Childs Farm Hair & Body Wash Organic Sweet Orange 250ml

Looking for a speedy bath time solution? Have no fear, Childs Farm Hair & Body Wash Organic Sweet Orange 250ml is here! Our hair & body wash sweet orange is ready to supercharge bath and shower time with this one-bottle-wonder.

In the user trial of 100 newborns and babies aged 0-3 months and children aged 0-18 months with medically diagnosed eczema, 100% of the parents involved said this hair and body wash did not cause irritation to their child's skin.

Children's Skin

Our skin is our largest organ and has the critical function of providing us with a protective barrier against the external world, as well as an important role in regulating body temperature. So looking after our skin and keeping it in the best possible condition should be a priority for us all.

As a living organ our skin goes through many changes throughout our lifetime, so understanding these changes is important to choosing the right skincare product to help keep your skin in optimum condition.

Skin structure

Skin is made up of three main layers: 

• The subcutaneous layer: the inner-most, fatty layer, which helps insulate the body and provides protective cushioning 
• The dermis: a thick layer of fibrous, elastic tissue that gives skin flexibility and strength; contains nerve endings, sweat and sebaceous glands, hair follicles and blood vessels
• The epidermis: a relatively thin but tough layer, made up of cells called keratinocytes, which are gradually shed from the skin surface. The outermost surface of the skin, the visible part of our skin – the stratum corneum –provides the skin’s barrier function against the external world. The stratum corneum is also responsible for regulating the transport of water through the skin.  

Structure of the stratum corneum

The stratum corneum is made up of several layers of skin cells that are continually renewing themselves. The skin cells are often referred to as the ‘bricks’, due to how they arrange themselves, which are then held together by ‘mortar’. The mortar is the lipid layer that fills in the gaps between the skin cells to form a protective layer to help aid hydration and plumpness of the skin.

Newborn

When born, babies have a neutral skin surface (pH 6.3 to 7.5), which falls to a more acidic pH of around pH 5-5.5 within the first two weeks of life. This ‘acid mantle’ helps to provide protection against pathogens such as viruses and bacteria, whilst also helping to prevent water loss. The acid mantle is also important in the development of skin’s natural microbiome. As a result, it is important to only use mild and gentle, pH balanced products on newborn babies’ skin.

Babies under the age of 6 months should be kept out of direct sunlight completely. This is because their skin has very little melanin, the pigment in skin which provides protection from the sun.

Infants  

The stratum corneum, is approximately 30% thinner in infants aged 3-24 months compared to adults. Although baby skin absorbs water more easily than adult skin, it also loses water more easily and has a lower concentration of natural moisturising factors. It is not until the ages of 3-5 that skin reaches the same water retention properties seen in adults. As a result, during this skin maturation period babies and young children’s skin can be more prone to skin dryness and atopic conditions such as eczema. Therefore, using hydrating products and regularly applying moisturiser is recommended to help keep skin in good condition.

Children 

By the age of 5 skin has significantly matured. However, children’s skin is still thinner and has less pigmentation than adult’s skin. As a result children’s skin is still very sensitive to UV radiation. Additionally children’s skin has lower levels of sebum meaning children’s skin can still be very sensitive and prone to dryness, therefore it is important to use mild, gently, moisturising pH balanced products.