Have you ever read the ingredient list for Baby-oil? Have you ever wondered about the the word "petroleum" in petroleum jelly?
Well - baby-oils and petroleum jelly contain "mineral oil" - a by-product of the manufacturing of gasoline (that what makes your car go broooom!!).
If you start reading the ingredient of so many of the beauty products we use - you'll get a shock (but I'll save that for another post!).
The skin is the largest organ in the Body (or rather "on" the body).
It absorbs whatever you put on it.
There is some research that shows that as mineral oil is absorbed in the body - it scavenges the fat-soluble vitamins (e.g. A, D, E) in the body - and so impacts on immunity!
Mineral oil is also shown to clog pores, thus restricting the body from getting rid of toxins.
But yes, baby oil is relatively cheap - and it makes baby's skin look moisturised and glowing, but at what cost later in live??
One do get products that excludes the use of petrochemicals and parabens, but that is mostly in health shops (and Woolies here in South Africa).
But did you know you can actually make your own baby-oil for very cheap? From everyday ingredients?
Happy mixing!
Well - baby-oils and petroleum jelly contain "mineral oil" - a by-product of the manufacturing of gasoline (that what makes your car go broooom!!).
If you start reading the ingredient of so many of the beauty products we use - you'll get a shock (but I'll save that for another post!).
The skin is the largest organ in the Body (or rather "on" the body).
It absorbs whatever you put on it.
There is some research that shows that as mineral oil is absorbed in the body - it scavenges the fat-soluble vitamins (e.g. A, D, E) in the body - and so impacts on immunity!
Mineral oil is also shown to clog pores, thus restricting the body from getting rid of toxins.
But yes, baby oil is relatively cheap - and it makes baby's skin look moisturised and glowing, but at what cost later in live??
One do get products that excludes the use of petrochemicals and parabens, but that is mostly in health shops (and Woolies here in South Africa).
But did you know you can actually make your own baby-oil for very cheap? From everyday ingredients?
- Get yourself a nice dark glass or plastic bottle (it will help retain the colour and integrity of the oil)
- Get a carrier (or base) oil (best one for sensitive skin is sweet almond oil, but you can also use grape seed oil, jojoba oil or avocado oil)
- If your baby is under six months old - only use the Carrier Oil for massages, baths as well as cradle cap!!
- If your baby is older that 6 months you can add a few drops of essential oil to the carrier (be careful - only a few drops! No more than 20-30 drops in a cup of carrier oil to start off with). Lavender is a great one for relaxing babies before bedtime. So too is chamomile essential oil. For uplifting a baby's spirit - use geranium oil (but rather leave it for mornings - as you don't want a happy, on the go baby at night!!
- The shelf life of the oil is around six months - but it smell so nice you will use it on yourself long before the six months is over!
- You can also experiment with other essential oils such as ylang-ylang or sandalwood (rather leave that for after baby is one year old).
Happy mixing!
This post first appeared on We Borrow The World From Our Children, please read the originial post: here
