Can you use olive oil on baby's skin

There are a variety of oils you can use to massage your baby's skin. Olive oil is just one of them. To help you decide if olive oil is best for you and your baby, here are the facts about the effects olive oil can have on your baby's skin.Olive oil is low in a fatty acid called linoleic acid and high in another fatty acid called oleic acid. Linoleic acid can strengthen your baby's skin barrier. Oleic acid, on the other hand, can make some layers of your baby's skin more permeable.

This permeability could help oil and water be absorbed into your baby's skin.But permeability means the movement of moisture works both ways. So the oleic acid could increase moisture loss from your baby's skin if your baby's skin is damaged, say, through patches of eczema. If your baby has eczema, using olive oil on her skin could make her eczema worse.Some experts think that oleic acid may be harmful even to healthy skin. Others argue that the effects are temporary and that there is no evidence of harm. What is certain is that many people use olive oil on their skin and it's rare for anyone to find it causes a problem.

In fact, olive oil is used in many adult moisturisers and cosmetics.It's hard to say whether olive oil could damage healthy skin in healthy babies, as there is no research in this area. Many studies have looked at the effects of pure oleic acid rather than olive oil. The studies are animal studies or lab studies using pieces of human skin, rather than healthy living tissue.If you have a family history of eczema, it's best not to put anything on your baby's skin that could trigger a problem. You could use a baby mineral oil or a vegetable oils that is high in linoleic acid, such as safflower oil. Either of these oils will be kinder to your baby's skin than olive oil.