Most of us will be familiar with the renowned newborn baby smell and all the joy and excitement during those early weeks. What you may not be aware of is that there is a natural ‘high’ associated with that smell, one little sniff kicks off a powerful punch releasing dopamine into the brain, triggering happiness associated with reward. This effect is similar to what happens when you get the food you’ve been craving and encourages us to stay close to the baby. This smell sadly wears off over time, but at what point do we decide that babies shouldn’t smell of babies anymore?
We are nation of scent lovers but many of us may not be aware of the hidden risks when it comes to sensitivities, especially delicate newborn skin. There are lots of things around the home that are jammed with perfumes from colognes, cosmetics, and skincare, but your laundry products could be hiding a host of fragrances that could be aggravating your family’s skin. You wouldn’t spritz your baby with perfume, but some of the products you could be using are doing just that.
Fragrance Sensitivity
Fragrance is one of the biggest triggers for those with sensitive skin. According to the Dermatology Times, fragrances are most likely to cause allergic contact dermatitis. They account for 30-45% of reactions in cosmetic products (nationaleczema.org), and with eczema often appearing in the first six months to 5 years of a child’s life, it’s important to be aware of everything that comes in contact with your child.
With infants, eczema usually presents itself on the face, cheeks, chin, forehead, and scalp, which can be very distressing for both baby and parents. With toddlers it’s more likely to appear on the elbows and knees – places that are easy to scratch or rub as they’re crawling and exploring. Some of the other common eczema triggers include food allergies, and contact irritants such as dust.
Allergy Lessons
Here at Surcare we believe that taking a gamble and keeping your fingers crossed isn’t good enough when it comes to allergies. That’s why you won’t find any fragrance in our products – not one drop. So, you can do the laundry safe in the knowledge your little one’s skin is protected.
If you’ve decided to make the switch and have been using fragranced products in your machine, you may need to do a couple of hot washes with nothing in to rid the machine of any residual product. We would also recommend removing the drawer to clean it thoroughly.
For some people it can feel like too much of a compromise to remove all perfumes from their laundry routines, but for those who have skin sensitivities in the house, there is often no other option, and the health of your family has to come first. We may eventually lose that newborn smell, but nothing smells as good as clean and protected feels.
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