DIY Soothing Diaper Balm

Miss Hazel has been chowing down food like a champ for a few months now, and as her body acclimated from a solely breast-fed diet to one that included almost all of the same foods we eat, she naturally had changes in her bowel movements. Too much? Sorry! Health folk looooove to talk about poop! Read any worthy health book and there will be pages if not at least a chapter devoted to this lovely topic--as disgusting as it is, I find it equally fascinating! As a homesteader concerned about the health of my animals, I find that one of my routine tasks is inspecting various species of poop. It tells us so much about their health, possible parasites, nutritional deficiencies, etc. 

But I digress... This really isn't a post about poop, though it is poop that brought me to creating this wonderful balm! I got to the end of a really great diaper balm that was gifted to me when she was born, and instead of re-ordering, I thought I'd try my hand at a DIY. Here is the formula I came up with and it works wonders on her sensitive little bum. Seriously--she can go from red and sore to normal and healed in no time. It's gentle and most importantly, it's effective. And it's easy. 

So here's what you need:

- 1 cup of organic extra virgin olive oil

- 1/4 cup dried chamomile

- 1/4 cup dried lavender 

- 1/4 cup dried calendula 

- 2 Tbsp. shea butter

- 4 tsp. beeswax pastilles 

- 20 drops lavender essential oil

- 5 drops roman chamomile essential oil (optional)

And here's what you do:

1. Infuse the olive oil with the chamomile, lavender and calendula. Combine the herbs and cover with olive oil. Place in an oven-safe bowl and allow to sit in a warm (about 200-250 degrees) oven for about an hour. Turn the oven off and all the mixture to sit for about 4 more hours. Using cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve, strain the olive oil into a clean jar. Discard the herbs.

2. Combine beeswax, shea butter and infused olive oil in a double boiler or heat safe bowl. (If using a heat-safe bowl, simply fill a pot with about an inch of water and sit the bowl in the pot. It should not touch the bottom of the pot but the boiling water will gently melt the butters). Stir until melted and remove from heat. 

3. Allow mixture to cool slightly. As the mixture begins to cool, the beeswax will cause it to solidify. Once you see the mixture beginning to solidify around the edges of the bowl, mix in your essential oils. Stir well to combine and pour into small containers. (I cleaned out the old diaper balm container and reused it. You can use canning jars or buy apothecary jars. Be creative and resourceful!) Allow mixture to cool completely before using.