My firstborn had the worst diaper rashes. I tried every cream on the market, changed her the second her diaper was dirty, and no matter what I did, she kept getting painful diaper rashes. Finally, I was able to give her some relief when I used Corona Ointment on her. Corona ointment is suuuuper thick and sticks to the skin, so it created a protective barrier on her skin. And it worked wonderfully! The problem is that Corona Ointment is designed for the use on horses, and I am almost certain has not been approved for human use.
A few years later, I have an 8-month-old son, and his skin seems to be much less sensitive than his sisters. He will get the occasional diaper rash, and I can treat it with a homemade diaper cream, and it clears up the same or next day. I have opted to not use Corona on him, but picked a more natural, homemade cream. If I had known about all natural diaper creams when my daughter was little, I would have definitely opted for this instead.
For this homemade diaper cream, I combined shea butter, coconut oil, beeswax and bentonite clay. Here’s why I chose these ingredients:
Shea Butter – Shea butter goes in most of my natural body products, because it gives lotions and creams a deeply rich moisture. Shea butter has also been shown to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain-relief) properties. I use unrefined, organic shea butter in my recipes.
Coconut Oil – Coconut oil is one of my favorite oils, and it is also added to most of my natural body products. It has shown to have antibacterial properties, is all natural, and adds additional moisture and nourishment to the skin. You can find organic coconut oil at most markets these days, or on amazon.
Beeswax – adding beeswax helps make this homemade diaper cream stickier and more firm, so it will stay on the skin longer. I find beeswax pastilles the easiest to work with in homemade beauty recipes.
Bentonite Clay – Natural clays have been used to treat skin infections for as long as history has been recorded and have been shown to have antibacterial properties. I find bentonite clay a challenge to pick up in stores, but can find it on Amazon.
It has been a long held belief of mine that the earth’s naturally occurring plants and minerals can heal our ailments as effectively, if not better, than commercial products.
Here is how to make my all natural diaper cream
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup shea butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 tbsp beeswax pastilles
- 1 tbsp bentonite clay
Fill a small saucepan with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Set a glass bowl on top of the pan, essentially creating a double-boiler, and add the shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax to the bowl.
Reduce heat to medium, and allow the butter, wax and oil to melt. This takes about 10 – 15 minutes.
Once melted, remove the bowl from heat, and add in bentonite clay. Stir well. While still warm, transfer to a mason jar or desired container.
Allow to cool in container until it sets. Use as often as needed for diaper rashes.
Like the t-rex diapers? I picked them up from Honest.com, where they make diapers with plant-based inner and outer layers. Their diapers are chlorine-free, bio-based and gentle for baby. They also come in a variety of designs (like cute t-rex shown above).
Have you battled diaper rashes? What has worked for you? Share your stories in the comments below so other people can read what has worked for you!
Also do you have the volume to weight conversion? Thanks
How is on cloth diapers? Does it stop them from somewhat ‘soaking up’? Also firm is it in cooler seasons?
I haven’t used this with cloth diapers, but it is a firm cream. I haven’t had any problems applying it in the colder months 🙂
How is this on cloth diapers? Does it stop somewhat soaking up? Also is this hard during cooler weather?
I’m not sure if it was the breastfeeding or not, but my children only had one rash each, and as a childminder I’ve seen some humdinger rashes that were difficult to clear!
But never mind the diaper cream, this looks like it would be great for cracked heels, dry hands, etc. And I’m sure it smells lovely, too!
I love when Moms figure out a way to create a product that works for their sensitive little one. The other products like this are chock full of chemicals so this is an easy way to stay natural. And I bet the coconut oil helps the cream smell better than traditional ones too.
My babies are all well beyond diapers, but a very good friend of ours just had a baby and I can’t wait to make this for him! Like me, my friend prefers natural products. I can’t wait to hear what she thinks of this diaper cream.
My daughter had some pretty nasty diaper rashes because she has eczema. We swore by the Monkey Butt diaper rash cream, which was very thick so it stayed put well. I love the idea of an all-natural homemade diaper cream though, and it looks thick as well. I will share this with some of the parents at the preschool I work in!
My children, when they were in babies, had an occassional diaper rash. I would have liked to of had a homemade cream instead of commercially made ones.
With three babies in diapers right now, diaper rashes kill me! I’ll have to give this a try!
I was blessed that my babies didn’t really have much diaper rash. When they did, I’d let them air out without a diaper as much as possible and that seemed to do the trick. I’m glad to know about your natural remedy. Pinning now.