This guest post is by Althea Giscombe, Founder of Thea Skincare – a natural and organic skincare range for men, women and children.
From a young child I’ve been indoctrinated about using natural skincare products. I cannot remember a time even now as an adult, when my mother did not use a face or body cream on my skin. Now, my skin would feel naked if I did not follow my daily ritual of applying natural skincare moisturizers to my face and body.
My mother was keen to educate me at a very young age about using natural skincare products such as Olive, Coconut, and Palm Oils as she knew from her childhood days that they are good for your skin Aloe Vera, another great natural moisturizer was something that my mother use to talk about and she often used it on our skin when we went to visit our grandmother in the Caribbean.
So, when my first son was born, I was determined to use only natural skincare products on his skin and there in was the problem, they were practically non-existent at the time. So, I took some advice from my mother and used natural plant edible oils mainly olive and grapeseed oil, that I could buy at my local supermarket, as moisturizers on my children’s skin. From my children were at a young age, I instilled in them the benefits of taking care of their skin by encouraging them to moisturize their body from head to toe every time they had a shower.
Children’s skin is delicate and sensitive and much thinner than adult skin so it is important to treat it with tender loving care. It is also important to teach your children from a young age how to take care of their skin so that they have healthy skin throughout their life.
Here are six simple tips to help you to look after your children’s skin:
1. Use natural and organic skincare
Natural and Organic Skincare products contain nutrient rich high performance ingredients. Natural moisturizers such as Jojoba, Coconut, Palm, and Aloe Vera Oils are excellent for children’s skin and some of these ingredients such as as Coconut Oil are wonderful at combating eczema, which is increasingly common in young children.
2.Avoid skincare products with parabens
Parabens are chemical preservatives, over 90% of skincare, hair and personal care products contain these chemicals, They’re cheap and prolong the shelf life of cosmetic and skincare products for many years. However, there’s news about these that there may be a link between Parabens and breast cancer. The research is not conclusive but as it’s out there, avoid using them and look for paraben free skincare.
3. Don’t use bubble baths, shampoo and baby washes with sulphates
Sulphates are used in skincare products to create that wonderful foaming effect that we all like in our bubble baths and shampoos, but beware, they
arenasty chemicals that can cause all types of skin problems in young children. They also destroy beneficial bacteria that can disrupt the protective acid mantle of your baby’s skin so look for sulphate free products. Natural and organic skincare products do not contain these sulphates commonly referred to ask SLS’s, SLES’s and SDS’s. Natural and organic products are sulphate free and contain natural foaming ingredients from plant ingredients such as coconut oil which work best on the soft skin of young children.
4. Choose biological free washing and hypo-allergenic washing powders
You should look for detergents specially made for babies clothing. Preferable those that are hypo-allergenic and those that contain less harmful ingredients than normal detergents contain that may hurt your child’s skin.
5. Do not use mineral oil or petroleum based products
Almost all chemical skin care products contain synthetic substances which are petroleum (chemical) based. Studies have found that oral and topical application of petrochemicals in rodents resulted in anaemia, kidney degeneration, and nerve damage to the brain and spinal cord. Many baby products contain mineral oil and petrochemical by-products so avoid these and go for natural and organic oils for your baby and children.
6. Choose fragrance free products
Artificial fragrances are made from petroleum or coal which degrade in the environment and cause skin irritations. This can be quite damaging for the skin but particularly so for young delicate skin. Use skincare products with pure essential oils such as Lavender and Chamomile, as they provide added benefits of being soothing, nourishing and have calming effects on both young children’s skin and minds.
When looking for children’s skincare products take the time to look at the labels. Try to use natural and organic products and start early.. lather your children’s skin with moisturizers at least twice a day and educate and encourage them to make using natural skincare products a part of their daily routine.
About the Author
Althea Giscombe, BSc (Hons), MSc, Founder of Thea Skincare
Althea was born in Leeds and attended Nottingham Trent University at the age of 18, where she gained an honours degree in Combined Sciences and a year later was awarded a grant from the Science and Engineering Research Council to do a masters degree in Manufacturing and Polymer Technology at Loughborough University. Althea has worked in a number of corporate companies including Avon Cosmetics where she learnt about cosmetic skincare formulations and brand marketing.
In 2008, Althea went to Malawi in Africa for the first time which changed her life and perception of nature and Africa itself. It was there that Althea learnt about life that was simple, pure and natural. She lived in a mud hut within a traditional African village for a month and experienced life as a local Malawian, learning about living with nature and their way of life and how they used their natural environment to survive and to look after their skin.
Althea enjoyed the natural environment and one of her African experiences was when see was sitting by the lake one day just thinking how breathtaking it was and how lucky she was to be there, when all the women from the village arrived at the lake and began to take off their clothes. They then started to rub sand all over their bodies. Unsure of what was happening, Althea soon realised that they were using sand to exfoliate and condition their bodies. These experiences were the inspiration for her natural and organic skincare range,Thea Skincare http://www.theaskincare.com/.
