Good SAFE scents?

[Dabble]

I cannot tolerate strong scents and will not put dangerous artificial perfumes on my kids. I've been using unscented creams and lotions, but really would love to find a safe, mildly-scented moisturizer for after their baths. Even "safer" brands like Burt's Bees are WAAAAAAY too strongly-scented for me.

What do you use?

Any suggestions are welcome - point me to products, websites, give me your recipes, PM me if you want to sell your homemade goodies!

TIA!

[Drummer's Wife]

yeah, I dunno either. Burt's bees fragranced soaps and lotions are awful for me.

you don't like just smelling like 'clean'?

[Dabble]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

you don't like just smelling like 'clean'?

Clean is great!

But you know how scents can help create a powerful, lasting memory? I would LOVE to have a scent that can help create a vivid memory picture of my boys all clean and fresh and pajama-fied, ready for bed. I'm such a sap!

There has to be something out there! If I find something I love, I'm going to be a customer for life.

[Drummer's Wife]

have you tried any california babyproducts? they have massage/essential oils and a really good smelling bubblebath called "I Love You"

and actually their calming lotion has a nice, light scent. I am extremly sensitive to chemicals and fragrance but this one is pleasant, even to me!

[Dabble]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

have you tried any california babyproducts? they have massage/essential oils and a really good smelling bubblebath called "I Love You"

Wow, thanks that helps a lot... I'm surprised I didn't think of CB on my own! We use their super-sensitive baby (completely perfume and dye-free) wash for our youngest because of his eczema, and I really like it. I bet their scented products would be pretty mild.

I think I'm going to order a sample pack of their trial sizes so I can try them out and smell them on skin to see if I like them. Thanks again for the link!

[Drummer's Wife]

oh, you're welcome. We love CB here. I, too, started out with their sensitive line because my 3rd baby had bad exzema and now that it's better, he has sensitive skin. I hope you like the trial pack and find something that works.

[j_e_n_n_y]

we love cb products too! since you already have some unscented products that you like, you can also just purchase their essential oil blends to add to lotion, bubble bath, etc:

http://californiababy.com/calming-be...d-half-oz.html

if you really like it, you can buy their pre-scented products when your other stuff runs out...or just keep doing it this way.

we used to buy smaller sizes of all of their different bubble baths, but now just buy a 1/2 gallon of super sensitive with a pump and use whichever essential oil we're in the mood for.

good luck!

[jocelyndale]

You may want to keep an eye out for a safe-for-kids EO that you can tolerate. Be careful, though, because even the ones promoted for mildness have their own highly volatile compounds. Lavendin, for example, makes me horribly ill--migraines, asthma, hives, disorientation. And it comes from, you guessed it--lavender.

Camphor might be a compound that bothers you. If so, it's found in a number of EOs. (rosemary comes to mind) Citrus oils contain d-limonene, a potent sensitizer.

Sometimes the natural stuff is worse for those of us with chemical sensitivities.

Once you find a relatively innocuous EO that is safe in small quantities, you can always add a drop or two to a full bottle of lotion or shampoo or conditioner.

[sunnysandiegan]

I have been using Young Living Essential Oils with DD since I was pregnant. Not frequently, but here and there. I always use Gentle Baby and sometimes use a different EO along with it or in place of it, depending on circumstances. DD and I both have really fond memories whenever that bottle is open. I add it to random other products and have only purchased one bottle to date. DD is 7-1/2, btw. One single drop goes a long way. The therapeutic qualities of this EO may be gone (some experts say therapeutic qualities diminish after 2 years), but the fragrance qualities are still perfectly good. Young Living is a high quality brand. I have other brands that didn't fare nearly so well...

[Dabble]

Wow, great suggestions! I'm going to look into some EO's the next time I'm at the natural foods store too! And it looks like Young Living has a convention in my area this fall so that would be awesome to attend that and fall in love with a scent.

Good to know about the EO's therapeutic effectiveness - I had never heard that theory about it diminishing, but since the scent is what I'm seeking it's good to know that it lasts. I'm so glad to hear that you and your DD have formed lovely memories around that scent - I want to do that too!

[Sadystar]

Originally Posted by jocelyndale

You may want to keep an eye out for a safe-for-kids EO that you can tolerate. Be careful, though, because even the ones promoted for mildness have their own highly volatile compounds. Lavendin, for example, makes me horribly ill--migraines, asthma, hives, disorientation. And it comes from, you guessed it--lavender.

Camphor might be a compound that bothers you. If so, it's found in a number of EOs. (rosemary comes to mind) Citrus oils contain d-limonene, a potent sensitizer.

Sometimes the natural stuff is worse for those of us with chemical sensitivities.

Once you find a relatively innocuous EO that is safe in small quantities, you can always add a drop or two to a full bottle of lotion or shampoo or conditioner.

I'm not going to argue that EOs cannot be harmful but this post really needs countering.

1) Lavandin is not a component of Lavender essential oil per se. Lavandin is one particular species of Lavender Lavendula x intermedia, true Lavender is Lavendula angustifolia, if you are buying from any reputable supplier latin names should always be labelled. The potential neurotoxic effect of Lavandin is assumed to come from it's camphor content


2) Camphor is a potential irritant - it is only present in serious quantities in rosemary, lavandin and sage oils

3) The concerns regarding d-limonene are attributed more to the oxidation of that component, i.e. old oils, in fact mandarin oil is one of the oils I would recommend most highly for babes.

4) 1 or 2 drops in a whole bottle is being very cautious, but if that is what is acceptable to you scent wise then of course it does no harm to understate it! However a dilution of 0.5% is fine for a baby with no other problems, with appropriate oils of course (I would suggest mandarin, lavender or roman chamomile), this equates to 10 drops TOTAL in 100ml of carrier, you could go to 1 or 2% for older children (20 or 40 drops in 100ml respectively).

HTH Sadystar (clinical aromatherapist)

[sunnysandiegan]

Sadystar brings up many good points!

I have been using EOs for about 10 years now. The EOs I purchased that did NOT have the latin name on them all went rancid. They changed colors and smelled "off" or worse. Blech.

In my reply above, I made a comment about how a single drop of EO goes a long way. I meant that as a gauge of how tiny the bottles seem when you are used to more traditional products. As in, each drop counts. For an entire bath, I only use 10 drops total and, yes, I count them. I don't mix up massage oils in advance, though, so I pour my carrier oil into my palm and use a single drop of EO. When DD was an infant, one palm/one drop was sufficient for her entire body. Last time I gave DD a full body massage (including her face, scalp, and body), I believe I used five palm-fulls/drops and she had ultra dry skin that day (last month).

You may wish to check out a few books at the library on this topic. I own three devoted solely to aromatherapy and a few "holistic healing" books that devote a chapter or two to it. Patricia Davis, Penny Rich, and Valerie Worwood are the authors of the books I own.

Have fun creating a 'scent memory' with your children!!!

[feelinghealthy]

just to remind you that lavender and tea trea oils (that are generally considered to be safe) may cause gynecomastia to young boys. So, don't overdo it with them.