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Preteens

Parenting a preteen can be a minefield. Find support here.

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Original poster

Toiletries with no "nasties" for pre/early teens

15 replies

Briggo1167 · 26/09/2013 22:00

I have a two DD's, 8 and 6. I have always used baby shampoo, bubble bath etc. which is free from parabens and SLS, but now they are getting older the baby stuff doesn't seem so appropriate - they want something that is a bit more grown up and also need deodorant which is not in baby ranges. They like all the "funky" smelling stuff like "Lush" products, but they don't really float my boat in terms of being free from nasties.

Do any of you know of any products that are suitable and aimed at the pre/teen market? Is there a demand out there for this kind of product or am I the only one?!

Thanks for your help!

OP posts:

MrsMongoose · 26/09/2013 22:44

Lush is actually very good at being free from nasties! It's all vegan and cruelty free!

kernowal · 27/09/2013 08:33

Sam Farmer (Caroline Quentin's other half) developed a range based on what he wanted for his kids. Just Google his name.

Takver · 27/09/2013 09:24

The Faith in Nature stuff is very good - it is a bit pricey but goes quite a long way. I have major allergy problems, so very limited in what I can tolerate, and it is one of the few brands (even 'eco' ones) where I haven't had any problems, even with scented products.

soontobeslendergirl · 27/09/2013 11:03

Do 8 and 6 year olds really need deodorant? Not a sarky comment, i genuinely have never come across this.

I have 12 and 13 year old boys that still don't smell and need deodorant, is it a girl thing?

All I could recommend would really be something like the Simple range but I guess that wouldn't be funky enough - Is it Halos & Horns you use at the moment? Is that really too babyish for a 6 and 8 year old? I wouldn't really categorise that age as being pre-teen. I was expecting you to be talking about 11-13 year olds rather than little ones. I am probably really out of touch :)

ConfusedPixie · 27/09/2013 11:08

MrsMongoose: Lush isn't free from SLS though, they use it in a lot of their products.

Faith in Nature and Dr Organics do nice smelling things.

They are only 6 and 8 though as others have said, not quite pre-teens yet :) I'm sure some of the nicer smelling bits in little-y ranges will be fine!

ConfusedPixie · 27/09/2013 11:08

soon I started needing deoderant from about 9 though wasn't allowed it :(

SavoyCabbage · 27/09/2013 11:20

My nine year old dd's teacher has had a chat to the class about starting to wear deodorant.

Dd has a sukin one.

Takver · 27/09/2013 11:25

Soontobeslendergirl - I think might depend on fabrics? DD's uniform polo shirts aren't cotton, annoyingly, & she def. gets hot & sweaty (yr 7 & well into puberty, though). Out of school wearing cotton t-shirts she's fine. (Still glad she doesn't have white shirt and ties!)

soontobeslendergirl · 27/09/2013 11:28

confused :( I can't remember what age I was when I started wearing deodorant - I suspect it was when I started working and buying it myself. I come from the age when daily showers were a bit of a novelty, so maybe we all smelled and therefore didn't notice :)

I washed my hair every day at the sink as a teen but basically had a bath a week. I do however have a very sensitive nose now and honestly I think my boys could wear the same school shirt all week and it wouldn't smell - it'd look filthy though as they are dirt magnets, just not smelly. They do shower every morning though and have a clean shirt.

soontobeslendergirl · 27/09/2013 11:33

could be Takver. We had two different uniform suppliers for primary and the sweatshirts from one of them were Cotton and the other were more nylony looking - the nylony ones retained the colour much better, but I always bought the cotton ones as I felt they were nicer to wear....and they had cotton polos underneath.

They have shirt and tie now now and the school jumpers are cottony feeling but the blazers are wash and wear - they definitely don't smell - other than of Lynx shower Gel and Coconut shampoo :)

Original poster

Briggo1167 · 27/09/2013 12:52

Thanks for all your posts. Yes certainly the 8 year old needs deodorant - she also has "proper" hair under her arms so think she is an early developer. Don't think we are alone in this from what I have read. It does depend to some degree what they are wearing, but I am very aware that they smell "ripe" on hot days or after gymnastics and rather than let some one from school make them feel uncomfortable I am teaching them to be aware of keeping clean and smelling fresh, but without making them paranoid or self conscious.

There are some good SLS and paraben free products out there (although lush is ethically produced it is not free from SLS), but they are a little "dry" in terms of their appeal to youngsters. Don't get me wrong I do not class my 6 and 8 year olds as pre teen (want to keep them my babies for as long as possible!) but they are girly girls and love all highly scented lip balms, shower gels / bubble baths etc. it wreaks havoc with their skin and looking at the list of ingredients they make my hair curl! Deodorants are a nightmare too. Almost all are anti perspirant which I don't like for their pore blocking properties and contain aluminium.

All your suggestions have been good, but do any of you feel that there is a distinct lack of appealing products for the say 8 to 14 year old age range that also ticks the boxes for parents who don't like the SLS and parabens additives?

Rant over!

OP posts:

DontCallMeBaby · 27/09/2013 23:37

Deodorant-wise DD at 9 has Keep It Kind Fresh Kidz - think it's just deodorant, not anti-perspirant, certainly aluminium and paraben free. I'm not that fussed otherwise tbh - what she washes her hair or skin with doesn't concern me as much as something she can have on her all day long.

I can only assume the sweating at this age is really hormonal - she can be fresh as a daisy after PE on a hot day, or decidedly honking after doing next to nothing. Weird.

VerySmallSqueak · 27/09/2013 23:46

I use Faith in Nature mainly.
I do check on what's in stuff but try not to be too hung up on it. At the moment DD1 is using Timotei Pure shampoo and conditioner because it was on offer in Wilkinsons when I bought it.
I always think Lush stuff is a bit too highly perfumed,but of course the DC's love it.
Dr Organics is also lovely.

VerySmallSqueak · 28/09/2013 00:00

The lavender and geranium Faith in Nature shampoo and conditioner smell absolutely gorgeous.
The Timotei stuff is free from parabens,silicone and colourants but does contain sls. It is hard to get it all,isn't it?

ConfusedPixie · 28/09/2013 09:21

You have to be careful to get the right product with Faith in Nature (and other natural ones) though, I had a boss who would pass me stuff that didn't work for her and had to try a few different shampoos before finding one that suited my hair type. I use the rosemary one now which works brilliantly. The worst was tea tree, which left my hair a very painful matted mess and needed copious amounts of conditioner to comb it out. Couldn't even get my tangle teezer through it!

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