babyurbeautiful

Guest Post by Clara B

Bum chums

Natural Bum Saviour

As a rather well versed skincare expert and mother, I'm

I trust my GP, I honestly do, but sometimes you have to listen to your inner voice; this is even more true when it comes to 'mothers instinct'. My little 10-month old daughter has developed some kind of red rash on her face and chin and my GP is adamant that it is eczema – it's not that I don't believe him, but I feel like this eczema 'label' is dished out a bit too easily. I think it's quite mild but equally I don't want it to start itching and becoming too bothersome so I'm trying to banish it before it gets any worse.

When I became pregnant with my first child, I really started to consider what I was putting onto and into my body. When breastfeeding, this seemed equally important. I am now nursing my second child, and plan to continue beyond this with my healthy regime, which included becoming vegan. I therefore look particularly for luxurious natural products to pamper my tired skin.

I recently discovered Ruth Romano's lovely range of natural skincare products including soap, lip balms and bath soaks, (see http://www.ruthromano.com ).

The brainchild of breast cancer survivor Ruth Cartwright, who truly believes that “going back to nature” is the best way to move forward, she founded her natural soap business, Ruth Romano, in April 2013, in her very own Cheshire cottage kitchen.

Ruth is very ingredient conscious and her research confirmed that many everyday skincare products are made with chemicals that may be linked to health issues and are damaging to the environment.

She therefore decided not to use any potentially harmful chemicals or palm oil in
her products.  Rainforests are being destroyed to make way for palm oil plantations. Even ‘sustainable palm oil’ has been brought into question as members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) are allowed to chop down ‘degraded forest.’

All products have the Janey Loves accreditation from Janey Lee Grace who is the UK’s number one natural living expert, described by Janey as “gorgeous, handcrafted and made with love.”

Products range from £3.99 - £14.99, making Ruth Romano an affordable option, whether
shopping for yourself or gifts for others.

I wanted to test some of Ruth's products which I felt would be a real pampering treat for tired new mums. Here are the reviews:

Bath Soak
£8.99



Ruth recommended her lemongrass bath soak, which is a real pick me up when feeling tired. This smells lovely in the bath, a real natural relaxing scent. I actually asked my own Mum to test this for me too, and she agreed that the salts are great for re-invigorating.

There is also a lavender bath soak for relaxation and to relieve muscle and back pain.

The bath soaks are made with genuine Dead Sea bathing salt which contains high levels of magnesium chloride and potassium chloride. These minerals are thought to have many health benefits and may help to relieve conditions such as arthritis and psoriasis. 

Soap
£3.99

 
Also using enlivening lemongrass, this gorgeous soap is really nice and natural. My Mum tested this too, and said that although she is not used to the 'tight' feeling of using soap, it was pretty softening for a soap, and she did feel lovely and clean with a fresh light scent.

Made with Castor oil, glycerine, shea butter and olive oil- truly moisturising ingredients.

Lip Balm
£3.95



I tested the lip balm myself. Made from olive oil, sweet almond oil, organic cocoa seed butter, beeswax and organic shea butter with vitamin E, this balm moisturises deeply without stickiness or residue. Although beeswax isn't stricly vegan, I personally still use it. This is a personal choice as a vegan.

Why not try for youself:


For more information and to purchase products, visit: www.ruthromano.com

CB

If any of you follow my blogs you will know that as a Mum to baby and toddler I prefer natural eco and organic products for my kids. I am also vegan! This can be expensive. I was therefore pleased to find out that now you can feed your baby organic snacks for less at Asda!

The new cheap bargain range of Little Angels products, available exclusively at Asda, are fully organic, yay!!
Items include snack bars, dried fruit, crisps, rice cakes, all really well priced.


I tested a few essentials on my 2 year old toddler:

Oaty Organic Snack Bars- Stage 3+
£1.99 for 5 

I tried Apple and Strawberry, but these also come in yummy Apricot or Banana flavours.

Apple:
 Strawberry:
My daughter scoffed these down, and when I asked for her opinion she said they were yummy. I tried a bit to be sure (she likes anything sweet to be fair), and they taste pretty good. A bit dense maybe but very oaty!

Bonus points for no added sugar - contains naturally occurring sugars. Made with natural ingredients. Also no artificial colours, flavours or hydrogenated fat.Gluten free and vegan too!

Ingredients

Organic Raisins 20g
40p

Lovely and juicy. My only complaint is that they have a dash of vegetable oil on them. so little though hardly a sticking point.

All products are available online and in-store now. View the full range here

CB

Fragrance free this natural handmade soap is made with organic butters, oils and essential oils to be rich and nourishing yet suitable for your delicate, sensitive skin. The 100% natural orgnaic ingredients are: Coconut Oil: Smoothes, softens and protects, removes dead skin cells. Olive Oil: Nourishes, softens and protects. Anti-inflammatory and packed with vitamins. Cocoa Butter: Soothing and repairing to dry, damaged skin. Shea Butter: Moisturising and nourishing, soothes sensitive skin, protects and heals dry, damaged skin, stimulates cell growth. Apricot Kernel Oil: Softens and smoothes sensitive skin, soothing on inflamed, dry skin. This soap is also palm oil free which is a bonus for anyone who knows the devastating effects of palm oil on the environment.

I don't usually use soap on my face and body due to it's drying effect but this didn't have that effect at all and was fine for face washing particularly making skin feel nice and clean but not squeaky clean, rather soft. Was therefore happy to use it on bubs who has sensitive skin. I also use it as a handsoap which is good for my chapped hands. Nice to know there are no nasties in it and that it's safe for bubba. Lasts for absolutely ages!!
This body butter is designed as a very gentle moisturiser for babies and young children, with soothing lavender and chamomile essential oils. It is packed with gorgeous smelling oils and organic ingredients: Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Olive Oil, Jojoba Oil,  Sweet Almond Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Lavender Essential Oil, and Chamomile Essential Oil. Apparently it is also useful for allergies, eczema, urticaria and all dry, flaky, itchy skin conditions.

When you open the pot, it looks like someone poured a liquid in and it solidified in random waves- very 'natural' looking. Smells gorgeous. If you scrape some out and warm it in your hand then rub it on body and bump it feels extremely moisturising. A little greasy at first but soon sinks in. definitely good for extra dry skin and for the baby bump and any stretch mark areas. Also perfect for dry baby skin.

A little pricey but a little goes a long way and it's worth it to know it is ethical and contains absolutely nothing bad at all and is safe for expecting mums and babies.

The products also arrived in lovely packaging with dried rose buds on top, a lovely touch.

CB

Tints of Nature
Available from www.tintsofnature.com from £8.99
or in UK call: 01590 613490


I haven't really dyed my hair since getting pregnant with my first baby, just in case of any chemicals getting to the baby during pregnancy or breastfeeding. I am now pregnant again and still nursing, so still being extra careful but felt I needed a 'lift', so was looking for a really natural hair colourant.

Tints of Nature is a hair colourant that is as natural and organic as possible with the lowest levels of PPD pigments (p-Phenylenediamine an organic compound used in over 99% of all other permanent hair dyes and a known irritant) and no harsh chemicals. Tints of Nature colour contains up to 60% certified organic ingredients, natural extracts and contains no harsh chemicals and below minimum EU regulation quantities of PPDs (2% or less of the product depending on the colour shade) so is apparently one of the safest and healthiest ways to colour your hair.

However, the NHS recommends not using hair colour during the first eight weeks of pregnancy and not during the first month of breast-feeding. (The NHS issues guidelines on use of hair colour for pregnant and breastfeeding women can be found here: http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/949.aspx?CategoryID=54#close).

I tried the semi-permanent colourant in Medium Chestnut Brown, which is quite similar to my natural colour. This is supposed to last 6-8 washes. I would say it lasted about 4 before fading gradually back to natural.

Before:

After:




I found it easy to use: it is a thick cream which you rub into your hair. It smells really nice and natural, no chemical smell, and doesn't stain the skin if you rub off any smudges quickly. My hair afterwards wasn't too different from my natural shade, maybe slightly redder, but the grey was gone (nice one!) and it looked nice and shiny.

My only grumble was that it coloured my bath water when my hair got wet for the few days after dyeing, and it also came off on my bath towel (although this wasn't a permanent stain).

The boyf took three days to notice I had coloured my hair! Not sure if that's just because I am preggers and have loast all sex appeal or because men just don't motice these things!

I would definitely try the permanent next time.

CB

Angela Langford produces a range of natural and organic skincare products which can be purchased online, at www.angelalangford.com.

Angela kindly sent me some samples that are safe for pregnant and nursing mums. I like the explanation of how she makes the ingredients work together on her 'about' page. Many other products claim to be natural and to have benefits but with no explanation of how and why! being 21 weeks pregnant and still breastfeeding my 20 month old, this is something that is important to me. 
The range looks lovely and is well presented with beautiful packaging. See below images of the lovely samples that arrived:







Bloom & Glow
Bloom & Glow can be purchased online from www.angelalangford.com for £22.55 and contains 100% natural ingredients, 88% of which are organic at source.  This product is suitable for Vegans.(That's me!)



Angela suggested this for me because of my spotty pregnant skin. She says it is great for treating skin that is easily inflamed and out of kilter. She actually developed this product for use in pregnancy when skin can be more sensitive, easily upset and may sometimes look a little lack-lustre.

I tested the face oil for a couple of weeks, and it seems to have really helped my hormonal pregnant skin. My only comment would be it's a little strongly scented for my personal preference as it is very 'flowery', but that's just a personal thing. the benefits definitely outweigh this! It doesn't leave the skin oily, and it only takes two squirts for the face and neck.


In Safe Hands
In Safe Hands hand cream can be purchased online from www.angelalangford.com for £17.50 and is suitable for vegetarians (and vegans like me who are ok with beeswax!)



It's a new mum curse I'm afraid, trying to make sure our hands are constantly germ free yet changing nappies and washing bottles every 2 seconds with no time to don the gloves!



Angela tells me that she has specifically chosen ingredients that will heal, nourish and soften hands, leaving them silky smooth and smelling wonderful too!  'In Safe Hands' features skin softening Rice Bran, Calming and soothing Marshmallow, Marigold & Evening Primrose Oils.

This hand cream is great, it sinks in easily and is non-greasy. It has a light but pleasant floral scent. I wouldn't use it as a healing cream for very chapped hands, but rather as a preventative for everyday wear and tear. It is a great size to throw in your handbag too

 (By the way, I mentioned above this is suitable for veggies but not vegans because it uses organic Beeswax.  I am actually vegan but still eat honey and use beeswax products as I made the decision that I don't believe it is the same as eating animals or dairy/egg products. Obviously a personal choice so wanted to make that clear for any strict vegans. All Angela's ingredients are 100% vegetarian friendly and other than a few products that contain organic Beeswax, they are also suitable for stricter vegans too.)

These products are quite pricey but last a long time, and as I said at least you know exactly what is in them, truly no nasties!

CB

During my last pregnancy I avoided wearing any nail polish at all, (and thus also using polish remover), to avoid any risks to my unborn baby. I am now pregnant again and still breastfeeding, but feeling very unglam, so wanted to look into alternatives to traditional nail polishes that are safe for mums-to-be and nursing mothers.

In 2006, some companies removed the top 3 nasties from their polish when lobbied by some consumer groups. However, these have still been found to be present in many nail varnishes. These 3 are dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene and formaldehyde. Phthalates like DBP have been  associated with developmental and reproductive effects, and cancer in lab animal testing. Toluene, a solvent, is apparently a neurotoxin (risky for unborn child) and respiratory irritant. It can be inhaled and absorbed through the skin and nails. It could also be listed on the label as “toluol” or “phenylmethane.” Formaldehyde (used  mostly as a hardener) has been named as a carcinogen. According to some sources, solvents such as butyl acetate or ethyl acetate which are still widely used, are also nasties (they are flammable liquids!), although I understand butyl acetate is derived from fruit.

Here are some of the top 'naturals' available in the UK: