Ask a Beauty Therapist

My 7 month old baby has quite a few black heads. I wash his face with water, is there anything I can do it try and get rid of them?

Although I often gets questions regarding blackheads I must say I was a little surprised to hear your seven month old
had them.  It is common for babies to get milia (white heads) but black heads seem less common.  I have done some research as I certainly would not treat a seven month old like I would a teenager or adult.  It seems there
are two schools of thought one is to carry on as you are and just keeping the skin clean.  Blackheads are a build up of dirt and grease forming a plug in the skin.  When air hits the bacteria the skin turns the plug black hence
black heads.  By keeping the skin free from dirt and natural body oils you can help prevent further damage and encourage the natural lifting of the existing problem.  Although Blackheads are regarded as more unsightly than
harmful one resource did suggest that a baby presenting with blackheads should get them checked out by a doctor incase there are some underlying hormonal issues.  I tend to always err on the side of caution and would
definitely recommend you mentioning it to your GP.  In the meantime keep the skin clean, do not be tempted to try and squeeze them or to use topical acne products.  Unless there is an underlying problem I am sure like the
whiteheads they will disappear in time. When washing his skin use a gentle gauze type wash cloth which will act as a
natural exfoliant to help remove the plugs in the skin.  Gentle massage with a tiny bit of BabyBaby Comforting massage oil will help lift the plugs but be very careful as you are near the eye area - just a pin head of oil
massaged between the fingers before applying will be more than enough.

My baby has dry skin in places and is red at times. I Would like to know what would be best for her?
I have stopped using oil in her bath as tended to make her skin red afterwards. Not sure what to use as she really needs to avoid getting dryer skin! Thanks.

It is not uncommon for a new born to have dry, flaky skin but around the 12 week mark we would expect to see some improvement.  I would be interested to know what oil you are using in her bath that makes her red.  It would have been my recommendation to be using BabyBaby Comforting Massage oil in the bath and application to the skin.  The natural oils in the Comforting Massage Oil mimic the natural skin oils and usually works really well.  In failing this our Moisturising Body Lotion again both in the bath and as a topical application.  If you are finding that Sophia is pretty sensitive to most products and that the redness is common along with excessively dry skin she may need to be checked out by your GP for signs of eczema.
I hope this helps.  Feel free to ask if you need any more information.


Hi, my 6 month son has eczema with itchy skin and red cheeks. We use elidel cream prescribed by GP.  He scratches his face and body during night and we have sleepless nights. What can you recommend from your product range?  He has cradle cap as well.

The cradle cap is easy - our BabyBaby Cradle Cap Shampoo works Beautifully.  See our review at coffegroup.org
Eczema is always tricky and often is trial and error.  
Some questions I would ask

The itching I think is the worst part of eczema, it feels like something is clawing at your skin and is awful.  We have had great success with calming the itching down in young children by applying the BabyBaby Barrier Nappy Rash Cream to the affected area, this also helps to reduce redness and irritation and can be used with the cream prescribed by the GP (use nappy rash cream over top).  The nappy rash cream contains manuka and kanuka oils which prevent infection while healing the area and as a bonus stops itching.  At this stage this is what I would use.  I would also recommend looking at how you can keep the skin really well hydrated by cleaning the face with oil or moisturiser instead of water.
 Looking into certain foods and other irritants such as washing powder which may aggravate the condition.  Put mittens on bubs at night to prevent scratching or wrap him so his hands can not get to his face, however this needs to be coupled with the preventative itching cream like the nappy rash cream. We have some information on our website for eczema and also have some of the products that I have mentioned on special.
I hope this helps.  The comfort here is your son is so young and will hopefully grow out of this so for now it is all about keeping him comfortable and preventing infection.
Let me know if you need any more advice and I hope some of what I have mentioned helps.  This is such a cruel skin condition for precious wee ones.


I have a combination skin condition with breakouts on the forehead that does not go away and which leave marks.  I have never had this condition before and i am 34 years old and 14 weeks pregnant. Please advise whether your products are natural and whether it can help rid me of this problem?

Often pregnancy causes changes in our skin which we are not used too and breakouts on the forehead are quite common but very annoying.  The reason we recommend our 2B Skin Care products during pregnancy is because they are free of artificial colour, preservatives and fragrance (and other nastyś) which tend to cause more problems than they help.  Our products are packed with skin vitamins which help to normalize the skin during times of immense change like pregnancy.  We also have the added benefit of manuka honey which is anti bacterial and great for healing breakouts, combined with wonderful skin loving, pregnancy kind essential oils - my favorite Neroli which is beneficial to all skin types.
What I would recommend is a basic skin care routine of:  2B Cleansing Gel (used morning and night to cleanse the skin) followed by 2B Manuka Honey Facial Spray (you can also use this throughout the day to  freshen tired skin.  It also offers extra anti-bacterial protection particularly for the forehead).  In the morning moisturise with the 2B day cream (please use this as it is packed with vitamin A and is going to help normalize your skin and heal any potential scaring).  At night repair with 2B Night Cream (this is a great anti - ageing cream as bubs will take as much collagen from you as he can).   For persistent breakouts you can spot treat with 2B Multi Healing Balm.  I am also a huge advocate of the Derma1 Oil A+E which I use every couple of nights as a night treatment to normalise the skin.  With a combination skin you may be put off by using an oil at night but this absorbs really quickly and will not make your skin any more oily infact it will really help to normalise it - spend some time gently massaging it into your skin and creating blood flow to help get rid of any toxins in the skin.  The derma1 Oil will help keep pigmentation changes associated with pregnancy under control.
With any skin condition it is going to take a little time to improve particularly with pregnancy.  Stick with a good skin care regime, do not pick at your skin, avoid wear caps instead go to a looser fitting hat that is not going to aggravate the forehead, do not forgo the sunscreen as you are more prone to pigmentation while pregnant (naturally 2B is the best one to use), drink plenty of water and enjoy your pregnancy.  Often you are rewarded post pregnancy with beautiful skin.

Is retinal palmitate safe during pregnancy?  I have read conflicting information for its safety.  I want to make sure that applied topically will not put my baby at risk.  Thank you.

Low dose retinal palmitate is safe during pregnancy.  We use 2500 I.U in our Derma1 Oil A+E which we recommend to use to decrease chance of stretch marks.   Studies show that retinal palmitate applied topically does not pass through the placenta.  My advice is always to err on the side of caution and if in doubt go without, if you don't feel good about it then wait until baby is born before use.