The Importance Of Natural Ingredients For Children
A lifestyle in tune with nature is worth living. But what about the idea of sharing this lifestyle with your little one? If there is an age group more vulnerable to the harmful effects of environmental pollutants and toxic chemicals, it’s children. Unfortunately, many baby and child care products in the market contain problematic chemicals that aren’t gentle to children’s delicate skin, scalp, and overall health. By educating yourself about the dangers of chemical-laden personal care products and introducing your child to natural, safe, and effective alternatives, you’ll be able to guide them to a healthy tomorrow.
Whether it’s about their food, hygiene, or personal care; babies and children require maximum care and attention. Personal care products with natural ingredients provide the care you would expect from conventional products; except that they don’t contain several chemicals that multiple studies have linked to skin irritation, hormone disruption, and even cancer. It’s high time that you know the importance of having beneficial botanicals in your home and learn some tips that you can share with your loved ones.
Natural Ingredients: Top Reasons To Use Them On Your Child
Developing healthy habits start at home, and childhood is a formative phase where children can explore and learn new things. This is the best moment to introduce them to a healthy lifestyle and ingrain good self-care habits. As they grow older, your children will be better equipped to make smart decisions for themselves.
1. A Child’s Skin Is More Sensitive To Harmful Elements
A baby’s soft skin feels really nice – it’s delicate, fragile, and very smooth. But beneath this suppleness is skin that is very sensitive to products loaded with harmful ingredients. A child’s skin tends to be more reactive to certain chemicals and environmental risks because his or her immune system is still developing.
According to data collected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), infants up to 2 years old are, on average, 10 times more vulnerable to carcinogens than adults. In addition, children ages 2 to 15 are thrice more at risk to carcinogenic elements than adults are. Thus, parents should consider only the mildest products, apply small amounts, and avoid from chemicals that experts have labeled toxic to humans.
The following is a partial list of toxic chemicals commonly used in personal care products for babies and children:
2. Children Are Generally More Susceptible To Infections
Introducing your child to healthier and natural self-care options will offer several benefits. Not only are you protecting their health and well-being, you’re also strengthening their immunity and helping them develop discernment.
The bodies of children are still developing. And because they are still growing, their immune system hasn’t fully matured and they are less capable of defending themselves against microbes, allergens, and toxic chemicals. When exposed to unsafe personal care products, children may easily succumb to infections, illnesses, or even irreversible damage.
Children also tend to be more focused on their activities rather than being conscious about their beauty, skin care, or hair health. Unlike adults, children may not have the awareness to environmental risks and are unable to make choices to protect themselves. That’s when parents have to step in and guide them towards the correct path.
3. All-Natural Ingredients Improve Health Without Causing Damage
All-natural means that the personal care product is derived from natural ingredients and does not go through the chemical process of infusing synthetic additives. When you are supplying your children with nature-powered products, you are dramatically reducing their exposure to potentially toxic ingredients, hormone disruptors, and carcinogens. Organic food has made a significant breakthrough in human health, and the same goes for natural personal care products. Their natural components remain intact. Instead of chemicals, you are feeding their skin and scalp with all the vitamins and minerals they need for positive growth.
4. Natural Ingredients Provide More Nutrients For Children
Just like how supplements can never replace the amount of nutrients packed within fruits and vegetables, when it comes to nutrient density, organic personal care products contain more vitamins and minerals. Your children will get nutritious ingredients like aloe vera, matcha, and shea butter, whereas synthetic products will only give them derivatives of natural sources. As opposed to heavily marketed synthetic products, nature-inspired options are loaded with more micronutrients and enzymes that are best for the body.
5. Natural Ingredients Provide Children With Better Sleep
In this day and age of busy careers and overlapping commitments, many people treat sleep like an indispensable luxury. But in the case of children, they need to develop good sleeping habits for growth, development, and improved cell repair. One major benefit that some natural ingredients provide is better sleep. This is especially true when you work with essential oils. Many natural personal care products are formulated with essential oils because of their antioxidant properties and high nutrient content. They’re also the key element of aromatherapy and massages. The effects of using essential oils on the body include relaxing tired muscles. Thus, the combined aroma and soothing effects of these products relax the body as it sleeps.
6. Natural Ingredients Are Environment-Friendly
Unnatural ingredients such as parabens, BHA, BHT, triclosan, and other synthetics in soaps, shampoos, and body washes have been found to harm the environment in ways unimaginable. According to studies, these chemicals stay for a long time in our waters after they’re flushed down the drain.They end up becoming environmental pollutants that poison aquatic animals. Natural ingredients, on the other hand, have little to no environmental impact because they are farmed and harvested from the earth. They are not chemically altered. What this means is that organic ingredients retain their natural form even as they are released into the environment. Additionally, the process applied by companies in making these natural beauty products involves sustainable and eco-friendly practices, and most products are packaged in environment-friendly bottles and containers as well.
Tips For Parents
Children and babies are not yet fully aware of the harsh realities of the real world. They might not yet realize the potential dangers of their favorite bubble gum-scented shampoo or preferred baby scent powder. The ultimate task of making them understand the importance of natural ingredients falls on the parents. Consider these tips to safeguard your child’s health and maximize their potential for healthy growth.
- Buy products from trusted companies that use the most effective natural ingredients.
- Kids usually learn first from their parents. So, lead by example by using only safe products and treat it as a responsibility to educate children on the importance of natural ingredients.
- Not all products labelled as “safe” really do well for the body. In fact, some contain ingredients that may cause developmental damage. For instance, some anti-bacterial soaps and alcohol-based sanitizers for children and babies may both kill the good bacteria as well as the bad ones.
- In many cases, “edible” skin care products, or those that contain ingredients that are safe to eat, are usually the ones that are safe, healthy, and natural.
Start early and teach kids the difference between natural and artificial ingredients. Show them the benefits they can get from choosing natural options, and the possible dangers of widely distributed personal care products. Your child may shrug off what you say at first, but that’s normal. Have the patience to continue this process so that your kid can realize the importance of choosing natural and organic products as they grow older.
Sources:
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http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2011/11/09/organic-baby-products-whats-worth-money.html
http://lesstoxicguide.ca/index.asp?fetch=babycare
http://time.com/2914155/organic-food-children-health/
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