When Bath Time Becomes Toxic

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I consider myself a savvy consumer, but as a mom who is constantly bombarded with advertisements about all natural, healthy, safe products, I had an eye opening experience when my little guy became plagued by a rash on his face.

We went to the pediatrician who said it’s either eczema or an allergy. So, we changed his diet, I stopped using things like fabric softener and went to more than one homeopathic store in Charleston to get creams and balms to try.

After months of nothing working, I did a little Googling and was surprised to find so many toxic ingredients in children’s body wash, shampoo, lotion and other “healing” skin products.

The name brand, known for “safe” baby products company whose shampoo/body wash combo I was using was a big part of the problem. Many of the ingredients are considered toxic and this was what was causing the rash on his skin. Then I checked the lotion I was using from another reputable company that was supposed to help with eczema and it was full of toxic ingredients too.

I felt terrible and uneducated all at the same time. The bath products I had chosen were making my kid’s rash worse and I had no idea. As I researched further, I realized how many things around my house are less than safe. So, I made a plan for change!

I’m working to remove the things that are causing many of the skin problems the whole family experiences. I’m learning that less ingredients often mean safer products and just because a company claims to be organic, gentle, or any other buzz word, you want to add in doesn’t mean it is true. All of this seems pretty obvious, but as a busy mom, I didn’t check or even think toxic chemicals in baby products were a possibility.

A great resource I’ve been using is the app, Think Dirty. It’s easy to access on my phone and I’m able to scan product labels to see what ingredients are toxic and how toxic they are considered. So far I’ve changed out face wash, shampoos, dryer sheets, and my makeup. We’ve all been noticing big improvements!

I’m trying not to go overboard and throw everything out with the kitchen sink, but this has been a game changer for me. Maybe I’m late in figuring this out, but I must say, I’m shocked at how uneducated I was about what I was putting on my children’s skin and I’m guessing you might be too. Next time you are giving them a bath, take a look at the products you use on your children and the ingredients in them. You might just be as surprised as I was!

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Erica Rabhan
A South Carolina native, Erica is originally from the Upstate and has moved back to Charleston with her family after a 10 year, traffic-filled hiatus in Atlanta, GA. Having lived in only two states she likes to explore different cultures through travel and food.  Of all the hats Erica wears her most important roles are as a wife, mother, daughter and fundraiser for her alma mater, College of Charleston. She has been married to her college sweetheart for 13 years and together they have to kiddos that keep them on their toes.  She prides herself on being honest about motherhood and enjoys learning from other moms who tell it like it is. When life offers a little down time Erica enjoys wave jumping at the beach, unapologetically watching bad TV and organizing and re-organizing everything from the dishwasher to the sock drawers to help calm her inner OCD.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Try Wash With Water… been using it since my son was born. It’s the best stuff…. can only but online. Small shop run by a mom.

  2. I use the Badger line, Earth Mama Angel Baby as well as Beautycounter Kids line. All three I have no reservations using…safe & high quality without phlatates, parabens, PEGs, SLS, etc…kids skin is thinner than adults so even more caution is needed. I also use the Think Dirty app as well as check EWG.org

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