Tantrum Children's Hair Products
I have tried many different products over the years for my children and am conscious that there is a huge market geared at making money out of parents in particular. Although I do realise that children have differing needs as they grow up, I also am aware that not all products need be soley for children do they? I've learnt to decide more what it is I need and go for a product that provides that, whether or not it states " For Kids" at the top.
Children's suncream is one of them. Quite often we pay over the odds for a child's suncream when in actual fact a 50+, 5****, dermalogically tested "adult" one is often cheaper and just as good. As I found out with Style At Every Age's brilliant and informative post, just because it is labelled kids doesn't mean it is the best - Nivea kids suncream is actually only a 3 star UVA product, as is the Johnsons kid's one! Not good.
Children's suncream is one of them. Quite often we pay over the odds for a child's suncream when in actual fact a 50+, 5****, dermalogically tested "adult" one is often cheaper and just as good. As I found out with Style At Every Age's brilliant and informative post, just because it is labelled kids doesn't mean it is the best - Nivea kids suncream is actually only a 3 star UVA product, as is the Johnsons kid's one! Not good.
So on to hair - I have an 11 and 9 year old boy and a 5 year old girl - all with differing needs . The 11 year old washes his own hair . He needs a product that multi tasks - hair and body wash - speed is everything! The 9 year old has sensitive eyes and skin so I have to be a little careful what I put on him. The 5 year old has long, tangled hair so conditioner is a must.
I have tried the brand name children's products and not found them worth the extra money, although at a push the L'oreal range smells great and does a good job. However , it still makes my 9 year old's eyes red and sore.The supermarkets own brand don't do my little girl's hair much good if I'm honest. I've tried adult's shampoo, but we have the " It's in my eyes!!" problem too often then! This has led me to doing a little more research into what is in the products we use with our kids and consequently deciding to go down the Paraben Free route where possible with my children. Here is a quick explanation to what parabens are :
Parabens are chemicals used as preservatives, and that’s why they are found in so many products. They are used to fight bacteria and fungus, are widely available, and cost very little to manufacture and use. Nearly all of the parabens used as preservatives are man-made and not naturally occurring.
If you want to read more, this site is useful and not too biased.
Having made this decision I also wanted to get something easily available and not horrendously priced. So my first try is the children's range by Tantrum. This range was born out of the Salon based in London . See here for more details. I was able to get a shampoo, conditioner and a hair and body wash for £3.00 an item, all from Sainsburys. The children have used them a few times and so far, so good. The smell is great, conditioner takes out the tangles and it doesn't irritate the eyes or skin. Good job. My eldest son even commented that he liked the smell as it smelt like Haribos and gets his football mud off without scrubbing! The price could do with a bit of work - some buy one , get one free offers and I'd stock up big time!! We have only used this for a few weeks now so a final verdict is yet to be made, but the signs are good. It is a product for children, but I think in this instance there are factors that need to be considered that make that more of a necessity for me. The most important thing is , it got the thumbs up from all 3 kids - that's got to mean something!
Here are a few links to sites that sell Paraben Free products if you are interested in looking a bit further.
I am Natural
My Pure
Green People
Faith in Nature
What hair products do you use on your children?
What is your opinion on the whole Parabens issue?
Firstly thanks for the link, that was a bit of an eye opener but so glad we all found out to do our bit for our kids skins! I have spoken about parabens on the blog before, I use Fake Bake tanning products on my clients as they are paraben free, I have also talked about aluminium free deodorant - thats another hot topic and wish I could get through life without putting chemicals on my skin and body.
ReplyDeleteIt is so difficult to find something that works and is good for us too isnt it? I replaced all my suncreams after reading your post! Had Johnsons, but was so annoyed that they were only 3*** and kids products too - rubbish. I try not to get too wrapped up in it, but when I can I will use products, particularly for my kids that are more natural - it is just not easy is it!? Thanks for all the info. I have a child who has severe asthma too so anything I can do to avoid irritation and hospital trips is much appreciated - the joys!! X
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post. Having discovered that parabens really exacerbate sensitive skin or any type of skin condition (except Jo Malone body cream, strangely) I started using all paraben free products a few years ago. I favour the Jason range which is in most health stores and they often have two for the price of one offers. I've also used Faith in Nature, although their hair products aren't as effective as Jason. For my own facial skincare, I use Origins, Nexus or Trilogy as these are also paraben free. Definitely makes a difference. Thanks for raising the issue.
ReplyDeleteI'll have a look at the Jason range as well - trying to exclude a few more items from my list of products that have parabens in...thanks for the recommendation! x
DeleteWell, Johnson's shampoos and conditioners are the worst. At least for my kids' hair. The lavender relaxing bathsoap is, let's say, ok. Unfortunately, all good, 'green', hypoallergenic products are sold in Pharmacies and they cost an arm and an leg. Just very recently I resorted to 'light' 'for sensitive skin' adult products with low Ph for the kids (9 and 11 years old) and they work miracles for them. I'll keep looking for safe alternative cheap solutions!
ReplyDeleteI agree about Johnsons - they stripped my little girls hair and made it brittle! X
DeleteGreat post - I'm another paraban hater and make a point of avoiding them where possible. I also try to avoid SLS in shampoo products as it is so drying. Love your recommendations here and will definitely be looking out for these products at the supermarket now. Thank you! Avril x
ReplyDeleteThank you! I think you are so right to use the words " where possible" as it is just so hard to exclude everything! I had a great shampoo in the monthly Joilebox that was SLS free - the first one I'd liked. I need to buy a full sized bottle to try it out over a longer period of time to see if I'd recommend it. X
DeleteNot really thought about it too much. We have Oilatum (prescription) for the kids baths as both have extremely dry skin and prone to outbreaks of eczema. Any shampo that comes to hand. If we think the kids could do with smelling a bit nicer ... a drop of Molton Brown has been known to make it's way in to the bath water. Does that make me a bad mum? But sometimes you just want them to smell a little bit nicer.
ReplyDeleteNo not at all - you sound a great mum! I just struggle finding something for all three. My kids also have sensitivities, but all in different forms - one skin, one eyes and one asthma and eczema - it's just trying to find a product that doesn't set one of them off - so far this shampoo and body wash has been okay and the smell is great too! Trouble is I want it cheap and easily available too - oh well! x
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