Homemade Diaper Cream {aka: “Bum Balm”}

Would you like to save 50% or more on diaper cream, without all those nasties from commercial products touching your sweet baby’s bum?

I thought you might.

Why I switched

I used to swear by my extra strength store-bought diaper cream – it had worked well for us for four years; but when my youngest developed some mild eczema a few months back, I began scrutinizing everything I put on his skin (and in his mouth). I’m now only using homemade oil blends and creams to wash, moisturize, and diaper him – and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how affordable and easy is it to make them! So far, so good – things seem to have calmed things down on the skin surface while a few diet and supplement changes address the root of the eczema issue internally.

Whether or not you have a child with skin issues, I’ll bet you’ve at least wondered whether the litany of petroleum-based products and fragrances found in soaps, shampoos and creams are really safe. The more I learn, the more convinced I am that they’re not. My general approach to skin care and household products is shifting from:

“Why not just buy something off the shelf?”

to:

“Why not just use something our wise and good God created Himself?” 

Easy & Cheap

Some of you aren’t totally sold on the whole “clean” and “natural” thing. That’s fine…though I hope you’ll stick around and let me try to convince you! *wink*

But all of us can appreciate something that’s both easy and cheap, no?

This homemade diaper cream recipe costs around $4 (approximately $0.40 per oz), has only three ingredients, all of which can be purchased by clicking on the images below (I’ve cost compared to include the products that appear to be the most affordable of the higher quality options available on Amazon).

All three ingredients can be tossed together into a food processor or a mixing bowl – the cream whips up in just a few minutes in my stand mixer.

It could also be mixed by hand using a whisk (soften the coconut oil and shea butter first if whisking manually). The end result will have a texture and appearance similar to buttercream icing…come to think of it, it smells a little like buttercream icing too!

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If you prefer a thicker cream, additional zinc oxide or arrowroot powder can be added. Personally, I find that a softer cream such as this one can be applied quickly and smoothly, which babies with tender bottoms seem to appreciate!

At this point, you can add essential oils or other naturally scented ingredients if you’d like. I chose to add about 10 drops each of Frankincense and Lavender, since those are two of the primary essential oils used to treat eczema, and ones I already had on hand.

 About the Ingredients & an Alternative for Nut Allergies

Organic, Unrefined Coconut Oil*

 An excellent moisturizer with multiple healing properties and a nice, sweet scent…let’s face it – smelling nice is, well….nice!

Pure African Shea Butter*

Another great natural moisturizer. If you’ve never ordered shea butter before, be sure to get an unprocessed version (such as the product link pictured above)- it should be fairly soft and ivory colored. If yours is harder (usually yellowish), you may want to heat it just enough to soften it so no large clumps remain after mixing.

Non-nano Zinc Oxide

 Zinc oxide helps to both prevent and heal skin irritation. I’ve tried a lot of diaper creams over the years, and those with the highest zinc content seemed to outshine the rest. While zinc oxide is safe for topical use, it can be toxic if inhaled. Take great care not to inhale the powder when making this recipe (I started the stand mixer on low speed until all the zinc powder was incorporated into the mix), and consider shewing the kiddos away while you’re mixing.

Frankincense Essential Oil

With strong antiseptic and immune-supportive properties, frankincense is one of the most widely used medicinal oils.

Lavender Essential Oil

 In addition to being one of my favorite smelling essential oils, lavender’s anti-fungal properties are a great compliment to the antiseptic properties of frankincense (double whammy!).

Tea Tree Oil (aka, Melaleuca)

Tea Tree has both antibacterial and antifungal properties. I include it specifically due to the increased likelihood of Candida fungus in babies who have frequent stools.

 * Alternatives for Nut Allergies

Both coconut oil and shea butter are nut products, but you could use equal amounts of grass fed tallow (This is an excellent article on why and how to render tallow, as well as before/after photos of tallow-treated diaper rash). Search the Eat Wild site to find sources of grass-fed animal products in your area. Or, order from US Wellness Meats to have competitively priced grass-fed products delivered to your door.

Homemade Diaper Cream {"Bum Balm"} - with nut free option

Easy, all natural, and 50% cheaper than the leading commercial diaper cream! Makes 10-12 oz.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 3 minutes minutes

Author: Dena Norton

Ingredients

• ▢ 1/2 cup organic unrefined coconut oil*
• ▢ 1/2 cup pure African shea butter*
• ▢ 1/4 cup zinc oxide powder See Notes section below
• ▢ Optional Ingredients**: 40 drops essential oil of choice I used 10 drops Frankincense + 10 drops Lavender + 20 drops Tea Tree/Melaleuca
• ▢ * For nut allergies or sensitivities grass fed tallow can be used in place of the shea butter and coconut oil.

Instructions

• If your shea butter has a very hard texture, you may need to warm it over the stove (double boiler recommended) or in a glass bowl in the microwave (2 15-second intervals should be enough). Heat just enough to soften it - do not melt it or your mixture will not thicken when whipped.
• Place all ingredients in an electric mixer. Mix on low speed until combined, then on high speed until texture is thick and creamy.
• Transfer to containers (I used small glass mason jars with lids).

Notes

Notes on Zinc oxide powder - additional zinc oxide or arrowroot powder can be added to thicken this if desired. Exercise caution when handling zinc oxide as it is toxic if inhaled.

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