Homemade Natural Diaper Cream That Really Works

Homemade diaper cream that is great for daily use and for treating nasty diaper rash. This natural DIY diaper rash cream keeps baby bums clean and clear!

Diaper Rash and Homemade Diaper Cream

Nothing is softer than a new baby’s bum! However, keeping that bum protected can become quite tricky.

Earlier this year we welcomed our second son into our family. He’s now six months old, full-of-energy, and has a knack for getting into everything. He is just the sweetest little thing, but lately, we’ve been battling some serious diaper rash.

It started with just a few red bumps which then spread to almost all of his diaper area. We tried natural creams, zinc-based creams, and even a few of the more popular brands with no relief. Several of these creams were petroleum-based and heavily fragranced. Yuck!

Natural Ingredients for Treating Diaper Rash

I started to research some better ingredients that would help combat his rash and begin to heal his skin. I found a few oils and herbs that promised to work wonders on the skin so I decided to gather them up and try it. After a few attempts, I found a recipe that really started to heal his skin (and was very budget-friendly to make).

It all starts with an easy-to-make oil infusion. The oils I ultimately decided on were shea, olive, and coconut – mainly for their affordability and skin healing properties.

Shea Butter

Shea butter is quickly becoming a favorite of mine for skincare. Raw shea butter has antifungal and antibacterial properties. I’ve also heard that it helps combat yeast and helps skin cells to regenerate. It is very thick and makes a wonderful barrier between baby’s skin and water.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is very affordable and is also wonderfully skin-healing. It’s loaded with antioxidants, plus vitamins A and E. It penetrates easily into skin layers to help them heal while keeping moisture out.

Coconut Oil

Of course, coconut oil is also wonderful for the skin. It’s antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral. It has some great fatty acids that help skin rebuild and repair too! All great properties for a homemade diaper rash cream.

Chamomile

To make these oils even better, I infused them with some organic chamomile. (New to infusing oils? Check out this post on How to Make an Easy Herbal Oil Infusion). The chamomile helps soothe skin, provides a relaxing aroma, and is also antibacterial and antifungal. It really is a great addition to any skin healing cream.

Beeswax

To make this cream a little harder and more protective, I added some beeswax. It helps fight bacteria and inflammation while providing a barrier that keeps moisture in and water out. It also helps extend the life of the cream and makes it last longer.

Homemade Diaper Rash Cream

This recipe will make enough to fill two 5-ounce jars (with a little extra).

Ingredients

• 3 ounces shea butter (find unrefined shea butter here)
• 2 ounces olive oil (find a good brand here)
• 7 ounces coconut oil (find unrefined coconut oil here)
• 1 cup (approx. 8 ounces) organic dried chamomile (find organic dried chamomile here)
• 2 ounces beeswax (find beeswax pastilles here)

Directions

Make the oil infusion:

1. The first step of homemade diaper rash cream is to make the oil infusion. To do this add shea butter, olive oil, and coconut oil to a large mason jar and secure lid.
2. Place mason jar in a small saucepan filled with water on low.
3. Allow the oils to melt, then measure in dried chamomile.
4. Stir and secure lid.
5. Allow to simmer on low for an hour (turning down the heat as necessary to prevent boiling) – you can allow more or less time for this step, depending on how strong you want your infusion to be. I normally try to keep this between 45 minutes – 1 hour.
6. Strain out the chamomile with cheesecloth.

At this point, I normally have about 10 ounces of infused oil to work with.

Making the DIY diaper rash cream:

1. Combine the warm (still liquid) infused oil and beeswax in a clean glass jar.
2. Add beeswax and return to the double boiler.
3. Keep the cream on low heat and stir until beeswax is melted.
4. Pour into smaller jars (I store mine in glass pyrex bowls with air-tight lids).

To Use

Use generously on baby’s bottom, chapped skin, or even as an every-day moisturizer. It’s great for bigger kids and adults too! We keep some in our bathroom for guests because of the wonderfully comforting aroma of chamomile.

I make a large batch of cream and it lasts us about 2 months. I use this homemade diaper rash cream for diaper changes, dry baby skin, toddler skin, and even for my own skin.

Tip: check out our homemade diaper rash spray too!

*******