Natural Diaper Rash Cream Recipe

Katie Wells Avatar

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Homemade Natural Diaper Cream Recipe
Wellness Mama » Blog » Motherhood » Natural Diaper Rash Cream Recipe

I’ve shared my homemade baby care recipes before but I get a lot of questions about variations of the natural diaper rash cream specifically. I’ve played around with some recipes and settled on one that is by far more effective than any other options I’ve found.

How to Make a Natural Diaper Rash Cream

I chose all of the ingredients for this natural diaper cream recipe for a very specific reason and together they are really effective at battling diaper rash. For this recipe, I use:

Shea Butter – I use this as one of the core ingredients in homemade diaper cream because contains the fat soluble vitamins A and E. It is soothing to the skin and has a natural SPF of about 6. Additionally, it helps protect skin from drying out since it contains five essential fatty acids.

Coconut Oil: I use coconut oil for everything, but it is especially helpful in diaper cream since it is naturally antibacterial and anti-fungal. It is actually pretty effective on many types of diaper rash if used alone but is more effective when combined with these other ingredients.

Beeswax: Provides a protective barrier for the skin and helps hold the other ingredients to the skin so they can be effective.

Fermented Cod Liver Oil Liquid: A secret ingredient for helping heal baby’s bottom. Fish oil is often used in conventional diaper creams but the Weston A. Price foundation recommends fermented cod liver oil as a first food and used on a baby’s bottom since it is a good source of fat soluble vitamins and baby will only absorb what is needed from the skin. This ingredient is optional but helpful. Note that this can go rancid so you won’t want to use this ingredient if you don’t plan to use the cream within about 3 months.

Zinc Oxide: An ingredient in main brands like Desitin and Balmex, zinc oxide is insoluble in water and coats the skin. When mixed with the other ingredients, it makes skin water proof and keeps it from drying out. If you rub a small amount of this cream on your arm, you’ll notice that water beads on top of your skin and won’t absorb.

Bentonite Clay: Helps control moisture and fights bacteria on the skin that can be making the rash worse.

Diaper Cream Ingredients

Diaper Cream Instructions

  1. Mix shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax in a double boiler or glass bowl over a small saucepan with an inch of water. Bring water to a boil and melt the ingredients. I keep a double boiler just for making beauty products since it is difficult to clean dishes after making anything with beeswax or zinc oxide.
  2. Remove from heat and add the Fermented Cod Liver Oil, Zinc Oxide, Bentonite Clay and Essential Oil (if using).
  3. Stir carefully as it starts to cool. I recommend using a popsicle stick or disposable straw to stir so it can be discarded since it is difficult to get the mixture off of dishes.
  4. Pour in to container you are going to use to store it and stir a few more times as it cools.
  5. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.
  6. Use as needed for diaper rash.

Ever made a homemade diaper cream? How did it work? Share below!

This all natural diaper rash cream recipe contains coconut oil, bentonite clay, shea butter, zinc oxide, and fermented cod liver oil.

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

178 responses to “Natural Diaper Rash Cream Recipe”

  1. Katie Avatar

    Anyone ever add honey to this? I’ve been using Destin for years, but on my horses… My one horse gets a fungal infection every year on his ankles from all the rain and mud in Florida 🙁 I’ve always mixed some other stuff into my Destin and used it as ointment because it actually stays put when the horse is out in the field. I’m wondering if I can use this recipe plus some more antibacterial and antifungal stuff, like Manuka honey, tea tree oil, etc…. Is it gooey and sticky enough to stay put?

  2. Verónica Avatar

    Would a vegetable omega 3 oil work in this recipe instead of cod liver oil? I take Udo’s blend, a mix of flaxseed and sesame oil.

  3. Claire C Avatar

    Hi Katie!

    I am a big fan of the blog, and have started dabbling in your homemade remedies! I made this and shortly after it cooled, and I put it in a mason jar, it hardened a lot. I thought maybe my jar wasn’t sealed well enough so I re-melted it and put it in a better one with a good seal, but it did the same thing. It is still usable, but you kind of have to rub a clump between your hands and fingers a lot to get it to the right consistency to spread on my son’s bottom. Is this normal? I see people mentioned above whipping it in a blender or with a hand mixer. Is this what you did, and do you recommend?

    Thanks in advance!

    Claire

  4. Claire Chappell Avatar
    Claire Chappell

    Hi Katie! I am a big blog fan and have started to dabble in your homemade remedies! I made this for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and it hardened up a lot after it cooled down…so to use it on my son, I have to kind of crack a chunk off and rub it all over my hands to get it to spread out and not be chunky. Is that normal? I see people mention above that they whipped it. Do you recommend that?

  5. Jen Avatar

    I checked into the Mountain Rose Shea Butter and cannot find out if it has been tested for mercury, lead, bacteria, mold, etc. by the American Shea Butter Institute. I use the one you use and made your cream mixture for my daughter’s diaper rash. However, I just learned not all shea butters are equal and should be tested for such dangerous things by the American Shea Butter Institute. I wanted to bring this to your attention so you are aware and are careful along with any others who read this page and buy Mountain Rose’s shea butter as I have. Do you know by any chance if their shea butter is certified premium grade A and have been tested? I will keep trying to find out, but I feel so sad if I have been putting heavy metals or microbes on her like that. Thank you!

  6. jennifer hensley Avatar
    jennifer hensley

    I am making this with zinc and without. Would the one without zinc be ok for every diaper change? TIA

  7. Dana Avatar

    Hi! Wondering if all of these ingredients are on for Infants? Could they be allergic to any of them that young on by chance?

  8. Danielle Avatar

    Hi Katie,
    I was wondering if it would work to put witch hazel or is that too strong for baby’s bottoms?

  9. Dana Avatar

    Wellness mama-
    Hi, I am wondering if you get all of your herbs and butters from rose mountain herbs or is there a certain brand you get from amazon also?

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar

      Generally I purchase from MRH but I have backups on Amazon that I also use if MRH is out of stock in something that is a bit time sensitive.

  10. Rachel Avatar

    Would it have the same effect if I substituted the Shea butter for Cocoa butter?

  11. Lauren Avatar

    I want to make a barrier cream for my grandmother who’s incontinent. Would this recipe be good for her or is it designed solely for rashes? (I would be leaving out the cod liver oil and Real Dose.) I’m thinking of including calendula and chamomile flowers from your older recipe. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

  12. Katie M. Avatar
    Katie M.

    This diaper cream is AMAZING!! Occasionally we have struggled with diaper rash; once when my child was teething he had a horrible bleeding rash for almost a week. Nothing was working. This cream cleared it up in just a few hours! Also, I have started using this along with German chamomile hydrosol for my 12-month-old’s eczema and it is getting rid of the eczema when nothing else works!! I know it’s weird to use diaper cream for eczema, but I just massage a small amount into his skin, and it is doing a fabulous job of clearing it up. Thank you so, so much for this recipe!!

  13. Scarlett Avatar
    Scarlett

    The zink powder is not dissolving, why won’t it? What can I do?

  14. Carissa Avatar
    Carissa

    does this have to be stored in a glass container? or can i store it in a plastic squeeze bottle??

  15. Liish Avatar

    Can I make this without the fish oil and it be just as effective or do you recommend a substitute? It will be for a cloth diaper system.

  16. Sandy Avatar

    Hi Katie–I love your blog and all your recipes. I have been trying them all out on my family and they love them too.

    Would you use something different for adults in diapers? My father is getting big red sores from his diapers even though we’re changing them all the time. I was thinking of using some of the Vinegar of the 4 Thieves on the sores to disinfect them and then the diaper cream. I don’t want to burn him, but I hate the look of those sores…

    1. Jennifer L. Avatar
      Jennifer L.

      I know this is an older comment, but manuka honey (though expensive) works well on bed sores for the elderly and other bed-bound patients.

  17. christine Avatar
    christine

    Katie–love what you’re writing and doing here for all us trying the natural way to care for ourselves and our children, thank you!! Thank you especially for this diaper cream recipe. I have kokum butter on hand which is my preference for lip balm and soap so I plan to use that in place of the shea here and I’m wondering if there’s a reason you choose shea over kokum in so many of your recipes? Mountain Rose writes that it is “highly prized and under-rated” and “works well in healing lotions” as it promotes regeneration and elasticity in skin (hence my preferred use in lip balm). I’m relatively new to homemade I’d love your opinion! I imagine its harder consistency will make the end product harder unless I add more coconut oil or beeswax. I’ll let you know how it turns out!

  18. DJ Avatar

    Hi! Thank you so much, this recipe looks fantastic! I was wondering if cod liver oil can be substituted for the fermented cod liver oil? Please respond, I can’t wait to try this recipe out!!! Thank you!

  19. Monika Kucic Avatar
    Monika Kucic

    You can add a little vegetable glycerine (5%), allantoin (0.1%) and dexpanthenol (vitamin B5 – up to 5%) to hydrolat for cream to better maintain skin moisture, and to have calming and healing effect.

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