Have you been making Homemade Lotion, Homemade Vaseline, Homemade Lip Balm, Homemade Shaving Cream, and other natural health and beauty products for yourself? I've been enjoying all my homemade goodies ever since we started making/using them.
But what about natural products for baby? He deserves the best too, and if you are already making them for yourself you will have most of the ingredients needed to make this best diaper rash cream for your little!
This recipe is cloth diaper approved (even for cheap cloth diapers!). It shouldn't build up and if you are having problems with it you can run your diapers in a vinegar and baking soda wash to clean them up.
Ok so a note…most recipes I've found for homemade diaper rash cream use zinc oxide. This is supposed to have antibacterial properties. I’m personally not 100% convinced on the safety of zinc oxide since it will be absorbed by the skin (and especially on my baby!) but I encourage you to do your own research on zinc oxide before you make a decision. If you do decide to add it to this recipe you will add 1 tablespoon per batch. The coconut oil in this recipe will provide for antibacterial help anyways either way you decide to go.
So with that out of way….here is the recipe for the best diaper rash cream!
Best Diaper Rash Cream
What You Need:
- 1/2 cup shea butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 tbsp. beeswax
- 2 tbsp. vegetable glycerin
In a saucepan, melt the shea butter, coconut oil, and beeswax together.
Remove from heat. Add in the vegetable glycerin.
With an electric mixer of some kind, beat until the mixture gets creamy.
Pour into a jar or container and let cool. The diaper rash cream will firm up a little more as it cools.
The final product will be very thick, you only need to use a little bit at a time!
And that's how you make the best diaper rash cream! Are you going to try it?
Disclaimer: This post may contain a link to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.
{ 43 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh wow – this sounds fantastic! I always ended up making homemade diaper cream but with processed products. This sounds so natural and I’m sure great for baby’s skin! Thanks for sharing! xo, Kimberly
Is it cloth diaper safe?
It should be as long as you don’t over-use it. Also make sure you get the ivory shea butter instead of the gold.
Very cool! Does this product need to be refrigerated or is it shelf stable?
It’s shelf stable!
I wish I would have know about this when my daughter was a baby. She had issues with anything that was purchased over the counter!
If you are short on time, organic cold-pressed extra virgin coconut oil works great on its own. My daughter is prone to yeast rashes and it even works well on those.
I’ve found there is little out there that plain old coconut oil – put on diligently -won’t cure. Plus it’s 100% cloth diaper safe! I’ve yet to come across a rash it wouldn’t fix. However – if I do, I’m saving this, haha!
I’m going right home and try this after babysitting. Now, I’m wondering though, could I add zinc oxide powder and how much do you think would be appropriate?
You would add 1 tablespoon to a batch.
great idea! I always spent a ton of money buying the organic diaper cream. This is such a smarter alternative! Love that it’s only four ingredients!
Oh, thank you Marissa! I loved desitin with it’s zinc, but this would be so much better. LOL, I thought I was buying a little bit of zinc oxide powder and it turned out to be a great big bag. Now I can use it. I’m working on a more natural sun screen. (I’m a fair skinned redhead!) Oh, and can I say that I absolutely love your newsletter. Your advice is timely, your recipes are no fail. My grandbabies are getting bread pudding after church tonight! It made the house smell heavenly! Thank you soooo much!
The easist and best I have found is to infuse calendual petals in olive oil for a couple weeks on a shelf or 3 hrs. on low in a double boiler. Strain and add 1 part beeswax to 4 parts. infused oil. Put in bably food jar or I use recycled yeast jars as they are dark. My daughter saw it used on a baby’s bum that only got changed twice a day, if lucky, and it almost healed the rash in 24 hrs. Not her baby. It is great and easy to grow and dry the petals yourself naturally. Also called pot marigold. Deb
Is there a recipe to make this with another oil? I have severe coconut allergies
I’m not sure hat you could use that would still harden up like coconut oil does. You could try an almond or jojoba but they for sure won’t have the same consistency.
I just use Shea butter melted with organic extra virgin olive oil to soften it a bit, melted on low and whipped. Same method pretty much, I’ve also added jojoba but the Shea/olive mixture has been bomb proof for my daughter. When she started teething & eating solids we started seeing rashes, but his has cleared them up within 12-24 hours. My only mistake was putting huge layer on each time and getting major buildup on her diapers and the golden is shea is worse for buildup. I think letting the rashes air out and also her bottom each time I change her has helped. She thinks having her butt fanned dry is funny:)
Merissa,
I wanted to make a comment about using Zinc Oxide. Skin cannot absorb(and get into our bodies or blood steam) if the particles are larger than 30 nm. So as long as the zinc you use is larger than 30 nm, it is perfectly safe to use it in your products. Also, make sure to only use a cosmetic grade or USP grade(medical/food grade) zinc otherwise, you have no idea if zinc has been purified to remove naturally occurring(but hazardous) heavy metals. Zinc is a great barrier for moisture(ie urine and feces) and will help to protect your babies healthy skin. Also, I would suggest buying it from a reputable soap or bath/body supply company so you will know for sure(by looking at the MSDS sheets) the particle size and the grade. If you buy from someone on Ebay, Amazon, etc, you risk getting industrial grade zinc which is not skin safe.
Ok thank you for sharing for those that might be wondering!
This is great! I was out of shea butter, so we used cocoa butter instead. Feels great!
When I make large batches of any kind of salve I whip it in the food processor. It is easier to remove when I am ready to put it in small jars.
I am having trouble locating vegetable glycerin in my town and wanted to ask if it is essential to this recipe, what is its purpose and could I leave it out or replace it?
Julianna, it really thickens this recipe up and helps it to stick to where you put it. I do think this could be made without it but it might not have quite the same effect. You can also order it from Amazon if you are having trouble finding it in your town. I order it from my co-op.
Thanks Merissa! I definitely want it to stay put
I did see several sources online so I will be ordering that today! I need to try to locate a co-op in my area too. I’m looking forward to trying it out. Thanks again!
Good luck!
This actually looks pretty similar to the lemon curd I just made! I love using homemade products whenever possible. Thanks for the recipe!
Your blog is so cute! I’m stopping by from the Totally Tasty Tuesdays. I hope you will come over to my party and share some great recipes on http://rediscovermom.blogspot.com/2013/03/tried-and-true-recipe-party-3.html
This is a great concept and I love that it’s homemade! I’m going to feature it today! Thanks so much for sharing at Mix it up Monday
http://www.flourmewithlove.com/2013/03/featuring-you_13.html
I’ll be sharing this one! Thanks so much for linking it up to Monday Funday!
This is great – would love for you to link it up at the Friday Baby Shower a new linky party for all things pregnancy and new baby – Alice http://mumsmakelists.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/The%20Friday%20Baby%20Shower
Hi Merissa,
I am sure passing this along to a couple of friends who need it now for the little ones, this is great! Have a great St. Patrick’s Day and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday!
Come Back Soon,
Miz Helen
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for the awesome recipe! My sister made some of this for my 1yr. old and our baby due in three weeks. It works amazingly well, within 24hrs. I am not only using it on his bum, but his chin gets really broke out from teething. This makes a huge difference! I love that I know exactly what I am putting onto his tender skin. Now I’m off to check out all the other gems on your site.
I’m so glad it worked for you!
why doesn’t it get creamy an d thick when I beat it ?
Did you add all the amounts of ingredients correctly? Also…it takes a few minutes of beating with the mixer to get creamy so make sure you give it a little time!
I have made diaper cream before but was looking for a recipe for moral support because I can’t seem to find the recipe I used before. I’m so glad google brought me here.
To the lady that doesn’t want to use coconut, how about cocoa butter? That would thicken up the way coconut oil does and if you use an unrefined kind, it would smell delicious, too.
I’ve never tried beating the cream into submission… the recipe I used was like a thick, hard salve. I had to scrape a bit off with my finger and it melted as it was applied. This recipe looks like a much nicer and easier to apply consistency. Can’t wait to try it!
I hope you enjoy it Nannette! It definitely is a good consistency, very similar to a thick salve although this melts somewhat as you put it on thanks to the coconut oil.
Hi! I am so excited about this!! What size jar did this make and how long does it last for? I found 3 of the ingredients on Amazon and the coconut oil on the website you listed has the best deal on it. I just want to make sure I am getting my best ‘bang for my buck’. It’s going to cost us $50ish for everything. I know that’s an upfront cost. I need this info to convince my husband that we will actually be saving by going this route, lol.
Right now we buy diaper cream that is $23 for 16 oz.
This recipe make just less than 8 ounces and for us it lasts a looong time but we don’t use it that often. If you are going through Tropical Traditions to buy the coconut oil you will love it! It’s for sure the best brand I’ve used. And once you purchase all the ingredients you will have enough to make many batches.
I am SO trying this! For further anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties do you think it would be okay to add a couple of drops of thyme essential oil to this?
Thank you so much!
As long as it doesn’t irritate your little one I think it’s ok!
Thanks soooo much for the recipe! My son (2 weeks) has had a nasty never ending diaper rash. Yes, we use disposables… yes I make my own wipes with processed chemicals… however NO diaper rash creams were helping. We even used a prescription cream only for it to continue to get worst with every thing we tried. We even used desiten (sp?), no luck there either. Tried this recipe, (without zinc) and in less than 24 hours it’s almost completely gone!!! What a relief, I’m in love. When I put it on I actually feel like I am doing something GOOD for his skin, not just fighting a diaper rash.
I am not a person that has to have stuff all natural, or organic… however when it works as well or better and is cheaper than the other stuff I am all for it. So if someone is reading this and is wondering if they should try it… YES!
I divided mine up into 3 containers, one for his bed room, one for our downstairs changing area, and one for the diaper bag. Just a suggestion.
thanks so much!!
Awesome! I’m so glad it worked so well for you!