New Year, New Mama, New Baby

We’re so excited for Part 3 of our New Year, New Mama, New Baby blog series and this one is all about taking care of that precious new baby! Whether it’s your first child or your last, there is no greater joy than welcoming your brand new little one into the world. From the first moment you hold them, you know your life is forever changed and your heart is going to be forever full! It’s a sweet blessing that comes with the profound responsibility of guiding, protecting, and nurturing them from infancy into adulthood. We know you take your responsibility as Mama seriously, so we wanted to pass along some of our favorite tips and advice for caring for your baby! 

We asked our very own Marketing Director and new mama, Audrey, how Rinse products have been working out for her since having her baby and here is what she said!

"Rinse products are my favorite after having my baby girl in April. I wanted to switch over a lot of products to ones with cleaner ingredients and I know we have the best ingredients out there. From diaper rash to eating out at restaurants to Flu season stuffiness, I have used these products constantly since April." -Audrey

Before we dive in, we want to be very clear that we are not doctors and nothing contained in this blog is medical advice! These are simply things that we have found helpful when it comes to caring for our own Rinse babies and things that our customers have told us were helpful to them but, as always, it is critical that you always consult with your pediatrician! With that understanding, let’s start unpacking some of our favorite tips, advice, and products for those who are caring for a new baby!

Soothe with Squalane

It should come as no surprise that our first tip has to do with one of our holy grail products: Squalane Oil! This incredible oil is both gentle and nourishing, making it one of our top choices for using for baby skincare. What makes this oil so unique is the way that it closely mimics natural oils found in the skin. Having a similar molecular structure to our natural oils allows for enhanced absorption of the squalane oil. It is able to penetrate deep into the skin, nourishing from the inside out.

Given that baby skin can often be prone to dryness for a variety of reasons from having fewer oil glands to simply having thinner skin, it’s important to have a plan to help your baby regain some of the moisture that can be easily lost. Squalane is an excellent option for infusing the skin with moisture and helping to strengthen the skin barrier.

It’s a great option for both kids and adults, but we have found it especially helpful for dealing with specific baby-related issues including the dreaded diaper rash. Obviously, it’s critical to adhere to a consistent diaper routine with regular diaper changes, gentle wiping, and utilizing creams when needed. As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Sometimes, though, despite our best efforts, diaper rash still rears its ugly head. In those moments, we love turning to squalane for it’s lightweight, non-irritating, and easily absorbable goodness! It’s great for utilizing on the sensitive diaper area as you seek to give your baby some relief. As stated previously, speak with your pediatrician before applying Squalane and be sure to do a small patch test to make sure it’s well tolerated before using on the entire diaper area!

Another issue that you probably are familiar with as a new mom is that many infants have a tendency to scratch their faces. This happens for a variety of reasons, one of which is that their skin is dry and itchy. Squalane is a great way to keep their skin moisturized to help prevent scratching, and it can also be a great help in healing the skin after scratches. You should never apply squalane to broken skin, but it can be a helpful aid on the route to healing the skin!

Finally, squalane can be a fantastic option for helping to heal dry, chapped skin near the mouth that commonly appears as a result of teething or pacifier use. It’s gentle and effective, making it ideal for this sensitive area.

We’ve got two great options for Squalane – a pump bottle and a roll-on! Both are great for applying this incredible oil to the skin!

Little Heads, Big Relief with Argan Oil

Any parent of a newborn knows that “Cradle Cap” is all too common among infants. Characterized by scaly, crusty, dry patches of skin found most often on the baby’s head (but also can show up in other areas), cradle cap is generally harmless but certainly looks uncomfortable! For that reason, many moms are interested in doing what they can to help their baby’s skin when this pesky issue pops up!

We are huge fans of using Argan Oil for this! This incredible oil is packed with Vitamin E and fatty acids, making it ideal for infusing exceptionally dry skin with the moisture it needs. One thing that’s important to know about Argan Oil is that a little bit goes a LONG way! Just a small drop or two is all you need to apply to the scalp and let it sit for about 30 minutes. After this, simply wash the scalp with a gentle baby shampoo and that’s it! Your baby will reap all the moisturizing goodness of Argan oil!

Diaper Bag Must-Have’s

As an on-the-go parent, you probably already know how important it is to have a well-stocked diaper bag! Being prepared with all the essentials is critical for handling any unforeseen emergencies or unfortunate situations. Our Rinse team loves keeping Skin Sticks on hand in diaper bags to keep those cute little baby rolls soft and moisturized! Skin Sticks are made with 99% natural ingredients and include some of the most luxurious moisturizers like Cocoa Butter & Shea Butter! They’re gentle enough for your baby (but you’ll probably want to use them for yourself too!). They come in all kinds of fun scents to choose from. Some of our favorite baby scents are Sweet Vanilla Skin Stick and Lavender Skin Stick! While Skin Sticks are great for using as an overall moisturizer, we recommend sticking to the Squalane Oil for the extra sensitive diaper area!  

Other lifesavers in the diaper bag are Handy-tizer and our Alcohol-Based Hand Spray! These are PERFECT for cleaning up after those dirty diaper changes! Handy-Tizer is an essential oil and witch hazel based cleaner which is made from 100% naturally derived ingredients. It’s enriched with a variety of moisturizing oils which are great for helping keep surfaces and your hands clean (and hydrated)!

Our Alcohol-Based Hand Sprays are made with a blend of 75% alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, glycerin, water, and a variety of essential oils that give them fun, fresh scents! The formula is designed to meet the WHO’s recommendation meaning it’s a potent option for killing germs. The glycerin contained in these sprays is perfect for helping your hands to retain moisture as it’s a natural humectant. When you want to make sure no germ is left behind, this is a great go-to!

Ease with Eucalyptus

As mentioned earlier, we are not doctors and nothing provided in this blog is medical advice. That said, we have found great success with utilizing our Eucalyptus Roll-On for helping make it through those moments when we’ve had a stuffy baby, but haven’t yet been able to get medicine just yet! The oil in our Eucalyptus Roll-On is diluted with Squalane Oil making it less potent and better tolerated than straight eucalyptus oil. While you should always check with your pediatrician before using essential oils, we’ve enjoyed using a dab or two on the baby’s clothing or blankets to help with those congested moments!  

Love in Every Formula

Here at Rinse, we are passionate about creating safe, natural, handmade products that are truly good for the skin! We make our products in small batches to ensure quality and freshness and we never make sacrifices or cut corners when it comes to using high-quality natural ingredients. You won’t find any of the typical preservatives, synthetic ingredients, and artificial fragrances common to many commercial baby products. This means that the products we produce (yes, even the scented ones) are great for both mom and baby!

That said, we totally understand the unique needs and challenges faced by parents and understand that some simply want to stick to unscented products! If that’s you, we’ve got you (and baby) covered! Check out some of our ultra-gentle unscented products including:

• Unscented Body Spread – Our Body Spreads are made with skin-loving, moisturizing ingredients like Shea Butter that keep skin feeling hydrated and irresistibly smooth all day long! Our Unscented Body Spread is fragrance and paraben free, making it a great choice for those moms desiring to stick with unscented products!
• Casteel Soap – This ultra gentle soap is a classic that’s loved by those with sensitive skin who are seeking natural skincare options! Our Casteel Soap is as simple as it gets, made with only one ingredient, 100% saponified olive oil. It’s extremely gentle and perfect for use on baby skin! Another great soap option is our Lavender Soap which is made with French Lavender Essential Oil and a sprinkle of lavender buds on top! Both of these soap bars can be cut into thirds to help make it last longer so you can enjoy every bit of soapy goodness from head-to-toe for as long as possible!