Think organic and many people assume it’s going to be expensive. While this is often the case, there are plenty of good products available that don’t cost much more than what you can find on the high street or in your local supermarket. Due to having very sensitive skin, I’ve avoided using any mainstream skin/hair care products with their unpleasant chemical cocktails for nearly three years now. I’m continuing to do the same for my son and would like to offer a few product suggestions so you can do the same without breaking the bank.

I should just point out that I’m not going to get into the intricacies of what kind of nasties you can find in mainstream products – there are many other articles on the internet to inform you and I don’t want to get into any debates about the safety of these chemicals. I just want to share some options with those of you interested in making a few alternative, natural choices.

So onto my little list of favourites:

  • Shampoo & Body Wash

    • I’ve put these two categories together as, frankly, there is little difference between the two. Shampoo tends to lather a bit more, but that’s really not important as lathering is not indicative of effective cleansing action.

    I currently only use one product for shampooing and washing Sprogzilla and that’s Akamuti’s Liquid Black Soap (£6.50 for 250ml, scented and bar soap versions available), a lovely creamy shea butter soap. We’re not even halfway through the bottle after 5 months!

    Another option is Dr Bronner’s Shikakai Baby Soap (£6.99 for 356ml) full of gentle, natural oils. I’m currently using this as a handwash and it’s also lasted me since before Sprogzilla was born 5 months ago.

  • Bubble Bath

    • It’s been more difficult to find a natural bubble bath that bubbles well, but a couple of months ago I discovered Earth Friendly Baby’s Organic Chamomile Bubble Bath (£5.99 for 370ml, also available in lavender and mandarin varieties). This too contains beautiful oils and has a very delicate scent that won’t overwhelm you or baby. It’s not quite as long lasting as I would like because you have to put a fair bit in for good bubble action, but it’s no worse than mainstream equivalents.

    For a plainer alternative, try Urtekram’s No Perfume Baby Bath (£4.99 for 250ml). Doesn’t foam as well, but makes the water feel silky and nice.

  • Body Lotion / Oils

    • I don’t tend to use anything like this regularly as Sprogzilla has great skin and I don’t believe in using something unnecessarily. That said, when I do need to apply a bit of moisture, I grab my trusty bottle of pure Hemp Seed Oil from Innocent Oils (£6.99 for 60ml) and it takes care of any dry patches overnight.

    For something a bit less oily feeling, try their Hemp Seed Balm (£3.99 for 15ml) which is a bit thicker thanks to the addition of candelilla wax (incidentally, this stuff clears up my hubby’s eczema better than any steroid cream or emollient on the market).

    The pure hemp oil is also fantastic for infant massage as it is a safely edible oil and has no distracting scent.

  • Nappy Cream

    • I’ve tried two natural nappy creams, one wasn’t very good so I switched to Weleda’s Calendula Nappy Change Cream (£6.50 for 75ml). This stuff is amazing, the zinc oxide content makes it extremely effective – the few times Sprogzilla has had any redness, this has cleared it up after just one use. You also only have to use the teeniest amount, we’re not even halfway through our first tube. Sudocrem be gone!!

There are many other wonderful brands I could suggest, but the above are the key products I use on Sprogzilla (and myself!). I’ve never felt the need to use anything else on him at this time. As he gets older, I will try out other organic/natural products such as toothpaste, sunscreen etc and post my findings. In the meantime, if you have any recommendations please do pop a message into the comment box so other mums can benefit from your experiences.

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