Make Your Own Diaper Cream: Recipe for Calendula Cream
By Lisa - Unschooling Mom
This is VERY similar to the Burt’s Bees calendula cream- but I have had this recipe longer and I suspect given the ingredients that this is better. It makes a fanstastic baby gift or baby shower gift. One batch makes an ample supply- I make about once a year and have enough for our family and give these away to new moms all the time.
This is a fantastic diaper cream as well terrific for chapped lips, elbows or whatever. It is a non-barrier cream so babies skin can breathe. The ingredient list is quite scary but all are found easily. Most health food stores or stores that sell dried herbs. It is also quite cheap to make- the herbs cost under 10.00 and if you use olive oil it is fairly inexpensive. If you get a lower grade olive oil then will have more of an “olive” scent. I have used both sweet almond oil and several types of olive oil. I like the smell of the almond oil better but othr wise find them about the same- especially if using as a diaper cream. If you are using lanolin buy medical grade- I just used a tube of medela or lansinoh that is sold as nipple cream. This will make about 8 125 ml jars (4 oz) . And will cost about 20.00. Burt’s Bee’s charges 15.00 for one jar of this. To give away as baby gift I decorate jar lid with colourful fabric scraps and tie with raffia..
Calendula Cream
2 cups calendula flower
1 cup comfrey leaf
1 cup chamomile flower
1 cup lavender flower
optional: 1/2 cup marshmallow root
optional: 1/4 cup myrrh gum
optional:1 cup St.-John’s-wort flower
1 litre ( 4 cups ) Sweet Along Oil or similar e.g. Olive oil or grapeseed oil
Grated beeswax ( about 1/4 cup grated)
optional: lanolin
optional: Essential oil such as Lavender
optional:Vitamin E Oil
1. Combine the herbs and Olive oil in a glass jar. Cover tightly and place in a warm, sunny spot for 2 weeks. Strain through muslin or cheesecloth - squeezing tightly to get all the drops out.
alternately - combine 1/2 the herbs with oil for 2 weeks./strain - then other half for 2 more weeks in same oil for a stronger infusion.
2. Place mixture in a double boiler and warm for 1 hour over very low heat. Strain.
3. Add 1/4 cup grated beeswax for each cup of oil. Continue to warm until beeswax is melted.
4. Check for desired consistency by placing 1 tablespoon of mixture in the freezer for a few minutes. If too soft, add more beeswax. If too hard, add more oil.
(it should be easy to spread firm enough to keep it’s shape)
5. Add optional Vitamin E oil and Lavender essential oil. Store in small jars or tins. Baby food jars work well, I really like the 125 ml mason/canning jars and then I buy plastic lids for them.
Every mom I have given as baby gift has either asked me for recipe or even for more.
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Topics: Health and Remedies, Recipes |
November 26th, 2007 at 8:40 am
Thanks a lot! just the recipe i was looking for…
July 7th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
[...] soon as I get some Sweet Almond Oil, I’ll get started with this recipe for Calendula Diaper Cream. Which also makes an amazing hand cream I’ve [...]
August 15th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Good Morning, Wish to receive this marvelous
recipe as my husband has rough skin, and for a
healing cream for rough hands, always working with his hands.
I personally have quite sensitive skin, so I am looking for a healing cream covering my problem.
Are you able to help us, the overall comments
sounds fantastic that we have read.
Many thanks in advance for your information.
Best regards Edna & Emery 8/15/2009 11:46 AM
September 10th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Hello!
Can you please help me with identfying the right measurement units for grams and liters in this recipe? In Romania(Europe) we use grams and liters and it’s quite difficult for me to make it clear what to use from this recipe. To cut it short: I already have a calendula cream recipe which states: 500 grams calendula dried flowers, 40 grams olive oil, 40 grams beeswax and 40 grams cocoa butter. I wonder if this recipe is not wrong, since 40 grams of oil would be like too little quantity to put together with 500 grams of flowers for 2 weeks.
I’m totally confused and I’d like to prepare the cream as soon as possible (since anyways 2 weeks I’d have to wait …). Your recipe seems so far better than mine, but I have problems with converting measurement units. And also with finding some types of flowers, so I’d remain for calendula, beeswax, cocoa butter, maybe some vitamin E and some essential oil for nice smell.
Thank you for any type of help.
November 3rd, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Really interested in this recipe because I love Burt’s. Do you use cloth diapers? Is this cream compatible? (i.e. will it leave a hard-to-wash residue?)