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Newborn Care Topics..

 
You are here : home > Newborn Care > Massaging and Bathing > Shampoo for Your Baby

Shampoo for Your Baby

Shampoo for Your Baby

With a variety of baby shampoos available in the market today, it is indeed very confusing to choose the right one for your baby. Any natural homemade shampoo for your baby is always welcome as it is gentle on baby’s skin and time tested for generations. Find tips for choosing baby’s shampoo.

Large varieties of baby bath products including shampoos are available in market today. How to choose and select the one which is best for your baby? Do you blindly trust television commercials or is it worthwhile to do a little research before settling in for a specific brand?

When it comes to newborn care it is always best to choose products based on your baby’s requirements. Some babies are allergic to soaps. At times infants suffer from skin rashes. Hence, parents must take into consideration all such factors while buying bath products for an infant.

How to Choose a Baby Shampoo

Here are some useful tips on how to go about choosing a baby shampoo.

Mild Baby Shampoo

For babies mild shampoo is best. These shampoos do not contain any synthetic fragrances, artificial colors, allergenic and irritating preservatives. If you carefully read the label you will come to know of the ingredients that the shampoo contains. Shampoos which do not contain harmful chemicals, dyes, and perfumes are the ones which will suit an infant the most.

All shampoos contain preservatives. Specifically for infant use shampoos containing gentle preservatives are recommended. These include preservatives like citrus seed extract, Phenoxyethanol, and vitamins A, C, and E. In addition to shampoo a number of baby bath products are made with these preservatives since they are very mild and suitable for a tender baby skin.

Baby Shampoos Made of Natural Ingredients

Soaps and shampoos made of natural ingredients are very useful for the sensitive infant skin. There are varieties of baby shampoos available that are made of natural ingredients like extra-mild botanical surfactants, essential oils, and Jojoba oil.

There are a number of baby shampoos available with flowery fragrance. These may seem very pleasant and inviting but may cause harm to the baby’s skin due to chemicals present in it.

In case you are interested in the scented variety you can go in for lavender or chamomile that is known to produce a calming effect on the baby. These natural herbs do not cause any adverse effect on the baby.

Tear Free Variety

Tear free shampoos are specifically available for infant use. These shampoos contain very mild detergents which are not capable of stinging the eyes. The term “tear free” will be specifically mentioned in the packaging material of such shampoos.

Schedule for Shampooing

There is no hard and fast rule about the frequency at which your infant will require a shampoo wash. It entirely depends upon the amount of hair a baby has and how oily it is. Oily hair tends to get dirty fast and will require a frequent wash. On the other hand thin, dry hair does not need much of shampooing at least during the first twelve months of a baby’s life.

What to Avoid?

Baby shampoos that contain Diethanolamine (DEA) or Triethanolamine (TEA) must be avoided. Both these chemicals interact with nitrites which is a preservative added in a number of shampoos. The combined effect of this interaction results in formation of Arcinogenic nitrosamines which can penetrate the infant skin real fast.

An excellent alternative to buying baby shampoos is to make one at home. Gram flour can be used to wash a baby’s hair. A number of other natural ingredients can be used to prepare baby shampoo at home. One of the easiest ways to prepare baby shampoo at home is to use fruits like melons, berries, or apples. To the pulp of any of these fruits add a very little quantity of apple cider vinegar and a cup of plain yogurt. The major disadvantage of homemade shampoos is that cannot be preserved for long. Hence homemade shampoos must be made only in small quantities for one time immediate use.




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AshU
AshU.8 years ago
I use the shampoo which has conditioner and soap as well it is basically 3 in one , and very nice fragrance, it has valid reason to buy, I am using strawberry flavor for my baby to wash her hair and bath ,
 
 
 
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Supriya
Supriya.10 years ago
I used to use milk n gram flour to bathe My son till three months,but his hair started to fall a lot, he was allergic to gram flour on head.so I stopped using on head just used for Body.now he's 7 months old planning to use mild shampoo for hair wash as its summer and sweat on his head while he sleeps. Gives bad odour.
 
 
 
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chhaya
chhaya.12 years ago
I agree milk cream and gram flour are best for baby skin and hair. they naturally clean the hair and make it soft. There is no fear of chemicals also. But Gram flour should be made at home.
 
 
 
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Mrinalini
Mrinalini.12 years ago
I wash my baby's head with a mixture of milk cream and gram flour. It is natural and safe for the baby.
 
 
 
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Sanehal
Sanehal.12 years ago
Shampooing the baby hair is very difficult. I just cannot do it. I let my mother-in-law do it. she is quite experienced and does it in a jiffy
 
 
 
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