The actual levels of these chemicals in babies are probably far higher.
So sun protection is important for babies, all the more so because of what we have done to our ozone layer. But I recommend avoiding ordinary sunscreens. It’s better to guard against too much direct sun exposure in the first six months and to dress your baby in sun-protective clothing when outdoors. When it comes to sunscreens currently available in the United States, I recommend using a natural mineral sunscreen that physically blocks the harmful UV rays with active ingredients such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide—in microparticle, not nanoparticle, size. But the bigger immediate issue is that when it comes to what goes on babies’ skin (or on pregnant or nursing mothers’ skin), the product ingredients do matter.
Learn about nanoparticles and why you don’t want them in your sunscreen.
Homemade Bath Products
You’ll find some of the ingredients for pure personal hygiene products right in your own kitchen pantry. Others you can find at the corner drug store or supermarket. The rest you can easily purchase from online natural cosmetic supply stores, such as From Nature with Love (http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com) or Essential Wholesale (http://www.essentialwholesale.com), who sell botanical ingredients such as vegetable oils, butters, essential oils, hydrosols, cosmetic clays, detoxifying muds, naturally harvested bath salts, herbs, and many other nutritive or functional ingredients.
Learn about nanoparticles and why you don’t want them in your sunscreen.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Toothpaste. Use plain baking soda instead of commercial paste perhaps flavored with a drop of peppermint oil.
- Tooth whitener. Add a bit of plain baking soda into your regular toothpaste; you’ll see results after several weeks.
- Mouthwash. For a natural breath freshener, chew on a few sprigs of fresh parsley or fresh mint.
- Deodorant. Sprinkle on plain baking soda, or purchase white clay as a rub-on substitute.
- Bath water softener. Add a sprinkle of baking soda.
- Soap. Use castile soap or other plant-based soaps. (Stretch your soap use: save that last sliver of the soap bar, shave it into a bottle of water, shake, and use as liquid soap!)
- Moisturizers and conditioners. Soften your skin or condition your hair with common household products. Whip up a batch of egg yolks, or use milk or yogurt right out of the container. ....read more
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