The Beginning.
Thoughts & feelings: a little nervous about sharing, but I’d rather be nervous than not follow my “gut”.
Entry 001.
I hope to share a little bit about why I started making skincare products. Each product is inspired by a real life need. Not a trend, or a drive to make money. I started CACE + CO not out of fear, but out of the desire for better; for my daughter, myself, my husband, my sister, and my mom.
TLDR; Oats and Aloe Body Lotion was created to help heal my daughter’s eczema-afflicted skin and it worked in five days. It healed my cracked skin too, side effects of chemotherapy. It’s more than 85% naturally derived (almost edible, I do not recommend it tasting it). I made it for a baby and it works for every skin type.
Timeline
In 2019, I had my first and only child, my sweet girl. She has thrived even though her skin can be a little more delicate than other littles.
In 2020, one week after her first birthday, I was suddenly diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.
In 2022, I began the journey that is now CACE + CO Skincare.
A side effect of chemotherapy
During my affliction with cancer, I experienced many common and uncommon side effects of chemotherapy including cracked skin and skin shedding. I lost so many layers of skin that the stretch marks that once made me insecure had almost vanished. I fell victim to hand-foot syndrome or palmar-plantar syndrome.
I was directed to use many OTC lotions, creams, and oils some containing silicone that didn't help heal my skin but just settled in the cracks and provided little relief.
A struggle with Eczema
During my journey through cancer and recovery, my daughter was also struggling with eczema flair-ups that were pretty bad. Her doctors were great and as helpful as they could be. She was given steroids but those made her skin thin, and had so many restrictions— no going out in the sun, could only be used for a short period, and once we stopped using them the skin reverted back. When not using steroids my husband and I used an OTC cocktail of a Hydrocortisone acetate cream and Calamine lotion. Again it would work for a few days and once we stepped outside, or she got sick like clockwork flair up.
It was disheartening, as a parent you want to help your helpless child. They can barely speak. Their skin is damaged, cracked, blistering, itchy, red—just angry. Every bath made it worse.
We tried everything we saw, bleach baths, oatmeal and coconut oil baths, shea butter and oatmeal bath melts, body butters with essential oils with “skin healing” promises, fewer baths, almost cold baths, shorter baths, no soap baths.
I was not going to have her experience a joyless life, honestly though, at this point, she was two years old. What did she know about swimming pools, bubble baths, playing in the grass, and just other regular human things? STILL. I wanted to have those memories with her as a child and for as long as I could. I was fighting for my life and my only selfish (maybe?) desire was and is for her life to be filled to the brim with joyous memories of this incredible life and earth. All the simple pleasures.
What made it worse was she was a baby, so she would put her hands in her mouth or lick the lotion!! GIRL WHAT?! I had no clue what was in those big brand lotions and creams and I would freak out! babies explore the world through their mouths, but still.
I quit.
As the same story continued to play itself out. Purchase name-brand products every month and within days they no longer provided any healing benefits or relief. Despite my greatest efforts, I could not find anything that worked for her.
How could all these brands claim a product worked for 98% of people in a consumer study of 50 people, and not work for my daughter or myself? The math was not mathing. We’re we THAT unique?!
I quit waiting for someone else to have the solution and went deep into the study of anatomy. I began to study skin composition, eczema, babies, and allergies, and reviews of all the products marketed towards adults, children toddlers, and babies with eczema.
A lotion for Eczema
After much studying, many trials, and more tests, one formulation stood out and still does! Oats and Aloe Body Lotion was created. My daughter saw relief overnight. Like actually overnight. I finished the test batch at 630p right after her ninighttimeath. We applied it to her skin and went to bed. The next morning her skin was softer and less red.
In three days, her dry, irritated, cracked skin was almost completely healed
In five days, she experienced a full recovery of texture, color, and comfort.
Eczema Relief in Five Days
Eczema Flair Up: Day One
Eczema Flair Up: Day Three
Eczema Flair Up: Day Five
It still works, like a charm every time and the best part is it’s almost edible. When she licked it (because #baby), I didn’t freak out as much. No honey in this cream which is bad for babies, no fragrance, no silicones, no steroids, no shea butter, no coconut oil.
Bonus Round
My hands due to my application on her body looked younger, more supple, and were almost as soft as a baby’s skin.
I wanted to emphasize the need for simplicity in skincare products made for those with delicate skin (everyone). I zeroed in on multi-tasking hydration-focused, and nourishing plant-based ingredients to feed the skin the antioxidants and vitamins it craves healing skin and hair from within. My ethos is to be well and rest in the comfort that simplicity offers.
We keep our formulations straight-forward, curating them to be almost edible (#BecauseBabies), focus less on trending actives, kick up the most-essential, natural active ingredients that would stimulate cell regeneration, relieve sensitive skin conditions, and repair the internal structure of “bothered” skin and hair.
