krissingene's Full Review: Mustela Dermo Cleansing
It's a funny thing about having children - with your first, there's a mile-long grocery list of "must have" items that the new parent feels compelled to purchase. Assuming you hang on to all of your baby gear, by the time your next child comes along, you're hard pressed to answer one question that everyone will ask: "what do you need for the baby?"
I couldn't think of a single thing to suggest to all the would-be gift givers when I was expecting our second daughter. We had an abundance of clothes, toys, books, and all the essential gear. Luckily, my sister-in-law is the queen of gift-giving, and gave us a few of her own favorite baby products that we'd never tried. Among them was a bottle of Mustela Dermo-Cleansing.
~* What is "Dermo-Cleansing" Anyway? *~
Well, the full name of the product as listed on the front of the bottle is Mustela Bebe Dermo-Cleansing Cleansing Gel for Hair and Body. Yes, "dermo-cleansing" is a fancy name for "hair and body wash", but I don't hold that against it.
Dermo-Cleansing is packaged in a blue and white 16.9 fl. oz. pump bottle, although it is sometimes available in small 1.6 fl. oz. bottles as part of Mustela product packages. The full-sized bottle can be purchased online for about $16.
Mustela's website has quite a bit to say about Dermo-Cleansing:
"- Gently cleanses body and scalp
- Preserves the hydrolipidic film, and respects the integrity of the skin (neutral pH/soap-free).
- Compensates for the drying effect of hard water with its super-fatted agents (coconut derivatives)
- Tearless (neutral pH).
- Softens skin and helps soothe irritation with its formula containing vitamin B5.
- Hypoallergenic as specially formulated to minimize the risk of allergic reactions
- Tested under dermatological control"
~* Directions *~
From Mustela's website: "Place a few drops of Dermo-Cleansing in your hand, and wash your baby's body and scalp by working up a lather. Rinse carefully. Dry your baby gently (without rubbing), taking particular care over the diaper area and skin folds (thighs, armpits, neck, etc.) It is important to wash your baby's hair every day (using very gentle tearless products which do not sting the eyes.)"
(Despite Mustela's admonition that "it is important to wash your baby's hair every day", I just don't do it that often. Every other day or two will suffice - it's not as though my month-old baby gets horribly dirty, after all. My lax-ness is justified, however; the experts recommend washing your baby's hair no more than every other day as over-washing can dry baby's scalp and cause cradle cap. But hey, I understand why Mustela might want you to lather up a little more often.)
~* Bathing Baby *~
To begin with, I absolutely love baby products that are formulated to clean both hair and body. Anyone who has ever washed a squirmy baby knows that the fewer bottles you have to juggle in the meantime, the better. My bottle of Dermo-Cleansing has been on hand for every one of my baby girl's baths to date.
The baby wash itself is white and lotion-y, with a smooth, silky consistency - just a tad more runny than your typical hand lotion. I was worried at first that something so lotion-like wouldn't produce enough lather to effectively clean my baby's hair, but I was pleasantly surprised - even just a little bit of the Dermo-Cleansing lathers right up. In fact, a little bit of this stuff absolutely goes a long way - a quarter-sized amount in my palm is enough to wash baby's hair and body, with lots of bubbles everywhere. It rinses off as smoothly as it goes on - a real lifesaver when washing baby's hair, as the dreaded rinsing stage is over with in a hurry.
The fragrance of Dermo-Cleansing is a toss-up - I dare say that some will love it and some will hate it. Personally, I love it and can't get enough of it, although I can certainly see where it may smell a little too "Grandma's hand lotion-ish" to some people. It is fairly strong, as far as baby product fragrances go, flowery, and not completely unlike something my mother-in-law would wear. However, it is a very clean scent and one that I just can't get enough of on my baby. Best of all, the fragrance lasts for quite a while - even when it's two days between baths, it's faint, but hanging on.
While Dermo-Cleansing does a great job of gently cleansing my baby's hair and body, I have noticed that her hair doesn't tend to stay fluffy and clean-looking for long. I can't attribute this solely to the cleanser, though, as I'm forever touching and rubbing her little noggin. Just a teensy heads up, for what it's worth.
~* Truly Tear-Free? *~
I must admit to not having adequately tested this product's claim of being tear-free - being that I've never intentionally gotten any into my baby's eyes. In fact, this being my second child and the whole 'bathing baby' thing having come back to me fairly quickly, I'm pretty certain that I haven't gotten any into her eyes. At any rate, if I have, then she's never let me know about it...
~* The New Smell of Baby *~
Once upon a time, I believed that babies should smell just like Johnson's Head-to-Toe Baby Wash - it was certainly my preferred cleanser for the majority of my first child's infancy, and is still high on my list of favorite baby bath products. However, Mustela Dermo-Cleansing has oh so subtly edged into my top spot in the past weeks. I love how easily it rinses, how soft and smooth my baby's skin is after bathing in it (not that it isn't anyway) and best of all, how yummy she smells after a bath. More flowery than powdery, as one tends to associate with a baby - but fresh, sweet and baby-ish nonetheless.
~* Ingredients *~
Mustela's website lists this product's main ingredient as:
Gentle enough for your baby and loved by the entire family, Mustela Dermo Cleansing is a soap-free, non-irritating way to soften, strengthen, and smoo...More at SkinCareRx.com
Dermo-Cleansing is a state-of-the-art soap-free solution formulated to cleanse sensitive skin without causing dryness or irritation. Use for body an...More at Toys R Us
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