I have a confession to make. I’m one of those mums who is ridiculously careful about what goes on my children’s skin. I still wash all of their clothes before they wear them. I spend rather a lot of money on toiletries for them, much to Mr M’s disgust. And I always stick with the brands I know.
In my defense, I’ve always had really sensitive skin and I know how uncomfortable it is to have excema and dry, sore patches, so I try my best to make sure my girls’ skin is looked after.
So I was really keen to learn more when got in touch with me towards the end of my pregnancy to ask if we wanted to try out some of their products.
Tropika is a UK-based company run by a mum of five and they offer two ranges of products – Mum’s Spa and Little Spa. All of their products are made with 100% natural ingredients, which really appeals to me – I don’t want to put any nasties on my babies’ soft, delicate skin.
The products are made in Malaysia and based on virgin coconut oil which is sustainably sourced. Coconut oil is packed with anti-oxidants, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties, as well as vitamin E, and it can be effective in treating excema and cradle cap.
As well as being a bit anal about what goes onto my children’s skin, I am also a bit of a stickler for routine. Lottie has been having a bath, moisturise, PJ’s, story, bottle and bed from 7pm since she was about 10 weeks old and Frankie has joined in this routine for the last few months. Both of them sleep really well. That may be because of the routine, or I may just have really sleepy daughters, but I’m not going to change anything for fear of ruining it.
So when Frankie started joining Lottie in the bath, I started to use the Tropika Little Spa Massage Oil with Lavendar to moisturise her before we put her PJs on. I also spend a little time massaging her with the oil to help with bonding and also to help relax her ready for sleep. This oil smells absolutely divine. Frankie also had really dry skin when she was first born and had a lot of flaky areas. These had cleared up within a week of using the oil and her skin is now super soft and silky.
After her massage, I then rub in some of the Little Spa Herbal Cream into her chest and back. The first night I used this cream on her, Frankie slept for six hours solid. Again, it may be coincidence, but I don’t think so – this cream is like magic in a tube. The coconut oil is blended with tropical herbs to a traditional Malaysian recipe, to make a delightful fragrance designed to aid little ones’ sleep. And it really does. I’ll make sure I’m never without a tube for Frankie.
But Tropika haven’t only created gorgeous products for babies, they’ve also got a range for us mums. We tried the Mums’ Spa Coconut Tummy Butter for the last few weeks of pregnancy and the first few weeks postpartum. You simply massage the cream into your tummy, to comfort the skin and help stretch marks look less noticeable, reducing the appearance of C-section scars and improving the skin’s tone and elasticity.
I was lucky enough not to get any stretch marks during pregnancy, but my tummy skin was less than toned or elastic after my second labour, so I’ll try anything to help return it to it’s former glory. Again, this butter smells gorgeous, really fresh and zingy. It soaks in really quickly and leaves no stickiness or oily residue.
I absolutely love these products. It’s easy to be wowed by the stories behind natural brands, but Tropika’s range does exactly what they set out to do.
