Perhaps I’m not the most obvious person to write a review about Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm. I don’t have a baby, so I’m only testing this organic skin balm on myself, and …ahem …not necessarily on my bottom either. What I can do is talk about whether I would feel comfortable trying Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm on my child’s buttocks, based on what it’s made of. Because I already know for sure that tracking safe, organic skin care for my baby is going to be an even hotter topic than it is for myself. Can’t start too soon!
My review covers the balm’s packaging, scent, ingredients and (many) alternative uses. Balms make great natural skin care recipes to create yourself, but it’s obviously much faster and easier to just buy one. Knowing where to find a good ready-made balm is never a bad thing. At the local organic store, I ran into a flyer presenting the Earth Mama Angel Baby organic skin care line. Their vision for the company is right-on, the used ingredients are super natural (mostly organic) and hey, the wrap looked so adorable, I didn’t want to wait to have a baby to try some of their creations.
Packaging
The plastic pot has a screw lid. I can’t find anything on Earth Mama Angel Baby’s website about their choice in packaging. It does keep the weight of the jar as a whole real low. Even though glass is said to be ‘better’ in certain ways, the eco-friendly-factor of glass versus plastic is still up for debate. I always thought glass was the greener choice, until I heard about the recycling of glass being quite a strain on the environment. Then again – so are transportation costs of heavy jars. Most organic skin care lines are struggling with this packaging dilemma. Earth Mama Angel Baby seems to be a company that wouldn’t put their Bottom Balm in a tub with phtalates, but I plan on asking them to be sure of that.
Texture
This feels exactly the way I expect a balm to feel. Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm is solid at first glance. Taking a little bit out of the jar, the warmth of my hands melts it fast. I like to rub them together to spread the balm over the surface of my palms. Doing this also makes it easy to spread the balm over a larger skin area. The balm is softer than I expected. My homemade balms sometimes turn out a bit hard and I have to scrape some off with a fingernail. Not here, you can just scoop with a fingertip. Very nice!
Don’t be surprised if little light-colored speckles show up after a while. Do you know the famous text on many natural products? Something like: “Changes in consistency may appear, but do not influence the efficacy of the product in any way.” Well, this applies to Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm. It also means you’re holding a delicious organic balm, free of stabilizing chemicals.
Scent
The internet is full of positive and raving reviews for this balm and its performance as a diaper cream. Of course, I had to check out the very few wankers… because that’s just what I do. What those few people had to complain about Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm’s scent made me giggle. Turns out a handful of users did not appreciate the smell at all. Somebody wrote about a menthol scent, another person called it a hard odor, one reviewer even used the term “peasoupy”. Hilarious. Peasoupy, seriously? The fragrance has nothing unpleasant. If you’re used to crass synthetic (and toxic) fragrances added to main stream baby stuff – why yes, this will be a bit different. There’s nothing too surprising about it though, to someone who’s familiar with the smells of tea tree, lavender, myrrh, vegetable oils and shea butter. This balm smells exactly the way you would expect it to smell, and that’s a good thing!
I would call it a herbal, balmy scent. The fragrance is rather fresh and a bit medicinal, letting the essential oils of lavender, tea tree and myrrh shine through distinctly. Don’t expect any of the artificially sweet or powdery typical baby scents.
Ingredients
Ingredients, INCI: Olea europaea (organic olive) oil, Butyrospermum parkii (organic shea) butter, Euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax, Simmondsia chinensis (organic jojoba) oil, Melaleuca alternifolia (organic tea tree), Lavandula angustifolia (organic lavender) flower oil, Calendula officinalis (organic calendula) flower extract, Hypericum perforatum (organic St. John’s wort) flower extract, Stellaria media (organic chickweed) extract, Plantago major (organic plantain) extract, Commiphora myrrha (myrrh).
Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm is an all natural concoction, with olive oil, shea butter and candelilla wax. Hang on – that means it’s not just all natural, but also vegan! Vegan mommies out there can be really happy with the absence of beeswax. Eight out of eleven ingredients are coming from organic agriculture.
The reason I chose this balm for my own skin is because I’ve had such good experiences with many of the ingredients. Tea tree and myrrh essential oil are my favorites for healing skin lesions of any kind. Olive oil and shea butter are classics for hydrating and soothing the skin. Jojoba oil is fantastic for all skin types, from oily to dry. Calendula and St. John’s wort are famous for their anti-inflammatory and soothing properties. A cocktail bursting with healing herbs… I had to try it.
What I like about Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm
- The whole concept of Earth Mama Angel Baby with those cute angel photographs is simple adorable.
- Love how versatile the Bottom Balm is, it seems to work well for many babies (based on their reviewing parents) but also for my adult booboo’s and dry skin patches.
- Makes a nice addition to a natural first-aid kit.
- Also impressed by how little balm you need to cover a large area.
What I like less about Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm
Alright, the changing consistency can make this balm look a bit unappealing. Mine started to form light colored spots or ‘crystals’ after a while. I’ve used little bits of the balm over the past six months and still have some left. With daily use on baby’s bottom, the pot shouldn’t last that long. A little goes a long way, but babies also need a lot of diaper changing – or so I’ve heard… 😉
That being said, you don’t need to be a hardcore hippie to get past this slightly odd aspect of the Bottom Balm. You’ll probably finish the jar much sooner anyways. And just think of all the petrochemicals, synthetics, preservatives and stabilizers in regular baby products. Aren’t those precisely the substances you’re trying to avoid, when choosing organic skin care for your baby? This balm is as natural as it gets. Without the presence of chemicals, it will not remain unchanged in appearance for months or years. The little white dots are from the shea butter (I think – my own creations with shea butter form similar little crystals after a while). Just rub between your hands to melt them and you’re good to go. Nothing dramatic.
Final Thoughts & Other Organic Baby Skin Care Talk
You’ve probably heard of the importance of testing all new skin care on a little patch of skin, such as the inside of the arm. As natural as this balm is, especially with a little baby I would not skip the testing part. Everyone’s skin responds differently and allergies to natural ingredients are possible. If your baby’s skin (or your own) reacts, it could be to one of the medicinal herbs. In that (unlikely) case other options are making a more simple balm yourself, or using just plain organic oils such as sweet almond and coconut.
Based on the clean and green super-duper natural ingredients, almost all organic, I would be comfortable using Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm for my baby.
How well it works on nappy rash is something I can’t personally review at the moment. As an addition to my adult life this balm can definitely serve a whole lot of other purposes though. It’s a handy organic skin care balm to have lying around and can be used for a lot more than babies’ bottoms. Versatile enough to help out with minor skin issues and even insect bites. I’ve rubbed it on my shoulders, on patches of dry skin, on my back as far as I could reach, and on small wounds such as cuts, scrapes or pimples.
Pricetag: 30 ml / 1 fl. oz for US $ 8.95 and 60 ml / 2 fl. oz for US $ 12.95
Where to find Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm:
- Option 1 – Bottom Balm on Amazon
- Option 2 – Earth Mama Angel Baby’s official website
What do you think of Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm?
Please share your own reviews and organic baby skin care tips!