DIY Nappy Rash Cream

Those poor baby bottoms suffer quite a bit! Think about it: all that booty movement, chaffing, not to mention wearing relentless un-breathing diapers that make air circulation on sensitive parts a joke!

Enter in the life-changing diaper rash creme! This stuff is miraculous in that it can gently sooth angry red skin while healing it in the long run.

You can easily find the stuff at any pharmacy or supermarket, but the organic brands tend to cost a pretty penny. So why not make our own natural (and organic) baby butt paste?

In this instructable and with only a few ingredients, your baby and your purse will all have healthier bottoms!

Let's get started!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup coconut oil

Chamomile flower or chamomile tea bag (I couldn't find the flowers anywhere, so I just used 100% chamomile tea bags with no added caffeine. Same deal)

15 grams beeswax

12 drops of lavender essential oil (you can also use tea tree oil)

Optional:

Arrowroot powder to thicken the consistency of the creme

Squeeze bottle for easy application

Prep the double boiler

I didn't actually have a double boiler, so I make shifted by filling in a regular sauce pan with about a pint of water. Then I just hooked on a glass measuring cup onto the lip of the saucepan, and there you go - instant double boiler! Now the cream can heat up in the measuring cup because of the boiling water in the saucepan without the fear of it burning.

Add the coconut oil and teabag

With my double boiler set, I added the coconut oil and the chamomile tea bag. I let these two ingredients steep for 10 minutes, you'll start to see the chamomile slightly colour the oi.

Coconut oil is an amazing moisturizer and skin healer, but its antibacterial and anti-fungal properties make it phenomenal in treating diaper rash, even if all by itself! Similarly, chamomile has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. What's not to love?

Prep the beeswax

Using a grater, I grated as much beeswax as I thought I needed (about a 15 grams). You can also cut chunks of the wax and throw that into your double boiler, but the grated wax will melt faster. Stir occasionally to make sure the wax is being well incorporated.

The purpose of the beeswax is to thicken the creme, but also to serve as an emollient and with its stubborn texture, it'll help the creme stay on those busy bottoms!

Add essential oils

I chose to only use lavender oil, but you can also add in tea tree oil. Lavender oil is an analgesic (reduces pain), anti-fungal, antihistamine, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiseptic. Awesome stuff!

For our purposes, the oil fights infection in the diaper area and soothes damaged, sore, red skin. It also helps to calm baby with its's soothing scent.

Take off the stove and allow to cool

Once you creme has been on the stove for about 25 minutes, you can trust that all of the ingredients have mixed together well. Take off stove and remove chamomile tea bag. Allow to cool, mixing occasionally. I recommend allowing it to cool (and concurrently thicken) for about 7 minutes until moving it into its applicator (either a squeeze bottle or mason jar) If you wait too long, the creme will become too thick to easily transplant.

After the creme has cooled completely, test its consistency by rubbing on your hand. It should resemble a thick handcreme. If you find that it is still too liquidy, you can either put it back into the double boiler and add more beeswax or simply add in arrowroot powder (see next step)

Add arrowroot (optional)

Arrowroot is a more natural and great alternative to cornstarch, thickening consistency to liquidy substances. I added in about a 1/2 tablespoon after taking the creme off the stove. You want to add in the arrowroot when the creme is still warm, but not hot, as you can better gauge its setting consistency. Avoid adding it in when the creme is at room temperature (unless its still liquidy at this point)

Enjoy

This soothing and oh, so wonderful smelling butt balm will not go bad as the main ingredients, coconut oil and beeswax do not spoil. However, it may separate, and need a good mixing to get it get an even texture again.

Bottoms up!

This post was adapted from an Instructable that was originally posted by Amalkhan. You can find more DIY on her blog

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