Buying a soap for your baby is not akin buying potatoes.

A baby’s skin is way too precious, delicate and sensitive to be taken causally.

And so, before making this important purchase for your little one, get little informed.

To begin with, here is a small checklist to buy the best soap for your baby available in the market-

• Avoid fragrant baby soaps
• Look for natural ingredients like cocoa butter, almond, milk, honey or olive oil
• It should be non-toxic and free from harsh chemicals
• Do not pick soaps which make excessive lather
• pH of the soap should be between 5.5 to 6.5

Now you may ask, doesn’t all baby soap manufacturing companies keep all these in consideration?

The answer is NO!

Even some of the best and most renowned brands fall short on ticking off ‘all the above’.

Some infuse fragrances, others make it super soapy (I mean, lathery). When the pH is under check, ingredients are not natural.

So, actually it can be pretty tricky to pick the most appropriate baby soap and you just can not go to a medical or grocery store and say (while you are still looking at your phone), “bhaiyya ek baby soap dena”.

(I told you, it is not as easy-peasy as buying potatoes!)

What’s all the fuss about pH?

Wikipedia says, pH or potential of Hydrogen is a figure expressing the acidity or alkalinity of a solution on a scale of 0-14, on which 7 is neutral; lower values are more acidic and higher values more alkaline.

In simpler terms it is a measure of acidity and alkalinity of a solution. More acidic the solution, lower the pH.  More alkaline the solution, higher the pH. Water is neutral at a pH of 7.

The pH balance of baby’s skin is about 5.5 and so their skin is little on the acidic side, which is good to fight bacteria and infections.

How does baby soaps effect pH level their skin?

Soaps meant for babies need to match the pH level of their skin. The commercially manufactured soaps which adults use have a pH factor between 7 to 9. And these are not suitable for a baby’s skin. They will alter the natural, slightly acidic nature of their skin, which of course is not desired.

It has been scientifically demonstrated that alkaline soap can impair the epidermal barrier function and this may lead to atopic dermatitis, excessive skin dryness and other skin problems in the baby.

So, what are the options?

One of the best suitable baby soap available in the market is Daffy by Dr. Reddy’s Lab.

Daffy is a soap-free bathing bar with pH 5.5. It is mild on the baby’s delicate skin and provides enough nourishment and moisture to baby’s skin.

Daffy is enriched with the goodness of aloe & shea butter.

It is available online and in most medical and grocery stores at Rs. 130 for a 75 gm bar.

Watch my VLOG on this here