I received a free sample of Seventh Generation Coconut Care Baby Lotion to review.  This is an honest review of my family’s experience with this product, which we probably wouldn’t have tried if we hadn’t been offered a free sample.

Seventh Generation Coconut Care Baby Lotion is a gentle moisturizing lotion made without mineral oil, petrolatum, parabens, phthalates, or formaldehyde.  It’s made from 98% natural ingredients, including organic coconut oil that is harvested without damaging orangutan habitat.  All ingredients are listed on the label.

My daughter Lydia is the youngest in the family, at two and a half, so she was the first to try this lotion.  After her bath, I rubbed it into her arms and legs, which tend to get dry and flakey in the winter.

Lydia was startled that the lotion made a white, greasy film on her skin!  She’s accustomed to moisturizing with pure coconut oil, which is clear and sinks right in.  After a brief massage, though, the lotion was absorbed.  We both liked its light fragrance.  Her skin still felt soft the next morning.

There was a lot left in the sample packet, so I used it on my hands a couple of times and then on my legs after shaving.  It didn’t make any greasy stains on my clothes.  I was satisfied but not hugely impressed.

Our conclusion is that this is a fine product if you’re looking for a lotion, but it’s not as good as plain coconut oil.  Why spend $9 on a small tube (which is not recyclable and is made from an undisclosed type of plastic) containing 26 ingredients, with a warning not to get it in your eyes or use on broken skin, when the same money will buy twice as much organic, food-grade coconut oil in a reusable, recyclable jar?

Plain coconut oil hardens in cooler temperatures–like our home’s winter temperature–but when you dig some out and touch it to your skin, it immediately begins to melt so that you can rub it in.  It can make grease stains if you get it on fabric or carpet, but once it’s rubbed into your skin, it doesn’t rub off on things.  Unrefined coconut oil also smells delicious (if you like coconuts!), and it’s safe enough to eat! You can put it in your eye, too–your vision will be an oily blur for a few minutes, but it won’t hurt you.  Pure coconut oil is great on broken skin; it’s my favorite treatment for scrapes, to soothe the stinging feeling and heal without scarring.

I’d recommend Seventh Generation Coconut Care Baby Lotion only if you really want a lotion rather than pure oil and you want a conveniently portable tube rather than a pump bottle.

Speaking of convenience, Seventh Generation surprised me with a free sample Seventh Generation Free & Clear Baby Wipe sent along with the lotion.  I put that individually-wrapped wipe in my car’s glove compartment for the situation (which is bound to happen someday!) where I need to clean up some kind of mess and there’s no water available.  We have lots of experience with Seventh Generation Free & Clear Baby Wipes because we’ve been required to provide disposable wet-wipes for childcare during the time each of our kids was in diapers.  They don’t have scary ingredients like most baby wipes, they’re just the right size and thickness, and they don’t leave perfumey slime on your hands.  If you have to use disposable wet-wipes, Seventh Generation makes some of the safest and best–but we’d rather just use cotton washcloths saturated with plain water and wash them with our cloth diapers!

Visit the Hearth & Soul Link Party and Be Clean Be Green With Kids for more great tips on natural living and home life!  Check out my recommendations for Earth-friendly personal hygiene products!