Heal.
Soothe.
Protect.
Pure.
Gentle.
Luxurious.
Free from preservatives, synthetic fragrances and dyes…there’s nothing here to harm the skin!
Perfect for the young and old.
A truly magical, all natural ointment.
Full of skin-loving botanicals such as Calendula, lemon balm, lavender, and chamomile…not to mention, nature’s most unique antimicrobial compound — beeswax. Combined with zinc oxide and arrowroot powder there’s no match for this remedy!
Make this ointment and you’ll have complete antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal protection against and treatment for:
- persistent, inflamed diaper rash
- topical yeast infection (Note: Rashes caused by an overgrowth of yeast on the skin appear red and may have pimple like bumps that cause itching and/or burning. In babies and adults these type of rashes are more prevalent in skin folds and creases.)
- jock itch
- candida (a.k.a. topical fungal infections)
And here’s the recipe.
Diaper Plus Ointment
Ingredients
- 4 ounces (1/2 cup) carrier oil, such as olive, rosehip seed, almond, avocado, coconut, or sesame
- 4 ounces (1/2 cup) shea butter
- 1 ounce (approx. 2 tablespoons) raw beeswax
- 2 ounces (approx. 4 tablespoons) non-nano zinc oxide powder
- 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
- 1 tsp. vitamin E oil
- 8 drops lavender essential oil
For the highest medicinal value available (pure and safe for baby’s skin) choose dōTERRA™ Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade™ essential oils for yourself, your family, and your friends. Click here to purchase…
Optional Add-Ins
-infuse your carrier oil with one, or a few, of these skin-loving herbs: lemon balm, Calendula flowers, rose petals, lavender flowers, comfrey root, and/or chamomile flowers, read this article and learn how to make a herb infused oil
Method
- Measure the ingredients.
- In a double boiler or small pot, melt the oils, shea butter, and beeswax over low heat.
- Remove pot from heat and allow mixture to cool slightly.
- Add arrowroot powder and zinc powder. Whisk until all powders are dissolved and well combined.
- Add vitamin E oil and essential oils at this time. Stir.
- Pour mixture to a sterile container — one such as these — and allow to cool on counter.
- Label ointment and store at room temperature. Shelf stable for at least one year, depending on quality of ingredients used.
To Use
Using fingertips, apply to problem areas 2 times a daily for adults — or with every diaper change for a little one. Be sure skin is clean and dry prior to application. A little goes a long way!
Notes
–Zinc Oxide. For safety’s sake, be sure to use only non-nano zinc oxide. Zinc oxide powder is not only a sun protectant, but an antioxidant that is able to soothe, protect and help heal the skin. Likewise, it contains anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Non-nano zinc oxide is not absorbed by the body and has been proven to present a very low risk to human health.
–Beeswax. Beeswax — one of nature’s most incredible raw materials — provides a superb germ-killing, protective barrier for all delicate skin areas.
–Preventing Reinfection. It is generally accepted that the bacteria which causes a topical yeast rash has the ability to remain alive on the skin and clothing of the affected individual for up to 5 days. In order to prevent reinfection, any and all clothing that touches the area (i.e. cloth diaper, undergarments, socks, shirts, bed sheets, etc.) must be disinfected. Disinfecting clothing during laundering can be accomplished by:
- adding a cup of apple cider vinegar to the wash cycle
- soaking items in hot water prior to washing (likewise using hot water to wash and rinse)
- use an eco-friendly, non-toxic alternative to conventional chlorine bleach…one such as Honest Oxy Boost
because no one likes what conventional chlorine bleach does to us, our skin, our families, fabrics, & the environment but yet there are times that call for such a treatment. Thankfully there are chemical-free alternatives! - harnessing the power of the sun by line-drying all contaminated articles of clothing.
Additionally, if using cloth diapers and your little one is suffering from chronic and/or mild to severe diaper rash, you may find it beneficial to switch to disposable diapers until the rash is clear, and for at least 5 days after. You can get premium, eco-friendly diapers and all natural botanically infused wipes for less than $20 a week from the Honest Company and they’ll even conveniently deliver them right to your door! Note: If you stumble across this blog post in desperate need you can get a Free Trial* of diapers and wipes by clicking this link
Where Can I Get This Stuff?
–Starwest Botanicals…they have everything you’ll need by way of Bulk Herbs and Natural Products for Healthy, Natural Living! It’s your one-stop-shop!
–Mountain Rose Herbs & The Bulk Herb Store also carries many of these ingredients if you’d like to price check.
–For the ultimate all-natural healthcare alternatives choose dōTERRA™ Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade™ essential oils. Click here to purchase…
I do have this Diaper Plus Salve
available for purchase in my Etsy Shop.
Click here to visit the Marketplace…
Be sure not to miss a post, click this link to receive my free eBook and Frugally Sustainable tips by email.
DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my knowledge-sharing/writing/blogging activities, I occasionally may receive monetary compensation for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this article. However, I only recommend products or services I have personally used myself and trust.
hi andrea! i hope you’re well. i have read that beeswax isn’t good to use with cloth diapers. the article said it decreases the clothes’ ability to absorb. have you heard that before? what do you think?
grace and peace, Tomi
I have seen beeswax as an ingredient in several creams that claim to be cloth diaper and I haven’t had any repelling issues from any of them. I also include it in my own homemade diaper cream without any issues. I have noticed that there is some variability in what people say will cause repelling.
One important thing to remember if using cloth diapers is that any cream with zinc oxide will cause issues. You should NOT use this cream with a cloth diaper.
Why can’t you use zinc oxide with clothe diapers? Love the recipe, and we are expecting our second grandson in February. Would love to make this, just need clarification about the zinc oxide. Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
It causes repelling. It is a great ingredient, nothing clears up a diaper rash like it (IMO) but if it gets on your cloth diapers they will not absorb moisture as well. Instead it will bead on the surface and leak out the legs. This is called repelling and it is not fun. When you hear people talking about “stripping” their diapers this is frequently what they are tryng to fix or prevent.
Thank you!
I use cloth diapers and ointments with zinc oxide. I just put a cloth wipe (dry) between the ointment and the diaper. It keeps the ointment away from the cloth diaper. While a little has been known to get on the cloth diaper, I find it not to cause any noticeable repelling and after a few washes the diaper is back to normal (no appearance of ointment on it.)
Could Cocoa butter substitute for the Shea butter in this recipe? Or could you recommend a substitute? I am one of those lucky people that is sensitive to Shea. And I have been looking for something like this for a topical yeast infection.
Hi Donna! You could sub cocoa butter for the Shea butter or you could simply increase the amount of carrier oil used. I believe this is the recipe you’ve been looking for to treat topical yeast. It’s what I made for my husband who suffers from it occasionally as well. One application was all it took for him and he’s been rash free for months now! Blessings 🙂
@Donna Crawford, are you also sensitive to latex gloves? Cocoa butter would be a marvelous substitute as it is a lovely oil. However, it is considered a ‘brittle’ oil, whereas shea butter is a ‘soft’ oil. If you sub cocoa butter, you will need to either put less than the suggested amount for shea, or more of the suggested amount for liquid oils, to get the same consistency. A really awesome substitute would be virgin coconut oil as it is a soft oil as well. Additionally, it is antifungal and antiviral, to help with the healing of everything … including diaper rash. Can’t say enough good things about coconut oil! (To be honest, coconut oil all by itself would probably work wonders!) A perfect addition would also be a few drops each of lavender and tea tree essential oils as they are antibacterial and soothing. Other great substitutes for the shea are avocado butter (one of my personal favs), mango butter (another fav) and olive butter. Blessings…
Hi, thanks for posting this. Have been feeling more and more uncomfortable using the doctor prescribed ointment for our toddler with persistent diaper rash. Ordered the ingredients right away, and will be making this soon!
I am so happy to see this recipe, I’ve been dealing with multiple outbreaks of this over the summer and also as a result of the cleansing/healing I’m going through. Can’t wait to try this on the next outbreak, thanks for all your research & preparing.
I could never go back to using store-bought diaper rash cream! I started making my own and not only is it healthier, but it works SO much better! The only thing store bought cream does is create a barrier between moisture and skin. That’s it. I make my salve from beeswax, EVOO, comfrey and calendula, both grown in my garden. My friends, who aren’t normally into herbs, swear by it. There are a variety of ways to make your own salve, but I think if you can find something that’s made from real ingredients you’re much better off!
I remember back to the days my boys were small (when I knew nothing about all of this) and always found that you might as well just use zinc oxide as the barrier & at least it was more unaltered. I realize that things weren’t as bad then (40 yrs. ago), as far as the amount of chemicals in all products, so your gleaning back to our roots is so needed for everyone.
Thanks again & I’ll let you know how this works for my particular problem.
I’m new to salves so I’m wondering why arrowroot is in the recipe. Does it make it creamy? I’ve only made a few salves, but hadnt heard of putting arrowroot in.
Is the Zinc Oxide necessary for this to work? Is there a viable substitute for the zinc? I read this article yesterday and saved it, thinking that it would never come up since we are now the proud parents of 7 adults. Then this morning, I was chatting with my mom-in-law who gets frequent infections (we’ve decided they’re more frequent because of incontinence pads). Since I don’t believe in this type of coincidence, I believe Mom is one of the reasons you published this exact post this week. Thank you.
Since I didn’t find a response to my question about skipping the zinc (which might have been ridiculous, question, anyway), I ordered the zinc oxide and made this as described. The only substitution I made was tapioca for arrowroot. The next time Mom’s yeast acted up, she called her doctor then applied this salve topically. She said it helped tremendously and she keeps it in the bathroom for next time.
I notice you sell this in your etsy shop in 2 oz tins. How many of the 2 oz tins will this recipe make? Thinking about making some for Christmas gifts.
I wish I had known all of this when my kids were wee ones. 🙂
How long is the shelf life for this?
Thanks for sharing!! I am also wondering how many of the 2oz tins this recipe will fill.
Hi Andrea,
I bought the ingredients and made the cream. I infused comfrey into my base oil so it is a lovely green. However, I wondered if the cream should be smooth or meal? Maybe I missed something if it should be smooth. Let me know I will soon need to make more. Thanks
Siobhan
Shea butter will get grainy when overheated, maybe that’s what you are experiencing. Your cream wu
I’ll still work great.
Hi Andrea,
thanks for the lovely recipe . I used a combination of Calendula infused olive oil and avocado oil. did not have any arrowroot, so just us it without and, in my case, this is not for diaper rash. Mine goes onto my EYELIDS to reduce swelling – and it works like a charm.
Can I ask a stupid question???
What makes it a helper for yeast infections and all the others you mentioned?? I have a recipe with shea, coconut oil, beeswax, chamomile and zinc oxide…but I had heard that arrowroot can cause yeast infections. Is that true?? I’ve been trying to look it up and cant find a definitive answer ANYWHERE 🙁
Anyway, I was just curious if it was arrowroot that protected my baby from all those horrible things. Please help…
I know this is an old post, but I LOVE this “cream” – that’s what we call it at our house because we use it for almost anything – my twin girls’ diaper rash, any rash or skin irritation that my husband or I have on occasion, and we use it as sunscreen! 🙂 Separate containers of course! Thank you so much for posting this recipe, we’ve been using it for over a year and will not be without it.