LAVANILA
Today I bring to you a line of baby skin care products from Lavanila, a healthy skin care brand.
I was first introduced to it as a company that makes healthy fragrance. Most perfumes have parabens in them even if they are not listed (FDA allows manufacturers to not disclose the ingredients of the fragrance of their products due to trade law, so the listing that has “fragrance/perfum” as an ingredient can very well contain some of the worst chemicals).
Little did I know that they carry a small but amazing baby skincare line!
Babies don’t need much when it comes to personal care: a lotion, a wash, a diaper rash cream and maybe sunblock. It’s got it all.
What appeals to me the most is the fact that besides being 100% natural, it also delivers 30 essential vitamins and minerals that support the development of baby skin. However, many companies claim that their products  are “100% natural”, but it doesn’t always mean they’re harmless ( Hello, 7th generation cleaning products containing the 100% natural SLS!)
So I checked out the ingredients and I love it. See for yourselves:
BODY WASH
MY DIAPER RASH CREAM ORDEAL
The next test for me personally was the diaper rash cream. See, I’ve been striking out on diaper rash creams. When Alexis was first born, we used disposables and sorry to say, but we weren’t the greatest at changing her diaper promptly, because she never displayed any discomfort. So she developed a diaper rash and our pedi recommended A&D ointment or Destin. We immediately went to Walgreens to pick one of them up. I happened to glance at the ingredients of Destin and instantly put it back on the shelf: PARABENS! Seriously? They still TO THIS DAY put parabens into baby products???? That’s just ridiculous!
So we found A&D ointment. That one was better, however still contained a slew of known questionable chemicals. So I ordered an Earth Mama bottom balm, 100% natural ointment. The problem with it? No zinc oxide, which means no HEALING. The diaper rash would laugh in our faces when we put the Bottom Balm on it ( I’m sure it’s good for prevention, but not as a cure). So after some time I found a cream that both had zinc oxide  AND wasn’t too bad on the rest of the ingredients. It DID have mineral oil, which can dry out skin in the deeper layers of it, but I figured that beats parabens.
So (are you still with me?) when I saw the inredients for Lavanila Diaper Rash Cream, I did a happy dance! No parabens, no mineral oil, and YES to zinc oxide- hey these people know what they are doing! Needless to say our Lexi bottom has never looked so baby pink and smooth ( seriously!) and it took all of 2 days to clear it up. {I just had to stop writing and change Alexis’ diaper and I noticed how little of the Baby Bottom cream you need per diaper change, which is bonus}
Here’s what Lavanila’s promise is:
NO: Sulfates, Parabems, Phtalates, Silicone, Petrochemicals, Propylene Glycol, Mineral Oil, Formaldehyde, Synthetic Fragrances or dyes
I say yes to something like that!
I also love the smell of the Healthy Baby body wash and the fact that it’s a foam and not liquidy soap.
Anyways, I am personally sold on this company and their products. I know I’ll be back there when my products run out. I am looking forward to trying out the baby sunblock in months to come. It promises to be safe (and ingredients prove it), it smells mild and doesn’t leave your skin white like most physical sunscreens do.
I find it funny that I had to stop writing this post 3 times before I was done with it {A diaper change, a bath and a feeding and rocking to sleep}… Oh Lexi! I love you!
So if your baby struggles with diaper rash and you had no idea the conventional ointments have such harmful chemicals, or if you just want to have an awesome cream at hand, here’s how to get it:
BUY IT: Use this code  LAVELENA to get 40% OFF Baby products at Lavanila.com ($15)  {till 3/30}
WIN IT: You can enter a giveaway below to win Healthy Baby Bottom Cream
BELOW ARE THE GIVEAWAY RULES
and Mandatory Entries:Â {read carefully}
There are two mandatory entries, after which you will have additional entries available,
and 1 daily entry for which you can come back to enter daily.
The winning entry will be verified and the winner disqualified if the action is not found or if the mandatory items are not fullfilled.
Make sure to notate how you’re following the blog in the extra info field (entry #1). The entry won’t count if that information is missing.
Please make sure to visit Lavanila  Facebook Page and write on their wall which product you’d love to try.
The giveaway is open to US residents only. See the rafflecopter widget for additional terms and conditions.
If you have a blog, there’re 2 entries each worth 10 points ( post our button on your blog’s sidebar and blog about the giveaway)
{If you’re not sure how to use to enter, feel free to watch this video tutorial or email me at contact {at} prebabyblog {dot} com
Otherwise, make sure to read everything carefully. Click the DO IT link first, then ENTER once the action is completed}
Disclosure: I was not compensated by Lavanila. I received their products in exchange for an honest review. All the opinions represented here are 100% my own
I was wondering how this diaper rash cream goes with your cloth diapers? I was told that anything with zinc oxide would affect the absorbency of my cloth, which is why stuff like Earth Mama was recommended.
I’m planning on using the Bummis Bio-Liners to protect my cloth.
That’s exactly what we use! Makes easy to clean up poop and protects the diapers. But creams without zinc don’t seem to work for rashes.
are you using the diaper cream with your cloth diapers? I make sure to avoid zinc oxide diaper cream with my cloth diapers because I read that it can cause repelling issues.
I read that too and that’s why we use bio liners to protect the diapers. Creams without zinc oxide don’t seem to do much for an existing diaper rash.
I’m really sold on this one though.
We use an organic Calendula cream for any issues our son has, it`s the single best product out there. Marigold flowers and Olive oil. It doesn`t get any cleaner than that. He also has moderate eczema all over his forehead, and after trying everything under the sun, the Calendula cream cleared it up in less than 72 hours. A $14 tube lasts us over a month, and I use it after every bath, all over his body.
I should add, his eczema patches haven`t returned.
Me: would you mind telling me the name of the calendula cream you use? Thanks so much!!
We alternate between St Francis and Unda. I prefer the Unda brand because it is clear and seems to be slightly more effective. St. Francis is easier to find but it is orange and stained the crap out of everything. I get them from my sons Naturopath, but when she’s back ordered I get them online for the same price.
I use it on any patches that flare up and once a week I slather his whole body in it and throw on a footed pajama for intense moisturising. It’s great for everything!! I keep extra tubes for my husband and I, in the kitchen, shed and my purse.
I would love to try this product on my son’s eczema patch. The docs suggested hydrocortizone, but I don’t want to go there! I cloth diaper and don’t use liners, but we haven’t had any problem with rashes, but I do use Angel Baby bottom balm as well, occasionally. We also use organic coconut oil. I haven’t heard of this product before, but I like the way it sounds!
Yeah, I would hold off on hydrocortizone unless you have to. Try the Zoe organic extreme creme maybe or the Lavanila Butter.
Alexis had diaper rash from the disposable we used in the first few weeks.
Oh goodness, yes, avoid the hydrocortizone creams! I have eczema and those creams (and all of those expensive prescription meds) do not work–for me, they eventually made it worse:( I also use organic coconut oil and jojoba oil to help, but the biggest difference for me was in changing my hygiene products overall (started using Aubrey Organics and Dr. Bronner’s). Now, instead of constantly having an issue, I just get occasional flare ups if I run out of my stuff and have to use my husband’s crappy products from WalMart, so yes, what you put on your son’s skin *can* make a huge difference!!! This brand has ingredients lists very similar to the products I currently use for myself, and look to be every bit as gentle, if not more so, and since AO and DB fall pretty short in their babycare line-up, I’m giving this a go when the bean arrives:) Thank you so much for sharing this with us, Elena!
I’m glad that someone with eczema approves of their ingredient list. I personally thought it was fabulous. And it smells good unlike most gentle/natural brands.
I don’t tend to have skin issues but I know how sensitive infants’ skin is so it’s important to me.
This review is timely…just last night I was searching for an organic, paraben-free skincare line to put on our baby registry! Thanks!
Oh cool! I’m glad it helped :))))
In case you guys didn’t see the other message, you can use a 40% coupon for baby products at lavanila.com
It’s LAVELENA good through 3/30
thanks for the recommendation! i was just doing some research on best sunscreens for babies!
http://www.rachelsnest.com
Lots of mom friends recommended pure coconut oil (cold pressed & unrefined) for my son’s terrible diaper rash recently. It worked wonders and seemed to really soothe the pain. It also left him smelling delightfully like coconuts! You might be interested in giving it a try sometime. 😀
HI Elena,
I am new to your blog and love it. I especially all the baby products and other mom products you recommend. I am due in June so your website has been very informational. I just ordered the Lavanila baby products you suggested. It’s interesting because I just bought some 7th Generation laundry soap to wash the baby clothes in but according to your blog that may not be best. Do you have a special laundry soap you use? Thanks so much!
Tammy
P.S. Lexie is a doll.
Thank you Tammy! 🙂
7th generation is better than conventional products but they still use SLS in some of their cleaning lines. I use 7th generation for our clothes but Alexis’ clothes and dipers I wash with Rocking Green.
Thanks Elena! I will check out Rocking Green. 🙂 Have a great weekend.
Elena-this was a great post-i used the promo to pick up some products. I find your posts like this informative and helpful as someone who has a hard time deciding which products are best. I am wondering if you could post (or email me) about the brands of cleaning products you think are best for a chemical free and clean home. I use a lot of vinegar but find it hard to keep my husband from buying common cleaners for the kitchen and bathroom. Another one I’d like to know better about is dishwashing detergent…he buys the cascade packets and I am sure they leave chemical residue on our dishes! I know you feel overwhelmed by posting but I think this could be a good topic:-)
Right now I use select 7th generation products. I really do need to find better ones. Smaller companies tend to have better products. I’ll look into it. Try Honest.com
Hi Elena,
I came across your blog while looking for some good baby products and instantly fell in love with all you write. I have a daughter who will be 6 months on 4th Jan and trust me I have looked up for many products for her in this blog. You are doing a great job with Lexi and she is such a beautiful girl.
I have a quick question, looks like many of the baby products from Lavanila are not available now, do you recommend something else for baby wash/shampoo and diaper rash cream? I just found baby lotion and body butter from them. I know you are busy but if you reply, I will highly appreciate. Thanks!!
Kishu
I haven’t really found anything as good as Lavanila. It’s sad that they have discontinuing half their line. The closest I could find was a line called Erbaviva.
Also, Honest Company makes great products. I use all their baby/toddler and adult products! They have baby diapers, cream, shampoo, toothpaste, vitamins, etc. I highly recommend.