Every day, I get questions on what safe body products to use when mommas are pregnant and nursing and also what to use when the kids start growing older. As a mom of a teen girl and tween boy, choices seem to get more difficult because they have needs (nice smelling, detangling, creamy lotion that doesn’t leave your skin greasy, etc.) while still being good for you.
Coming into the spring and summer, some obvious body products are sunscreen and bug spray. In addition to that, that I’m also talking about what soap we bathe our children with, what shampoo and conditioner they use, what lotion they apply on their bodies. There is toothpaste, hair products, makeup and perfume/cologne. So instead of lubing our babes up with common household names, there are better-for-you products to use (and they are cost effective, too).
Resources to find safe body products:
When I was looking for more information 8 years ago, I was digging on Dr. Mercola’s site (awesome resource, too) and was introduced to my “forever go-to” http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/top-tips-for-safer-products/, a Cosmetics Database. The first page has a cheat sheet to help reading labels and knowing what to avoid. This will give you the knowledge to go into any store or look at any product online and know if it is something safe to use. You can look up products based on a category of people (moms, babies, teens, men), a category of product or by an ingredient. Once you have found the product, it gives you a score/rating on the toxic level.
And mamas, if you don’t think I’m talking to you, here is the most recent article on ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/women-put-average-168-chemicals-bodies-day-consumer/story?id=30615324. Yikes, 168 chemicals put on our bodies PER DAY! Get educated and make the change for you and your family.
Here’s to wishing you and your family a safe, fun and healthy spring and summer!
Dr. T
