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Diaper rash is a very frustrating, and unfortunately, very common problem among babies. Thankfully, it’s very easy to make your own diaper rash ointment with only two ingredients and two minutes of your time.
When my daughter was first born, and we used disposable diapers, poor little thing had a diaper rash pretty much nonstop. I would get a new cream, and the rash would get better for a few days, but it always came right back.
Now that she’s in cloth diapers, she very rarely has a rash. But, I always apply some preventative cream or ointment before bed.
This recipe is fast, easy, and helps keep away diaper rash. The two ingredients are olive oil and beeswax.
The olive oil is soothing to irritated skin. Some studies also point to antifungal properties in olive oil, as well as antibacterial.1
Beeswax is also antibacterial.2 Beeswax is beneficial to healing and protecting the skin.3 Plus, it perfectly thickens this diaper rash ointment.
Note: This ointment works great for us. But, I do want to mention that if your child is sensitive to the diapers they’re wearing, probably no cream or ointment will help in the long run. I didn’t realize my daughter was sensitive to disposable diapers until we switched to cloth.
How We Cloth Diaper Our Baby on a Budget
Here’s the super simple recipe, which is cloth diaper safe, by the way. (We’ve used it with cloth diapers and haven’t had any problems. Be sure to follow your diapers care instructions though.)
Warning: Check with your child’s doctor before trying out any new rash creams/ointments.
2 Minute, 2 Ingredient Diaper Rash Ointment
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp. beeswax pellets
Place both ingredients in a microwave safe container (preferably glass). Microwave for 30 second intervals, carefully stirring with a spoon in between. (In our microwave, it takes 1 minute to melt the beeswax).
Once the beeswax is melted, very carefully place the container of diaper rash ointment somewhere safe to set up. The melted mixture will thicken into a perfectly spreadable ointment.
Note: You can also use a double boiler if you prefer. It will take some time for the beeswax to melt, just make sure to stir occasionally until it’s completely melted.
Not interested in making your own? I really like Burt’s Bees Diaper Rash Ointment, as well as Weleda Baby Calendula Diaper Cream. The Burt’s Bees ointment is really thick and great for longer wears like overnight, but it might be a little thick for an already sore bum. The Weleda cream is thinner (not too thin) and is very soothing. It even comes in a metal tube which I really like. The only issue with the metal tube is I found the edges to get sharp from squeezing the tube once the cream was getting low. I’m not sure if the company has addressed this issue yet. If you try it out, just be careful!
Update: When my son was first born, he developed a bad rash almost instantly. The Maximum Strength Boudreaux’s Butt Paste and the Boudreaux’s Butt Paste with Aloe were life savers. I highly recommend keeping some on hand. (Here’s a bundle that includes one of each.)
Please comment below with any questions or comments you have. I’d love to hear how this turns out for you.
Sources
1 Goel, Nidhi et al. “Antifungal Activity of Cinnamon Oil and Olive Oil against Candida Spp. Isolated from Blood Stream Infections.” Journal of clinical and diagnostic research : JCDR vol. 10,8 (2016): DC09-11. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2016/19958.8339
2 Fratini, Filippo et al. “Beeswax: A minireview of its antimicrobial activity and its application in medicine.” Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine vol. 9,9 (2016): 839-843. doi:10.1016/j.apjtm.2016.07.003
3 Kurek-Górecka, Anna et al. “Bee Products in Dermatology and Skin Care.” Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 25,3 556. 28 Jan. 2020, doi:10.3390/molecules25030556