I was one of those odd moms who actually liked the smell of Desitin. I don’t know if I mentally attached it to the fun of squooshy babies or what, but I thought it smelled good! However, as I learned more about the dangers of putting various chemicals on my family’s skin, my thoughts went to the babies. According to Healthy Child Healthy World, I’m not the only one with such a concern:
“When you are slathering on diaper cream, keep in mind that an infant’s skin is thinner than an adult’s skin, so chemicals can more easily penetrate. Also, an infant has 2 and ½ times the skin surface area as an adult when compared to his internal mass, which basically means an infant gets a greater exposure to toxic chemicals in body care products on a body weight basis than an adult.”
Baby Bum Diaper Ointment
- ½ C. + 1 T. beeswax
- 1 C. grape seed oil (may also use jojoba or calendula)
- ¼ C. Aloe Vera gel
- 4 T. shea butter
- 2 T. glycerin
- 2 tsp. lanolin
- 1 Vit. E capsule
Baby Blend (Use this blend for every 2 oz. of ointment)
- 8 drops lavender essential oil
- 6 drops German chamomile essential oil
- 3 drops frankincense essential oil
- 3 drops copaiba essential oil
Melt the beeswax in a double boiler. Whisk in grape seed oil, shea butter, Vitamin E capsule, and lanolin just until melted. Whisk in glycerin and take off the fire. Continue to whisk constantly until mixture is cool. Once mixture is cool, blend with electric mixture until thick. While mixer is still going, slowly add Aloe Vera gel until mixture is rich and creamy.
Makes approximately 18 oz. of product. Add to sterilized glass jars and thoroughly mix in essential oil blend with a toothpick or Popsicle stick.
This recipe base can be used for other purposes by modifying the essential oils to match the necessity. My husband loves ointment on his dry finger tips. For his blend, I added lavender, frankincense and copaiba.
