Choosing your baby’s shampoo may seem harmless. There are many options available in the market with packaging indicating that they are indeed made for babies. Such cute packaging may blind you to the most important part of the purchase: reading the ingredients label.
The label will indicate the composition of the baby shampoo and how much of each ingredient was used. However, some labels are so hard to understand that parents do not know where to start. To help, here is a guide of all the ingredients to watch out for in a baby shampoo.
Ingredients to Watch Out for in Baby Shampoo
1. Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS)
Does baby shampoo contain sulfates? Many commercial baby shampoos contain sulfates. It is what helps remove dirt and oil and causes the lather and bubbles when showering. SLS can easily harm your sensitive baby, causing the breakdown of proteins in the cells and could possibly leave residue in their lungs, heart and brain. Frequent use of sulphate containing shampoos also result in dry and coarse hair, it’s best to opt for sulfate-free shampoo!
2. Alcohol
Does baby shampoo have alcohol in it? You’d be surprised that many personal care products, even for babies, have alcohol as one of the components. It helps the product dry quickly and feel light on skin. Sadly, it can also dry and irritate your baby’s sensitive skin. Some alcohols such as ethanol, ethyl alcohol or cetearyl alcohol do not usually cause irritation and dryness. However, avoiding alcohol together is still the best way to go.
3. Parabens (butyl, ethyl, methyl, propyl, isobutyl)
Parabens can be found in many beauty products; used to prolong the shelf life and to mix different chemicals together in shampoos. It’s important to avoid its strong negative effects as it can cause rashes, early onset of puberty by mimicking the effects estrogen in cells. It does more harm than good to your baby.
4. Carcinogenic ingredients
Watch out for DEA or TEA to avoid the formation of nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic. Similar ingredients to watch out for are 2-bromo-2_nitropropane-1,-3-diol (bronopol), Padimate-0 and 1,4-Dioxane.
5. Colorants
As much as possible, avoid products with synthetic colors. Manufacturers use aesthetics to attract consumers, blinding them to the fact that these colorants can cause allergic skin reactions. Only choose products with naturally derived colors or no artificial coloring.
Conclusion
With all these, you may be wondering “should I use baby shampoo on my newborn?” Newborns are extra sensitive. They will need only the best of the best once they start experiencing bath time Even though their baths are quick, newborns and babies of all ages should be using organic shampoo and all-natural personal care.
Although shampoos that create a ton of bubbles seem fun and entertaining during bath time, it is not something parents should look forward to. With so many chemicals making up our own and our baby’s personal care products, it is best to read and check product labels to know if it is safe for your baby.
The solution: Choose earth-friendly baby shampoo. This means going organic or all-natural, which has been made easy as a response to parents demands for chemical-free personal care for their babies. It is never too late to change and choose the right products for your little one.
Sources:
https://sulfatefreeshampoos.org/
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