Sodium Laureth Sulfate - I'm so disgusted!

Ashlee, there are lots of great products made here in Australia by small cottage businesses with online shops. Moo Goo is a good example. BB have many links to the MiEssence site which also make nearly every body product you could want and are very safe. I find that big supermarkets are really reducing their ranges of these products. I don't know what arrangement they have with the big multinational companies like J&J, Huggies etc but it seems to me that perhaps those companies don't want the competition.

I don't have the time to make these products myself but i am loving discovering and supporting local cottage industries that I think make safer and nicer products. I can't believe how naiive i was just assuming that J&J really cared about my families health. They don't, like Lulu said they churn out what sells.... and what sells is what we see on our Tv; highly believable emotionally charged images of glowing healthy babies :(

Yeah- pop down to a local market, there's bound to be some handmade soaps there. Still check their ingredients .. some have lots of fragrances and colours and things in them which some people like to avoid, but they usually have a fragrance & colour free soap within their range.

OH MY!
I am so so confused.

I use huggies sensitive on Mackenzie and have done since she was born. I'll have to look into it further...

*very confused*
Jen

I use the Gaia range and the Moogoo scalp cream - they both seem to work ok for us
we use the QV wash in his bath because I have it for my sensitive skin and our paed suggested to use it - I'm going to go and look at the ingredients in it now
isn't it incredible that these big companies can get away with marketing these products to mums and dads when they're so full of crappy chemicals
don't worry Jen I'm confused too
Mel

gaia and aromababy in this house ...

anything that goes on my babys body always gets researched by me untill i reach a verdict !!! even clothing ..

Well both Caeleb and I have made the switch and we're just loving it!

Caeleb is on Gaia and looks and smells fresh and clean and I'm on MiEssence products and they're just FABULOUS! Yes, they're a little pricey, but my skin feels AMAZING and it never feels amazing!!! I'm just so impressed. I'm also using their roll on deodorant. WOW! I've never had a deodorant that I thought actually "worked" but this does!!! And it smells divine!!

I've also ordered some shampoo, conditioner, milk body wash, soap free soap and edible lip balm from MooGoo! I used their Infant Scalp cream on Caeleb to remove his Cradle Cap. Worked a treat and without me trying to "scratch" it off his scalp (which he absolutely HATED).

We're NEVER going back to those toxic, animal tested poisions again!!!

Celsie & Caeleb. xoxox

p.s. I want to find a non animal tested, organic, natural baby wipe for his nappy bag when we're out and about. Can anyone suggest one? Also, nappy cream? We were using Bepanthan (sp) and I'm sure that's full of rubbish too. I bought a new one in Coles called Avado Baby Naturals Nappy Lotion, but I'm not sure if they're really organic and natural or if they test on animals. Would love some feedback.

I've made the switch to Gaia too, and I love it! Blake smells delicious, and I think the shampoo is 10 times better than J&J anyway!

I'm thinking Gaia is tho go for her .. apparently you can buy it at coles.

Does anyone have any suggestions for natural make up??

Miessence does natural make-up too!

Celsie. xoxox

where can you buy it from?

HERE!

Oh Celsie I am so pleased that you're thrilled with your MiEssence and MooGoo products :) I have 100% faith in them and I am usually a very sceptical kinda gal. I know they are a bit more pricey that the supermarket stuff but i have noticed that the quantites are usually greater so that helps. And you also usually need less product that supermarket stuff, a little goes a long way. You've inspired me to try the MiEssence deodorant too... I was wondering what it was like.

I got my Gaia stuff from my local chemist, but it's sold in Coles and Priceline too.

Kelly: is miessence produced in australia? if not where is it made?

It is an Australian company, in sunny QLD :) They are into ethical practices and have EXCELLENT customer service... it's why I recommend them so much and am an affiliate - the purchases all support BellyBelly too. I wouldn't do it for any old product I can tell you. Happy to promote the good stuff. And yes it is exxy, but they spend good money making sure they have great products and they certify each and every product which is a lengthy process too. They are going to a baby range but the process is very lengthy - will take time. You can use the normal products on babies because they are so gentle and safe, its purely a marketing thing because people don't think that its suitable for babies unless its a baby product!

It's much cheaper and quicker to mass produce a product with chemistry than naturally sourcing them.

I emailed Avado Organics to ask if their Baby Naturals range or any of their range for that matter is tested on animals. This is their reply:

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No none of our products have been tested on animals only family and friends. All ingredients are also free from animal testing.

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I'm just SO pleased. The products seem to be lovely on Caeleb's skin and they're only around $9.99 from Coles. Now, you can't argue with that!

Celsie. xoxox

Oooh a baby range! I bet they will be even milder. With the 'exxy' thing: I figure that if these products help to avoid my children contracting skin problems then I'm saving the cost of buying "cures" for that.

Regarding nappy creams Celsie, i forgot to add that i use Sudocreme. Does anyone know if there are any dodgy ingredients in that? I love it because it has the highest zinc percentage meaning I use less than other creams plus I find it the most effective.

Celsie - I use organic wipes that I get with my eco friendly nappies - if you google Moltex Eco Nappies it should get you to the website - they're a bit more expensive than the standard supermarket brands but much kinder to little bottoms

Mel

Actually Desitin has more Zinc than Sudocrem, 40% rather than 15.25%. Has a "wonderful" aroma of cod liver oil, but works wonders.

Oooh never heard of Destin, must check it out, thanks Astrid.

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Oooh never heard of Destin, must check it out, thanks Astrid.

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No prob, I think it is only found in chemists. Tends to be the one I keep aside for nasty rashes, but thankfully they don't seem to happen these days.

Someone asked about nappy rash creams and baby wipes.

I use a clean flannel, wet under the tap, to clean my baby each nappy change. I found that the baby wipes like J&J irritated my bub's skin.

At the slightest hint of redness on my bub's bot, i use a dab of Hemp Bottom Balm that i bought at Nature's Cradle, a small jar for $16, but it goes a long way. We have never had a proper case of nappy rash, cos after smearing a tiny bit on my bub, after a few hours, the redness is completely gone, so she's never had nappy rash. (cos it's never progressed to that).

When out and about, i have the Nature Babycare wipes, get them from Woolies, it says "invented by a Swedish mum" and the packet is made from cornstarch. They look to me, the best choice amongst the supermarket brands.

After reading this thread, i will be looking to replace Sorbolene with something else.

After reading on the Excma site, about avoid stuff that foams, i then noticed that the Natural Instinct facial cleanser i had bought, was a FOAMING facial cleanser. My heart sunk when i realised that.

I also buy hand made vegetable soaps from a Health food shop, $1 a bar. They are many differnt colours, to differentiate which ones they are, maybe i should go for the boring coloured ones, if colouring is not so good.

Being a consumer feels like such a mindfield.

I won a hamper of J & J products when bub arrived, we haven't touched them, just washing bubs with water at this stage. I had been saving the JJ products for when bubs is two, now i think i will ditch them. what a waste.

gawd it's hard to find this moo goo website!:wall:

i googled MOO GOO and webpages in Australia

after looking thru two pages of links, i have had enough

and i know you can't post url's on this forum, so i have no idea how to find Moo Goo products then.


Grrrrr

That's odd... type in Moo Goo and shampoo and soap. Put Moo Goo in as a phrase.

I just did the above and it was the first link in Google. "Moogoo" is in their web address.

ETA: Gigi I've just submitted the link in the BellyBelly Websites forum under General Chatter. It has to be cleared by a mod but it should be up there soon.

I put in a big order with them last week. They emailed me yesterday to say that they've had a "stampede" with orders and had run out, but had made a new batch of products so they were all made with the freshest cream. I can't wait to get my stuff! :D

Celsie. xoxox

Some of their products (like their soaps) can take up to 3 months to mature but it will be worth the wait. This is why I always stock up. They are such a small company but if I could buy shares in them I would!

i tried to buy Gaia in coles and it was no where to be found :(

Jen - I think it's a relatively new line to Coles. We've only had them in stock in our local Coles for the past two weeks. So maybe ask if/when they're getting them in? Someone said that Woolies sell them too, but I didn't find them in our local store. I got mine from a Priceline pharmacy (they were actually $1 cheaper).

HTH

Celsie. xoxox

Don't bother spending $8 on the baby powder. You can make exactly the same thing with cornflour and a couple of drops of lavender on a cotton ball.
Just throw it in a salt shaker and you're done!

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I've been nagging DH to make liquid shampoos and soaps lol.. but he doesn't want to get into it, coz in order for a liquid soap/shampoo to have good cleansing properties you have to start compromising the naturalness (is that a word? LOL) of the product, such as adding surfactants etc (even naturally derived), and then these ingredients need to be countered with something else etc etc.

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I just had a chat with DH in the car about this.. and he denies saying this! LMAO. Truth is, it's a loooooong process to make quality liquid soap, and he couldn't be bothered! However, people do compromise in order to shorten the process (such adding alcohol) and then to keep the consumer happy they add a foaming agent/surfactant such as ones derived from coconut (people love their bubbles)

Anyway.. I got annoyed with him coz I've wanted him to make liquid soap for aaaaages now! and I find out that the 'true' process of liquid soap doesn't go against his principles.. just against his laziness! LMAO. I just did a bit of reading up on it.. and it can be a veeerrry long process indeed.

Something worth looking into tho ;)

i found the moo goo site easily, wish you could post links on this forum. anyways just by typing that and com and au i found it easily. I've emailed them to ask if they do a starter pack or intro thing, cos i would like to try most of their products. Their postage rate is very good, esp for sending liquid products.

Will be looking for GAIA at Woollies.

thanks to Celsie or whoever it was that started this thread, i have been wondering about this stuff, and it's good to have discussion on such an important issue, stuff we put on our bodies and our babies, every day.

i really appreciate all the posts and info.

i THINK the basic thing i have learnt from this thread is "avoid products made from petroleum based ingredients". I'm not 100% sure how to do that, but at least i'm thinking more about it now.