I love finding good productsI

I'm a shopper. But I'm not a really materialistic person, or a brand chaser. I just like the thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of finding a good-quality product. Last week I found a product I love, so I'm very excited.

Grace has sensitive skin, like some babies do. She's had some eczema and atopy since about 8 months old. One particular patch on the back of her knee got pretty out of control, turned all scaly and even bled. She's also had patches on her face, chest, and arms. When I was pregnant I bought two big bottles of the classic Johnson's baby lotion (pink bottle). Well, it just doesn't cut it, and it's heavily perfumed. I don't like it one bit. While in Canada I picked up a small bottle of Vaseline Problem Skin and that helped somewhat. It at least got me through until I could get her to a dermatologist in Korea.

Finally we saw a dermatologist and he said it was some mild atopy and eczema, which I already knew. The clinic sold me some Physiogel wash and lotion, and gave me a prescription for some medicated ointment. Skin cleared up quickly.

Physiogel is good, but it's damn expensive (you can buy it here on gmarket if you're interested). The two little bottles they sold me at the clinic came to over 40,000 won. They didn't go very far. Since her skin had cleared up thanks to the Physiogel, I slacked off a bit with the moisturizing, just using the Johnsons and the rest of the Vaseline. But lo and behold, some little eczema patches started coming back.

So we asked the pediatrician what to do about it, and he said to moisturize often with something that has ceramide in it (he did not give us any brand suggestions). I did not know what ceramide was, and am still not clear on it, but from what I've been reading, it is something that regulates skin cell growth. But where to start looking? Physiogel does contain ceramide, but as stated previously, it costs an arm and a leg. So I searched in the baby lotion section on gmarket and my impressive Korean reading skills (which I acquired by browsing gmarket so often) found me a product containing ceramide that gets very high reviews. Why not?

I chose Baby Clinic Sensitive Lotion by a Korean laboratory called Leaders Skin Group. I really didn't expect much for two bottles for 10,000 won. But let me tell you, this is a fantastic product. It is extremely mild and scentless, and at the same time very effective. Grace's skin looks 100% better and feels softer, too. I was never really into lotions before (for me or Grace); I thought they were all the same. But I like this stuff so much that I think I'll start using it myself. I'll probably get her the hair and body wash too. Seriously, I got two 285 ml pump bottles for 10,000 won -- with free shipping! See ya, Johnsons!

Like I said, I love finding a good product, especially a local one. I know there are plenty of other good baby lotions out there (Cetaphil, Atopam, etc). It's just that imported products are pretty expensive here, so while I appreciate product recommendations from friends back in Canada, I often cannot find those products in Korea easily, or shell out the cash without cringing.

My advice to expectant ladies: don't buy baby lotion in bulk right away -- wait to see if baby has any skin sensitivities. And go scent-free; babies already smell good.