Every new mother will tell you that nipple balm is a life saver, but you may be wondering ‘what is nipple balm exactly?’ and ‘what would I need it for?’. In this blog post I will attempt to answer any questions you might have and to explain why natural nipple balm above all is the best skin solution for both mother and baby.
What is Nipple Balm?
Nipple balm is a soothing balm that is designed to protect and nourish dry and chapped skin. During breastfeeding the skin around the nipples often becomes dry and sore and so it is vital to have something within easy reach that can tackle the irritation, whilst also being baby safe. As a result natural nipple balms are by far the best option. Valley Mist’s Baby Balm contains organic shea butter, organic beeswax (safe for babies), organic sunflower oil, an extra high content of calendula infused oil, and organic rosehip oil, to nourish and protect skin of all ages. I will go into more detail about these ingredients in the ‘Valley Mist’s Baby Balm‘ section this post.
Aside from the primary usage of nipple balm as a much needed soothing agent for breastfeeding nipples it also has a number of other uses for both mother and baby. As a result the Valley Mist natural nipple balm is instead called our ‘Baby Balm’; a product that has a number of soothing uses for baby and mum. Because nipple balm products must, of course, be baby safe they can also be used for soothing a number of baby skin irritations. For example, natural nipple balm can be used to calm nappy rash, carpet burns (for when the crawling begins!), and cradle cap (dry skin on your baby’s head). Furthermore, because of its purpose as a skin soothing agent nipple balm can also be used to help clear up dry skin anywhere else, for example elbows and cuticles, as well as helping to promote the healing of dry skin conditions such as eczema. So as you can see natural nipple balm is a very handy thing to have lying around the house when the little one comes along; one product to solve a multitude of needs! For even more uses for nipple balm around the home (including some outside the box suggestions!) you can have a look at this blog post from ‘The Bump’.
Valley Mist’s Baby Balm
As stated previously, the Valley Mist Baby Balm is made using 100% natural ingredients and is 100% baby safe, so can be used to soothe both mother and baby’s sore and chapped skin. The texture of our natural nipple balm is quite firm at first, but melts luxuriously when applied to the skin, a little like coconut oil. If you would like to see the texture of our baby balm in action you can have a look at our YouTube video here. Believe me, you’ll want to go on using it long after the breastfeeding is over – I use it religiously on my eczema plagued elbows!
Our Baby Balms also contain lots of traditional natural ingredients to promote the healing of chapped skin, such as calendula and rosehip oils. Calendula oil is extracted from Marigold flowers and is believed to have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that make it excellent for soothing skin irritations. Meanwhile Rosehip oil contains lots of Vitamin C that is thought to help promote skin healing, as well as containing lots of other vitamins and beneficial fatty acids.
Additionally, the high fatty acid content of the organic shea butter makes it incredibly moisturising and is thought to help promote skin regeneration, whilst the organic sunflower oil is high in Vitamin E. The organic beeswax also helps to form a protective barrier over the skin, helping to prevent further irritation.
The Pure Baby Balm contains no essential oils and so is unfragranced beyond the natural scent of the ingredients, but there is also the Soothing Baby Balm option which contains the essential oils of Frankincense and Lavender (at baby-safe dermal levels) to offer a soft, but not overpowering, relaxing scent. If you would like to look for more details about either of these products or any of our other mother and baby products, you can find the link to the Valley Mist Mother and Baby range below. We also offer a Baby Shower Gift Set if you’re looking for a gorgeous and useful gift for a new mum!
