Earth Friendly Baby Shampo, Bodywash and Body Lotion Review

Holly and Lara both still have very sensitive skin and I'm very cautious about the bathtime and skincare products that I will use on their skin.  Ever since Lara was a teeny tiny newborn baby, I've experimented with different natural and organic skincare products to ensure that we can balance the need to get clean and fresh, with the need to keep the girl's skin moist and protected from irritants.

The Earth Friendly Baby range of baby and children's cosmetics is now under the Lansinoh banner - a brand name I've know and trusted since the early stages of pregnancy.

Holly has recently started using the Earth Friendly Baby Happy Mandarin Shampoo and Bodywash, a gentle, softly scented citrus shampoo which can also be used as an all-over bodywash.  This shampoo is made from over 99% natural ingredients, of which over 50% are organically sourced.  It is free from SLS (but still seems to foam well enough on Holy's hair) and from parabens (which sometimes cause me skin complaints).

Even though Holly certainly doesn't have baby hair any more, we find this to be a very effective shampoo and I absolutely love the gentle mandarin smell.  Holly is very fussy when it somes to bodywashes but she is happy to use the Earth Friendly Baby bodywash herself - I think this is because it isn't too thick or gloppy and isn't too strong-smelling (some kids bathtime products can be a little overbearing).  I'm really pleased with the cleaning power and gentleness of this product.

After bathtime, we often like to moisturise the girl's skin as this is the most effective time if you really want to lock in moisture.  The Earth Friendly Baby Calming Lavender Body Lotion is a gentle, cooling body lotion suitable from birth.  Lavender oil is known for its soothing and healing properties so this is a great lotion for using for a pre-bedtime baby massage (something Holly does still enjoy every once in a while).

We find this lavender body lotion quite oily; this is a good thing as it is packed full of natural oils, each offering moisturising or nourishing properties.  I think this body lotion is a good baby staple for new parents - a 250ml bottle would last a REALLY long time as you only need a tiny bit to be effective.  As a little extra feel-good factor, the bottle for this body lotion is made from totally recycled materials; it is non-transparent which is great for preserving the natural oils in the lotion.

You can find Earth Friendly Baby bathtime and skincare products in Boots, Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado and online.

Naked Mini Knee High De-Tangling Shampoo Review

Here in the Mellow household we love our natural and organic skincare and bodycare products for both Mummy and baby so we were excited to find out about Naked Mini. I've known about Naked skincare and bodycare products for a while but until recently I didn't know that they made a range of products specifically for babies and young children - Naked Mini.

Holly and Lara have been trying out the Naked Mini Knee High De-Tangler Shampoo. Naked make products using active natural ingredients instead of harsh cosmetics - their products are all free from parabens, sulphates and petrochemicals. It is an approach to skincare and body care that we are very familiar with in the Mellow household and for the girls, it is the most sensible option as they both suffer a lot from dry and sensitive skin so I have to be extra cautious about what products I use on their skin. I always look for products for them which are free from parabens and SLS - it is a choice I made very early on and I'm glad to say that this is the Naked Mini mantra too.

Naked Mini products are for people who want a little more cleaning power for their baby's skin and hair than just plain old water (which is as natural as you can get!). The De-Tangler Shampoo contains aloe vera extract to help keep your baby's scalp soft and avoid cradle cap - we found it to leave Holly's hair and face feeling beautifully soft. The Shampoo does lather, despite being SLS-free and so we are able to use it on our big girl's hair too which is so long that it needs lots of love and attention these days.  We loved the very gentle lavender scent (I can find lavender very overpowering sometimes).

In the space of the last month Holly has reached the age where she has started to moan about getting water and shampoo in her eyes (as her big sister did at exactly the same age). Because the origins of the ingredients in the Naked Mini Knee High Shampoo are all natural there is less chance of irritation so I know that if either of the girls complains about sore eyes, it is almost certainly them just playing up.

I didn't really understand the 'knee high' reference in the product name (OK, Holly is knee-high on me... but so?) but I thought that the Knee-High De-Tangler Shampoo was a good product at an attractive price compared to other natural baby products (currently £2.99 for 250ml on the Naked website). Having used this shampoo I will certainly be looking at the Naked for Kids range for my older daughter too.

The Naked Mini range also includes Go Ga-Ga Gentle Body Wash, My First Butter and Cute as a Button Bath Foam. You can buy the baby bath and bodycare products from Boots and online at www.boots.com and www.nakedbodycare.co.uk.