Top 4 Ways to Reduce and Prevent Nappy Rash

By Eva Van Strijp of Oz Baby Trends

Nasty old nappy rash. It seems to be one of those inevitable skin problems that every baby goes through at some stage. There are many things that can exacerbate nappy rash, among them teething, illness, introduction of solids, infrequent changing, allergies and reactions.

Sometimes, it's very clear what is contributing to the development of nappy rash. Other times, almost impossible. It can be frustrating and disheartening for parents to try and correct a problem when the cause is difficult to pinpoint.

These 4 simple, natural ways are our own proven steps that we have taken with our five children to help reduce the incidence of rash. Wherever possible, use all 4 tips in conjunction.

1. Change frequently

Consistently, health care professionals advise that frequent changing is the best way to prevent nappy rash. It can also help to reduce it. For further information about dealing with ongoing rash issues, please Click Here.

2. Use a barrier

If you're using cloth nappies, try using a liner between your baby's skin and the nappy. Microfleece and polarfleece are fabulous fabrics to use for nappy liners. They are cheap, easily accessible and require no hemming or special care. Grab 30 cm from your local fabric store and cut strips to size. The best thing about microfleece and polarfleece is that it wicks moisture away from baby's skin and into the absorbent layers of the nappy, helping to keep your baby drier for longer.

You can also purchase flushable liners that help to draw moisture away from baby's skin, and many modern cloth nappies are made with a "stay dry" layer or fleece of suedecloth directly against the skin.

TIP: if you need to use cream with your cloth nappies, be sure to use a liner.

3. Give nappy free time

When our little ones fall and graze a knee, we try to only resort to bandaids if we absolutely have to, because we know that allowing lots of fresh air to the sore will help it heal quickly.

It is exactly the same with little bottoms.

Where possible, let your baby enjoy nappy-free time. Lay them on a towel or a dedicated waterproof mat and let the fresh air work it's magic.  

4. Wipe simply

Disposable wipes may be handy when you're stuck on the side of the road having to clean up a surprise, but they shouldn't be used on a daily basis. They are loaded with all kinds of ingredients, which at worst, can irritate and inflame already sore skin and at best, simply aren't required to clean a baby.

Invest in a few washers that you use only for baby's bottom. Rinse them in warm water (cold is great to sooth irritated, red skin) and use them to thoroughly clean the area. If you don't use cloth nappies, just wash these with your towels.

TIP: Use a particular brand or colour for baby's bottom so you don't mix them up with face washers or dishcloths.

© Oz Baby Trends 2014

P.S. JOLI's Soothing Salve is a perfect natural baby bottom balm.

  

Pure Natural Organic ~ don't be fooled

Do those words above appearing on skin care items or advertising sway you to make a purchase thinking you've brought into a good thing?

Once upon a time (when I started in 2005) natural skin care was relatively unheard of, very few people I knew were aware of toxic chemicals in skin care and there were very few options when it came to purchasing "genuine" natural skin care. Most products had something iffy added to them so they could be stocked in stores, sitting on shelves for extended periods of time.

These days pure natural organic skin care has become popular and big brands have caught on.
They realised that by using those words they'll sell MORE. These days those words are everywhere!

It might surprise you to know that only about every 1 in 100-1000 people don't get fooled by the hype.
Ok #those stats are totally made up by me, however, they're based on the fact that chemical filled brands out-sell all (genuine) natural skin care companies by billions of dollars each year, therefore it's suffice to say that a great MANY people *ARE* fooled by the hype and buy into a brand they think is good - when in fact it is NOT.

Puriti - infused with citrus extracts [the brand & tag line]

Sounds pure and natural doesn't it. Almost has you thinking of pure natural lemon zest added to a pure base product. Practically good enough to eat.... right? Wrong!

Look further and the Conditioner ingredients are: cetyl alcohol, polyquaternium-7 (a synthetic polymer), cetrimonium chloride, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, methylparaben, ethylparaben...

The Shampoo ingredients are: sodium laureth sulfate, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, methylparaben, ethylparaben...

Not a lot of purity about those ingredients even though the name suggests a 'pure' product. The packaging also suggests the product is "not tested on animals" yet the above ingredients are. They HAVE to be because they're toxic and manufacturers need to know what amount they can add to a product before any adverse affects are felt.

Always read the labels and if in doubt research the ingredients. Don't assume that a company using the words pure, natural and organic really are.

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Natural skin care is my name ~ your awareness is my aim!

You can also follow JOLI on our website Blog

Lemon Verbena & Mint Iced Tea recipe

This is a lovely refreshing tea to have on a hot summers day.

There are a couple of steps to making the tea and it is best prepared a day in advance.

Step One:

1/2 cup fresh lemon verbena leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
6 cups boiling water

Boil the water and pour over the verbena and mint leaves. Leave to sit over night in the fridge, or a couple of hours. Or if you like a weak tea let sit for 10 minutes - before straining.  Chill in fridge.

Step Two:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and cook for 1 minute, until sugar fully dissolves.

Step Three: 

1 cup lemon verbena leaves

Blanch verbena leaves in boiling water for 1 minute then plunge into cold water. Drain.

Step Four:

When sugar syrup is completely cooled, pour into a blender.  Add 1 cup blanched verbena leaves and process until smooth.  Cover and chill over night.

Step Five:

If you've left your tea to soak over night (step one), strain your tea into a large pouring jug.  Strain the sugar syrup through a fine sieve into pouring jug - adding lemon sugar to the tea mixture.

To serve:

Grab a tray of ice cubes and process in a blender or food processor into crushed ice.  Fill high wall glasses  half way with crushed ice and pour in lemon verbena mint tea.

Enjoy your refreshing chilled ice tea.

  

Making Love Naturally & DIY Fanny Spray

Making love is a very natural thing and it doesn't cost a lot to do. A fun activity to do on a budget. I'm sure many of you will agree when I say foreplay is the bestest part.

Foreplay noun - sexual stimulation before intercourse.

Every couple or person has their own preference when it comes to foreplay, some like a lot, some like a little, others like role play or fun flirty games such as strip poker, spin the bottle, or even doing a strip tease.

These games can be played in a few ways. Instead of stripping during poker the winning hand might ask the losing hand to do something to them, for example give them a kiss, rub their shoulders, massage their ankles. This game can start off quit humble, leading to something much more awakening.

What ever the type of foreplay and love making you like there are a couple of products JOLI sell that are perfect for the job.

Massage oil for 1. With eight different custom scents to choose from you are spoiled for choice and it goes without saying that foreplay and massage oil go hand in hand.

Massage Oil - JOLI

Soothing Slave for 2. Yes that's right. Is there anything this salve can't do! The salve can be used for clitoral stimulation - yes I said the 'c' word ;)

Soothing Salve - JOLI

Skin Serum or Cuticle Oil for 3. Either of these products can be drizzled over breasts for a gentle massage and if need be, because you're out of massage oil, they can also be used on genitals.

Luscious Body Butter for 4. How nice would it be to have someone to rub moisturiser into your body and for you to reciprocate. Maybe they rub the butter on your your shins, your ankles, your belly. I'm in heaven thinking about it and this butter his perfect and sensual for all over body use. Not suitable for face or genitals.

Just to name a few: though I can't forget to also add Moisturising Lip Balm and regular Lip Balm. There might also be other products you've tried yourself that we could add to the list - feel free to share if you have.

I encourage you to get in the bedroom and fool around with the products listed above, maybe add some other products to the fun flirty list.

Foreplay can be a very under rated part of love making. Using JOLI products can make it all the more tempting to enjoy!

NOTE: responses may vary from person to person, test small areas first and stop if these items aren't doing it for you.

DIY Fanny Spray recipe ~ aka home made Vanilla Perfume
You will need:
125ml spritz bottle
100ml water
25ml vodka
5 drops vanilla scent
4 drops jasmine scent
Coffee filter paper or paper towel
Funnel
Glass jar (big enough to hold 125ml)

- Place all ingredients into a glass jar, shake well and place on bench top or counter to sit for two weeks. Shake daily. The alcohol in this recipe helps the scented oils amalgamate into the water. It also acts as a preservative. You can leave the alcohol out: if you do so you may have to shake contents before each use and the perfume won't last as long - store in the fridge to keep it longer.
- After two weeks place a funnel over your spritz bottle, place filter paper over funnel and pour in jar contents. Filtering helps remove excess oil particles that haven't amalgamated.
- You can have a play around with different oils and scents. Maybe you'd like to try coconut and lime.

- This perfume can be used to spray toilet paper before you wipe, or after wiping to clean and scent. It can also be used to spray onto groin or undies to freshen up the area.

  

Clearing Out The Crap

It may surprise you to know that I wasn't always a natural skin care guru! Once upon a time I used the same dodgy stuff (i.e. chemical filled rubbish) as everyone else.

Once upon a time I was as naive as the next person when it came to personal care products being FULL of harmful chemicals. Without giving it a second thought I simply purchased these items and used them because: 1) TV and people told me to and 2) No-one advised me they weren't safe.

It's a simple mistake that many of us make. The TV commercials make it look all so enticing. Our friends use the products and swear by them. Our mum's give us products to use in our teens and we continue to use them as adults. Then we pass the same things onto our friends and children to use.

Much as teens and young adults (and even older adults) are doing today I was simply unaware of the dangers of chemicals in skin care. Chemicals in products was not discussed among friends or on TV. Even today with more hype about it than ever before there are still billions and gazillions of people unaware that the products they're using are harmful to themselves, the environment and their loved ones. (And some people don't want to know about the dangers that lurk in their beauty products because it's easier to stay in the dark).

The above picture is of me cleaning my bathroom cabinet out a couple of years ago - and to be honest I really didn't have a great deal of nasty stuff, thankfully. Then again one could argue that even one harmful product is one too many.

Here is a list of chemicals to look out for. If your personal care (and cleaning products) contain any of these ingredients it's time for a fresh start! Aside from skin care, if you want to know of other safe brands to use let me know and I'll be happy to give advice.

When did you first learn about hazardous chemicals in skin care?
Have you done a clean out of your bathroom cabinet to rid yourself of these badies?

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DIY Home Made Bread & Dip 3 Ways

There is something about a really good anti pesto platter that makes me salivate at the thought of it.  Especially if it's home grown organic produce.  Olives, dips, freshly baked bread, grapes, dolmades...  I could go on...

One of my favourite and Oh So Simple bread recipes is Beer Bread.  Made with 375ml beer (any type) and 2 1/2 cups self raising flour.  Told you it was simple!  All you do is mix the beer with the flour really well, pour into an oiled bread tin and bake for around 35mins at 180c.  After 35mins, drizzle some olive oil or butter over the top and bake for another 10mins.  You can also add olives, capers, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, capsicum and other tasty foods to the mix before baking.

Homemade bread & three dips

Hummus Dip

400gm chick peas (soaked over night) or tinned chick peas
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons chives (finely cut)
salt & pepper to taste (optional)

Drain the chick peas.  Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix into a paste.  Add more olive oil and/or lemon juice if mixture is too thick.
Serve with crackers or smeared on home made pieces of bread.

Parsley Pesto

I have loads of parsley growing in my garden and this is a simple recipe to make good use of that fresh parsley.

A good handful or two of parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 handful of pine nuts
1 handful of grated Parmesan cheese

Wash the parsley well and shake off excess water.  Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix into a paste.  Add more olive oil and/or lemon juice if mixture is too thick.
Serve with crackers, smeared on home made bread, tossed through cooked pasta or as an accompaniment to any dish as a side, sauce or paste.

Olio Aceto

In a bowl drizzle equal portions of Balsamic vinegar and olive oil (about 1/2 a cup each).  Make sure it's a good brand of vinegar and oil.  If it's not a nice tasting brand it won't taste that good.
This is a really good dipping liquid for home made beer bread.  You can also add some chilli for a bit of spice.

  

Decolletage ~ A Neglected Body Part

Emily Symon plays Marilyn Chambers in Home and Away. She is 44 years old and for all appearances looks to be in her mid 30's. She is a stunning woman who has looked after her skin well, she barely looks a day older than when she first appeared on Home and Away.

Emily Symon

Like the rest of us, Emily will become prone to those creases we get on our decolletage above our breasts. Sadly these creases are a natural part of aging and tend to show our true age regardless of how well we've looked after our skin. Primarily because our decolletage is a very neglected body part. It's also one of those body parts we should look after the most!

How often do you ponder your decolletage? How often do you do anything beauty related to yours? Is it some long forgotten body part, sparing only a thought about what necklace to wear to cover it, or what top to wear to expose it? Or do you think of your decolletage and pamper it often?

look after your decolletage

Your decolletage is one of those body parts, like your hands and elbows, that shows your age long before your face does. Take notice of how many older ladies you know who have lovely skin, yet the skin on their neck and decolletage is wrinkled, dry and neglected. Consider also our decolletage is quite often, if not all the time, exposed to wind, sun, water - which has a dramatic ageing effect.

Here are some easy pampering tips for you to indulge in to keep your decolletage looking its best.

1. Exfoliate your decolletage frequently. Every 2nd or 3rd day or at least once a week. This ensures the dead cells that build up on the surface of your skin are scrubbed away exposing fresh radiant more youthful skin.

2. Apply Toner to your decolletage, either in a spritz or dabbed onto a cotton ball and wiped cross your skin. Toner tightens and refreshes your skin and cleans away daily grime. Do this often!

3. Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise! Very important. Cannot stress this enough! Moisturiser your decolletage (and neck) daily, even twice daily with a suitable moisturiser such as Whipped Cream to keep those creases at bay. Before bed is also a good time to moisturise this area.

4. When going out for a special occasion or a night on the town dust some silver mica (or mineral makeup powder) onto your decolletage. The sparkle gives you a glowing youthful look with a touch of glamour, and helps disguise the creases.

5. Keep your decolletage covered up as much as possible - either high collared clothing, a scarf etc. - to limit the exposure to the elements and only exposure your decolletage on special occasions.

Do you have any decolletage tips you'd like to share with us. Please comment below. AND remember the reactions buttons x

  

Body Image Guest Blog ~ You're Too Skinny

'You need to eat more, you're so skinny, I wish I was tiny like you and, you can have some of my fat' These are comments I hear on a daily basis. Exhausting just reading them is it not?

Crohns Disease is my daily affliction, it does not matter how much I eat. I am aware that I am anorexic. I wish I was at a healthy weight. And, sure cast  your extra weight my way, I would most definitely welcome it! 

These utterances  do not upset me as much as the actual glares and stares. I have heard larger ladies often speak  of the 'looks' they receive, tinier ladies also receive them, and they are just as injurious to our self esteem. The remarks and looks of disgust take an emotional toll on a person after a period of time. SO much so,  that for myself, I was agoraphobic for 4 LONG years. I did not want to egress from my home. I felt disgust and compunction at my body and the glares would  only confirm the hateful feelings and thoughts I was having towards my body and self. 

If a person is underweight or overweight, I think we should want to uplift them, mawkish them if you will! 

I am underweight, this does not mean I hate food (in fact, I love food with a passion), it does not mean that I do drugs (which is one of my personal favourite surmises) nor, does it mean I have a mental disorder. It simply means I have a disease,  one that I have little to no sovereignty over.  I am still the same person on the interior, even if my exterior looks as though I have an eating disorder!

I am thankful  for my disease (most days), it has made me a stronger person, made me 'slow down' what was a fast paced life, and really internalise and think about what is favourable for myself. 

I think you will find most people with a weight issue have a genuine underlying medical condition and cannot control their weight and mentally torture themselves enough, that it is not warranted or needed by others surrounding them. 

If someone is overweight or underweight, does it really matter? Does it affect your life? Is it your place to look on in disgust and an invitation for you to make judgements? No, it most definitely is not.

Just like an overweight individual might feel disgust with themselves, so do tinier people. A simple smile, or kind word, can change that persons day, from one of despair and utter hatred towards themselves, into making them believe in themselves and that it is going to be a magical day. 

Remember, everyone is beautiful, and true beauty runs much deeper than any external appearance.

~  Amanda Williamson

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