Direct from our Wild & Pure shop

At Amazon.com

Q. Is there a significant difference in performance or durability between the organic Nest dry wipes and the Wild & Pure roll dry wipes? I prefer the organic but these will be used mostly for adults and children, so I am curious if the durability and functionality will be suitable with the organic option. Any more advice will be greatly appreciated!

A. We carry both types of dry wipes because they are quite different, and we use them both at our ranch as well as our kids using both for different grandkid activities.

The Nest Design Unbleached Organic Cotton Wipes are very soft. They aren’t quite as absorbent as the Wild & Pure Roll Cotton Wipes. These are ideal for newborn, fragile skin. We also use these for outdoor adventure potty, as they compact for easy LNT pack out. A lot of folks love these to carry in purses or on the go. They are more like a classic thicker Toilet paper, if you want to wipe off for toileting with our Cleanser and throw them away (not flush). I  rinse these by hand once after light use (urine clean up or face washing) and line dry for reuse. They are made in China but through a well traced supply line.

The Wild & Pure Dry Wipes are made in the USA from 50% virgin repurposed cloth and 50% mechanically sorted- unbleached US cotton. They are VERY very absorbent. I prefer these for older babies and toddler poo diapers and for elder care. We use them as our paper towels at home and for wash-cloths on the go. They can be machine washed and dried a few times easily. They are my favorite for travel wash-up, use in the car, and at the barn, as they can also be rinsed out and line dried or tossed.

Both types are easily biodegradable. 

Another option we have are the GOTS printed flannel 4×5 cloth wipes. This is what I use for bathroom wiping (with my bidet). These can be washed and rinsed hundreds of times. I have had mine for over two years. They are perfect as every-day quick-dry wash clothes. And are a staple (the only clothes) in our bathroom. We also take them traveling and camping b.c they dry so quickly. I rinse them when backcountry, and hang them on tree branches or my backpack to dry.

So in short, I like organic cotton-based products too…but the main issues with non-organic cotton products are lack of sustainability, and chemicals in processing and bleaching. Our Wild & Pure wipes avoid these major issues. We also bought this brand because I REALLY like that the dry wipes are made in the USA. Shipping such bulky items across oceans isn’t the best!

The last few years have seen an explosion in the science of how our body’s surfaces protect us from disease. The normal urogenital ecosystem is made up of three key factors: 1) healthy human surface cells, 2) good bacteria that attach to these cells (our microbiome), and 3) balanced cell secretions that bathe tissues in solutions that moisturize, soothe inflammation, andpreserve an acidic pH and narrow salt concentration. Most beauty, wash, and wipe products are regulated as cosmetics with limited FDA oversite and few safety studies. Since wet wipes will grow bacteria over time, preservatives or hidden “natural” bacteria-killers have to be present at such high levels in these products that their daily use harms our healthy bacteria and tissue too. Instead of stripping the beneficial bacteria and acidic pH away, Wouche Away cleans and freshens in a formula with an acidic pH and balanced salts for human tissues with prebiotic ingredients to help the good guy bacteria do their job to protect against disease. Wouche Away contains no glycerin, silicone, sulfates, parabens, gluten, or ingredients that harm skin or mucosal tissues.

Sensitive

Deionized Water, Poloxamer 188, Galactoarabinan, Gluconolactone, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Lactic Acid, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Neroli) Essential Oil, Abies Sibirica (Siberian Fir) Essential Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Essential Oil, Mentha Spicata (Spearmint) Essential Oil, Manganese Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Raffinose or Galactosyl-Fructose, Disodium Phosphate

Natural

Deionized Water, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Chloride, Raffinose, Galactoarabinan, Lactic Acid, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Neroli) Essential Oil, Abies Sibirica (Siberian Fir) Essential Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Essential Oil, Mentha Spicata (Spearmint) Essential Oil, Manganese Chloride, Phenethyl Alcohol, 1,3 Propanediol, Pentylene Glycol

Natural is EWG VERIFIED™

WG is an environmental health nonprofit that developed EWG VERIFIED™ to help parents and consumers find safer products for their homes. By choosing an EWG VERIFIED™ product, you are reducing your exposure to chemicals known to cause harm and supporting companies that are committed to using safer ingredients. It’s the only mark backed by EWG’s scientific rigor, decades of research on chemical safety, and scientific evidence about the impacts of toxic chemicals exposures.

As inventors of novel, safer personal care products, the EWG VERIFIED™ process has both informed and validated our unique formula development. As a mom, Dr. E used EWG for years to pick safe products for her home. Receiving this verification from EWG for Wild & Pure EcoBalance Cleanser Natural has a special, personal meaning for her!

Sadly, up to one-third of kids with skin contact allergies could benefit from avoiding common ingredients in personal and skin care products. And many adults with chronic rashes, allergies and auto-immune diseases developed allergic reactions to these ingredients when they were young.

The following list includes just of a few of the common ingredients in personal care products reported to cause skin and mucosal cell irritation and allergies. Tissues found to be harmed by these ingredients include rectal, nasal, eye, skin, vaginal and/or oral cells. Many of these ingredients also harm healthy surface bacteria. Some such as castor oil and the listed surfactants increase in irritation when tissues are inflamed or irritated (such as with genital, rectal or diaper rash). Many of the listed ingredients are harmful or allergenic even though they have “natural” and/or organic origins. 

In general, if something causes you stinging or burning when applied, especially on genital or rectal tissues, this product may be sensitizing to you and should be avoided. In infants and kids, if there is a lot of crying around diaper changing or toddler wiping re-think what the products you are using. I literally had to wrestle one of my sons to the ground every time we changed a diaper. He is now an adult with a lot of contact allergies. An excellent resource for learning about contact allergens on this list below and more is the site https://dermnetnz.org/topics/contact-allergens.

The ingredients in Wouche Away™ were chosen specifically to avoid items with high contact allergy rates.  Many who haven’t been able to use other products love Wouche Away as part of their daily cleansing and freshening (See our 5-star Reviews).

Our grandkids who use Wouche Away for diaper changes don’t expect pain at changing, and are happy and talking through during the routine. In fact, they love the soothing mist and ask for more “Wouche Away” in sign language before they can even talk!

• Watch for diaper products that say they only have a “trace” or small amount of allergenic ingredients (e.g. benzalkonium chloride). This is misleading as these products are ONLY ever used at very small concentrations and have been shown to be allergenic at these low rates. 
• Many natural products (e.g. aloe vera) can be allergenic by themselves or due to contaminating heavy metals.

Example List of Ingredients that Harm Surface Cells or Have Link to High Allergy Rates:

• alkyl glucosides
• aloe vera
• benzalkonium chloride
• benzoic acid
• benzyl alcohol
• castor oil
• cellulose sulfate
• citric acid
• cocamidopropyl betaine
• coconut oil acid/ coconut diethanolamine
• cremophor
• EDTA
• ethanol
• glycerin
• glycerol monolaurate
• imidazolidinyl urea
• lanolin
• methacrylate

Studies have shown that TP and other below-the-belt hygiene products (liners & wipes) are contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals such as phthalates.

Surprisingly, the highest levels of phthalates in paper products were found in TP rolls and pizza boxes and thought to be from the recycled paper often used in these.

Elevated cancer and non-cancer rectal and genital disease risk is associated with TP use, including that dreaded irritated or itchy bottom. We recently had a granddaughter in tears because she had over wiped. People often think these contaminants don’t matter, but studies have found 10-fold increases in blood levels of cancer-causing phthalates and benzenes in people with high personal product use, especially for less expensive product lines.

TP manufacturers don’t have to tell you what is in their products (“trade secret”), but as we learned about the diseases caused by and chemical contaminants in TP we started working hard to develop EcoBalance Cleanser and to find systems that worked for us in our bathroom hygiene.

It seemed very weird to us initially to change up our bathroom routine and replace or reduce TP, but we have totally switched how we care for ourselves in the bathroom over the past few years.

The things that make EcoBalance Cleanser perfect as a leave-on or rinse-off Total Body Cleanser also make it ideal for use as a TP mist or foam.

This includes having the right pH, the right salt levels, the right ingredients and the right eco-friendly packaging!

You can completely replace toilet paper with Dr. E’s system:

1. A bidet.
2. A washable flannel wipe (or several) with a clean EcoBalance Cleanser-moistened small or larger organic cotton wipe.
3. Tossing the used wipes into an aerated metal bread loaf for laundry as needed.

No odors, no mess! Most of our reusable wipes are one to two years old and have been washed hundreds of times!

Another option is to use EcoBalance Cleanser and bamboo TP, for an easy freshen and clean! By misting or foaming cleanser onto TP you use less and clean better. You can also carry the travel-sized cleansers wherever you go.

D. E had auto-immune, lady-part issues. Switching to EcoBalance Cleanser on washable flannel wipes for every wipe, and use of the bidet when needed, has changed her life!

Studies on the Health Risks of TP Use:
J Sep Sci. 2022 DOI: 10.1002/jssc.202200404
Environ Int. 2020 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105465
Reprod Toxicol. 2020 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2020.04.076
Environ Res. 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114059
Toxicol Rep. 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2019.11.013

Our novel EcoBalance Cleanser diaper care system offers a less irritating and more sustainable approach than using wet wipes or handmade soaps. Skin allergies and rashes associated with wet wipe and hand-soap use on babies can link to life-long allergies. In fact, MOST wet wipes are made from spun plastics that don’t degrade well and result in harmful microplastics in our waterways. ANY wet wipes (even those that are “natural” “water-based” and/or “organic”) require high levels of preservatives and/or irritating ingredients to keep bacteria from growing in the package once it is open. Published data show that diaper rash isn’t a sign of bad caregiving, but is actually more common in babies with more wet-wipe use during changing. This is because about 20% of the solution in a wet wipe stays behind on baby’s skin. And most of these wipes don’t have the pH and salt levels to match human surfaces. New guidelines recommend using acidic or low pH cleansing diaper care products during changes to support healthy skin bacteria. Dermatology guidelines list common allergens to avoid in everyday skin contact, including many irritating ingredients that are common in baby wipes and handmade soaps such as benzalkonium chloride, glycerin, citric acid, & cocamidopropyl betaine (dermnetnz.org/topics/contact-allergens).

How to Use EcoBalance Cleanser Sensitive for diaper changing and wet wipe replacement:

• First mist EcoBalance Cleanser Sensitive across baby’s dirty bottom and diaper area. Pump the mist across waste, poo and all!
• Use a folded dry wipe or cloth to wipe off mess. We love the Nest Design or Wild & Pure organic disposable dry cotton wipes and Green Little Nest reusable flannel cloth wipes (samples included).
• Mist baby again, focusing on any messy cracks and folds, and remove remaining mess with a different clean corner of the same wipe or a new dry or cloth wipe.
• Finish with a final soothing, leave-on EcoBalance Cleanser Sensitive spritz over baby’s bottom.

“We invented EcoBalance Cleanser for use by ourselves and by our family, including for diaper care in our grandbabies!” -Drs E & C at Glyciome