Did you see this about Johnson's Baby Shampoo??

[Meriwether]

I've only used that shampoo a little bit with my first. I stopped using it when my hairsylist SIL told me it was hard on hair. As far as chemicals go, Baby gets one bath a week unless she gets really dirty or has a blowout. My kids have dry skin. I'm still using the very small bottle of designer baby shampoo that my MIL gave almost two years ago.

[Susan in TN]

I may simply start using coconut oil. Our younger kids only bath once a week, and a little goes a long way. I'll let you know how it goes :).

[the evolving homemaker]

I guess my thoughts here are that if I can control it then I will try. I too have been riddled with people in my family and around me being diagnosed with cancer in the last two years, some children too. I spent years working in the natural food industry before I became a Mom, so I could be a little jaded toward on side to say the least, lol, but yes our kids are pummeled with toxins everyday, even from the INSIDE of our cars. But if WE want anything to change about that, our health vs. corporate health, then we need to spend our money in ways that get corporate attention. I too did not spend the money on an organic bed, one day maybe when they are more affordable, but I only buy organic food and organic products for our bodies. I feel like we are pounding our environment with all kinds of chemicals that we have no idea how they work together at all in our bodies. Wherever I can choose to reduce our exposure, I will try. Each of us doing what we can when we can is the best we can do.

 

FWIW your skin is your largest organ.

[SorrelZG]

 

 

:iagree: This is me, as well. I can't imagine ever just using water to wash anything...

 

 

Did you miss WendyK's post about the chlorine in her tap water causing her science experiment to fail by killing the bacteria she was trying to grow?

 

:tongue_smilie:

 

Meanwhile .. I found one of those chemicals in the Parent's Choice baby shampoo I had. If I get too concerned about this stuff I will end up dying of stress (also a potential cause of cancer, so I read recently) but meanwhile, I'm throwing the baby shampoo out and going back to using glycerine soap.

Edited November 1, 2011 by SCGS

[MelanieM]

I don't need warnings and researchers telling me this stuff is nasty. I can see that for myself just by reading ingredients and witnessing my own reactions. I have chemical sensitivities, and anything with fragrance in it makes me feel ill and irritable. No way no how would I choose to put it on my baby, for that reason alone. If it impacts me that way, and several other people I know who are diagnosed with fibromyalgia, MCS, etc., then how must it impact a new little sensitive person? I guess it seems like common sense to me (now) to avoid this stuff, due to my personal history and experiences. (We have a scent-free home with very few exceptions.)

 

Honestly, I wonder how many people experience issues with their kids due to this type of stuff but they just don't know that it's contributing.

[emubird]

We just started using J&J for our oldest daughter with autism (at the recommendation of our eye doctor). Our oldest loves to be outside and plays in the dirt and sand (sometimes throwing it up in the air). She's inside a fenced area so I am not always around her. Recently she had dirt in her eye which developed into a huge and nasty infection around her eye. She's currently using an ointment over the eye with both steroids and antibiotics in it. Our eye doctor said to gently wash her face at night (or after dirt throwing) with J&J due to the 'no tears' factor (so we could clean her eyes without irritation and meltdowns).

 

Any suggestions for a good alternative? It needs to be 'eye friendly'. If this is off-topic, feel free to PM me.

 

Thank you :)

 

I never found the Johnson and Johnson to be all that eye friendly anyway.

 

For a time, we just didn't bother with shampoo on our little kids. They always opened their eyes and it was a horrible experience for everyone involved. When they were small, we just used water. But I'm not sure this would work so well on older kids.

[bbkaren]

We've used Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild liquid soap (1:5 ratio in a foaming dispenser) for everything lately. When DS6 was born, he had some eczema issues and this soap has no colors/fragrances so it worked well for him; both hair and body.

 

Then we all started using it. Us girls still use "regular" shampoo though because the Bronner's can be kind of rough on longer hair. It makes it coarse and tangled. It might be fine, though, if followed up by a good conditioner - not sure.

[vonfirmath]

I never even knew there was a website like that. I don't know if I want to bother looking at it or not... I'm such a skeptic! :lol:

 

I knew about the website. Two years ago I went ALL over looking for sunscreen that was rated well on that website that I could afford. And my husband and I still got sunburns using these "Safe" sunscreens. (Luckily my kiddo did not) Then last year, the whole list of what was good or not good changed (or seemed to anyway) and I gave up. Sunburn definitely is not good for you. I'll take my risks with the rest.

 

I've used two bottles of J&J baby shampoo in the last 4 years. We just opened the third bottle. Yes, I mostly use just water on skin but I use the shampoo on hair because I don't trust just water to get it clean when it still smells like formula-goop. I don't care about the scent. I like that the Baby Shampoo does not make my baby cry when it gets in her eyes. Maybe other shampoos would as well. But I hate taking the chance when I've got something I know works.

 

We buy bottled water to make her formula to avoid fluoride and whatever it is that is making our water smell like mold this year (they swear its safe, its a side effect of the drought... but the smell makes me gag!). But I've just made the decision not to worry about shampoo, sunscreen, etc. until we get an awful lot more than we do now.

[silliness7]

As I said in a previous post...I know there's stuff in probably everything that we don't know about. I guess I don't get knowing and not caring.... Thanks for trying to help, but I don't buy the luxury of affording vs the cheapest on the shelf. I'm sure there are other baby shampoos that won't break the bank that don't contain quaternium-15 and dioxane. Maybe for some people it's too much of an inconvenience to read labels.

 

Woah!! That's a little bit harsh. I guess you haven't walked that mile. I use the baby shampoo we bring home from the hospital and then it's $1 Suave or White Rain like the rest of the family.

[Lady Florida.]

 

Yeah. I'm not getting it either. I didn't read anyone jumping on her or anything.:confused:

 

I admit I was scratching my head at the OP's reaction too. Questioning the study isn't slamming the person who posted it. Not unless the poster is the one who conducted the study.

 

I think what generally annoys me about these kind of advisories (and I mean the article, not AprilMay's posting! I think the OP is a good entry into a discussion) is that there's no useful information about what exactly the risk involved actually is or links to sources so we can evaluate the risk ourselves. It's an article written to alarm but not truly inform.

 

But as for not putting something potentially dangerous near your baby, I bet you do that almost every day. Every car ride likely has a MUCH higher risk of harm associated with it then the shampoo. At some point your baby walks and uses stairs. Again, the risk of harm there is likely much higher then the shampoo.

 

I'm not saying you should use the shampoo, simply that the idea that we can eliminate danger is a false one. So instead we need to evaluate risk, get comfortable with certain risks, reject other. For that we need proper information and the article in question simply doesn't provide that. Instead it plays into this idea that if we just eliminate this or that then we can eliminate risk. Which I don't believe we can.

 

Very well said. Thank you.

[Lovedtodeath]

Formaldehyde? You have got to be kidding me. That shampoo will come no where near my house again... and I am questioning all other Johnson's products now.

[Lovedtodeath]

I had heard about this awhile ago.

 

Sadly, it gets a bit numbing after awhile how many potentially cancer causing items surround us on a daily basis. Anyone else feel a bit overwhelmed with it all? :glare:

YES

[silliness7]

 

....I know you have said since this post that you were done with the discussion, but I just want to say that I AM one of those people who buys what I can afford. Not to mention that I don't read up on all the millions (slight exaggeration here) of things that are *potentially* harmful to myself, my kids, etc. Sometimes I feel like there is so much negative stuff out there in the form of 'plastic will cause cancer!', 'baby shampoo has carcinogens in it!' etc, that I just get tired of hearing it and feel like its just people trying to blow things out of proportion.

To me, to find somewhere to buy a bunch of organic baby wash and soap and shampoo and stuff really IS a luxury. Maybe we have it at the local Wal Mart, idk and I really haven't ever looked, but I know that I DID look at that California Baby crap for a family member who had registered for it and it was like $20 a bottle. Are you kidding?? If its really bad for people to use the normally priced, readily available stuff, why can't all the 'organic' companies make their products more affordable and readily available to the masses? It kind of makes me wonder if they really care that much, or if its all just a way to make money. In which case, are the other products really that bad, or is that just a way to make money, too, by SAYING that they are bad? Does that make any sense at all?

 

 

I think it makes perfect sense and that is exactly how I feel about the whole thing.

[scrapbookbuzz]

Well, I hadn't hear that in particular but I have heard that their "No More Tears" shampoo is not really tear-free, it just contains a chemical that numbs the eyes in case the shampoo does run down into them.

[Kertie]

As I said in a previous post...I know there's stuff in probably everything that we don't know about. I guess I don't get knowing and not caring.... Thanks for trying to help, but I don't buy the luxury of affording vs the cheapest on the shelf. I'm sure there are other baby shampoos that won't break the bank that don't contain quaternium-15 and dioxane. Maybe for some people it's too much of an inconvenience to read labels.

 

Wow. Traces of potential harm has to be read for what it is--they don't know. We should be careful in accordance with the warning.

 

If you don't buy the idea that some people can't afford the "good" stuff, then you have a lot more money than I do. It's not more expensive to make your own stuff at home, but it is significantly more expensive to buy organic anything. If YOU can, great, but don't call those who can't lazy (don't read labels) liars (can't afford it).

 

I read labels, but have chosen to focus on food matters rather than the tiny drop of shampoo that goes on my kids' heads once a week. It's not a matter of "caring"--it's a matter of make the best choice I can in my current situation.

 

Might be a good time for you to research no-poo methods. I haven't found the exact ratio that works for my hair yet, but others don't have to do a bunch of adjustments.

[Trish]

 

I know that there a lot of ingredients in things that we are probably all ignorant about (ignorant as in not knowing). But....when you *know* there are cancer-causing chemicals in a baby shampoo.......well, I don't get how you wouldn't care. People with this shampoo pour this on the head of their baby....they probably use it as a body wash.....it's in the bathwater the baby is sitting in..... This product is known for it's "no more tears", sooo.....big deal if a little gets in the eye...... I guess I'm a little surprised that you would just keep using it (assuming you have some). :001_huh: To me....I wouldn't hesitate to throw it in the trash and buy a natural shampoo for my baby that doesn't have chemicals in it. I wouldn't care about wasting a couple of bucks. I think it's terrible that these companies knowingly put this junk in products that are used on babies.

 

Your comment kind of made me think of the glass of water with a drop of poison. Oh....no big deal....it's just a drop. :confused:

 

Are you sure the brand you're using is safe? This is just the latest of MANY.

[Annie Laurie]

I really hate that the FDA is all over nutritionals, but yet stuff like this gets a total pass.

 

How is eating a carcinogen any different than washing with one every day on the largest organ of your body?

 

I hate the FDA.

 

:iagree:

[MHowell]

We just started using J&J for our oldest daughter with autism (at the recommendation of our eye doctor). Our oldest loves to be outside and plays in the dirt and sand (sometimes throwing it up in the air). She's inside a fenced area so I am not always around her. Recently she had dirt in her eye which developed into a huge and nasty infection around her eye. She's currently using an ointment over the eye with both steroids and antibiotics in it. Our eye doctor said to gently wash her face at night (or after dirt throwing) with J&J due to the 'no tears' factor (so we could clean her eyes without irritation and meltdowns).

 

Any suggestions for a good alternative? It needs to be 'eye friendly'. If this is off-topic, feel free to PM me.

 

Thank you :)

 

 

The Doctor will say J & J but really they mean any 'tear free' shampoo. :) We just went through something similar and I asked.

 

We used Original Sprout on the kiddos. It's REALLY pricey, but I love the smell. Now they both use the same stuff as us.

[Soror]

We're just dirty little people at my house, none of us hardly use soap to be honest and even my 7 and 4 yo don't use shampoo, just water. The horror, I know :) Yet, we somehow manage to get clean regardless :)

[sheryl]

This might be old news....but I hadn't heard of it (but my baby is 8 years old now). I never bought this kind of shampoo for my kids. But...I know my mom had it in the house when we were kids. What I don't get is that the company keeps saying they are working on "reducing or gradually phasing" the harmful chemicals out....but...this has been going on for 2.5 years. :confused: How long does it really take?

 

Thanks for sharing this! My dd who has to have eegs every now and then as maintenace for her epilepsy has to shampoo the night before her eeg with baby shampoo. Now I'll look for something else.

[GingerPoppy]

Considering that all you need to get a baby *clean* is warm water and a wash cloth, the cheapest option is to not buy baby shampoo at all. Of course Baby won't smell like fragrance, but so what?

:iagree: And maybe a bar of soap if necessary for a part or two that really need it. A bar of soap can last a long, long time.

[mom4him]

I had heard about this awhile ago.

 

Sadly, it gets a bit numbing after awhile how many potentially cancer causing items surround us on a daily basis. Anyone else feel a bit overwhelmed with it all? :glare:

 

I don't feel overwhelmed, just angry! These large companies have so much power in our government that the safety of the people is non existent.

 

I simply do not purchase most of the name brand department store items. I shop personal items from our food club and the health food store.

 

You may think that a little bit really doesn't make that much difference but when you have a little bit daily and many times from different items it can make a difference. AND if you have a child that is extremely chemically sensitive just a little bit of one item can send that child over the brink. I avoid!

[Annie]

We're just dirty little people at my house, none of us hardly use soap to be honest and even my 7 and 4 yo don't use shampoo, just water. The horror, I know :) Yet, we somehow manage to get clean regardless :)

 

:lol: We must be part of the dirty little people club, too. I've never used any sort of body soap on little man, and I can't remember the last time I used any myself...

 

Totally not being snarky here - really? I didn't know that. It kind of weirds me out, honestly, to think that I wouldn't need soap... of course, I don't have any babies anymore, but at the time... wait, you do use shampoo still though, right? Because their hair has to be washed, right? :001_huh:

 

I think people way over use soap. Lotion is such a huge industry because we scrub off all of our skin's natural defenses with drying soap. We don't use any sort of body wash in the shower. We have a bottle of very mild, natural shampoo. It's expensive, but it lasts us forever because we hardly use it. I shampoo my hair (just the scalp, never the ends) once a week or so. When I shampoo, I take some of the suds and rub them under my arms. I've shampooed my 18 month old's hair once, and that was only because he got a bunch of pesto in it. I needed the soap to get the olive oil out.

 

I use soap to wash my hands after going to the bathroom and for food prep. I use plain honey to wash my face in the shower.

 

There is a huge "no 'poo" movement going on right now, especially for people with curly hair. You should Google it. :)

[Murphy101]

It cracks me up to hear people waxing all poetic about using only "natural" stuff without "chemicals".

 

Arsenic is natural.

Sand is natural (and used to make glass, plastics, and many other unnatural things)

Starch is natural

Oxidation is a natural and chemical reaction.

Poppy seeds are natural

 

Tea tree oil is natural and toxic. (and I love our tea tree oil shampoo!)

 

I don't use shampoo on my babies. (just use whatever I washed their body with) I only use it once a week or so on the kids. Once they get past the dump the dirt on the head and giggle like a loon stage, they don't need their head to have a good scrubbing as often.

 

But something being "natural" does not necessarily make it one bit safer than a supposed unnatural chemical.

[MindyD]

nm

Edited November 1, 2011 by MindyD

[Margaret in GA]

It cracks me up to hear people waxing all poetic about using only "natural" stuff without "chemicals".

 

Arsenic is natural.

Sand is natural (and used to make glass, plastics, and many other unnatural things)

Starch is natural

Oxidation is a natural and chemical reaction.

Poppy seeds are natural

 

Tea tree oil is natural and toxic. (and I love our tea tree oil shampoo!)

 

I don't use shampoo on my babies. (just use whatever I washed their body with) I only use it once a week or so on the kids. Once they get past the dump the dirt on the head and giggle like a loon stage, they don't need their head to have a good scrubbing as often.

 

But something being "natural" does not necessarily make it one bit safer than a supposed unnatural chemical.

 

 

True-- there is a lot of money to be made by alarmists. But, I am glad the OP posted this. It is a reminder to me to be an informed consumer. Information is a good thing. When we begin to question every study and every scientist...well, to me, that is the beginning of ignorance and an excuse to remain uniformed. Should we be skeptical? yes. But, one can't ignore every single article just because one culture believes coffee is bad for you (as one poster said).

 

Margaret

[beaners]

If anyone is looking for reassurance...I did some research when this first came out. I checked the levels of naturally occurring formaldehyde in food. Bananas, mushrooms, and some other things that slip my mind all have high levels of formaldehyde. I believe it was .1 of the amount in the shampoo for a banana, off the top of my head? You ingest the food, but the shampoo only goes on your skin. I came to the conclusion that a weekly bath was insignificant exposure compared to our daily diet.

 

Yes, they should take the stuff out. Based on my research, it isn't as dangerous as some of the stories made it out to be. I do keep an eye on all of this though!

[Trish]

How about the Designer Bananas?

 

:D

 

[WishboneDawn]

True-- there is a lot of money to be made by alarmists. But, I am glad the OP posted this. It is a reminder to me to be an informed consumer. Information is a good thing. When we begin to question every study and every scientist...well, to me, that is the beginning of ignorance and an excuse to remain uniformed. Should we be skeptical? yes. But, one can't ignore every single article just because one culture believes coffee is bad for you (as one poster said).

 

Margaret

 

There's a big difference between an article and a study. I'm with you on science. I think the way some dismiss studies and science in general is disturbing but I'll extend my skepticism to that article because it wasn't about presenting good science on the issue. It was about naming some alarming-sounding chemicals. Good science articles cite sources and refer to published studies. That one did nothing of that sort and seemed to put a lot of weight on certain words, like "potential", that did not deserve that weight.

[5of5]

It cracks me up to hear people waxing all poetic about using only "natural" stuff without "chemicals".

 

Arsenic is natural.

Sand is natural (and used to make glass, plastics, and many other unnatural things)

Starch is natural

Oxidation is a natural and chemical reaction.

Poppy seeds are natural

 

Tea tree oil is natural and toxic. (and I love our tea tree oil shampoo!)

 

[...]

 

But something being "natural" does not necessarily make it one bit safer than a supposed unnatural chemical.

 

:iagree:

[justamouse]

I could not ever go no poo. I have a lot of thin hair. I have to wash my hair daily, and yes, I tried not. It was disgusting.

 

I DO make my own shampoo bars, my own soap, and my own salves. :001_smile:

[Guest submarines]

We're just dirty little people at my house, none of us hardly use soap to be honest and even my 7 and 4 yo don't use shampoo, just water. The horror, I know :) Yet, we somehow manage to get clean regardless :)

 

:iagree: Same here. I believe soaps and shampoos are highly overused, especially on children. Baby shampoo??? Why???

[PeacefulChaos]

We could never, ever, ever go no 'poo here. I've tried spacing out how often I wash my hair, etc, and like a PP said, it didn't work. At all.

As of right now, the kids all just take a bath or shower a few times a week. Usually my rule is Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, but depending on activity and such we don't always follow a super strict schedule. But I notice DD's hair getting a little oily on bath day - if we miss I definitely notice. No one else probably would, but I just think it's not very...idk the word I'm looking for...good for it, I guess? I can only imagine if I either didn't shampoo at all or only did it once a week or something, it would be pretty gross.

And I can't imagine not having baby shampoo. Babies aren't born spic and span, after all... :D And they sweat. That's the biggest thing with my kids, even when they were younger. They sweat. They NEED to get clean. With soap. I don't care whether or not they smell like whatever soap it is, but I don't want them smelling like sweat. Yuck.

Edited November 1, 2011 by PeacefulChaos

[Guest submarines]

 

I think people way over use soap. Lotion is such a huge industry because we scrub off all of our skin's natural defenses with drying soap. We don't use any sort of body wash in the shower. We have a bottle of very mild, natural shampoo. It's expensive, but it lasts us forever because we hardly use it. I shampoo my hair (just the scalp, never the ends) once a week or so. When I shampoo, I take some of the suds and rub them under my arms. I've shampooed my 18 month old's hair once, and that was only because he got a bunch of pesto in it. I needed the soap to get the olive oil out.

 

I use soap to wash my hands after going to the bathroom and for food prep. I use plain honey to wash my face in the shower.

 

There is a huge "no 'poo" movement going on right now, especially for people with curly hair. You should Google it. :)

 

:iagree:

 

I shampooed my 3 yo's hair once :001_huh:. She has beautiful hair. No one would ever guess we don't use any shampoo / conditioner on her.

DS hasn't used shampoo once--no problems at all.

 

DD9 has gorgeous hair almost to her waist, and she uses shampoo once every couple of months.

 

I do use shampoo, after years of no-pooing, but very little of it. A very mainstream hairdresser once told me that people should you 1/5 of what's usually recommended on the bottles.

 

A bar of organic soap with awesome ingredients lasts us 4-6 months. Very affordable.

Edited November 1, 2011 by sunflowers

[Parker Martin]

The "natural" world is also made entirely of chemicals and includes all sorts of carcinogens. If you're looking at the synthetic chemicals in baby shampoo, it absolutely does matter how much and how often, just as it would with any substance. Is there any information indicating that the amount of the questionable chemical in the shampoo is carcinogenic?

 

"All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; only the dose permits something not to be poisonous." - Paracelsus

[LizzyBee]

I hadn't heard about the boycott. But I heard many years ago that the ingredients used to make baby shampoos "no-tears" are very harsh, so anyone looking for shampoo that is gentle on their hair should not use baby shampoos.

[In2why]

AprilMay, my husband has had cancer removed from his colon twice (and he's 38 right now...so this has been going on a while). Also, my husband's friend just found out that he's in stage 4 of non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (he's also my husband's age and he has 5 kids). One of my husband's co-workers just died of brain cancer (also my husband's age).

 

We are just to the point where we are examining everything we buy. I'm trying to buy organic foods, I'm cutting down on plastics, I'm starting to really look at labels, etc. I really think there is an absolute TON of carcinogenic things in our everyday environment right now. And, I don't even know if any of that is going to help.

 

When they first found out my husband had cancer, the doctor said the don't even *check* people my husband's age because it's very unheard of... Funny, because I'm hearing about it a lot lately in our age group.

 

I know this doesn't have anything to do with the shampoo...but my husband and I are pretty paranoid about things like that at this point in our lives. So, we wouldn't buy it if we heard that there was a possibility of carcinogens.

 

I guess I'm trying to say that I understand why people are careful about that stuff.

 

 

We are also seeing more people in their 30's and 40's with cancer. A whole other subject but I always think about how the majority of people pump their own gas now and are faces are right at the level of fumes.

 

As for the baby shampoo, no one expects or would even think about a company putting something in their shampoo that would cause cancer. Baby Shampoo should be held to a higher standard than regular soaps and shampoos. Also I read labels and as I said in my earlier post I didn't have any idea that when these chemicals combine they turn into formaldehyde, something we avoid like the plague. If the company wants to continue that is their right, but at least now people are aware and can decide if they want to continue buying it.

[In2why]

Considering that all you need to get a baby *clean* is warm water and a wash cloth, the cheapest option is to not buy baby shampoo at all. Of course Baby won't smell like fragrance, but so what?

 

 

There is something about baby vomit/spit up in the hair, or poop that leaves the diaper and travels up the back and down the leg that just screams for something more than water. :D

[WishboneDawn]

The "natural" world is also made entirely of chemicals and includes all sorts of carcinogens. If you're looking at the synthetic chemicals in baby shampoo, it absolutely does matter how much and how often, just as it would with any substance. Is there any information indicating that the amount of the questionable chemical in the shampoo is carcinogenic?

 

"All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; only the dose permits something not to be poisonous." - Paracelsus

 

And THAT is both the question to ask and the crux of the issue. Neither of which the article bothered with.

 

Great comment.

[In2why]

:lol: We must be part of the dirty little people club, too. I've never used any sort of body soap on little man, and I can't remember the last time I used any myself...

 

 

 

I think people way over use soap. Lotion is such a huge industry because we scrub off all of our skin's natural defenses with drying soap. We don't use any sort of body wash in the shower. We have a bottle of very mild, natural shampoo. It's expensive, but it lasts us forever because we hardly use it. I shampoo my hair (just the scalp, never the ends) once a week or so. When I shampoo, I take some of the suds and rub them under my arms. I've shampooed my 18 month old's hair once, and that was only because he got a bunch of pesto in it. I needed the soap to get the olive oil out.

 

I use soap to wash my hands after going to the bathroom and for food prep. I use plain honey to wash my face in the shower.

 

There is a huge "no 'poo" movement going on right now, especially for people with curly hair. You should Google it. :)

 

 

Or you guys must be very clean people. I know my little guy smells like the walking dead after a couple of days without a good scrub-a-dub.

I also can't get over how much earlier some kids just have straight out funk. It has to be the hormones in our meat. My 8 year old has to wear anti-perspirant of I can't stand to be in the same room with him. But the 12 year old almost never stinks so go figure that one out?

[In2why]

If anyone is looking for reassurance...I did some research when this first came out. I checked the levels of naturally occurring formaldehyde in food. Bananas, mushrooms, and some other things that slip my mind all have high levels of formaldehyde. I believe it was .1 of the amount in the shampoo for a banana, off the top of my head? You ingest the food, but the shampoo only goes on your skin. I came to the conclusion that a weekly bath was insignificant exposure compared to our daily diet.

 

Yes, they should take the stuff out. Based on my research, it isn't as dangerous as some of the stories made it out to be. I do keep an eye on all of this though!

 

 

I will have to do some more research. I know banana's aren't a problem for DH, but mushrooms make him sick so he doesn't eat them. I wonder if it could be the formaldehyde? Interesting.

[Mama2Many4]

These are the ingredients of an "organic" baby shampoo that costs $20 for 12oz. There are still MANY things on this list I can't pronounce.

 

INGREDIENTS: Water (Aqua), Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Schinziophyton Rautanenil (Mongongo) Kernel Oil, Hydrolyzed (Jojoba) Protein, Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol, Dimethicone, Vegetable Glycerin, Cinnamidopropyltrimonium Chloride, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Parfum with Natural Extracts of Organic Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Fruit, Organic Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit, Organic Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf, Organic (Arnica) Montana Flower, Organic (Calendula) Officinalis Flower, Cetrimonium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Polyaminopropyl Biguanide.

[Elinor Everywhere]

I could not ever go no poo. I have a lot of thin hair. I have to wash my hair daily, and yes, I tried not. It was disgusting.

 

 

This is my hair, too. I'd love to join the no 'poo movement, but all of us have oily hair and it's just too gross.

[Soror]

Or you guys must be very clean people. I know my little guy smells like the walking dead after a couple of days without a good scrub-a-dub.

I also can't get over how much earlier some kids just have straight out funk. It has to be the hormones in our meat. My 8 year old has to wear anti-perspirant of I can't stand to be in the same room with him. But the 12 year old almost never stinks so go figure that one out?

 

We keep a fairly clean diet here, usually no processed foods and I think it makes some difference. I had a friend say her hair became much less oily once she went grainfree. I'm generally gluten/dairy/soy/grain/sugar free myself. I don't know if it is related or not.

 

I cannot do no-poo anymore though either. I can go a week pretty easily without washing(today it is day 8 actually) and I've still received compliments on my hair several days after washing.

[ondreeuh]

I would be seriously worried about the amount of fecal contamination in a house where babies are not washed with soap. Water does not remove germs, unless it's scalding (and obviously no one is doing that). And as far as kids & adults not using soap? On their bottoms and underarms? I can't even imagine how that could possibly not itch or smell. And just because someone doesn't think their family smells, doesn't mean that someone outside the home won't think they smell. I've smelled plenty of stinky people who have no idea because they're immune to their own odor.

[Soror]

I did stink when I tried a few different nat deo, my husband told me. He uses all kinds of soap and such as he works w/ all kinds of grease and such. I do use reg deo now when going out on a hot day, or being active. I have some homemade but I'm paranoid now about it. We don't have that smell good aroma of smelly stuff but we don't stink. I'm brutally honest and have dear friends that are as well. We think all the people perfumed up stink to high heaven and avoid them like the plague :)

[keptwoman]

:lol: We must be part of the dirty little people club, too. I've never used any sort of body soap on little man, and I can't remember the last time I used any myself...

 

 

 

I think people way over use soap. Lotion is such a huge industry because we scrub off all of our skin's natural defenses with drying soap. We don't use any sort of body wash in the shower. We have a bottle of very mild, natural shampoo. It's expensive, but it lasts us forever because we hardly use it. I shampoo my hair (just the scalp, never the ends) once a week or so. When I shampoo, I take some of the suds and rub them under my arms. I've shampooed my 18 month old's hair once, and that was only because he got a bunch of pesto in it. I needed the soap to get the olive oil out.

 

I use soap to wash my hands after going to the bathroom and for food prep. I use plain honey to wash my face in the shower.

 

There is a huge "no 'poo" movement going on right now, especially for people with curly hair. You should Google it. :)

:iagree: I did not use soap on my kids, or shampoo. Yes, water and a cloth really does get it off. I used reuseable wipes for their bottoms, with water. If they did a major poo or vomit, they went in the shower for a good cleanup, with water. When their hair started to thicken up, we started using shampoo but all of them were over 3 years old.

 

There is something about baby vomit/spit up in the hair, or poop that leaves the diaper and travels up the back and down the leg that just screams for something more than water. :D

It might scream, but IME it doesn't need it. YMMV

 

I would be seriously worried about the amount of fecal contamination in a house where babies are not washed with soap. Water does not remove germs, unless it's scalding (and obviously no one is doing that). And as far as kids & adults not using soap? On their bottoms and underarms? I can't even imagine how that could possibly not itch or smell. And just because someone doesn't think their family smells, doesn't mean that someone outside the home won't think they smell. I've smelled plenty of stinky people who have no idea because they're immune to their own odor.

Personally, in the shower, I use soap on my underarms, and that is it. TMI but soap on the nether regions give me shocking thrush, every time. I promise you I dont smell, I have a very strong sense of smell. I use deoderant of course. I'm not brave enough to no-poo, I use de poo and I reckon those suds washing down my body are all the soaping a body needs.

I use soap to wash my hands obviously, and a cleanser on my face, but the rest of my body gets washed with water.

 

Fecal contamination where exactly? Well I guess you probably wouldn't have wanted to visit my home, but neither our family nor any of our visitors get sick. We wash our hands, and our clothes just like normal people.

[keptwoman]

I did stink when I tried a few different nat deo, my husband told me. He uses all kinds of soap and such as he works w/ all kinds of grease and such. I do use reg deo now when going out on a hot day, or being active. I have some homemade but I'm paranoid now about it. We don't have that smell good aroma of smelly stuff but we don't stink. I'm brutally honest and have dear friends that are as well. We think all the people perfumed up stink to high heaven and avoid them like the plague :)

Same, the proper deoderant for me, aluminum and all! I've tried the natural stuff and they don't stop the stink!

[ktgrok]

I would be seriously worried about the amount of fecal contamination in a house where babies are not washed with soap. Water does not remove germs, unless it's scalding (and obviously no one is doing that). And as far as kids & adults not using soap? On their bottoms and underarms? I can't even imagine how that could possibly not itch or smell. And just because someone doesn't think their family smells, doesn't mean that someone outside the home won't think they smell. I've smelled plenty of stinky people who have no idea because they're immune to their own odor.

 

Not true. I remember a story on NPR not that long ago about this. They said that soap and water kills germs in 20 seconds, about, but that just water alone will remove them if you wash longer.

 

My child's bath is much longer than 20 seconds, lol. I certainly never use soap on her mucus membranes such as rear or vulva, and only on her hair a few times a week when there is food in it. Otherwise I never use soap on her body, ever. She smells fine. My mother would tell me other wise, I assure you. She isn't shy about that stuff.

[Robyn]

I tried natural deodorant and it didn't work for me. I heard my body would adjust, but it didn't and eventually I had to go out in public again. :D

 

I haven't used shampoo in two months. I keep an old shampoo bottle filled with water and a Tbsp of baking soda in the shower. I use it about every three days, no vinegar rinse. I have (had) oily hair and after the 4th week or so, my hair got pretty gross. But I stuck it out and it did adjust.

 

I rinse the boys' hair with water and use a little bar soap if they get something sticky in it. My oldest uses soap or just water and my husband shaves his head, so he doesn't need shampoo either.

 

We cloth diaper, so I only use cloth wipes, just wet, no soap. It does the job.

 

 

When my middle ds was healing from a burn from a hot cup of tea, the surgeon told me to use a gentle soap on his skin and he specifically said to avoid J&J.