Aloe Derma Extra Gentle Baby Bath and Shower Gel Review

This is a review of Aloe Derma Natural Extra Gentle Baby Bath and Shower gel that claims to contain 60% organic aloe extract. The Aloe Juice in it is certified organic by ECOCERT (any product that claims to be organic needs to have an organic certification and is also required to mention on the packaging the authority that certified it as organic).

Quantity: 165 ml (5.8 oz)
Price: INR 399 (I had bought at a 13% discount for INR 347 from Flipkart.com)
Shelf Life: 36 Months (3 years)

Made in China for American Global Health Group.
Availability: You can buy from HERE

BRAND CLAIMS:

Click on the image for larger view

Anti-bacterial, FDA Certification, GMP Certification, Extra Mild and Soothing, Effectively Removes Bacteria, Removes Dirt and Oil from Skin. You can read the full description HERE.

Baby Sebamed Extra Soft Baby Wash Review

This is a review of Baby Sebamed Baby Wash with pH 5.5. It claims to be extra soft and suitable for your baby's delicate skin.

Quantity: 200 ml

Price: INR 475

Shelf Life: 36 Months. To be used within 12 months of opening.

Made in Germany.

Availability: Easily available online.

PACKAGE DESCRIPTION:

BABY SEBAMED EXTRA SOFT BABY WASH INGREDIENTS:

I checked each ingredient and this formulation is surely mild though but it is NOT 100% safe.

1. PEGs are generally safe but not safe when applied on broken, damaged or irritated skin. Therefore any product containing PEGs should be avoided when the skin is not 100% healthy (cuts. allergy, burns etc). 
2. Squalane is shark liver oil so therefore this product is not cruelty free (you can read more on Squalane on the internet and it is DIFFERENT from Squalene).
3. Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol and Sodium Benzoate are used as preservatives. Sodium Benzoate is a high risk ingredient (read more HERE). Many companies are reformulating their products to remove sodium benzoate and use an alternative preservative because of health risks.
4. All products (including the ones that claim to be mild and safe) contain preservatives. Of course a product cannot survive on the shelf for long without preservatives, so preservatives like parabens and phenoxyethanol are unavoidable. But avoid long time contact of such products near eyes, lips, ears etc and rinse thoroughly.
5. Magnesium Sulfate is commonly known as Epsom Salt (bath salts).
6. Sodium lactate, allantoin and squalane are the good ingredients in this wash which make it milder and skin conditioning.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH BABY SEBAMED BABY WASH:

Baby Sebamed Baby Wash is highly concentrated. You literally need just a drop of it for a very small baby. My kid is 4+ and I dilute 2-4 drops in a little water and dab it on my kid's skin with my hands. It does not foam in normal or cold water but it foams very mildly in warm water. You can still easily feel that it has spread on the skin. It also rinses off easily without much rubbing.

Chicco and Pigeon products always caused red bumps on my kids face. But Baby Sebamed Baby Wash is neutral on the skin. It never stung and never caused any allergy or reaction on the skin. I am not too sure about the tear-free claim because I wash it off carefully from my kid's face. It may have sometimes reached his eyes and mouth while rinsing, but my kid never cried or got red eyes. At times I use a washcloth to rinse it off the face as you cannot splash water directly on a kid's face.

It is a light golden transparent gel. Smells amazing. It has a fragrance but my kid feels very uncomfortable when any fragrant body wash is applied to his face, especially right under the nose. Being mild, it should have rather been fragrance free too because synthetic fragrances are nothing but added skin irritants and babies don't need them.

Since this wash is highly concentrated, a little goes a long way. However, there are times when my family members bathe my kid and they don't understand the 'use sparingly' instruction and try to use more to make it lather. So this bottle did not last exceptionally long. If you are a careful parent and know how to use it deliberately and sparingly, it will last quite long.

For kids up to 3 years of age, this is a mild product as compared to the other washes in the market, though it is comparatively quite costlier. By the way, medplusbeauty.com is currently offering flat 15% off on Sebamed with coupon code FLAT15 (valid till midnight Oct 10, 2013).

The only thing I really disliked about this wash is the packing. No matter how carefully you dispense it, the bottle always feels slimy. The liquid leaks from the cap joint and there is some product wastage. Also, once half empty, it keeps falling due to the slender shape.

I actually wanted to repurchase the Nuby All Natural Foaming Shampoo and Body Wash, but it is discontinued in India. Not sure about the availability in other countries. These days it is actually very difficult to find a product with least chemicals for your kid.

I am now using Aloe Derma Body Wash for my kid, which I found to be better than Sebamed. I will be reviewing it shortly.

Bombay Dyeing Soft and Cosy Kids Towel Review

I was looking for a bath towel for my son and while browsing online, I came across some cute printed kids towels from Bombay Dyeing. I have used bath linen and bedsheets from this brand and actually love their quality. So I went ahead and ordered one online from Snapdeal.

This kids towel was available in 6 cute prints and I let my kid choose the one he wanted. However, we received a different print than what we had ordered. Because the exchange would have taken quite long, we decided to keep it.

Bombay Dyeing Soft and Cosy Kids Towel Specifications:

  Bombay Dyeing Soft & Cosy Adorable Teddy Kids Towel  

Size: 60 cm (L) X 120 cm (W)

Price: INR 349

Material: 100% Cotton

Comes in 6 cute and attractive prints. (There may be more but I have seen only 6 variations online)

  Bombay Dyeing Soft Cosy Teddy On Hot Air Balloon Kids Towel  

  Bombay Dyeing Soft & Cosy Lets Dance Kids Towel  

  Bombay Dyeing Soft Cosy Cute Giraffe Print Kids Towel  

The towel is wide and long enough, and the size may be suitable for up to 6 years old kids. Bombay Dyeing claims that this kids towel is light, super absorbent and gentle on the skin. Well I agree on all these points. However, I expected something way better than this from such an old and renowned brand.

  Bombay Dyeing Soft & Cosy Good Night Kids Towel  

  Bombay Dyeing Soft & Cosy Lets Dance Kids Towel  

Bombay Dyeing Soft and Cosy Kids Towel is soft and velvety on the printed side, which is the 'cosy' side of the towel. It feels warm to touch. The other side is woven just like normal towels. It is gentle on the kid's skin. Absorbency is better than other towels in the market in the same or higher price range. I checked and found that even the printed side absorbs very well. Regarding the coziness, I will be able to check that in the winters and will update.

Blue Side: Cozy Printed Site
White Side: Absorbent Side

The towel smells weird, which is probably because of the textile dye/chemical used on the printed side. The print is NOT actually woven as you can see in the picture that the back side is plain and white. Initially the smell used to be quite bothersome. The moment I would try to wipe my kid's face with it, he used to start coughing. After several washes, the smell has toned down considerably and is almost negligible now.

Another problem with this towel is that it leaves lint... a LOT of lint. Even after washing it many times, I can see lint sticking to my kid's body all over, even reaching to his hair and causing tangles when combing. I have to literally rub the lint off his skin after every use. Just like the smell, the lint is also decreasing with each wash.

But this is not actually what you would expect from a quality brand like Bombay Dyeing. I haven't seen the lint problem in their premium cotton towels for adults.

If you can be patient till a few washes for the smell and lint to go away completely, it will make for a great and lovely towel for your kid in an affordable price range. I am not very sure if I may repurchase it but I definitely don't regret buying it. Except for the initial smell, I like the soft feel of this towel.

Farlin Washing Hair Hat Review

Farlin bath hat or Washing hair hat is a must have bathing accessory for every baby. No matter how many brands advertise their shampoos and top-to-toe washes to have a 'no more tears' formula, they all do sting in your baby's precious eyes. I always test such washes on my face and so far have found them all to sting my eyes.

So save your baby's million dollar eyes with this washing hair hat.

Price: INR 350 (now increased to INR 395) but most online stores have some or other discount running. 

Where to buy: You can buy from HERE

Color: Comes in 2 colors: Pink and Blue.


Material: Made of high quality EVA (Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate Copolymer) material. 

Other qualities: Low maintenance. The material is soft and waterproof, does not absorb water and dries quickly. Can be hung easily in the bathroom.

How to use: Put the hat on to baby's head above the ears and eyes and adjust to proper position.

Click to see enlarged view

This washing hair hat can be adjusted to 4 sizes to fit your baby's head. There is a strap at the back and 4 buttons to adjust the fit according to your baby's head size. The maximum size is 14cm in diameter.

I LOVE the design of this hat. There are multiple small furrows/channels on both sides of the hat. So when you pour water on your baby's head to rinse out shampoo, the water runs down through these channels and falls around your baby's head like rain. 

The front hood of the hat is quite long and keeps water far away from baby's face. Baby loves to see water falling down like rain, plays with it, and completely forgets their hair are being washed. Washing head/hair becomes an enjoyable experience for them and for you too.

My baby is almost 4 years old and this hat fits on the second last position. So if your baby's head is not exceptionally big, it can fit kids up to 5 yrs of age at the maximum. And anyways by that age, kids learn to close their eyes to avoid shampoo getting in. (UPDATE: My kid is now 5+ and am still using this hat)

I found a dupe of this hat in another brand. See details here. 

This dupe has 3 adjustable sizes and maximum diameter is the same: 14 cm. From the picture, the front hood looks teeny weeny smaller, rest everything is same. This dupe is cheaper by INR 50.