Johnson and Johnson Baby Soap

[alicia9178]

Ok...so I tried to tell DH that using Johnson and Johnson baby soap was not reccomended any longer and he is thinking I am insane. He reminded me that we have used it 4 other times now and that they all "survived". Does anyone have any information on why it is no longer the baby soap of choice? Anyone also know of a REASONABLY priced alternative?
Alicia

[~Megan~]

Like most mainstream bath products its full of all sorts of really bad chemicals.

You use so little soap on a baby that really any brand is not that expensive.

If you want something pretty cheap try Burt's Bees or California Baby, both are found at Target. A local health food store will have even more options.

I don't think specific baby soap is even necessary. Just a gentle oatmeal soap works nicely. Babies don't really get all that dirty anyway, as you know. A soak in water generally clears up any issues.

[mommytomahmoud]

this is what i did with hubby i had him read all the stuff they put in the J&J baby soaps and try and explain what it is what it is good for of course he had noo idea what the stuff was that was listed half of it he couldnt even say

then i had him read the stuff that was in cali baby baby soap and he goes wow their is bearly anything and it is stuff i can say and i know what it is

and then i said now which one do u want ur baby washed in the one u know what is in it or the one where it is WTF is that and how do u say it

soo he said the natural one at least i know my kid will be safe

[Chakra]

There is not ONE, NOT ONE natural ingredient in johnsons baby soap or lotion. It is a chemical concoction of crap!

[mommytomahmoud]

wait i think their was water in the j&j soaps lol that is the only natural thing in their soaps and lotions and who knows if it is spring water or at least filtered water lol

[Maagpie]

Anybody else remember the Mothering article about soaps and such from a couple of years back? "rub-a-dub-dub"...something......... Anyway, that article said that our skin is 5 times more absorbent when it is wet. Imagine how many chemicals are being absorbed into our babies at bathtime with products like J&J. That is what really sticks with me.

[Chakra]

Oh and their commercials that make their products seem soooooo natural and soothing.

[holothuroidea]

...and the chemists go

If you have J&J stuff left over from other babies or given to you as a gift, use it. You are much more likely to suffer from the effects of "bad chemicals" from the air you breath and the water you bathe yourself in than that soap.

NO soap or detergent is "natural" by what seems to be the definition of natural around here. Especially detergent. All detergents are synthetic by definition, and so are soaps. Soaps usually contain less additives and stabilizers, though.

If you are concerned about sensitive baby skin, use something fragrance free.

This is the perspective of someone who can not only pronounce all the ingredients on the J&J bottle, but knows what they are.

Just because you can pronounce the ingredients doesn't make it safer. I mean, you know what poison ivy is, right?

Sorry if I sound snarky, it just bothers me that people make a fortune selling inferior products to people because they are "natural," which is a completely false claim.

I mean, please tell me why you feel better about Decyl Polyglucose than Sodium Lauryl Sulfate?

[allborntogrow]

No matter what soap I use if I get it in my kid's eyes he cries.

[holothuroidea]

Why do we need to use soap anyway? I think I would only use soap on little tushies and that's it.

I was planning on using homemade fragrance free soap, but someone got me a whole 10oz. container of "Huggies" baby wash. I'm not one to be wasteful so I'll use it. Maybe I'll use that on myself.

[sapphire_chan]

I've got some soap made with like 7 different fats, some lye, and a citrus extract. If my baby's not sensitive to it, would it be safe?

It's the lye and citrus extract I'm worried about. Obviously, I'd be using super super small amounts, like wet my hand wipe it over the soap block.

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by holothuroidea

Why do we need to use soap anyway? I think I would only use soap on little tushies and that's it.

Babies apparently have all kinds of creases and can get an astonishing amount of ick in them. I've seen experienced mamas say that they have to wash their babies necks like daily because of old cottage cheese smells--eeeewww.

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by holothuroidea

NO soap or detergent is "natural" by what seems to be the definition of natural around here. Especially detergent. All detergents are synthetic by definition, and so are soaps. Soaps usually contain less additives and stabilizers, though.

Just because you can pronounce the ingredients doesn't make it safer. I mean, you know what poison ivy is, right?

Sorry if I sound snarky, it just bothers me that people make a fortune selling inferior products to people because they are "natural," which is a completely false claim.

I can pronounce all the ingredients on most things with out knowing what they are. (Seriously, most chemicals are read phonetically, actually easier than other words.)

It's the phthalate thing I'm worried about with commercial soaps. Kind of confused why something relating to the production of polymer plastics would be doing in a soap/detergent, but apparently some things have them?

[MySunflowerBoys]

We used Aveeno products up until a year ago (when my youngest turned 3.) I liked the Aveeno stuff because it seemed less irratating to their skin than the J & J or Baby Magic stuff. I ended up switching to regular J & J head to toe wash because they were being so wasteful with the Aveeno and it's more expensive (smaller bottle, cost 2-3 $ more than the bigger J & J.) We keep the soap bottle on the edge of the tub and they'd knock it in the bath water, diluting it down or just plain dumping it in to make lots of bubbles. Sorry, but I can't afford a $5 bottle 2x a week!

I looked at the Cali Baby and Burt's Bee's baby wash at Target this past week, thinking of getting one for use with the baby only (and kept out of reach of the boys.) They were both priced at $8 a bottle, and the Cali Baby bottle was a couple ounces larger.

I can see using the fancy baby stuff if you are only going to use a minimal amount and don't have to worry about it being wasted, but there has to be a more practical choice for later when kids are more independent.

Heck, I use Dial bath wash on myself, I'm sure the ingredients are similar to J & J. I guess I've been rubbing chemicals into my skin my whole life.

Edited to add: I just looked at the Aveeno bottle we have- it's distributed by J & J and has a similar ingredient list. So much for it being a more gentle soap.

[Audreysmama]

When you make soap with lye, after the soap has dried out and is safe to use the lye is gone. However do not get this soap in the eyes as it burns like crazy. The only soap we use is homemade "lye" soap (which I make).

[holothuroidea]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

I've got some soap made with like 7 different fats, some lye, and a citrus extract. If my baby's not sensitive to it, would it be safe?

It's the lye and citrus extract I'm worried about. Obviously, I'd be using super super small amounts, like wet my hand wipe it over the soap block.

Lye soaps do not have lye in them, they are made with lye but it is completely used up in the saponification process. If you make your own soap, you have to be careful how much lye you use just for this reason. If you get homemade soap from a commercial source, there should be no lye in it.

I'm not a baby expert by any means so I don't know if the citrus extracts would bother them. I think that some very young babies have citrus allergies, but that's to the ingested fruit. The extracts in your soap are probably from the peel. Maybe before you use the soap you can rub a little bit of an orange peel on a small part of their skin and see if they have a reaction? Other than allergies, I don't think it would be an issue. But again, I'm not a baby expert.

On your other posts:

Thanks for the heads up on the crease cheese!


Yes, some "phthalates" (that phrase encompasses a very wide variety of compounds) are often used as plasticizers in vinyl plastics (such as polyvinyl chloride or PVC). Some phthalates are used as fixing agents in fragrances though (they make the fragrance last longer).

Anything that lists the mysterious "fragrance" as an ingredient probably has phthalates in it. My husband is a fragrance chemist, conveniently enough , and I can tell you from the source that the concentration of the phthalates they use in fragrances is so minimal I would worry about it about as much as I would worry about the cyanide in apple seeds.

[triana1326]

I use the homemade soaps from a family that sells them at our farmer's market. They're a trusted source, and I'm supporting the local economy. That by itself is a worthy reason to switch from commercialized products, regardless of how I feel about the myriad of chemicals in them.

Any of the "mainstream" products I get, I donate to my SIL (she could care less about chemicals) or to a women's shelter.

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by Audreysmama

When you make soap with lye, after the soap has dried out and is safe to use the lye is gone. However do not get this soap in the eyes as it burns like crazy. The only soap we use is homemade "lye" soap (which I make).

Originally Posted by holothuroidea

Lye soaps do not have lye in them, they are made with lye but it is completely used up in the saponification process. If you make your own soap, you have to be careful how much lye you use just for this reason. If you get homemade soap from a commercial source, there should be no lye in it.

I'm not a baby expert by any means so I don't know if the citrus extracts would bother them. I think that some very young babies have citrus allergies, but that's to the ingested fruit. The extracts in your soap are probably from the peel. Maybe before you use the soap you can rub a little bit of an orange peel on a small part of their skin and see if they have a reaction? Other than allergies, I don't think it would be an issue. But again, I'm not a baby expert.

On your other posts:

Thanks for the heads up on the crease cheese!

Cool beans. It isn't a commercial product, but the lady I watched make the soap has made a ton of homemade soap and was using a recipe she's done lots and lots before with a very precise digital scale to get the amount of lye and such.

The extract is definitely from the aromatic oils in the peel--very very mild grapefruit scent. I the rub an orange on the baby idea. If the baby isn't sensitive, a bit of orange peel'd seems like it'd be a great way to do a fast fix for crease cheese.

Originally Posted by holothuroidea

Yes, some "phthalates" (that phrase encompasses a very wide variety of compounds) are often used as plasticizers in vinyl plastics (such as polyvinyl chloride or PVC). Some phthalates are used as fixing agents in fragrances though (they make the fragrance last longer).

Anything that lists the mysterious "fragrance" as an ingredient probably has phthalates in it. My husband is a fragrance chemist, conveniently enough , and I can tell you from the source that the concentration of the phthalates they use in fragrances is so minimal I would worry about it about as much as I would worry about the cyanide in apple seeds.

Ah, gotcha. And for a sensitive-skinned baby it'd be necessary to use fragrance-free stuff anyway.

[alicia9178]

Wow...I did not realize this was os hotly debated. I am just trying to figure out the safest and most economical option. I cannot afford to pay $8 a bottle for soap when I have other little hands that could honestly get into it and spill it down the drain...lol. I also think soap is a necessity as babies can get stinky, those fat rolls can hid lots of yucky stuff. Alas...I will take a trip to Target and see what is there and what the ingredients look like...and maybe I will stop at Trader Joe's and see what they have.
Alicia

[holothuroidea]

Originally Posted by alicia9178

Wow...I did not realize this was os hotly debated. I am just trying to figure out the safest and most economical option. I cannot afford to pay $8 a bottle for soap when I have other little hands that could honestly get into it and spill it down the drain...lol. I also think soap is a necessity as babies can get stinky, those fat rolls can hid lots of yucky stuff. Alas...I will take a trip to Target and see what is there and what the ingredients look like...and maybe I will stop at Trader Joe's and see what they have.
Alicia

I personally think that the best products are usually the cheapest. That is, they contain less additives.

If you want something safe and cheap, go with regular old soap. Soap is very stable and usually does not contain a lot of additives other than fragrance. Ivory bar soap is mostly just soap and some very mild fragrance. Very inexpensive and easy to find. The disadvantage of soap over detergent is that soap easily dissolves natural oils and rinses very clean and therefore can have a drying effect on the skin.

Detergents are almost always more expensive and will always contain many more additives than soap. Detergents (surfactants) are better at selectively removing dirt and junk while leaving natural oils mostly undissolved, they also are famous for not rinsing away completely--leaving a residue on your skin. (This is usually considered beneficial. For example, a lot of detergent soaps will contain lotions or "skin protectants" that will stay on your skin to keep it moisturized.) All of the additives are similar between brands and are necessary to stabilize the detergent so it does not degrade, and so that it stays in solution.

I do not necessarily think that the additives they use in detergents are harmful when used in appropriate amounts. However, it can't hurt to avoid them either! If you want something inexpensive and safe, go for soap (something considered "pure" soap, like home made (more expensive), I think Ivory is probably the best commercial brand). If you find that soap dries out their skin, go for an inexpensive detergent (liquid) soap-- preferably something fragrance free and with as little additives as possible.

The important thing to remember is that just because a product is marketed as "natural" does not make it better. California Baby wash is still a detergent and still contains those necessary stabilizers and additives. Actually, it's a far inferior detergent. Save your money.

Okay well that was my soap lecture, I hope it helps.