Happy Mother’s Day! We want to honor a special Mom for Mother’s Day by sending a free Wildflower Soap Bar to her.
Just leave a comment letting us know the names of the little angels in your life who call you Mom. For extra entries, follow nellsnatural on Twitter and send us a tweet.
We’ll select a random winner on Monday. Happy Mothering! I hope your Mother’s Day is blessed!
Nell’s Natural Baby cares about natural living. It isn’t because it is a fad or trend, just because it really is important.
The more I research products for our store, the more I realize that the little things really do matter. I have become
very aware of my own ignorance in thinking that everything made is safe. Nothing could be further from the truth. So, here at Nell’s Natural Baby we offer products that work great and are safe for your baby. Moms and Dads and big kids deserve safe products too! We are working on getting some safe products for the whole family in our store very soon!
On the sides of our bottles of Grandma El’s baby wash and diaper cream are four very important words: “No Phthlates, SLS, or Parabens. Let’s take a look at why that is so important. We’ll just cover Phthlates in this post.
First, how in the world do you say that word? Great question! Just skip the Ph- sound at the beginning and pronounce it th-lates. Easy. Now, I am not a scientist (my husband is!) so I didn’t think of all this great information on my own. I got it from Healthy Child, Healthy World. Check their site for healthy information for your family.
Phthalates are a group of hormone-disrupting chemicals commonly found in plastics (especially PVC) as well as in many beauty and personal care products. Pregnant women are the most at-risk, because phthalates can enter the womb and expose the fetus during critical periods of development.
Phthalates have been linked to birth defects and damage to the male reproductive system. Hundreds of animal studies have shown that phthalates can cause damage to the liver, kidneys, and lungs.
http://www.thedailygreen.com, the consumer’s guide to the green revolution, explains further:
Phthalates are known as “endocrine disruptors” because they mimic the body’s hormones and have, in laboratory animal tests, been shown to cause reproductive and neurological damage. (California will ban the use of phthalates in toys and baby products as of 2009.)
Unfortunately, it’s not particularly easy to avoid phthalates.
You’ll rarely find the word “phthalates” on a label (except for the occasional “phthalate-free,” which is helpful).
Here are three tips for identifying products that have, or are likely to have, phthalates or another compound that has raised similar concerns and is found in similar products, Bisphenol A.
- Read the ingredients. According to the organization Pollution in People, you can identify phthalates in some products by their chemical names, or abbreviations:
- DBP (di-n-butyl phthalate) and DEP (diethyl phthalate) are often found in personal care products, including nail polishes, deodorants, perfumes and cologne, aftershave lotions, shampoos, hair gels and hand lotions. (BzBP, see below, is also in some personal care products.)
- DEHP (di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate or Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate) is used in PVC plastics, including some medical devices.
- BzBP (benzylbutyl phthalate) is used in some flooring, car products and personal care products.
- DMP (dimethyl phthalate) is used in insect repellent and some plastics (as well as rocket propellant).
- Be wary of the term “fragrance,” which is used to denote a combination of compounds, possibly including phthatates, which are a subject of recent concern because of studies showing they can mimic certain hormones.
- Choose plastics with the recycling code 1, 2 or 5. Recycling codes 3 and 7 are more likely to contain bisphenol A or phthalates.
Making a Healthy, Happy, Natural Home 