While pregnant with my baby boy, I planned what I was going to use on his skin. I was sure he wouldn't develop dry skin or eczema like my first two children, so I made a baby oil for him, as well as a bath milk that I used on my other kids.
When my son was about two months old, I noticed that his skin had a problem. Flakes of his dry skin would fly out of his clothes like a puff of smoke whenever I undressed him - and it'd go everywhere. I couldn't understand why his skin had turned this way, since I was only using natural ingredients on him.
Seeking a solution to his problem, I started to formulate different baby oils and balms to treat him.
When out with my son one day, a lady noticed his skin and suggested that I try cutting dairy from his diet. Since his diet was only breast milk, I decided to cut dairy from my own diet. Truthfully, I couldn't be sure if it had any impact on his skin - but eventually, I did find a solution to his problem.
While trying different products on my son's skin, I noticed that he would get little bumps all over, if I used something his skin didn't like. Usually, it was essential oils that caused it, so I decided to make a balm without them, and used Rosehip and Sea Buckthorn oils.
Rosehip oil contains Omega 3, 6 and 9 which helps to repair and regenerate damaged skin. This oil is also great at treating stretch marks, dry and sensitive skin, acne, sun damage, scars and wrinkles.
Sea buckthorn oil is great for promoting the healing of burns, sores, eczema and other skin conditions. It acts as a natural emollient - softening and conditioning the skin and helping to moisturise and soothe dry, ageing skin.
After a while of using the balm on my son three times a day, I began to see an improvement in his skin. I was so glad to finally have a solution - but then, a few months later, the problem came back in a different way. Instead of his skin being flakey like before, it was now in patches of dryness. I was still using the same balm that I'd used to treat him before, so I couldn't understand what I was doing wrong.
Then, after about three months, it finally hit me.
Since I'd only recently moved house and hadn't yet unpacked all of my ingredients, I'd begun bathing my son in only Jojoba oil.
After looking at the ingredients I'd used in my bath milk, I came to realise that it was the glycerine in it that'd helped to heal my son's skin. So I began bathing him in a mixture of glycerine and Jojoba oil, and within a month his skin went back to normal.
Glycerine is a vegetable derived humectant that moisturises the skin by drawing water from the air into the skin's outer layer, and forming a protective layer to prevent moisture loss.
The balm that I used to treat my baby's skin will be available early next year, along with my new body butter. The bath milk I mentioned will be available later on next year, along with another bathing product.
Find out how I was able to treat the dry patches on my oldest son's arms, next month!