BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:
A solution that came naturally

Burbank woman uses her experience as a mother to start a line of rinse-free products for kids.

By Chris Wiebe

Like many mothers, Burbank resident Debby DeOliveira wanted to be everywhere at once.

Especially at mealtime, when she struggled to feed her newborn daughter, Emmy, while watching her 18-month-old, Lili — who was just learning to feed herself — get more food in her hair than into her mouth. “All my bathrooms with tubs are upstairs,” DeOliveira said. “And I couldn’t run upstairs to the tub when I had my newborn downstairs.”

That dilemma led DeOliveira to search for a safe, easy-to-use cleaning product, and the result was Oopsy Daisy, her own line of all-natural, rinse-free cleaning products for babies and children.

“I just thought, ‘Why isn’t there some way that I can clean her hair without having to put her in the tub?’” she said. “So that kind of started everything.”

DeOliveira contacted laboratories and did her own online research about chemical contents of shampoos, finding a rinse-free product used in hospitals and convalescent homes.

“But that was developed in the 1940s and was all chemical-based,” she said. “Now parents are very aware of what they use on their children. Though I found something that would work, I didn’t want to put that on my baby.”

After nine months of poring over lists of possible ingredients, DeOliveira developed a formula for a rinse-free shampoo — which she called High Chair Hair Care — with an all-natural cleansing agent, moisturizer and natural oils for fragrance. Her mixture also steered clear of the parabens, sulfates and artificial colors that can be harmful to babies and children.

I really had a hands-on approach to what I was doing because my kids were “my guinea pigs,” she said “So I wanted to make sure that it was safe and gentle. I didn’t want to put anything on my children that I didn’t feel comfortable using, and I didn’t want to sell anything to somebody else that they wouldn’t feel comfortable putting on their children.”
With the success of High Chair Hair Care, DeOliveira followed up the shampoo with another rinse-free product: No Bath Bubble Bath. Pip Squeeky Clean, a traditional shampoo and body wash combination; Cutie Pie Curls, a leave-in conditioner and detangler; and Kiddo Kream, an all-over moisturizer was also added to her line.

In addition to selling the products on the Web, DeOliveira is filling orders from 10 stores in the United States, Canada and Honduras.

Actress Rosa Blasi has used all of the products in the Oopsy Daisy line.

“It’s one of those products where you ask, How did the people with billions of dollars at Johnson & Johnson not figure this out first?” she said. The fact that the items do not contain harmful chemicals is a huge selling point, she said. “It’s really hard to find products that don’t have cancer-causing toxins and, on top of that, you can’t use hand sanitizers on children,” she said. “This is the answer: It’s one of those products where everyone I’ve talked to goes onto the Internet to get it.”

Sheryl Cancellieri’s daughter, Sabine Denton, 3, has very curly hair that was often difficult to manage. But the Cutie Pie Curls keeps Sabine’s hair under control while still maintaining the shape of the curls, Cancellieri said. “It’s turned it to a much more manageable and pleasant experience than having to chase her all around the house,” she said.

For more information about Oopsy Daisy products, visit www.oopsydaisybb.com, or send e-mail to debby@oopsydaisybb.com.