Edible Lotion

No, this post is not about what you think it might be. Ha ha!

I've heard it said, "Don't put anything on your skin that you wouldn't eat." Before Jude was born, I was mildly interested in natural skin care products, but as usual didn't want to pay the comparatively hefty price for them. Some would call this being cheap. I prefer frugal. Or in college, so broke it wasn't an option. I did try natural deodorant once, but it didn't even make a DENT in my teenage/early 20s sweating problem. Not to mention I smelled a bit rank at times - or at best like tea tree oil mixed with rank.

Now that I've given birth to someone, I've gone from interested to a bit obsessed. I've been making my own cleaners since college because it's cheap, easy and enviro-friendly (see this post to learn more about my affinity for easy lifestyle choices, and I'll-do-that-someday attitude toward harder ones). But now there's more to think about than chemical cleaners. Like, what am I putting directly on to Jude's skin?

It occurred to me that skin is porous, and it seems like anything I put on him would eventually be absorbed into his system. This thought made me increasingly paranoid, until finally I broke down and purchased some all-natural Burt's Baby Bee wash and lotion for him. Since he was a few days old, I haven't used anything else. The extra few bucks I spent? Totally worth my peace of mind.

I've been doing my own research and finding out more about the sorts of ingredients big companies use in their products, and it's a bit daunting, especially when we're talking about little bambinos. Companies get away with it because they say the ingredients aren't harmful in "trace amounts". I'm sure this is true. But multiply the exposure by multiple products used a few times a day over a period of years, and we may start seeing some effects in the long-run. I won't go into all of the details because lots of people don't get into this sort of thing. But if you're interested, just Google some of the ingredients in the body products you have lying around (especially baby products) and you'll get more information than you ever needed. It's good to be skeptical of the information on certain websites, but if you poke around awhile you'll find some reputable ones too. The obvious question is: aren't these companies required to test this stuff before it goes on the market? Unfortunately, not always.

I know it will be impossible to keep chemicals off my kids entirely, so that isn't my goal. But I would like to keep it at a minimum. Being someone who likes things to be EASY, I was thrilled to find this well being guide at BurtsBees.com. If you scroll through to the last page of the PDF, you'll find a handy-dandy wallet-sized card you can take to the store with you. Woot!

On a sidenote, my mom is probably stumped by this post after cleaning my house last Wednesday. We don't clean much since Jude was born, and the occasional husky-fur tumbleweed floats across our wooden floors. The other night I went to one of those sales parties for enviro-cleaning products and realized from the questions some of the other people were asking that I am unusually laid-back about dirt and bacteria in my house (this may have to change once Jude is crawling around and trying to put a bug that died two months ago on the windowsill in his mouth - ha ha). The truth is, I can't be bothered about little dirt or dog hair. I'm more concerned with keeping our living space uncluttered... that, and reproductive-problems-cancer-causing chemicals in everyday products (*wink*).

I'm sure I will be mocked for this via a few comments from my dad and brothers in a few minutes here (e.g. Dad: "Mom and I have now thrown out all of our skin-care products and are spreading honey on ourselves as moisturizer")...but I don't care ;)

(Pic from imperfectaction.com)