The ultimate homemade diaper rash cream

Infused with essential oils, and made with soothing ingredients like coconut oil, shea butter, and zinc oxide, this cream works to keep diaper-rash away, or heal diaper rash quickly.

What’s wrong with most store-bought creams?

Unlike many of the popular commercial creams, this homemade diaper rash cream is made with natural ingredients and doesn’t contain harmful chemicals and skin irritants like petrolatum, dimethicone, or mineral oil.

Ingredients and their amazing properties:

Shea butter: Shea butter is made up of vitamins, fatty acids, and anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, making it ideal for diaper cream. It also has anti-inflammatory and healing properties, which get delivered right into the skin. Its buttery consistency works like a charm. When shopping for shea butter, use raw, unrefined Grade A shea because conventional shea may be extracted with harsh solvents such as hexane.

Coconut oil: Coconut oil has both anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties which makes it perfect for preventing and treating diaper rash. Extra virgin coconut oil has demonstrated the strongest antimicrobial properties, but expeller-pressed will work fine as well.

Beeswax pastilles: Natural beeswax moisturizes your baby’s skin while fighting bacteria. It also helps hold the other ingredients on the skin so they’re effective.

Non-nanoparticle Zinc Oxide: Zinc thickens the paste and helps form a barrier on the skin to repel moisture and protect your baby’s bum from irritants. Basically, it makes the skin waterproof while moisturizing it at the same time. Be sure to choose “non-nano” zinc, which means that the particles aren’t small enough to penetrate the skin.

Bentonite clay: Bentonite clay has amazing healing and detoxifying benefits. It fights bacteria, absorbs moisture and removes toxins, chemicals and impurities.

Essential oils: Essential oils are often added for their skin healing properties. While they’re not absolutely necessary for your cream, they’re a great addition.

Aloe: Aloe is incredibly calming for the skin. It has anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antioxidant properties that aid in healing, making it fantastic for soothing pain and reducing inflammation.

Cloth diapering mommas:

Some people say zinc oxide is totally safe for cloth diapering. We would suggest you leave it out in the event it would, over time, put a moisture barrier on the diaper. The last thing you want is for your diaper to repel liquid, rather than absorb it.

If you use cloth diapers, substitute zinc oxide powder for arrowroot powder. You can also line the diaper with a piece of old t-shirt or cloth, rather than having to strip the diaper.

What should I store my cream in?

Because bentonite clay’s effectiveness can be reduced if it comes into contact with anything metal, it’s best to store your cream in a glass jar.

Should essential oils be added?

Just like adults’ skin can be sensitive to different ingredients and fragrances, some babies are extra sensitive to certain essential oils.

Babies under 3 months of age have much more permeable skin. Because of this, I (Kalie) decided not to add any essentials oils to Isla’s baby cream, unless there was a true reason, such as a severe skin irritation. If I decided to use any oils, I always did a skin patch test prior to use to make sure she wasn’t sensitive to them. Once Isla turned 3 months old, I used essential oils more widely.

**Outside of a skin patch test, don’t apply oils directly to the skin.

Which essential oils should I use?

Adding essential oils is optional but certainly helpful. When you’re shopping for essential oils, choose a product that is 100% pure, contains only natural ingredients and is free of chemicals and preservatives. Add 2-4 drops TOTAL of essential oils into your diaper cream.

Calendula Oil: This essential oil (which is derived from a flowering plant), especially when used in combination with aloe vera gel, has been shown to effectively help speed up skin healing. It also offers antibacterial and antiviral properties.

Tea Tree Oil: If you suspect yeast or bacteria as the culprit, add a few drops of tea tree oil to enhance your cream’s anti-fungal properties.

Lavender: Another superstar for diaper rash, lavender has been shown to help helps soothe skin and promote healing.

Roman Camomile: Chamomile is especially helpful for healing diaper rashes because of its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and anti-parasitic properties.

Everyday ingredients for natural remedies

These ingredients may seem like an investment if this is your first homemade beauty or body care project. Don’t fret! They’re well worth it and can be used in so many other DIY projects.

Why use a double boiler to melt the mixture?

When it comes to delicate ingredients, like oils and beeswax, it’s important to warm them without burning them. The best way to do this is by using a double boiler. You can easily do this by placing a heat-safe bowl on top of a pot with simmering water. The steam from the water in the pot will warm the delicate ingredients in the top bowl without burning them.

Why keep a separate set of bowls and use a wax applicator stick to stir the mixture?

While we use our everyday measuring cups to make our beauty products, we keep a separate double boiler and set of mixing bowls (a smaller and larger bowl) just for making beauty and body care products. We’ve found that it’s difficult to fully remove beeswax and zinc oxide from the kitchenware, so it’s best to keep a special set. In addition, we recommend using a wax applicator stick or popsicle stick to stir the mixture because it can be difficult to clean it off of a stirring spoon.

Just like the ingredients used, there’s a bit of upfront investment in kitchenware when making your own DIY body care products. The good news is once you start using these natural, non-toxic beauty recipes, you’ll start saving money because you’ll no longer need to purchase pricy conventional beauty products… plus your skin and body will thank you!

A few helpful tips when diapering your little one

• Allow your baby some time each day to be diaper-free. A great way to do this is to allow your baby to spend a few minutes with a book or toy while sitting on their changing table. That way if they have an accident, it’s an easy clean-up.
• When cleaning your baby’s bottom, be as gentle as possible.
• After you’ve cleaned your baby’s bottom, allow it to dry completely before applying diaper cream.
• If your little one has a diaper rash that doesn’t go away for several days, the cause could be yeast. In this case, you would want to talk to your doctor.