# baby balm/ diaper cream?



## museumchick (Oct 9, 2012)

Anyone want to share their favorite recipes?  I cloth diaper and am always looking for other diaper balms that are safe with cloth.  So far I've been basically infusing coconut oil with herbs that are good for the skin.  

Whats your favorite recipe?


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## Lindy (Oct 10, 2012)

Hello and welcome to SMF.  It is usually considered poor form to join a group and then ask people to give you their favourite recipes.  I expect if you do a search you will find some and there is a section on recipes for bath and body.

I hope you take the time to get to know people and perhaps there are some that have recipes they don't mind sharing even though we've just met you.

Cheers


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## Relle (Oct 10, 2012)

Welcome and as Lindy said if you search on this site a lot comes up. I typed in Diaper cream and scrolled through the posts and some people have kindly posted their recipes.

When I was a newbie here I found the search engine gave me most of the answers I needed to know before posting questions. Most of the things have been discussed before and are in the archives if you just spend some time reading through and taking notes. I have pages and pages of info I've written down for future reference. We are lucky now that its all at our finger tips. When I first started making soap way back when, the internet was not an option, I just researched old books at the library and looked for old magazines in shops. It was time consuming but enjoyable at the same time and then I had to work out my own recipes with the little info I had, that made it even more special when I made it. I'm so thankful for the info stored on here now and how easy it has become to access what I need to know. Yes, I'm still learning even after all the soap logs I've made. I think you should learn something new every day.


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## museumchick (Oct 10, 2012)

I'm sorry, I had no idea I wasn't supposed to do that....

Incidentally I did search regarding cloth diaper safe creams and I only found a few threads that discussed it. Most of them included ingredients that are not safe with cloth diapers so I thought I'd ask again.


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## Loolee (Oct 10, 2012)

what would make something not safe to use with cloth diapers?  That doesn't make sense....


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## museumchick (Oct 10, 2012)

A lot of things in regular diaper creams aren't good for cloth diapers because they can cause the cloth diapers to repel.

For example: A&D ointment, lanolin or zinc oxide are commonly used diaper creams.  Each of these are largely helpful in treating rash because you coat it on the baby and it repels the pee away from the diaper area.  But if you get that on the cloth diaper it builds up and doesn't wash off easily. Then the diaper itself repels and you end up with a leaky nonabsorbant diaper.  Some of these, like A&D particularly, are almost IMPOSSIBLE to get out of a diaper and then you have a ruined cloth diaper.

Right now coconut oil is the only thing I'm using as a base because it has such a low melting point (roughly 75 degrees) that it easily rinses out in the hot water wash. I'm reading some recipes that use bees wax but I'm wondering if they would also build up in the diaper or if they would come out in the wash?


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## ClaraSuds (Oct 10, 2012)

I can lp with the beeswa.


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## birdcharm (Oct 10, 2012)

I think it's an interesting question ... one that I have not read before.  I've been thinking of creating such a thing with the addition of natural antibacterials that are safe for sensitive skin.  The coconut oil issue and temperature for washing it away makes good sense. 

Personally, I'd like to thank you for your question, some questions make people think and if we all just go out and do our research and don't talk to one another, then what's the point of having a forum in the first place? 
 :shock: 

Kathy


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## museumchick (Oct 11, 2012)

birdcharm said:
			
		

> I think it's an interesting question ... one that I have not read before.  I've been thinking of creating such a thing with the addition of natural antibacterials that are safe for sensitive skin.  The coconut oil issue and temperature for washing it away makes good sense.
> 
> Personally, I'd like to thank you for your question, some questions make people think and if we all just go out and do our research and don't talk to one another, then what's the point of having a forum in the first place?
> :shock:
> ...




Thank you Kathy!


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## Hazel (Oct 11, 2012)

*@museumchick*

This isn't meant to be rude or harsh so please don't take it that way.

I'm not saying you haven't done research or experimented with different ingredients. It just would have come across better if you had stated that you had tried doing "something" but it didn't work. So, you decided to try another ingredient but the resulting cream was too waxy and caused the cloth diaper to be difficult to wash. You're now wondering if you should try lanolin but you're concerned it won't work well because of it may hold too much moisture against the baby's skin. Then asked for suggestions or advice. Basically show us you sincerely want to learn how to formulate the best possible cream for your baby. Asking for a recipe also doesn't allow for a discussion on the different merits of alternate ingredients. Asking closed end questions isn't the way to interest people into finding a solution. Asking open ended questions allows for people to brainstorm and seek a solution. Basically, people need to be intrigued by a problem in order to solve it. This shows you've done research and inspires people into helping *you *find a solution to your problem. It also has the benefit of teaching you and other people new methods or finding out about a new ingredient. (It may not be a new ingredient but something that may not be familiar to many people.)

People on this forum are normally very helpful and are willing to help others learn a new skill. But many of them have spent a lot of time and money in experimenting with different ingredients and developing their favorite recipes. They're very happy to teach others how to formulate their own recipes but not so keen about handing over a recipe they've invested so much into developing.



			
				birdcharm said:
			
		

> I think it's an interesting question ... one that I have not read before.  I've been thinking of creating such a thing with the addition of natural antibacterials that are safe for sensitive skin.  The coconut oil issue and temperature for washing it away makes good sense.
> 
> Personally, I'd like to thank you for your question, some questions make people think and if we all just go out and do our research and don't talk to one another, then what's the point of having a forum in the first place?
> :shock:
> ...



The only questions she asked in her post were "Anyone want to share their favorite recipes?" and "Whats your favorite recipe?" How are these interesting questions? I've also seen these questions posted on this forum numerous times so I don't know why you haven't read them before.

Now if she had stated she is infusing coconut oil with herbs and then asked questions like 

"What do you think would be more beneficial - using just a calendula infused oil or a blend of calendula, lavender and burdock root?" 
"Would it be better to add a drier oil like grapeseed in with the coconut oil to offset some of the greasiness of the coconut?"
"I've read cocoa butter has vitamins C, A and E and can be safely used on a baby's bottom to help with chapping. Would cocoa butter be a good additive since it's emollient and might serve as a preventative to diaper rash?"

I would consider these interesting questions. 

It* is *poor forum etiquette to ask someone to give you a recipe. It gives the appearance a person hasn't done any research on the properties of ingredients and doesn't care to learn how to formulate a recipe. The main point of the forum is for teaching people how to make their own products. Once someone learns ingredient properties, what an ingredient contributes to a formulation, what potential issue an ingredient can cause, possible synergistic reactions of oils, then the person will know (or at least have a good idea) of why a formulation succeeds or fails in its purpose. If the person isn't happy with the result, it's much easier to tweak a recipe by knowing a certain ingredient might be the contributing factor. An alteration could be either reducing the percentage used of an ingredient or substituting another ingredient with similar properties.

I'm sorry you consider this forum pointless but not everyone would agree with you. I've learned a tremendous amount from this forum. When I joined, I read sections starting from the very first post and reading forward to the current posts.  I searched the forum and most of the time found the answers to my questions. Sometimes I found answers for questions I wouldn't have thought to ask. I asked for help when I couldn't find an answer. I learned a lot because I put the effort into learning. Obviously, people who aren't willing to make the effort to learn *are *going to miss the point of this forum.


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## dagmar88 (Oct 12, 2012)

Why don't you use disposable diaper liners?


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## museumchick (Oct 12, 2012)

dagmar88 said:
			
		

> Why don't you use disposable diaper liners?



I find teh creams leak through.  They're not very good at protecting the fabric.


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## flavapor (Oct 12, 2012)

I think if you made something like a lotion bar with two really hard butters like cocoa and kokum, then shea and a liquid oil you could just rub it on the butt and it would be soothing and repel the water, yet not ruin your diaper.  You could infuse your liquid oil with calendula or something for more healing.  

The two hard butters would make up for the lack of beeswax and keep the bar harder, or you could make it into more of a body butter type texture with just one butter.  Hemp oil is very healing and babassu is harder than shea and softer than cocoa butter, its also good for the skin


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## Lindy (Oct 14, 2012)

Okay so let's discuss ingredients then...

Lanolin is one of the very best ingredients you can use.  It does work fine for cloth diapers providing you are cleaning the diapers properly and that does mean bleach which will remove things like lanolin.  You then need to be doing a double rinse to insure all detergents are rinsed clear anyways.

Basically you need to be looking into other ingredients as well such as Zinc Oxide which is a powder.  Coconut oil is a good option and it is nice to infuse herbs into it.

Essential oils should be avoided completely until the child is at least 6 months old at which time you can introduce Lavender at 1%.  A baby's system is not yet mature enough to be exposed to essential oils until they are 6 months old.

Experiment and then discuss what you are doing and ask for suggestions.  That way you are taking full advantage of being on a forum of this nature.... and all the experience to be found here.


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## museumchick (Oct 14, 2012)

Lindy said:
			
		

> Essential oils should be avoided completely until the child is at least 6 months old at which time you can introduce Lavender at 1%.  A baby's system is not yet mature enough to be exposed to essential oils until they are 6 months old.
> .



Thank you! I had no idea, I've seen MANY MANY diaper creams/ cloth wipe solutions that include TTO.  I had no idea I shouldn't include it with that. My own dd is 2 years old so it isn't an issue for me right now, but its definitely good information I haven't found in the cloth diapering community.


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## museumchick (Oct 14, 2012)

flavapor said:
			
		

> I think if you made something like a lotion bar with two really hard butters like cocoa and kokum, then shea and a liquid oil you could just rub it on the butt and it would be soothing and repel the water, yet not ruin your diaper.  You could infuse your liquid oil with calendula or something for more healing.
> 
> The two hard butters would make up for the lack of beeswax and keep the bar harder, or you could make it into more of a body butter type texture with just one butter.  Hemp oil is very healing and babassu is harder than shea and softer than cocoa butter, its also good for the skin



Thank you!  I have seen some diaper creams with butters and I was wondering how good they would be.  I have some cocoa butter, so I think its definitely worth a try. 

I'm currently infusing coconut oil with calendula, lavender and dandelion.  If I added some cocoa butter do you think that would be a good combination?  I'm thinking a small percentage cocoa butter, just melted into the coconut oil after infusing.  Maybe 4-5% cocoa butter only.  Would that be enough to keep the coconut oil from melting at room temperature?


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## museumchick (Oct 14, 2012)

Lindy said:
			
		

> Okay so let's discuss ingredients then...
> 
> Lanolin is one of the very best ingredients you can use.  It does work fine for cloth diapers providing you are cleaning the diapers properly and that does mean bleach which will remove things like lanolin.  You then need to be doing a double rinse to insure all detergents are rinsed clear anyways.



Actually lanolin isn't so good with cloth diapers.  A friend of mine ended up having to strip (totally rinse rinse rinse, wash wash wash) lanolin out of her dipes after just washing them with one of her wool covers once... and thats just the natural lanolin from wool.  Stripping can be done of course, but it isn't recommended often as it wears them out.  I'm not trying to argue with you, I just want the information out there to save another CD parent from having to do that.



			
				Lindy said:
			
		

> Basically you need to be looking into other ingredients as well such as Zinc Oxide which is a powder.



How is the powder versus a cream?  I know zinc oxide CREAM is bad, but I've never used the powder.  Does it  wash out easily?  If it does then I'd love the power of zinc oxide in my homemade cream but I've been wary as I know the ZO in desitin and the like are enough to cancel the warranty in most CD brands.



			
				Lindy said:
			
		

> Coconut oil is a good option and it is nice to infuse herbs into it..



Yes, it's AWESOME.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Incidentally, I'm sorry again for how this thread turned out.  I can see how unclear  I was.  I am used to natural parenting boards where everyone is familiar with cloth diapers!  I'm so sorry about that.


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## birdcharm (Oct 19, 2012)

Hi, 

This may be a little off-topic, but not really, since something was addressed within this thread, as well as directed to me, which I have not attended to.  So, I 
apologize to bring this up again, but I see that some words were put into my mouth, and I think it's important to make this correction, since it wasn't something I said, and if it was taken in the manner in which it was repeated, I need to fix that so it is more clearly 
understood.  
Quote [Hazel]:  I'm sorry you consider this forum pointless 
but not everyone would agree with you.I never said this forum was "pointless" ... I said, "... some questions make people think and if we all just go out and do our research and don't talk to one another, then what's the point of having a forum in the first place?"
That has a totally different meaning than saying that I have said that this forum is "pointless."  
With that said, I would also like to respond to something else Hazel mentioned.  I agree that we shouldn't all go around asking everyone for their 
recipes, but when I read this post from a new member, I didn't really read it in a bad way.  She did offer what she was currently using and why she was looking for possible alternatives.  
Quote [Hazel]: It gives the appearance a person hasn't done any research on the properties of ingredients and doesn't care to learn how to formulate a recipe.
Truly, I did not get this feeling at all.
Also, please don't take this wrong Hazel, I'm not deliberately trying to disagree with you ... I just didn't see it the way you did.  The post was indeed 
an "open ended" question ... the question examples you posted are "closed" questions, with alternates of choice.  Also, why, if we wish to ask a question, 
must we offer answers in advance?  [You don't really have to answer, I'm just thinking out loud.]
Okay, so to ask for a recipe is considered out of order, I understand that ... but, in defense of what occurred, if a new person shares what they ARE doing and they are asking for input about what they maybe OUGHT to do instead, if we don't want to share, then simply don't share.  
I feel it was unfair to this new person to shame her when she is first stepping out here ... much the same as happened to me when I was new and almost never came back. 
Just a different point of view, I hope I have not offended anybody, it's not my intent to do that. 

All in all, I think this thread has been of interest and I am very happy to see people wanting to use cloth diapers rather than disposable ones, which they say will still be taking up landfill space for a couple of hundred years.

~ Kathy


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## Hazel (Oct 20, 2012)

I stated in the beginning of the post that I didn’t intend my post to be rude or harsh. I was trying to explain how some people view being asked for a recipe. Many of the members have researched ingredients, invested in supplies and have taken months or longer to experiment and develop their recipes. Along the way, they’ve developed their skills and learned to overcome problems when they’ve experienced failures.  It’s not only time and money – there is also the emotional investment in creating an ideal product. It is difficult going through the cycles of hopes and disappointments so when you finally do succeed at creating the product, there is an incredible feeling of pride and elation. Your vision has become reality. Also, many of the members sell their products so then it becomes not just an emotional/mental victory but may possibly be a financial asset for them.  I can understand these people’s proprietary feeling for their recipes. 



			
				birdcharm said:
			
		

> but I see that some words were put into my mouth, and I think it's important to make this correction, since it wasn't something I said, and if it was taken in the manner in which it was repeated, I need to fix that so it is more clearly understood.
> 
> I never said this forum was "pointless" ... I said, "... some questions make people think and if we all just go out and do our research and don't talk to one another, then what's the point of having a forum in the first place?"
> 
> That has a totally different meaning than saying that I have said that this forum is "pointless."



Semantics – you said “what’s the point of having a forum” which I read as the forum is pointless. Okay, I’ll take it back. You don’t find this forum pointless. 

 You mention that I’m being unfair and trying to shame her. That was never my intention. I didn’t write the comments to her in a derogatory manner. I said I wasn’t trying to be rude and for her not to take it that way. I also mentioned that I wasn’t saying she hadn’t researched. I was trying to explain many people’s feeling on answering “give me a recipe” questions. It’s interesting how people view posts differently. The very first thing I saw in the post was the question “Anyone want to share their favorite recipes?” and the second question was “What’s your favorite recipe?”  Perhaps closed and open are misnomers. I should have used the term dead end questions. You’re either not going to be given a recipe or someone will post a recipe. There isn’t any opening for a discussion or the sharing of ideas. Her “sharing” involved mentioning she’s using coconut oil infused with herbs. This doesn’t tell us much. There are numerous herbs so she could have mentioned what she was using. Are we to assume she’s researched herbs and is knowledgeable about what can be safely used on an infant? 

You quoted my comment about “it gives the appearance a person hasn’t done the research…” I was stating the obvious – when someone comes on and asks for a recipe without giving more details, it does give the appearance of someone who hasn’t bothered to search for answers. However, you’ve taken my comment out of context. I did say in the original post I wasn’t saying she hadn’t done the research. I also attempted to explain how she could have expanded more in her what she initially posted. She didn’t explain further until her third post in the topic by this was a day later and after several people had posted replies. I thought I’d try to be helpful and explain the why behind people’s dislike of seeing “give me a recipe” questions. 



			
				birdcharm said:
			
		

> Also, why, if we wish to ask a question, must we offer answers in advance?



We’re not asking the person to give us answers. We’re asking for some respect of what many members here have spent time and money on in developing out of a desire to challenge themselves and to develop their knowledge and skills. Maybe some people can decide they want to create something and successfully achieve it on their first try. I can’t. It has taken me months for some things and over a year for a couple of other products. Because of this, I can understand other people’s proprietary feelings about their recipes.

I also believe the people who’ve generously shared information and advice deserve respect for their continuing participation on this forum. I’ve seen numerous times where a new person asks questions, receives answers and then never bothers to reply or give thanks to the people who answered. This makes people leery of replying because it gives them the feeling of being manipulated and used. 

I’m not offended by your comments. I’m just tired of the same old discussions about people having to defend their reasons for keeping some recipes private. I don’t know how many times this subject has come up. I don’t sell so I am normally happy to post my recipes. But I’m starting to reconsider this decision after the disparagement I have received recently. Plus, I feel my time could have been better spent elsewhere than in replying to this post and having to defend myself.


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## Lindy (Oct 21, 2012)

museumchick said:
			
		

> Lindy said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I just want to touch on the lanolin question again.  It really does depend on what laundry soap you are using to clean the diapers with.  If it is too mild you're right, it won't get it out.

Okay Zinc Oxide - in its natural state it is a powder.  To become a cream it has to be formulated with additives to turn it into a cream or balm.  You might be able to make a baby powder that incorporates zinc oxide powder.  Stay away from talc but you could use tapioca starch and corn starch as the base then add in some zinc oxide to create a healing powder.  Just remember, if you ever start selling, or if you do sell, you can't make any claims.


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## MychelleC (Nov 7, 2012)

I know this is an older thread, but I do a whipped butter with cocoa butter, coconut oil, shea butter, and almond oil.  It works very nicely for cloth.  Find any whipped butter formula and insert those ingredients.  HTH!  And seconding no zinc or lanolin on the cloth.  Good diapers are too expensive to ruin and stripping is a big PITA.


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## TardisMama (Nov 8, 2012)

You can also always reverse engineer if you have a natural one you love. I ADORE CJ's BUTTer for my cloth diaper baby (also is a great winter hand cream!) and it's one of the few things I intend to keep buying even with all the formulating fun I'm having. (the Monkey Farts scent is too fun and it has just turned into how my little boy is supposed to smell to me) But it has very very simple ingredients and I am planning to try and deconstruct it just for the fun of it. If you have a fav that might give you a good place to start. But then I am exceedingly green at this so I may be way too optimistic.


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## Frigga (Nov 24, 2012)

I came up with what I call Bum Balm, and after fighting a diaper rash for two weeks while using it (it didn't clear it up, but it made his bum feel better, which encouraged me) I got the inspiration to add powdered propolis to the balm. Worked like magic!


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## museumchick (Dec 11, 2012)

Thanks MichelleC, Tardismama and Frigga!

I am very intrigued by that whipped butter idea.  Next time I will have to try it.  My current forumla is getting too hard now that its cooling off outside.  I definitely would prefer something creamier! 

I, too, think I may be too green to reverse engineer something like CJs.  Hopefully someday I will get there.

Frigga, what is powdered propolis?  I'm intrigued.


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## Genny (Dec 12, 2012)

We're a cloth diaper family here and it can be hard to find a diaper cream that doesn't ruin your diapers.
What kind of diapers are you using?  We use mostly Indian Natural Cotton Prefolds, so what works for ours may be different than yours.  You don't want to do anything that may default your warranty on them.

I saw someone mention lanolin, don't use that because then that will make your diapers waterproof.  You don't really want that on the inside of the diaper.
I also saw someone mention bleaching the diapers when washing.  Don't do that either.  That can ruin some diapers & if you don't get absolutely all of the bleach out during rinsing that will cause one heck of a rash when your child's urine mixes with it.  We learned that from when our son was being cloth diapered and used a detergent that had bleach in it.  It was horrible.  We have always double rinsed our diapers, but that didn't get it all out in the soaker parts of the diaper.

We use a very simple diaper balm on our daughter.  Whipped Shea Butter and sunflower oil.  The sunflower oil is high in vitamin e, an emollient and it was highly recommended by our pediatrician who told us about a study that was done with infants receiving sunflower oil on their skin daily made them less likely to get infections.  I don't use any eo's/fo's or herbal infusions on my younger children or pets since they can't tell me if it's irritating to them.

 Obviously, talk to your child's doctor first before putting anything on your baby.  Also, if your baby's rash has any open sores, talk to your child's doctor as well.  

Make sure as well that whatever you decide to make that you make sure to use clean containers and equipment, you don't want to introduce any bacteria to the mix. 

Also, if your child is getting a lot of diaper rashes or ones that just won't go away, sometimes it's because of the diapers.  Like maybe they need to be completely stripped because of urine or detergent build up.  Drying them in the sun helps as well.  Even in the winter here in Wisconsin I try to get our cloth diapers outside on somewhat sunny days to dry.  I usually will have to bring them in and pop them in the dryer a bit, but atleast they got some sun.


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