When I had my first daughter, I wanted to use only the most gentle, non-toxic and natural products on her that I could find. Her skin was so fair, and seemed so easily irritated (as it turns out, she has developed multiple allergies). I of course gravitated to Burt's Bees products, which claim on the label to be free of many of the things that bothered me: parabens, lauryl sulfates, dyes and perfumes, to name a few. Most of their products get decent ratings over at the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database, and have worked well with both of my girls.
Fast forward a few months and I come across information that Burt's Bees nice little company was bought up by none other than the Clorox company. Not exactly the first company that comes to mind when you think "Green" or "Non-Toxic", huh?
This is the same company that manufactures Glad Plastic bags, STP auto products, Kingsford charcoal, and oh yeah, the bleach. Not the most ecologically responsible products, to be sure.
I did read the company's statement on their website, sharing their commitment to keeping their products natural and safe for families. We'll have to pay close attention to the labels and the reports on safety from the Environmental Working Group to be sure. Stay tuned.
It is upsetting to think that by buying Burt's Bees products my dollars have not been supporting a smaller, family based operation. Recently I've bought some California Baby products that have worked really well, contain only natural and safe ingredients (they receive good ratings in the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database), and it seems to be a smaller company run by a caring, thoughtful mom.
10 comments:
I like most of California Baby stuff. Especially the bubble bath- I've been having a hard time finding a bubble bath that wasn't so...bubbly and toxic...and didn't smell so offensive.
I too have "gone off" of Burt's Bees... yes, they're more natural than mainstream brands, but a lot of the smaller brands are better and no more expensive.
Another thing I've found with using natural baby products is that just because an ingredient is natural doesn't mean it should be used in a baby product... for example, lavender oil may be an endocrine disruptor and has been linked to breast development in boys (see this article: http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jan2007/niehs-31.htm)
Also, some products contain nut-derived ingredients (Burt's Bees diaper cream has almond oil, for example) and while this is fine for most babies, my son can't tolerate them on his skin. Before I figured this out, I'd put on the diaper rash cream and wonder why the rash got worse... very frustrating.
Yes! I winced when I used the word "natural". I feel like I need to qualify that word with some sort of statement, because there is so much greenwashing out there. So many products say natural and non-toxic when they are far from it. I hope to post about that in the future.
I too discovered the Burt's Bees bum cream had nut oil in it. Thankfully our daughter did not have a reaction to it. It seems her allergy is mostly based on ingestion.
Thanks for the link. There seems to be so much to keep track of. Lavender oil sounds so benign. Sigh.
Did you see my post about raising a nut allergic vegetarian toddler? It is a whole article I wrote (which is sitting with Mothering magazine, I hope they use it someday) and it is listed under the tags "vegetarian" and "nut allergy". It may be helpful if you are dealing with a nut allergy with your son.
What other smaller and in the same price range products are you using? I am working on a shopping list post that will name some specific products in different areas.
Thanks Catherine!
Oddly enough, my son can eat nuts - he just can't tolerate nut products on his skin.
For my kids (actually, for the whole family too) I use Vermont Soap Company soap - not the baby bar, which has lavender oil, but their other soaps haven't caused any reactions for my son, even when he was younger. For dry skin I use bee balm (from the Vermont Bee Balm Company) and for really dry skin I use honey house propolis salve (from Honey Gardens Apiaries in Hinesburg). All of these are Vermont products and can be found at our local coops.
In writing this post, I realized that none of these products are actually targeted at little kids. Not sure what that indicates - maybe that adults have a broader selection? Or that a really good product should be gentle enough for all ages...
The idea that clorox is starting to go "natural" is really just confusing consumers but thats what big dollars and marketing can do. They're going to have a new "green" line coming out this month and since I sell Shaklee everyone asks if I worry about this. What I worry about is how it will confuse people. The products are only 99% natural but they have marketing tricks and they are far from concentrate so you have to still buy five bottles to do what one of our bottles will do. It makes it more for me to explain is all. When big companies do this they're doing it to help their wallets not the consumers.
Sommer
www.greenandcleanmom.blogspot.com
www.greenmom.info
Maybe you already know about Badger in Gilsum, NH ... I like their products. For babies, they have a nice balm without lavender (and one with, as well.) As I'm only a hopeful mom, I have not yet tried either. Anyways, they're just starting to get their name out. (the site is http://www.badgerbalm.com/)Thanks for a great blog! (I'm taking lots of notes.) ;)
Hi Lauren!
I read on Environmental Working Group's site about Badger rating VERY well. I've seen their products but have yet to try them. I will be picking up their bum cream as they don't have any nut oils in them like Burt's Bees does.
I'm glad you like the site! Good luck with babymaking-- :).
Amen, Sommer! I totally agree. I don't want my money going there-- and I can't wait to check out your site!
My son has excema. We have steriod creams, but I try not to use them unless it gets too bad. My cream of choice is Neutrogena's Norweigian Hand Cream. Its not all natural, but it seems to work. Eucerin made my son more rashy - go figure... I use the neutrogena ALL over his body, not just the hands. It's thick and it seals and protects. I think its the best I've tried, but it does NOT clear up the excema.
I'm waiting for time to help with that one. He is getting better (almost 3 now) and I think it is linked to foods and such, but I too can't find a rhyme or reason for one or the other. The only one trigger that I'm sure of is dog saliva (from some dogs.)
Beware burts bees merlot lip shimmer contains lead! Who knows what else does from that company! It's was proved by the FDA and they sent it to me anyway and when I asked them about it they told me to throw it away and a refund wasn't available! Never again will I buy from there. Horrible.
Post a Comment