then I noticed that if they didn’t have so much product, since they are herbal and natural, the wipe would be too dry to clean the bottom.

Other than that I would suggest that maybe the baby wipes could have a plastic hard close, so it could be more practical to take the wipes and close the packet.

If you have this problem yourself or your baby has a sensitive skin, I definitely recommend Jackson Reece products.

See more of Jackson Reece

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