Rosemary in baby soap?

[fionasfrightsoap]

I have been trying to research the safety of using rosemary in a soap for babies (6+ months old and up). So far the only information I can really find is on use of rosemary essential oils, which are a no.

Does anyone here know if there is a percentage of ground rosemary that could be added to a base that would be generally considered safe, or where I could go to find this out? WebMD says something about typical food amounts but no definition of what that means.

 

[Kamahido]

Just my two cents but I would never put any oils, scents, or additives in a baby's soap

 

[KristaY]

This is from AromaWeb and hopefully helpful:

Safety Information: Tisserand and Young warn that Rosemary Oil is potentially neurotoxic, depending on the level of camphor present in the oil. They also warn not to use on or near the face of infants and children. They recommend dermal maximum s of 16.5% for Rosemary Camphor and 6.5% for Rosemary Verbenone. Reading Tisserand and Young's full profile is recommended. [Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young, Essential Oil Safety (Second Edition. United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2014), 407-409.]

 

[IrishLass]

I'm with Kamahido. And I'll add a few cents more- I would never consider using soap on a baby younger than a year old. That's something my son's pediatrician- and also my midwife who delivered my son- stressed to me when I was a new mother. One of the main reasons being that the skin is an important part of a baby's developing immune system, and soap can disrupt that. I was advised to only use water, which is the most natural, gentle cleanser there is. My face totally agrees (I only use water to cleanse my face).

Also- I would stay away from adding ground herbs or ground-up anything else, even if the baby is a year old, because those things tend to scratch, which is not a good idea for a baby's delicate skin. Speaking only for myself, once a baby is of age, I would only use a gentle bar with no additives or scent, and also no coconut oil.


IrishLass

 

[cmzaha]

I'm with Kamahido. And I'll add a few cents more- I would never consider using soap on a baby younger than a year old. That's something my son's pediatrician- and also my midwife who delivered my son- stressed to me when I was a new mother. One of the main reasons being that the skin is an important part of a baby's developing immune system, and soap can disrupt that. I was advised to only use water, which is the most natural, gentle cleanser there is. My face totally agrees (I only use water to cleanse my face).

Also- I would stay away from adding ground herbs or ground-up anything else, even if the baby is a year old, because those things tend to scratch, which is not a good idea for a baby's delicate skin. Speaking only for myself, once a baby is of age, I would only use a gentle bar with no additives or scent, and also no coconut oil.


IrishLass

I am 100% with IL on this one. I am another that never uses anything but water for washing my face but once in a "blue moon". If I do use anything other than water it is Cetaphil that I use. Although I fight eczema, I have never been plagued with acne or other problems with my skin. Good ol' water is wonderful.

We never never used bar soap on the babies. And I would have to question why in the world you would want to even consider something ground up in a baby soap. I can even feel colloidal oatmeal in soaps. No lye soap for babies no scrubbie, no essential oils for babies.

 

[green soap]

I used ground rosemary once in a soap. Never again since it felt scratchy to the point of being unpleasant. That was meant for adults, so I would not recommend it for adults either (much less for babies, even if you can find a safe amount, their skin is more delicate and scratchy additives would not be good).

 

[Arimara]

There is no safe amount of any EOs for a baby- they are far too young for them and even lavender, which is considered to be among the safest EO, is dangerous in that it can dramatically slow down a baby's heart rate. Like the others have said, skip the soap for a baby's skin- their skin is far too delicate, even if it is a castile, and soap burns when it gets into eyes.

 

[fionasfrightsoap]

It was more of an idea that I was researching for the feasibility.

About bar soap - I had recently asked our pediatrician about whether or not a bar soap was recommended for babies and we had a discussion about it and she thought it was fine for 6+ months. We used something along the lines of Burt's Baby Bee/Weleda calendula bar soap for my son as a baby who had very sensitive skin with her OK and it worked really well for him. I was not aware that some pediatricians were advising against any bar soap for babies.

The rosemary had to do with the concept and that was why I was researching, to see if there was any safe way to incorporate it (like ground into a fine powder - not meant to be felt whatsoever in the bar)- based on what I have read and what you all have given me for input there really isn't. I appreciate it!

I'm with Kamahido. And I'll add a few cents more- I would never consider using soap on a baby younger than a year old. That's something my son's pediatrician- and also my midwife who delivered my son- stressed to me when I was a new mother. One of the main reasons being that the skin is an important part of a baby's developing immune system, and soap can disrupt that. I was advised to only use water, which is the most natural, gentle cleanser there is. My face totally agrees (I only use water to cleanse my face).

Also- I would stay away from adding ground herbs or ground-up anything else, even if the baby is a year old, because those things tend to scratch, which is not a good idea for a baby's delicate skin. Speaking only for myself, once a baby is of age, I would only use a gentle bar with no additives or scent, and also no coconut oil.


IrishLass

Curious - why no coconut oil?

 

[Obsidian]

Coconut oil makes a cleansing soap, not something a baby really needs.

 

[cmzaha]

I also would not use Babassu or Palm Kernel or beef tallow. All three of these have higher cleansing values. If you really want to make a bar for baby you might try 80% lard, 20% avocado or 75% lard, 20% avocado or Olive Oil with 5% castor. Another thought would be just 100% lard or 95% lard with 5% castor. Castor does not actually bubble but supports the bubble factor of the other oils

 

[fionasfrightsoap]

I also would not use Babassu or Palm Kernel or beef tallow. All three of these have higher cleansing values. If you really want to make a bar for baby you might try 80% lard, 20% avocado or 75% lard, 20% avocado or Olive Oil with 5% castor. Another thought would be just 100% lard or 95% lard with 5% castor. Castor does not actually bubble but supports the bubble factor of the other oils

Thank you for the info. I am printing that out and putting it in my idea folder. I still don't know that I will make one but it is great to gather all of this knowledge.

 

[IrishLass]

Curious - why no coconut oil?

Because of it's uber cleansing power. For a baby's delicate skin, the cleansing power that's inherent in saponified coconut oil would be a bit overkill, especially seeing as how well soap cleans on its own without any coconut oil in it at all.

If I were making a baby soap, I would make it with my tweaked version of Genny's shampoo bar recipe, which has these oils in it: olive oil, castor oil, avocado oil and HO safflower oil. It makes a wonderfully gentle bar, and in spite of having no coconut oil in the formula, the lather is copiously bubbly and oomphy (and that's really saying something from a bubble-lover such as myself. )


IrishLass

 

[Arimara]

I also would not use Babassu or Palm Kernel or beef tallow. All three of these have higher cleansing values. If you really want to make a bar for baby you might try 80% lard, 20% avocado or 75% lard, 20% avocado or Olive Oil with 5% castor. Another thought would be just 100% lard or 95% lard with 5% castor. Castor does not actually bubble but supports the bubble factor of the other oils

I'm so agreeing with this. Babassu and beef tallow do make nice soap ingredients but they are better reserved for older children and on.