List of products I use

I have been asked a few times now what products I use in our household that are safe for Mr.T so here goes. Obviously I know that we haven't combated Mr.T's outbreaks entirely but we now have a little boy who has skin on his body and just outbreaks on his face and hands whereas this time last year the only part not covered in sores was his bum.

Here's a list of products I use and how, and also any useful links with them. I'll update this regularly whenever I change products or know more. Please note that we live in Ireland. I found a lot of suitable products listed online but a lot of US sites don't ship to Ireland, and if they do it's for extortionate prices so I've had to test a lot of products more locally or from Ireland at the risk of not knowing if they are safe. Please use your own common sense as every baby is different and has different allergies/intolerances. Mr.T can't tolerate argan oil, almond oil or shea butter which is in a lot of products, so we are a little more limited.

Also, please bear in mind I am not endorsing any products, this is simply a blog post of my own opinions and experiences. Although I am sharing the post of various social networking sites I am merely doing so to get the word out to help others. I am not being paid to promote any product or method. Common sense is needed in all cases. I am not a doctor, nor have I any medical qualifications so I cannot give any medical advice. This is just what works for us, and it might provide some ideas for you. :)

Shampoo: 
- Dr. Bronners mild baby castille soap diluted with chamomile tea (for blond hair), but I found it quiet drying so stopped using that. 

- Aldi & Lidl pure soap. NOT any other soap they have. I decided to try their bog standard pure soap as it's mainly tallow which is supposed to be more moisturising, but it seems to be too moisturising, and leaves residue behind making hair heavy and difficult to brush. 

- Aphrodite Olive oil soap. I used to use this on my hair a lot, and still would if my current shampoo ran out. It seems to do a really good job. Takes a little getting used to to not have a massive lather when washing your hair, but it's worth not having all the chemicals and sulphates. I get it from the local health food shop. 

- Sodium bicarbonate (Bread soda). I used this to wash my hair every once in a while just like described in this beautifully written article. The only problem was that again, it was quiet drying. 

- At the moment I am trying Morrocco method shampoo, although it's expensive, I have finally found something that is gentle and great for my hair, and also safe for Mr. T. It's worth it if it means he's OK, and if I finally have hair that is easy to manage and not brittle or dandruffy. I'll keep this post updated as to how I get on :)

Conditioner:

- Diluted organic apple cider vinegar, Braggs is what I used. I've stopped using this though as I realised it wouldn't be good for my mission of trying to lighten my hair naturally. Just spray it on after washing out the soap, and then rinse. Once it's dry it doesn't smell like vinegar, and makes hair nice and soft.

- Diluted distilled white vinegar, use this once every two weeks or so to condition light/blond hair. Use same as the apple cider vinegar above. 

Hair lightening spray: (for blonds) 
Apparently diluted distilled white vinegar, chamomile tea, rhubarb tea, and mullein tea all make your hair lighter if sprayed on after washing and not rinsed out. If you sit in the sun after it helps the process along faster. I wouldn't try the lemon juice that I've read online on some posts as it seems too corrosive for my own personal liking. 

Hair darkening spray: (for darks) 
Apparently rosemary essential oil in your shampoo darkens your hair, as does rosemary tea, and apple cider vinegar. I don't want to darken mine so I'm staying away from these. 

Hair treatment: 
Coconut oil. Every month I lather my hair in organic coconut oil and leave it in overnight. Takes a bit of effort to wash out with natural soap, but worth it.

Hair residue remover: 
Sodium Bicarbonate (Bread soda). When my hair feels like it has residue build up, or just too heavy I wash it with this, a good few handfuls of bread soda rubbed into hair and then rinsed out. Works good :)

Body wash: 
I use the Aldi or Lidl pure soap bar. 

Body moisturiser: 
Organic olive oil, organic coconut oil, or organic sunflower oil.

Facial cleanser: 
Beeswax cream I still have this left over from when I bought it for Mr. T and it works a treat. If I don't have that I would just use coconut oil. Just rub either into your face gently, in upward motions, and then rinse with warm water. I've heard people saying this is too oily for acne prone skin, but for my combination skin it seems fine.

Facial toner: 
I use chamomile tea or rose water. Gently rub all over face with cotton wipes in upward motions after cleansing. Voila! 

Facial moisturiser: 
I generally use rose hip oil, coconut oil, or olive oil. I have yet to find something non greasy for my face that Mr. T is ok with. Hence my fringe (bangs) always get greasy from my face, but oh well :) Please note, while I'm sure Lush is a natural alternative for some people, they still have sodium lauryl sulfates (detergent) in most of their products so I have deemed them unsafe in our household.

Make up: 
I've heard Dr. Hauschka products can sometimes be safe, but I always look at ingredients on my makeup, and if I don't recognise something now I won't get it. I have some make up products that I got in a sale from Samina Pure makeup, but I don't wear it very often, so I don't have much. I am looking into making my own, and recently bought activated charcoal to make my own mascara and eyeliner. I've also seen some recipes to make my own eyeshadow and blusher....looking forward to experimenting :)

Nail varnish: 
There's no such thing as natural nail varnish, but a girls gotta be girly sometimes so after lots of looking online I now get this one: Suncoat and I guess its as close as I can get to being non toxic. I generally only wear nail varnish when going out or having a confidence crisis :) I've heard of dying my nails with henna, but I don't want to do that as I don't want the 'stained' look, I want the glossy look. So far that's the best I've come up with. 

Laundry detergent: 
Soap nuts. I order them in bulk from www.soapnuts.co.uk, and one bulk buy I bought in April last year is still only 50% used. Our washing machine is on for roughly 3 - 4 washes a day! Please note however, soap nuts make your clothes darker so for whites/lights I use Dr. Bronners liquid soap. Please note, Ecover claims to be natural. For starters the word 'natural' has no legal meaning, so anyone trying to promote a slightly less chemical product can call it natural. Ecover may not have as many chemicals in them as your average laundry or household detergent, but they still contain the main hazard for Mr.T's skin. Sodium lauryl sulfate - SLS, so this is also a non runner in our household. When I messaged them to say their products were sending the wrong message to customers they said SLS was tested,and results show it as harmless. I told them to come see Mr. T and see for themselves. He is one of many. 

Fabric softener: 
Clear distilled vinegar. Pour about one cup full into the fabric softener dispenser, and voila. Soft clothes, but ones that don't smell of vinegar. Great for towels. 

Surface cleaner: 
For this I use diluted Dr. Bronners baby mild soap in a spray bottle, or simply diluted clear vinegar. 

Window cleaner: 
Vinegar, and instead of cleaning with cloths, clean with newspaper. 

Washing up liquid: 
This is what I miss most from the chemical world! I have yet to find a washing up liquid that works. At the moment its just a bar of Lidl/Aldi pure soap, and I rub the sponge in it every few minutes, clean the dish, and rinse with water. 

Nappies: 
I used reusable bamboo cotton cloth nappies for Miss J as a baby, but of course I washed them in detergent so I couldn't use them again for Mr. T, and buying another set would be too expensive, never mind the added work when there's already too much so I go for disposable nappies. At the start I got them from the The Organic Cotton Shop but the biggest size in this brand then got too small for Mr. T so I moved onto Beaming Baby nappies; but these then started squishing his thighs after a few months too so now I get theseNaty Babycare eco nappies in the biggest size.

Baby wipes:
I don't want chemicals or fragrances on Mr. T's sensitive skin so I use Waterwipes or organic cotton wool and water. 

Baby formula:
Since Mr. T was four months old we had to feed him Neocate formula as he was allergic to dairy, goats & soy milk. Luckily he took to eating solids well and has always been a strong big boy. Recently though, at nearly 18 months old we decided that it was time to stop giving him this formula. We have been doing so much to make his diet as organic, pure and healthy as possible but the Neocate was the only thing that was still processed and highly 'unnatural'. It was a necessity at the time, but now we felt he was old enough, and had a balanced enough diet that we could find an alternative. So now during the day Mr. T doesn't have any bottles, just solids. At night he still wakes up for 2-4 bottles, so I now make what I call 'seed' milk for him. A weak mixture of organic sunflower, pumpkin & hemp seeds, blended and strained in a nut milk bag. On top of two oz of this he gets 4oz of organic rice milk and 3oz of our well water in each bottle. Not only are the seeds full of essential amino acids, but it is a healthy alternative to Neocate if it part of a balanced diet of solids which he has throughout the day. 

Mr.T's moisturisers:
We are currently seeing a qualified herbalist for Mr. T and it is really making a difference. We are using the moisturiser that is given to us by her. She has a reputation for being able to help babies with eczema, and I think she has already helped our little man a lot.
Thanks to one of my readers suggesting it, I have also found pawpaw ointment to be an excellent natural barrier cream. A great alternative to vaseline. 

Bath time:
If I take Mr. T to town and he gets detergent on his hands I have to wash his hands with the pure soap mentioned above but unless I am trying to actually get detergent off, I dont use anything to clean his skin. For bath time I put a handful of oatmeal and a handful of organic chamomile tea into a nut milk bag (or an odd sock with a hairband tied around it will do) and let the hot water run on top of that before any cold water goes into the tub. Once the temperature is right and he is in the bath I then gently dab the bag over his skin especially the sore areas so it has a chance to work it's magic. 


Hope that helps! :)

Infantile eczema update - March

I havent posted an update in two months now, but I'll try summarise some of the progress/set backs we've been having with our cheeky Mr.T. 

Well in Februaury he was sick with a cold for a few days and that knocked him a bit, now he has one again, but he gets through it. 

I can't really remember what outbreaks he had exactly since I last posted, they just turn into a frenzied blur at times but recently he's had a few so I'll share them with you. If you are reading this because you have a baby like our Mr.T then maybe these triggers may help you determine what sets your little one off. 

Firstly he had three reactions in one week. Two to detergent, and one to dairy. The detergent reactions came when some family members were kind enough to take him for a walk two afternoons, but even with putting their hair under hats and not letting him touch their clothes he came back and ended up in a screaming scratching mess. It alienates friends and family when being around their little relative is so complicated because they love him and don't want him to suffer, but it is possible to socialise and have fun :) thank goodness! There are just some strict rules to adhere to like the following:

- visitors wash hands with 'safe' soap

- after washing, no hand cream

- if visiting overnight or getting close to Mr.T then shower with 'safe' products and wear my clothes or clothes we have spare in various sizes

- if not showering then tie hair back or put under hat, & put on my coat & don't put face near his skin if wearing make up. 
(by safe soap I mean: Dr. Bronners baby liquid soap, Lidl pure soap, Aldi pure soap, Aphrodite olive oil soap, or Morroco method shampoos.)

The best places to meet are outside, going for walks, to the playground, or chilling in the garden. 

Thankfully there are people that are willing to do this so we can resume a half normal lifestyle. My mother is amazing and has even gone detergent free and cleaned her house from top to bottom with natural products to make it safe for us to visit. 

His dairy reaction came from a dish I made him for dinner. One of the ingredients was cheese but I didn't realise it till after he got sick. Poor boy. I felt absolutely terrible!. I had looked at the ingredients and seen the unusual name but it was next to herbs like basil and I assumed it was another herb. I later realised it was a type of cheese. Stupid, I know. But it could happen to anyone, mental note though, make sure you know what EVERYTHING on the ingredients label is. Don't assume anything if you have a baby that is hyper sensitive or has eczema. Google it. 

The next week he had two reactions, one to being in a shop, and the other to flax oil. Taking Mr.T to town into shops has always been risky as his eczema breaks out big style due the detergent dust that is on the items for sale from the warehouses and factories, the detergent that shops are scrubbed with, and the detergent that all the customers have on themselves that falls off as lint and dust. I usually have to get a babysitter if I go shopping but on this occasion I couldn't arrange anyone so I had to take him with me......I washed his hands with organic cotton wool and water I had brought from home after every few shops but by the time I got home his cheeks and hands were burning red and starting to weep. Off to a chamomile and oatmeal bath he went as soon as we got home and then he was better. 

Organic first cold press Flax oil, who would think someone could be allergic to that! Well Mr.T is, as I found out after I added some to his dinner one day. His face and hands and any part that the oil touched became extremely itchy and red until I washed it all off. 

Since then he has had some minor breakouts, but nothing major that springs to mind. It's difficult to control detergent cross contamination as it is invisible so sometimes I think small breakouts are due to this.  

So that's the bad news I guess, but there is good news. 

Mr. T has been drinking Neocate formula since I stopped breast feeding in February of last year. He is now old enough to get a balanced diet through solids however so I was eager to get the Neocate out of his diet. We worked so hard on getting the best ingredients into him and then he was still drinking synthetic amino acids, it didn't make sense. He still needs a bottle to go to sleep, mainly for comfort, and he wakes up 2/3 times a night for a bottle so I had to try an alternative. I now make my own seed/rice milk mix for him out of organic sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, rice milk & water, and after introducing it little by little he's decided he likes it! Not only is it healthy with essential amino acids vital for skin healing, but I now know what he's drinking whereas with Neocate I had no idea. It was just a necessity as he was allergic to dairy, goat and soy. 

Another good thing is that we have started taking him to a herbalist. Although as you can see above he is still very sensitive, I have never before seen his cheeks and hands as clear as they are since about 3 weeks into the herbalists treatment. I am just praying that it will get better even more. It's like walking on a tight rope, it takes so much to stay on, and there are so many things that can go wrong to fall off and all previous efforts are gone down the drain. I am scared to get my hopes up in case we get heartbroken again, but I can't help it. If this works my little boy can live a normal life. Our family would be like a normal household with two children. Mr.T wouldn't have to have things like itching, pain, special care and restrictions in his way, governing his life. That would be amazing! I'll keep ye updated on any progress, and remember, stay strong. Our little ones with eczema, allergies & sensitivities need lots of love and understanding. This world is a habitat that isn't entirely welcoming for them, and they need their mummies and daddies physical and emotional support. 

My happiness project: February 2014 - Be healthier

2016 Update: My happiness project had to be put on hold for a few years as I couldn't take it on as all my focus was on getting our son better and I also had some health issues. 

I will be resuming it in the near future as I still think it would be a great thing to do, so I'll keep ye posted :) 

Yes, it's the beginning of April and I'm writing about my 

February happiness project. I guess my March mission of getting better at time management must have failed. Lol.

Anyway, for those of you that don't know, I have undertaken my own happiness project this year. Every month a new goal on the road to being a happier person. For more details click here.

In January my mission was to sleep more, the basics of any happy person I think. And then in February my goal was to be healthier. This had to start with a detox of course, there was no point in trying to build a healthier me on top of the built up toxic residue in my body I'd accumulated over the years. For more details on my detox click here.

So in the second week of February I did my detox and then I did up a new meal plan. We have a healthy enough diet anyway but I needed to make some changes. Less red meat and gluten, more salads and greens, and generally a more alkaline diet, paying attention to my 8pm treat cravings :) There is so much advice out there on what to eat, a lot of it contradictory, so I've just gone with common sense, and personalised preference. Some say red meat is bad, some say lamb is good, the men in our family say you need red meat for energy,....well, I've decided we're having beef, venison or rabbit once a month, and lamb and chicken once a week.

Fish is something we need to eat more of. With the seas and rivers as polluted as they are, and farmed fish fed on GM food a lot of the time it is difficult to get fresh, safe, fish. I've decided to not opt for cod and net caught tuna but instead mainly to go for my favourites; rainbow trout and mackerel. Not only are they healthier than white fish, but as far as I know they're not endangered. When we sometimes do have tinned fish with our lunch it's usually herring or line caught tuna.

I'm going to focus the vegetarian meals on being alkaline in particular, easy seeing as most leafy greens are alkaline.Salads will be more present at lunch time in particular to get the increased raw foods into our diet.

For the carbohydrates I'm going to try be a bit gentler on our stomachs and not fill them with plain old wheat. Instead of normal pasta I'm now going for spelt pasta or rice pasta (watch out for unnecessary chemical unpronounceable ingredients in gluten-free options :). Instead of normal bread I make my own spelt or rye bread thanks to my bread machine. Rye or rice crackers are also a good snack. We have been lucky enough to get all our potatoes since last summer out of our garden, so these are organic and pesticide free. 

For breakfasts I'm going to have more juices and smoothies than before and also instead of toast and tea it's going to be cinnamon coconut & raisin porridge with a cup of green tea or roibos.

Water, water! Must drink more water! My poor kidneys are of the sensitive kind so I need to treat them better. Luckily we are connected to a well so good quality water is always at hand, so yes. I'm filling up an old 1l glass Schloer bottle twice every day so I can keep an eye on how much I drink, and it's also easier to glug when you're in a rush than politely drinking out of a glass.

I'm going to supplement my diet with spiralina, flax seed oil, evening primrose oil, kelp, lepicol, and wheatgrass. Kelp in the form of tablets every once in a while, lepicol whenever I feel my intestines need a helping hand, and the rest in my breakfast smoothies. Not altogether of course, I'll add them at random. 

Now my only diet problem is my 8.30pm 'cuppa' time. Kids in bed, lights dim, brain fried, and after a few minor jobs it's finally adult time so on goes the kettle and out comes the roibos tea and biscuits or chocolate. Better still, Lindt chocolate! God damn you Swiss, how do you do it! Soooo divine. Well I'm going to limit myself to one bar of Lindt chocolate a week. Will it work? Hmmm. I wonder. If that's gone by evening number 3 I'll resort to rice cakes, melon, or Bombay mix. I'm going to try make some Mr.T friendly cereal bars too which will be handy. I think some magnesium supplement wouldn't go astray either as chocolate cravings is meant to be a sign of its deficiency. Fingers crossed. Time will tell. :)

Here's what I came up with anyway for my meal plan. I tried to make it as balanced as I could. It shows the general direction I'm going in for the month, with the dates, and then it leaves space to write in what exactly which recipe I have planned to cook. I'll fill those in when I'm making my shopping list for the week. There's also three boxes for home made dessert options in the month. I hope the quality of this is ok for other computer screens, I can't seem to upload it at a better quality. If someone would like a copy of it, just let me know and I'll email it to you.

As well as food there's also a few more things I'm going to try change for the positive. Doing workouts again, and oil pulling. But I'll leave that for another blog post, hopefully in the next fortnight. :)

Well, if any of my readers want to live a little more healthy maybe this gave you some ideas. I know it seems as if I am incredibly organised, but believe me, life gets in the way of any schedule at the best of times. So even if my meal plan doesn't go according to plan, it doesn't matter, no sweat. It can be a rough guide, and the next week will probably be calmer and more focused. If anyone else has ideas how to make a busy mums life healthier please share them! Let's get cracking! :)