The count of babies due to pop up in my life continues to riseāit’s currently at 7. That’s got me thinking about all the crap that’s in diaper creme. It’s mostly petroleum/mineral oil, which is a sad thing to put on anybody’s skin, let alone your darling baby’s. My homemade diaper creme has a nice, short ingredient list, and nothing in it is related to plastic.
The active ingredient in this diaper creme, like many you can buy, is zinc oxide (USA / Canada), at about 10%. Zinc oxide helps soothe and prevent rashes by creating an inert barrier between sensitive skin and the outside world.
Instead of mineral oil, the oil I’ve used is grapeseed oil, which is gentle, quick-absorbing, and mildly astringent. I’ve used plain water as the base to keep things simple.
Best of all? Each batch only costs about $0.34. That’s $0.003/g compared to $0.09/g for a comparable Aveeno product. Score!
Homemade Diaper Creme
73g | 2.57oz distilled water
2g | 0.07g vegetable glycerine (USA / Canada)7g | 0.25oz complete emulsifying wax (not beeswax!)
18g |0.63ozĀ grapeseed oil
2 tsp non-nano zinc oxide (USA / Canada)Broad spectrum preservative of choice (why?) (Remember that Liquid Germall Plus is not approved for use on those under 3 years of age. I’d recommend Optiphen Plus for this formulation.)
Whisk together the water and vegetable glycerine (USA / Canada) in a small glass measuring cup.
Weigh the emulsifying wax and grapeseed oil into a small saucepan and melt together over medium heat.
Once the oils have melted, add the water mixture and heat through. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk as it cools until you have a thick lotion (the thickening may take a few days if you are using a different emulsifying wax from emulsimulse/ritamulse).
Whisk in the zinc oxide (USA / Canada) and preservative, and transfer into a small jar.
Don’t want preservatives near your baby? Try my Baby Bum Balm, which doesn’t need any preservatives because it doesn’t include any water.
Don’t have the oils called for in the recipe? Check this out.
New to lotion making? Watch my basic lotion how to video!
Your timing is great! I’ve just been thinking about natural baby products as my two youngest grands are in diapers. Thank you! =)
Hi Marie!
I’m a new subscriber, and love reading your post. Your recipes are ingenious …which helps me with my soaping dilemmas.
Thanks so much, Janice! Be sure to get in touch if you ever have any questions š
Have fun & let me know how it goes š
Hi Marie,
I can’t thank you enough for sharing you knowledge. You are truly an inspiration.
I was just wondering could I infuse chamomile with the water for this lotion?
I’m too nervous to try diy infused oil at this stage.
I don’t recommend it for this oneāherbal infusions are harder to preserve than plain water.
I wish I could translate to teaspoons, ounces, etc… or buy something that will measure the grams… Very confusing for this American!! Would be a great formula for my grandson š
You can buy inexpensive scales that will measure grams or ounces simply and easily online or at most kitchen supply places including common big box stores. Done. š
I like to recommend this one from Lee Valleyāit’s good and inexpensive.
Fractions of ounces are quite difficult to measure accurately, much better to use the metric system, which works on base 10, just like the numbers in the decimal system.
For small very small batches, teaspoons/cups are not the best way to measure as they are not very accurate.
Heartily agreed, Mrs G. š
Every electronic scale I’ve ever seen measures in both grams and ouncesāprobably because manufacturers want to make just one model for North America, so they include both š Here’s one on American Amazon for $16 that does both š I really recommend getting one, they are so useful for baking as well as DIY (and totally necessary for soap making), and you will quickly appreciate the smaller gram measurement when you are making as many different projects as I am, haha! I still have remnants of a batch of body butter I made about three years ago… the measurements were all in ounces, and it made TONS lol.
Why not add Vit E as a preservative?
That amount of diaper creme won’t last long enough to be a worry wrt needing preservatives. The only thing that is likely to happen is that the oil will eventually become rancid, and that will take a long time. Vit E won’t do anything to prevent bacterial growth, as far as I know, and works as an anti-oxidant to reduce the speed of the oil rancidity happening. Again, happy to read of evidence to the contrary, but I wouldn’t stress about this cream.
In my experience mould usually pops up well before the oils go rancid, but I suppose that will largely depend on how fresh your oils are. Either way, there’s no way you wouldn’t notice it had spoiled!
Because vitamin E is an antioxidant, not a preservative. You can definitely add it, and it will help keep the oils from going rancid, but once water is involved you’ll see mould well before the oils go rancid. It’s a good additive for its skin healing properties, though, so feel free to add a wee bitāit can only help!
Oh my, this will be useful. Although I am only 17 and don’t have kids…do you know what else this stuff works great for? SORE, SICK, TISSUE-ABUSED NOSES.
Just cake this stuff onto your sore, red nose and upper lips, leave it on for about a half an hour, and the painful redness usually completely disappears.
I actually made your sore nose salve too, but with a few alterations. Although I find that diaper rash cream works much better because of the zinc, the sore nose salve works perfect for when you are in public… Since it’s a little weird to be walking around with a white mess on your face….
Nonetheless, you can say that my nose has been a happy nose this winter.
Kylee, I was just thinking of making this cream for that exact reason, and I’m glad to know that it will serve its purpose š
I am now enjoying picturing vaguely panda-like people wandering about with the sniffles š
I love this! Ha š I also use diaper creme on swimsuit rash, and recently tried it on heat rash. It wasn’t overly effective on the heat rash, sadly.
You should check out leucidal Liquid (radish root ferment) and elderberry phytocide. Both are natural and bring their own skin benefits to the party. I would worry about any cream that includes water in it and is not being preserved. You can’t always tell when something is going bad. It may not have a smell or any visible evidence but still may be on its way to rancid. I wouldn’t risk it on my baby without a preservative unless you are using it within a week and keeping it in the fridge. Excellent simple recipe. Thanks for sharing
what preservative is both effective (document please) and safer to use on a baby than the outside “risk” of a rancid oil? Rancid oil on skin isn’t unsafe, to the best of my knowledge. And if it is truly rancid, it has a distinct odor.
Both are on my list… my very long list š That said, rancid oil is harmless to the skin from all my research, and the whole point with this recipe being so tiny is that you’re supposed to use it up really quickly. And I imagine the baby likely ingests much more bacteria from simply sucking their fingers than they would be exposed to from a pot of 5 day old diaper creme.
What about adding a bit of tea tree oil? Kills bacteria, viruses, fungi…
Sadly essential oils are not effective broad-spectrum preservatives (especially not in the amounts they are generally used in for creams and balms), but more importantly, you really don’t want to use essential oils on babies. I still think working with small batches, fridge storage, and quick use are the best ways to go here.
Hi Marie,
Is this one anything to do with your upcoming blog break? Just curious!!
I will share this with my over-extended family for the little ones.
Best Regards
George.
No!!!! HA. Not at all š Everybody in my life seems to be having babies this year (3 born, at least 4 more to come), so this makes a nice little baby-welcoming gift for me š
Awesome! I’ve been making and using homemade diaper cream since my first was born and it’s SO much better than store bought – even the fancy expensive ones!
I basically use a herbal salve base and add 40% zinc oxide to it! Easy, and best of all preservative free because there’s no water etc. All you need is a very thin layer.
I love stories like this š Take that, fancy bum cream companies!
What would you think about using a bit of allantoin as an occlusive? I am not sure if this is baby-safe but if so it might be a nice addition here, for helping heal raw skin.
Sounds like a good idea to me š Allantoin gets a 0 on Skin Deep, so that’s as safe as it gets. You could also infuse the oil with comfrey root for a natural, less refined source of it.
Hey Marie,
I made this last night, and it turned out like a really thin lotion. All of my measurements were correct, but I substituted hemp oil for grapeseed, and I didn’t microwave my glycerin and water. I just added the glycerin to the oils and wax and once the wax was melted, I added aloe vera juice. When I added the cold aloe vera juice, the mixture did the weird egg drop soup thing, so I heated everything back through to a liquid consistency, and then I took off the stove and began whipping. The mixture stayed in liquid form even after it cooled, so I broke out the electric blender. I was able to reach a very thick lotion consistency with the electric blender. The mixture didn’t thicken with the zinc oxide either. Do you know what I did wrong?
I used an emulsifying wax containing Cetostearyl alcohol, and Ethoxylated Sorbitan Ester, which I purchased here https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/wax/wax.php#bu_e_wax. Last time my lotion had issues, it was because of the emulsifying wax, so I wanted to double check that with you. Also, I searched for hours trying to find a vegetable based wax, like the one you use. How would yo say this product compares to emulsimulse?
It doesn’t sound like you did anything wrongāit just sounds like you need to wait a few days š Emulsimulse is the only e-wax I’ve used that thickens up immediately, wheras Polawax and E-Wax NF (what you used) take a few days to thicken up. I don’t know why, but it happens to me every time I use them.
It’s been a few days… did it thicken over time?
I’ve had the same issue, and came to see if others had too! Mines currently a thin cream consistancy but appears to be thickening up more now I’ve added the zinc oxides [and 1/4tsp of white clay]. I’m about to break out the electric beaters!
I wish I could get emulsimulse here in Aus
Have you tried looking for vegemulse? I have seen emulsimulse sold under that name as well, so that might be a place to start. Otherwise you could add a wee bit of beeswax to your future concoctions to get a thicker final product š
You read my mind , I gave a mother & toddler event coming up ? Could I use rose water instead of plain water ? Anyone any other recipes for baby products ?
Rose water would work beautifully, I’d just check the ingredients if you buy it for any odd preservatives or alcohol (which could sting sensitive baby skin). And, if you’re using homemade rosewater, keep in mind it will spoil really quickly… for this reason I would avoid doing it with homemade rosewater.
If you ditch the EO you could use my summer stick powder as baby powder š
Hi Maree, you could probably use some vitamin e oil drops as a natural preservative. I make a similar product and add calendula oil, olive oil and use beeswax as a base.
Hi Lisa š Vitamin E, while awesome, is not actually a preservativeāit’s a natural antioxidant. That means it’ll fight oil rancidity, but it’s not a broad-spectrum preservative that will combat bacterial action, which is what will take down this cream after a few weeks. It is awesome for helping skin heal, though, so it would definitely not be amiss in this recipe š
My twins are 4 now but we still use bum cream on them every now and then. I personally wouldn’t use grape seed oil because it goes rancid quickly. And without the preservative I suggest to use this lotion within a week or two. Especially that’s it’s meant for private sensitive parts š
I make my bum cream without the water. Calendula infused coconut or olive oil with Shea butter, beeswax and skin healing essential oils. Of course the zinc oxide to act as the skin barrier.
Do add vitamin e to slow down rancidity.
When it comes to lotions I’m generally never worried about oil rancidity as mould will kick in much faster. I’ve never had an oil go rancid on me, surprisingly enough (the benefits of living in a fridge :P). Your calendula bum salve sounds awesome!
I have read some “not so good stuff” about zinc oxide lately. Is there something else one could substitute?
Hi Lindaāthe risks associated with zinc oxide are mostly from inhaling aerosolized/airborne bits of it. You can read more about that here. Even so, it gets a quite safe rating from EWG. If you are worried, wear a dust mask, though here it doesn’t get stirred up much as we aren’t putting it through a coffee grinder. And no, I know of no substitutesāzinc oxide is very unique in that it is insoluble, a fine powder, and soothing to the skin. It is commonly found in natural/organic sunscreens and diaper cremesātake a look at the break down of this Aveeno product, which gets a 0 (as safe as it gets) because the zinc oxide cannot be inhaled into the lungs as part of a creme. I hope that helps!
How is this different than the Baby Bum Balm, and which is better?
Hi LeAnn! Have you read the Baby Bum Balm entry? It gives a pretty good overview of the differences between the two, which basically boils down to the inclusion of water. Both have got good reviews from my tester mums, so it’s mostly about texture and shelf life š
Thanks Marie! I’m going to try to whip up some of your Baby Bum Balm tomorrow when my zinc arrives!
Awesome! Enjoy it š
Could you store this in the frig for longer life?
You can, but I’m not sure how the baby will feel about cold diaper creme š You should check out my bum balm, which doesn’t have any water in it, so it lasts a lot longer than this one.
I know this is an old post but thought I would leave a comment anyway. This sounds so good, can’t wait to whip up a batch for my baby girl. Now, thinking about the preservative… I get that preservative-free baby products are the way to go but I wouldn’t worry so much about using the preservative on this cream. Anything store bought has a ton of harsh preservatives as well as “weird” ingredients that should not come close to our skin so even with a tiny amount of preservative, I would bet money this cream is still a whole lot safer (and given all the wonderful ingredients, healthier) than anything we find at drugstores. Its a bit of trade-off. You use all the nourishing, beautiful, non-harmful ings. to make this cream and add a wee amount of preservative to avoid spoilage and any harmful mould, bacteria, etc to enter your concoction. It’s a no brainer for me. I will make the bum balm as well and throw one in my diaper bag and leave the other at home. Marie, I wish you all the best and much success in everything you do. You are great and thanks for sharing your art with us mere mortals!!!
There’s no such thing as old posts here! I completely agree on the preservative thing (2014 me could be a bit of an idiot). Happy making! š
Ha! I just found this in a quest to locate a good basic recipe for my new upcoming grandchild. The family’s chosen surname is Rose, so I’m gonna include rose hydrosol in place of some of the water. I’m thinking I might include calendula infused oil too. I’ve read that zinc oxide can be not so great with cloth nappies, so I might make a separate version with tapioca flour and/or bentonite clay as well, what do you reckon? I also thought this might be a good chance to experiment with your latest & greatest emulsifier, Glyceryl Stearate & PEG-100 Stearate, now that I have so much of it, for a somewhat lighter lotion.
Hi, I am looking for a creme for eczema. I do have a Shea butter I use, and some homemade butters and infused oils that help a lot.
What I need most is a creme with water to use when the dryness starts, so it doesnt get to the next stage. But, I’m afraid of the preservatives needed to keep the formulas with water from spoiling.
Can you help me with an essential oil or extremely safe preservative that is appropriate for eczema? I find any emmolient cremes or lotions I purchase sting and have questionable ingredients.
Thanks so much. I wasn’t sure where to post this, sorry if there was a better place. I appreciate your knowledge, experience and time.
You can try a broad-spectrum preservative like Saliguard. ECOCERT & COSMOS compliant-Saliguard BDHA: A paraben-free preservative made from Benzyl Alcohol and Dehydroacetic Acid. It is an alternative to> Geoguard 221 which is a little more expensive. Usesage: 0.5-1% in every 100g of formultion. Geogard 221 is a liquid broad spectrum preservative and it is ECOCERT approved for use in natural and organic formulas- Ingredients are: dehydroacetic acid and benzyl alcohol in liquid form (It is dehydroacetic acid based.) Hope this information help you. Use between: 1%-2% max, in every 100g of formulation. In my formulations I use 1% – 1.5% with no negative outcomes.