Blog

A Natural Bedtime Skincare Routine

Today, we’re hearing from another real life mum who suffers herself with sensitive skin, as does her daughter.  Over to Charlotte:

Hi! I’m Charlotte, I’m 35 & I live in Staffordshire with my husband and our 4 year old daughter Addison. Addison and I both have sensitive skin and we have to be careful with what we use in terms of bathing and showering but also skincare cosmetics and suncreams.  Products with a lot of chemicals in tend to irritate us both and we’ve often had severe reactions such as hives and blistered skin from a fair few commercial products.  For that reason I tend to use a lot of natural and organic skincare products in our daily bath time routine and even though they may be a little pricier than commercial products they are far better for our skin and help control and manage the times we do get flare ups and bouts of eczema due to weather or stress.

One of the best times of the day in our house is bath times; the bathroom gets taken over by a gaggle of bath toys and an exuberant 4 year old and copious amounts of water somehow make it out of the bath and onto the floor (thank heavens it’s tiled and not carpet!).  It’s a real family affair with one of us always getting in the tub and it can take up to 40 minutes to get bath time done.  We always take the time to make sure we’re putting the right bath product in the bath as it’s easy to get lured into buying character bubble baths and shower gels in the supermarket but in reality children’s skin is very sensitive and you need to try and keep it at a neutral PH to avoid dry skin and irritation, especially during the winter months.

Using natural bath oils in the bath can help moisturise and nourish skin and many of them have relaxing essences in to help calm and relax little ones before bed.  Being rich, moisturising and a restorative bath emollient this means that they will feed delicate skin and help to avoid chaffing and rubbing during bathing and afterwards when getting dry as they lubricate the skin.

For washing new born skin and sensitive areas then a natural organic baby skin is absolutely perfect and definitely a must for bath time as many of the soaps contain natural homeopathic ingredients such as calendula, lavender and chamomile that will ensure skin stays soothed and not irritated which can be what happens with many commercial bath soaps.

To lock in all that goodness to the skin make time during the bath time routine for some baby massage; no matter how old your little one is they will always enjoy your gentle soothing touch and this is one of those times where you can really indulge in some cuddles.  To keep the skin soft and supple whilst you moisturise look for a natural baby cream.  Predominantly made with natural oils like sunflower and carrot the organic essences of rosewater and chamomile can be used not only as a general moisturiser but also to combat nappy rash, grazes, cuts and all the usual bumps and bruises that kids pick up.

A simple and soothing bed time routine using products like these can become a really relaxing part of the day.  You may find that it relaxes your little one and they began to go off to sleep calmer and more rested and ultimately it’s a really lovely way to spend half an hour or more together having some close contact time.

You can read more from Charlotte at her brilliant blog ‘The Mummy Blogger‘, or by following @themummyblogger on twitter.

Leave a comment