Baby Spa Skin Care Products

A few months back I was contacted by Baby Spa to do a review of their lotion. I gladly accepted after reading a bit about the products, but was then stuck for a while waiting for the weather to cool down. I wanted to focus on skin care during the winter months because, let's face it, you need extra lotion to help combat the dry skin caused by winter chill/wind! Of course, being in Ohio, the weather couldn't decide if it wanted to get cold or not. I was able to tell it was finally turning to winter when my hands started drying out around the knuckles!

I was sent a sample of both the Stage 1 and Stage 2  Face Cream and Body Lotion. Stage 1 is formulated for newborns - crawlers, and Stage 2 products are designed for toddlers on up. Keep in mind, my pictures are of the samples I received which are travel-size. They definitely have bigger sizes!

I was actually thrilled these were travel size containers, as it I quickly snagged the body lotion (stage 2) and whisked it off to work to keep in my desk. I wash my hands a lot at work (it gets so germy there!), and they dry so easily during the winter.

My hands were already starting to get the dry, slightly sore skin around the knuckles and in between my fingers, but Bobble was still good-to-go... which is surprising for a toddler that loves to play outside in the cold but will not keep mittens or gloves on his hands no matter what we do! My face has also had lots of patches of dry and flaking skin (thank you, pregnancy hormones!), and I had very chapped/dry patches under my nose from the 2 week long sickness that I had over the holidays. This actually worked in my favour (hey, silver lining....) for the product testing!

I've been applying the Stage 2 face cream to both Bobble and myself (Bobble as a preventative measure against drying/chapping, me for the flaking skin), and I've been using the Stage 2 lotion on my hands. I let my husband use the Stage 1 lotion, and we've tested the face cream out too. Since we don't have the super delicate skin a newborn would have, I can't really give too much of a review of that product other than to say it worked just like the Stage 2 did for us.

The face cream has worked great for us. When I use it, my face is nice and smooth, and I don't have the weird dry patches that this pregnancy has been causing. It's very gentle on my skin, gets absorbed well, isn't oily, and doesn't have a strong scent to it. Bobble's face is still nice and smooth, and he hasn't had any issue with chapping or drying out. Yay!

The body lotion is much of the same.... great results, not oily, soft skin, gentle scent. While I still have some of the dryer skin around my fingers, it's worlds better now than it was before! It also would be better if I remembered to put some lotion on today. *sigh* We've used the body lotion all over on Bobble, and we've had the same great results. His feet  and knees tend to dry out the most because he loves being barefoot, and he loves crawling around making cars and trucks "drive". The lotion worked beautifully on him as well.

My husband had good results with the lotion he used as well, but thankfully he's not the one doing the majority of the testing, as he only remembers to put it on when I mention it. He needs a lot of lotion, however, as he works a lot on our house and he also washes his hands a lot. His hands tend to get worse than mine in the winter, drying and cracking to the point of bleeding. When he uses the lotion, they get noticeably better... but, like I said, he doesn't think about it. What can ya do? *shrug*

All of BabySpa's products are 98-100% natural (remember, tearless shampoos aren't 100% natural!), and they are free of Parabens, Phthalates, SLS, PEGS, and Mineral Oils. They use also use 5 Ethobotanicals in the BabySpa collection, which isn't used in any other baby skin care line.

So, from the products we tried, we loved BabySpa! I would love to try out more of their products like their Bubble Bath Milk, their Tearless Baby Shampoo, or their Massage Oil! Actually, I'd definitely want to try the massage oil.... hubby being a licensed massage therapist and all, he would have plenty of use for it!

I'd definitely recommend the products if you are looking for some natural skin care products! I love that the smell of them isn't that fake perfume-y scent, but more the simple "lotion" smell. (Hey, it makes sense to me!) I'm very sensitive to different scents, but these products didn't bother me at all. Also really cool: even though my hands were super dry in some spots (to the point where warmer water hurt them), the lotion didn't sting. I liked that a lot!

Are you interested in trying out BabySpa products yourself? Check out their Online Store to see what they have, and get free shipping on orders over $50! They also have some great deals on gift sets if you're in the market for one!


Disclosure: The product(s) mentioned above was provided to me by Baby Spa for review. This did not influence my opinion of the product in any way. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own.

Episencial 3-step system review & giveaway!

With the summer sun growing seemingly hotter by the day, many mothers are looking for a natural sun screen to protect both them and their little ones. This is how I found Episencial. Episencial makes natural products for your whole family, and is great for those with skin sensitivities. The company was kind enough to send me their 3-Step System for review. This 3 pack contained their Soothing Cream, Playful Wash, and Sunny Sunscreen.

The first item we used was the Sunny Sunscreen since it has been very sunny and my little Bobble loves playing outside.  The sunscreen doesn’t really have much of a smell other than normal “lotion” smell. It’s not strongly scented like when someone walks by you in the store and you get a sudden whiff of sunscreen. (That actually happened to me this morning!) The sunscreen rubbed in very easily, and it didn’t leave you feeling (or looking) oily or greasy. I liked that I could apply it to my son and not rub it in all the way (so his skin was still white from the sunscreen) to make sure I didn’t miss any spots, but that it rubbed in super easily once I was done applying it. We’ve tried this sunscreen while just playing outside, while playing in the hose, playing in a kiddie pool, and playing in a big pool. Here in the Midwest, we’ve been pounded with scorching hot temperatures and sun, so when I saw the SPF on the Sunny Sunscreen was only 35, I was a tiny bit concerned. I’d been using higher SPFs for our little one, but hated the chemical-laden products. Now I’m wondering if that higher SPF was even necessary as none of us have gotten burned (or even dried-out skin!) since using Episencial’s Sunny Sunscreen. Not one burn! Very impressive!

The Playful Wash is a 2-in-1 shampoo and body gel. I decided to test this on myself since Bobble doesn’t really have much hair to test it on and my hair is VERY thick. I loved the scent of the Playful Wash immediately. It was a subtle orange scent (it has tangerine oil in it) that didn’t overpower you at all. I am very sensitive to scents, and I quite often find myself sneezing at anything and everything… even my deodorants! I have found that natural scents don’t really aggravate me, and this held true with the Playful wash. Episencial doesn’t use fragrances, just fruit juice extracts. I thoroughly tested out the wash, using it every way possible. This includes shaving, washing, and using it as my shampoo. Normally I use shampoo and conditioner. My hair is gets difficult to comb or brush if I don’t use conditioner, but it tends to get greasy looking fairly quickly too. I was pleasantly surprised that my hair was so soft and shiny, and no tangles! While my hair is short now, it still can be difficult to comb if no conditioner is used. Thankfully, this was not the case! I also put no styling products in it and let it dry to see what my hair did. It looks soft and shiny… just like if I used conditioner! I can’t guarantee this would be the case for all hair types, but this mama is definitely pleased with how it turned out for her! As for the shaving and body washing, it did a great job. I really didn’t have any issues. I had no razor burn, no dry skin, no weird/itchy feeling (I sometimes get that with body washes)… just a nice, refreshing wash with a touch of orange in the air.

The Soothing Cream test was my absolute favorite. That may be, of course, because I talked my husband into massaging my legs and back with it after my shower! Hehe. That aside, it was great. It’s a full day later and my legs are still feeling super soft and smooth. It didn’t leave any oily or greasy feeling, and the extra lotion washed off my husband’s hands very easily. The Soothing Cream doesn’t really have a scent either, so it would be great for use at work where you could be around people with lots of sensitivities (or if you have sensitivities yourself!). The Soothing Cream is also non-staining to cloth!

I also took a sample of the Soothing Cream to a coworker that has lots of sensitivities. She commented how soft her hands felt after using it, and a while later commented that she loved how soft her hands were even after she washed her hands. It’s definitely a winner!

The above is a smear of sunscreen (left) next to the lotion (right).

If all this fantastic stuff about these 3 products were not enough, Episencial goes and makes it even better by packaging their products in containers that are recycled, food-grade, non-leaching, with no residues of dioxins, BpA, phthalates, or other xenoestrogens. Need more? They use botanical, sustainably farmed, and certified organic ingredients. The products are also manufactured under solar power. They also use all natural ingredients, many of which are organic. Go check out their ingredients to learn more about what they use in their products and why these products not only prevent damage and sooth damaged skin, but also support skin immunity!  From what I’ve tried, I’ve fallen in love with these products, and the lengths the company goes through to be green and offer natural products makes me love them even more. I would love to list pros and cons on these products for you, but I couldn’t find any cons. The only thing I might want to change is offering a Soothing Cream with the same lovely orange scent that the Playful Wash has!

These products are only a couple of the products that Episencial has to offer, so head on over to their page to check out everything else! You can shop by product or shop by skin concern.  The products are for ages 0+, so they are safe for everyone in your household, including your newborn.

To learn more about who Episencial is and what they believe, visit their About Us page. You can purchase your own 3-step system for $30 (saving $5!) on their web page, or you can enter to win one below.  Episencial was also nice enough to offer my readers a 20% discount at their store if you use the code EPIFLUFFY, and they have free shipping on orders over $45. Happy shopping!

Surprise! Episencial is going to offer a SECOND 3-step system to one of my readers! Enter to win in the new rafflecopter form below!



 a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I receive sample(s) for the purpose of testing and review. These opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Thoughts Of Fluff is not responsible for shipment of the prize(s).