Recently, a piece of research was issued by the University of Manchester stating that natural oils such as olive oil and sunflower oil are not safe to use on baby’s skin. Vegetable oils have been used for centuries for massaging babies across the world, so what should you use?
As a company, we believe that natural is best. The research suggests that it’s better to use products that are petroleum-based. During baby massage, we massage every part of our babies body including their tiny little fingers and toes. As we know, babies are fond of nibbling on both! So, ask yourself, would you put something that is petroleum-based in your mouth and eat it?
Digging a little deeper into the research, the article highlights that many skincare products for babies have only been tested for cosmetic purposes. This is true. Many products haven’t been tested on babies and we do believe that is essential. As a concerned mum, I know that I would want that added reassurance, which is why the ‘Hugs’ Baby Massage Oil and the entire MamaBabyBliss baby range has been clinically tested and paediatrician approved as completely safe for babies. We’ve also won awards for our ‘Hugs’ oil and many of our other natural products – most recently by Jayney Lee Grace who only advocates the best of the best in the world of natural products. Thousands of mums have used the oil and love it and interestingly enough, because of the ingredients (jojoba which mimics the skin’s sebum and camomile which is calming), they’ve actually reported a reduction in eczema. Eczema can be caused by many environmental factors including pollution and nutrition.
Ultimately, it should always be a matter of choice as to what parents prefer, but it would be a shame to start abandoning what is natural and has been used for many centuries and is still widely used used in other cultures, in favour of chemical and synthetic.
As per midwives and health visitors’ recommendation, skincare products should be avoided on newborn skin up to the age of 4 weeks as their skin is still so delicate and sensitive.