This past week, I have been thinking about how important it is to pay attention to what is in our foods, soaps and many other things. Sometimes, we do not read labels because we are in a rush at the grocery store. Last Friday, I went grocery shopping with my hubby and we took an extra hour just reading ingridients in the food, soaps and detergents that we usually buy. I was in SHOCK! The sandwich meat is full of food color and fillers, the soap full of sulfate, and everything has soy in it. I am not sure if you know, but Soy it's not as good as you think it is for you. My daughter was allergic to soy as a baby and will get eczema from it. Anyway, when they were little I used California Baby bath products and lotions. They are really expensive, but worth it. I would love to continue using them, but they are now bigger and need more. So, the little bottle do not last and i can't afford that. Well, I am going to try making my own! Wish me luck!
Ingredients You Will Need:
- First you need to decide how "homemade" you want to get. If you really want to start from scratch, you would need ingredients such as vegetable shortening and lye. But that takes a bit more skill and precautions in handling and measuring the lye, especially for babies' delicate skin. The more popular and easier to execute recipes begin with a base of pure soap flakes. Castile soap works very well and is known for its gentle, natural cleansing abilities. Castile is made only from pure vegetable oils, mainly olive oil, as opposed to animal fats. It is usually unscented so you will need a nice, pure essential oil if you want your shampoo to be scented; the oil is also a delicate moisturizer for your baby's scalp. Lavender is a good choice for babies because of its safety and calming effect. You will also need distilled water. Other water--even pure spring water--has traces of minerals.
RECIPE:
- 12onz of distilled water
- 4 tablespoons Castile soap flakes (or shavings from a Castile bar)
- 1 to 2 drops of pure essential lavender oil
- Boil the distilled water and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes. Pour the water into a glass bowl and add the soap flakes, allowing them to dissolve while stirring. Next add the lavender oil and keep stirring until everything is blended. Pour carefully into a squeeze bottle or a bottle with a dispenser pump for ease of use while bathing your baby. Store your shampoo in a cool, dry place and shake the bottle gently before every use. Once you get used to making your own baby shampoo you can start experimenting by adding chamomile tea or herbs to the boiled water while it is cooling.
Important Reminders
- All of the ingredients are gentle enough even for a newborn, but it is always best to do a skin patch test in case your baby has very sensitive skin. Rub a bit of the finished shampoo on the inside of your baby's arm and wait at least 48 hours to see if there is a reaction.
Your homemade baby shampoo will not feel or look like a commercial shampoo. It will be a thinner consistency and will not lather up or be sudsy. Sudsing agents are used in commercial shampoo and are not necessary. You will only need a dime sized amount of this natural shampoo for your baby or a bit more if you want to use it on your own hair. This shampoo will clean hair just as well as any of the high-priced shampoos, but is made especially for your baby by you with no chemicals that are not needed or that may be harmful.
I will keep you updated on how this works for my family. Give it a try!!!
Have a great weekend! Besos!
