THIS week's contributor is Catherine Cervasio, Director Aromababy - There are numerous baby massage oils to choose from, which can become a little confusing for new parents. Many pharmacies have a good selection of products containing a wide variety of ingredients.
Whilst some parents like to use vegetable oils from home to massage newborns, care should be taken to ensure the oil will not lead to future sensitisation*. If parents wish to purchase a baby massage oil, various infant massage associations suggest using a natural product which has a short list of ingredients, is free from petro-chemicals/mineral oil and is fragrance (essential oil) free.
A bland, unscented product is also best to help minimise the likelihood of an allergic reaction. The more ingredients present in a baby product, the higher the risk of an infant being allergic to an ingredient.
In any baby oil formulation, the oil which makes up the majority of the product will be listed first; jojoba is an ideal primary ingredient. Added ingredients should be at a minimum and include, natural vitamin e or evening primrose oil.
Parents should be encouraged to store organic and natural oils in the fridge to keep fresh, particularly over the warm, summer months.
* https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-09-food-skincare-products-linked-allergies.html
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 20 Nov 17
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 20 Nov 17