Baby Miracle Balm 101

As it stands, our Baby Miracle Balm has helped so many cuddly, itchy, rashy babies; I figured it’s time to have a crash course on the next best thing since Nutella.

Yes, I am THAT shameless. Baby Miracle Balm 101!

Qn 1: What is a balm and how is it different from creams and lotions?
Our Baby Miracle Balm is made of 100% oil and 0% water. Compare this to ointments that contain 80% oil and 20% water. Creams are approximately 50% oil and 50% water, and lotions contain the least oil of the lot.

Qn2: Oil vs Water, which is better for skin? Isn’t water meant for hydration?
Well, that is only if our skin could absorb water. The fact is water is unable to penetrate skin and the main purpose water serves in most products is to bulk it up. Yes, make it look more than it actually is! If only water could be absorbed by skin! Imagine how we’d all become human water balloons if that’s the case! And guess which body part I’d be soaking in water all day and night, 七七四十九天, just to make it BIGGER? Oooh yeaaa.

So, that leaves us with oil. The more oil, the greater the ability to moisturize skin since oil provides a barrier that reduces water loss from the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of skin. Transepidermal water loss, ie loss of water from skin, is the main cause of chronic dry skin and atopic dermatitis, ie eczema. Oils are also more effective carriers of active ingredients (anhydrous) and especially hydrophobic drugs, that’s why ointments tend to be stronger in strength compared to creams or lotions.

Qn3: So are all oils made equal? Which oils are good for skin?
When it comes to topical oils, look for oils rich in linoleic acid. Linoleic acid is a fatty acid clinically proven to strengthen skin barrier, as compared to another fatty acid, oleic acid, which has been shown to increase moisture loss from damaged skin or eczema patches.

Qn4: Ok I didn’t register that. Can you explain in English?
High linoleic acid content = good for skin. So when selecting your oil of choice, always make sure you check the oil content profile and choose those with at least 65% linoleic acid. Most labels will indicate the profile of the oil. Your safe bets are Sunflower Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Evening Primrose Oil and Safflower Oil. All of the above oils have linoleic acid content of between 65%-75%. Woots!

When it comes to babies though, we prefer the tried and tested ones, Sunflower Oil and Evening Primrose Oil. Both have been shown to be very beneficial to babies, especially pre-term babies! So oil away! Click the following links to read more if you’re interested.

1. Impact of topical oils on the skin barrier: possible implications for neonatal health in developing countries.
2. Topically applied sunflower seed oil prevents invasive bacterial infections in preterm infants in Egypt: a randomized, controlled clinical trial.
3. Effect of olive and sunflower seed oil on the adult skin barrier: implications for neonatal skin care.

Qn5: Great! So are there any oils I should avoid? I’d have to check my skincare stash!
You should probably avoid the following oils which contain as little as 2%-10% linoleic acid content – Coconut Oil, Butter (keep it on your toast!), Cocoa Butter, Olive Oil. Yes I know. Shocking to see familiar oils here right? Tell me about it! Be careful with the oils you apply on your skin! Or you can be rambo about it.

Qn6: Does that mean I have to adjust my diet now?
Nope! All these information are pertaining to topical application of oils, where you apply it directly ON skin. Diet-wise, olive oil is fantastic for your health and erm butter is plain yummy, especially on toast. With some kaya. Ok be right back.

Qn7: Erm. So if Sunflower Oil is good on it’s own, why do I need the Baby Miracle Balm?
My young Jedi, I’m glad you asked. Remember I just mentioned active ingredients are more potent when carried in a 100% oil base compared to a cream formulation? That’s right, bright light.

We cherry-picked two of the most well-tolerated and documented healing herbs, Calendula and Plantain Leaf, for our Baby Miracle Balm. Rumour has it that World War II soldiers used these herbs to heal their battle wounds! So instead of having babies out in the battlefield, since they’ve already waged war in our living space, we use them in our Baby Miracle Balm!

All the natural powers of the two herbs combine to perform the miracle of smoothing rough patches and calming angry rashes, overnight! Captain Baby Miracle Balm to the rescue! * Sniggers* And on top of that, we add elderberry, lavender oil and tea tree oil for powerful antioxidant and anti-bacteria prowess since eczema can be aggravated by bacteria thriving on skin surface. Of course we make sure our ingredients are 100% food-grade and as far as possible, USDA certified organic. Free from preservatives, pesticides, GMO and all nasty residues! And that’s why it works so well right from the first application!

Qn8. Wow. Does it work 100% to heal all infant eczema cases?
As much as I would like to proclaim a resounding YES and be the biggest liar with pants on fire, the answer is no. Our Baby Miracle Balm is able to help cases where the cause of eczema is due to damaged skin barrier. In those cases, the balm will instantly, and I really mean immediately deliver calming effects. Over time, realistically speaking, in about 2-3 months’, the eczema can be fully healed. Flare-ups will be less frequent and less severe, if any at all. And the Baby Miracle Balm will calm down any flare-ups easily.

However, there are some other causes to eczema including environmental allergies, dietary intolerances/allergies, bacteria infection etc. Just imagine, the sudden haze can trigger eczema flare-ups in some! Those that deal with dietary allergies know fully well what havoc a simple glass of milk or bowl of Tom Yum Gung (omg yummm) can unleash on their skin! Sometimes they don’t even know what hit them!

Qn9. So how do I know your Baby Miracle Balm is the answer to my baby’s eczema woes?
Well if I were a bomoh, I might say, “The Baby Miracle Balm may either help your baby or it may not show any effect.”

On a serious note, I wish I had the divine intuition to answer that because my soul dies a little and my heart shatters a shard every time someone tells me they see no improvement. =(

I need hugs.

Fortunately, many babies have used our Baby Miracle Balm and seen drastic improvement in their skin and overall well being. It’s surprising how many babies have damaged skin barrier so young. But that means our Baby Miracle Balm can really help so there’s less scratching at night and better sleep! We all know fully well, when baby sleeps, the entire family, the whole kampung, and the world sleeps.

I can only say, give it a try because we have put our heart and soul into our products, hoping to help all babies of the world, one at a time, starting from here in Singapore. So yea, I really hope your baby could be next.

Lots of love, kisses and kaya toast crumbs!