What kind of baby hair shampoo?
How Do I Pick a Good Baby Hair Shampoo? Do newborns need to wash their hair? Do you use 2 in 1 preparations? What shampoo ingredients should you pay special attention to? Is it easy to find a natural baby shampoo? What shampoo for older children will also be good for the whole family? What consistency of the cosmetic will be the best for the child? Below we will try to answer these and other questions.
When preparing a layette for a baby, young parents have the right to feel lost. On the one hand, store shelves are bending under the weight of cosmetics, on the other, parents hear that the compositions of many of them leave a lot to be desired. Often, the leading brands also fail. The price spread is also huge, what's more - the shampoo can cost both a few and several dozen zlotys and it does not mean that the more expensive the better. So how do you approach the topic of baby hair shampoo to stock up on which is the best? And is the shampoo really necessary for a baby?
Baby skin: what should we know?
The skin of an infant is much thinner and more prone to damage than that of an adult human. The individual layers of the epidermis, especially its stratum corneum (stratum corneum), they are less compact and more permeable to irritants and allergens. The basic protective barrier, which is the hydrolipid coat, is still poorly developed due to the low activity of the sebaceous glands. The structure and functionality of the skin begin to resemble adult skin only around the age of 3.
Such a delicate and prone to irritation skin requires carefully selected cosmetics and exceptionally careful care. Therefore, the parents face a difficult task. They need to choose a product that will gently cleanse the skin while moisturizing and lubricating it.
A good shampoo for children, which is what?
The surfactants used in the shampoo play a key role in determining whether a shampoo is suitable for a toddler. They are responsible for cleansing the skin of excess sebum or sweat, and for the foaming of the shampoo, and even the ease of detangling the hair.. Therefore, they are essential in cleansing preparations, and at the same time some of them - those with a particularly aggressive effect - wash out the lipids of the epidermal barrier (i.e. remove the already thin hydrolipid coat) and NMF components - a natural moisturizing factor. This leads to dryness, irritation and roughness of the skin and facilitates the penetration of foreign substances through the immature skin of infants and young children.
Expert advises
It should be known that the combination of some of these compounds with much milder surfactants (e.g. betaine, glucoside), as well as the addition of magnesium salts, allows to obtain a mild effect of such a mixture on the skin. For this reason, for example MLS (Magnesium Laureth Sulfate), which is a magnesium salt, is not as irritating to the skin as the sodium salt of SLES. Alkyl sulphates are considered to be the most irritating to the skin, as well as their ethoxy derivatives, although to a lesser extent.
Therefore, in children's hair shampoos, there should not be surfactants from the group of anionic compounds, such as:
- SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate);
- TEA - Lauryl Sulfate;
- MEA - Lauryl Sulfate;
- SCS (Sodium Coco Sulfate);
- ALS (Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate);
- SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulfate);
- MIPA - Laureth Sulfate;
- Sodium Myreth sulfates.
These are just a few of the substances, as the list of surfactants unsuitable for children is quite long.
What ingredients will be safe for little ones?
The mildest-acting surfactants are considered compounds with non-ionic structure: sugar derivatives (e.g. Coco Glucoside, Decyl Glucoside, Lauryl Glucoside) and amino acid derivatives (e.g. glycine, alanine, glutamic acid). Also amphoteric compounds, e.g. betaines, have a gentle effect on the skin.
Certainly we can also reach for a more natural baby shampoo that contains plant extracts, e.g. made of linen (Linum usitassimum), chamomile flowers (Chamomilla recutita), arnica (Arnica montana), cotton (Gossypium herbaceum) or oatmeal (Avena sativa) or aloe juice.
Shampoos can also contain glycerin, panthenol, lactic acid, which moisturize the scalp and hair. In the composition of children's hair shampoos, we can sometimes find denatonium - an extremely bitter substance added to children's cosmetics (especially colorful and attractive-looking) so that its bitter taste prevents babies from swallowing the liquid.
The most commonly used preservatives in baby shampoos are sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate, sometimes phenoxyethanol. Baby shampoos should not contain dyes and fragrances, especially those with allergens listed at the end of the shampoo label, such as e.g. linalool, limonene, etc. So let's read the compositions of cosmetics and reach for the opinions of experts. Let's search the web for places that publish cosmetics rankings. When purchasing a baby shampoo, such a ranking will be of great help.
Or maybe 2 in 1?
The skin of newborns and infants is very delicate and does not require daily bathing. According to the current recommendations, at the beginning of life, it is enough to have a bath 2-3 times a week, and washing the head 1-2 times a week.
Babies often have a very delicate nap on their heads. So there is no need to wash your hair with baby shampoo. It is best to do it with a water solution of the liquid in which you bathe your toddler. You can consider using a "two-in-one" preparation - body and head cleanser, and only reach for the shampoo when the child reaches the age of one (these are the current recommendations), when the hair is longer and stronger.
Expert advises
Remember not to pour shampoo directly on it when washing the head. First, rub the shampoo on your hands and then transfer it to the baby's head. The washing technique is also important, especially for younger children. Do not scrub the skin, but gently massage it with your fingertips. This gentle massage can make the bath more pleasant. If a child has cradle cap, about an hour before washing the head, grease it with olive or a special preparation for cradle cap, and then brush the scales gently. If this is unsuccessful, lubricate the child's hair overnight, protecting it with a hat to protect the bedding from staining.
Cosmetics manufacturers outdo each other in surprising us with news. When choosing a good shampoo for children, apart from the composition, we can also choose its different consistency:
- gels - The most popular;
- oils - recommended for especially dry skin, also with a cradle cap;
- foam - the most delicate, soothing irritation, recommended for atopic skin.
Be aware that your toddler will prefer a foam or gel shampoo as there is less risk of getting into your toddler's eyes.
Delicacy is the key
Delicacy in the context of baby hair shampoo is a key issue. But apart from the right composition, it is also important that the shampoo does not sting the eyes. To make it so it must have a pH close to that of human tears, which is about 7,0. For children over one year of age The pH of shampoos is around 5,5, and for older kids - around 5,0.
For the whole family, i.e. washing hair with shampoo for children
It would be convenient, ecological and economical if the whole family could use the same shampoo. Sometimes, however, washing your hair with baby shampoo can be problematic. It may turn out to be too gentle for the hair of adults, especially if we use styling cosmetics. On the other hand cosmetics for adults can irritate the skin of babies.
Recommended products
Pharmacologist, Chief expert in the field of opinions on cosmetics, medical devices, washing and rinsing agents and biocides, Institute of Mother and Child
However, there are shampoos available on the market that are recommended for use by the whole family, so it's worth making a diagnosis and trying such a product. We can also check the offer of organic cosmetics stores, based on natural ingredients, which also remove impurities, but have a mild, non-irritating composition and therefore can be used by all household members.
When reaching for delicate cosmetics, remember not to overuse preparations for atopic skin, if there are no clear indications for it.
Shampoo for special tasks
Washing a toddler's hair takes only a moment, but in the case of older kids, you need to spend a bit more time on this activity. When thinking about what shampoo to buy for older children, especially a girl shampoo, you should think about one that will eliminate the problem of unpleasant detangling of longer hair. When choosing a shampoo for a girl with long hair, let's decide on a cosmetic that contains ingredients that facilitate detangling, which the manufacturer will certainly show off on the label.
Dandruff problems
The second problem that we may encounter in school-age children, especially in adolescence, is dandruff. It may be the result of yeast, but most often it is caused by irritation of the scalp by inappropriate shampoo, insufficient rinsing of hair after washing, using a hair dryer, seborrheic dermatitis or atopic lesions.
When deciding what shampoo to buy for older children with skin problems, let's reach for an anti-dandruff shampoo designed especially for children, which contains vitamin A, exfoliating salicylic acid and / or a fungicide. Do not use anti-dandruff shampoos for adults, they will be too aggressive for the delicate skin of a child.
How Do I Pick a Good Baby Shampoo?
As it turns out, choosing a good baby shampoo can be confusing. It is worth considering the advice of parents, dermatologists, cosmetologists, specialists in natural cosmetics. The fashion for ecological products and conscious choices meant that we are more and more often browsing cosmetic compositions and looking for information on substances contained in cleansing agents.
We are looking for natural shampoos or cosmetics for children, but also for ourselves. Websites, profiles on social networks that evaluate popular cosmetics and invent ecological gems that are often available in small shops or online shopping are very popular.
Let's take advantage of the benefits of the Internet, also buying baby shampoo. Let's review the rankings of these cosmetics prepared by specialists in their field, as they can dispel our doubts and help make the right choice. However, let us not accept indiscriminately every piece of information posted on the Internet.
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