In the beginning...
When we started the process to adopt three children from Ethiopia, I began frantically researching how to best care for my new brown babies' skin and hair!
As I was reading about hair and skin care from ethnic blogs and websites, a single trend emerged.
See if you can spot the trend:
Moisturize.
Add moisture.
Add oils.
Don't wash with shampoo often.
Moisturize their skin.
Use more oil than you think you need.
Well, not being TOTALLY dense - I realized I was going to have to go buy some oily stuff for their hair and skin!
I see a problem:
A trip to the local beauty supply chain, the local big box stores, the local chain health food store, and the local grocery stores revealed a whole DIFFERENT thing. I began to notice...
"Hey... that's not cool... all this stuff has tons of ingredients I can't pronounce... it's all watered down... and almost ALL of it contains wheat protein!"
(I have a gluten intolerance and using cosmetics/lotions/shampoos with wheat protein has been causing more and more reactions in me over the years.)
The products I COULD use and COULD pronounce, well they were priced WELL out of my normal hair/skin budget! I couldn't believe some stores wanted over $20 for a tiny jar of watered-down cream!
So, back to the drawing board I went.
I began researching the ingredients in high-end body and hair butters.
I realized that many companies were adding water to fluff and to stretch their more expensive ingredients, but were charging premiums based on the butters and oils used.
It didn't seem quite fair.
I researched which oils have healing properties for dry skin and hair.
I researched which oils and butters have the highest moisture content (did you know some oils have more moisturizing capability than others? yeah... neither did I!).
I researched WATER in cosmetics and discovered that water actually pulls moisture OUT of your skin and hair. (Which is why your hands get so dry and cracked when you wash dishes by hand all the time!)
And after all that research:
I was left with a list of oils and butters I absolutely LOVED (on paper and via research) and an idea to make my own multi-purpose oil/cream/body butter/hair treatment.
I bought lots of assorted butters and oils, began mixing, melting, blending and whipping them all together and discovered that some combinations make for a very oily blend that separates, and others will stay together. Beeswax was added to help hold it together, for a tiny bit of control for the hair, and for healing super dry skin (think beeswax lip balm - heals dry, cracked lips... so why not hair and skin?).
And what was created....
babycakes hair and body butters!
Why all natural/organic/fair trade/tree hugger/crunchy granola ingredients??
Have you ever wondered why medicines are available in patches and creams? Its because whatever you put on your skin WILL be absorbed into your body and blood stream! This should frighten you into reading the ingredients on the stuff in your shower and under the sink! If you have allergies, you should be especially concerned about what is in the products you are using!
I use all EDIBLE products in babycakes.*
I want it to be as safe as anything else you would put in your body and I want to know that I am offering the very best thing to my friends!
*Common sense warning: Don't eat your babycakes. Don't use it to grease a cake pan, don't spread it on your toast, don't melt it on popcorn. I know, I know... it smells yummy. Just don't eat it.
Why the name??
Well, when I realized I wanted to offer this to my friends and other trans-racial adoptive families near me, I figured I needed a name. We tossed around names with the kids and couldn't come up with anything I liked. One night while cooking dinner I turned to our 2 year old baby boy who kept getting under my feet in the kitchen and said
"Babycakes, can you please get out of the kitchen!"
And our 12 year old looks up and says "Mom! That's what you should call it! Babycakes!"
And there you have it!
When we started the process to adopt three children from Ethiopia, I began frantically researching how to best care for my new brown babies' skin and hair!
As I was reading about hair and skin care from ethnic blogs and websites, a single trend emerged.
See if you can spot the trend:
Moisturize.
Add moisture.
Add oils.
Don't wash with shampoo often.
Moisturize their skin.
Use more oil than you think you need.
Well, not being TOTALLY dense - I realized I was going to have to go buy some oily stuff for their hair and skin!
I see a problem:
A trip to the local beauty supply chain, the local big box stores, the local chain health food store, and the local grocery stores revealed a whole DIFFERENT thing. I began to notice...
"Hey... that's not cool... all this stuff has tons of ingredients I can't pronounce... it's all watered down... and almost ALL of it contains wheat protein!"
(I have a gluten intolerance and using cosmetics/lotions/shampoos with wheat protein has been causing more and more reactions in me over the years.)
The products I COULD use and COULD pronounce, well they were priced WELL out of my normal hair/skin budget! I couldn't believe some stores wanted over $20 for a tiny jar of watered-down cream!
So, back to the drawing board I went.
I began researching the ingredients in high-end body and hair butters.
I realized that many companies were adding water to fluff and to stretch their more expensive ingredients, but were charging premiums based on the butters and oils used.
It didn't seem quite fair.
I researched which oils have healing properties for dry skin and hair.
I researched which oils and butters have the highest moisture content (did you know some oils have more moisturizing capability than others? yeah... neither did I!).
I researched WATER in cosmetics and discovered that water actually pulls moisture OUT of your skin and hair. (Which is why your hands get so dry and cracked when you wash dishes by hand all the time!)
And after all that research:
I was left with a list of oils and butters I absolutely LOVED (on paper and via research) and an idea to make my own multi-purpose oil/cream/body butter/hair treatment.
I bought lots of assorted butters and oils, began mixing, melting, blending and whipping them all together and discovered that some combinations make for a very oily blend that separates, and others will stay together. Beeswax was added to help hold it together, for a tiny bit of control for the hair, and for healing super dry skin (think beeswax lip balm - heals dry, cracked lips... so why not hair and skin?).
And what was created....
babycakes hair and body butters!
Why all natural/organic/fair trade/tree hugger/crunchy granola ingredients??
Have you ever wondered why medicines are available in patches and creams? Its because whatever you put on your skin WILL be absorbed into your body and blood stream! This should frighten you into reading the ingredients on the stuff in your shower and under the sink! If you have allergies, you should be especially concerned about what is in the products you are using!
I use all EDIBLE products in babycakes.*
I want it to be as safe as anything else you would put in your body and I want to know that I am offering the very best thing to my friends!
*Common sense warning: Don't eat your babycakes. Don't use it to grease a cake pan, don't spread it on your toast, don't melt it on popcorn. I know, I know... it smells yummy. Just don't eat it.
Why the name??
Well, when I realized I wanted to offer this to my friends and other trans-racial adoptive families near me, I figured I needed a name. We tossed around names with the kids and couldn't come up with anything I liked. One night while cooking dinner I turned to our 2 year old baby boy who kept getting under my feet in the kitchen and said
"Babycakes, can you please get out of the kitchen!"
And our 12 year old looks up and says "Mom! That's what you should call it! Babycakes!"
And there you have it!
