The Best Homemade Diaper Rash Cream Recipe (Seriously!) (2024)

This easy DIY diaper rash cream soothes and heals tender skin using just 4 basic ingredients. The natural ingredients whisk together in minutes to create a soothing protective barrier that works better than pricey storebought creams, with no nasty chemicals! Safe and gentle for even the most sensitive baby bottoms.

The Best Homemade Diaper Rash Cream

Have you been making Homemade Lotion, Homemade Vaseline, Homemade Lip Balm, Homemade Shaving Cream, and other natural health and beauty products for yourself?I’vebeen enjoying all my homemade goodies ever since we started making/using them. But what about natural products for babies?

He deserves the best, too, and if you are already making them for yourself, you will have most of the ingredients needed to make the best diaper rash cream for your little one!

This recipe is cloth diaper-approved (even for cheap cloth diapers!). It shouldn’t build up, and if you are having problems with it, you can run your diapers in a vinegar and baking soda wash to clean them up.

Ok, so a note…most recipesI’vefound for homemade diaper rash cream use zinc oxide. This is supposed to have antibacterial properties. I’m personally not 100% convinced about the safety of zinc oxide since it will be absorbed by the skin (and especially on my baby!), but I encourage you to do your own research on zinc oxide before you make a decision. If you decide to add it to this recipe, you will add 1 tablespoon per batch. The coconut oil in this recipe has antibacterial properties,either way you decide to go.

Tip: Don’t want to make your own Rash Cream? Buy this handmade Rash Lotion from Made On!

Ingredients in Homemade Diaper Rash Cream

Shea Butter (Where to Buy)
Shea butter contains Vitamin A and Vitamin E. It also has proven anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. The healing qualities of Shea butter are due to the presence of several fatty acids and plant sterols, namely oleic, stearic, palmitic and linolenic acids. These oil-soluble components are nonsaponifiable, meaning they do not undergo saponification or convert to soap when introduced to an alkali. Shea butter possesses a significantly greater nonsaponifiable fraction than most other nut oils and fats, which lends the substance greater healing potential for the skin –InterBeautee

Tip: Find more Uses for Shea Butter and try my Homemade Shea Butter Lotion.

Coconut Oil (Where to Buy)
I’ve posted about the benefits to Coconut Oil on my Coconut Oil Lotion post.

Beeswax (Where to Buy)
Beeswax has been proven to have anti-inflammatory effects, and also locks in moisture and helps to treat skin conditions such as rashes and eczema.

Vegetable Glycerin (Where to Buy)
Glycerin may help relieve minor skin problems, such as diaper rash, itching and skin burns, with its anti-irritant and anti-inflammatory properties. – Dr. Mercola

Put all of these things together, and you have one powerful homemade diaper rash cream!

So, with that note out of the way, here is my recipe for the best homemade diaper rash cream.

I made this diaper cream and since I’ve been using this he has never had a burned bottom again from teething diapers. I’ts an excellent barrier cream, I use it on my lips and hands and on his face. At first it seems oily, after 3mins it simply disappears as the skin “drinks” it!

Magdel-Marie, Little House Living reader

Step By Step Instructions for Making Homemade Diaper Rash Cream

In a saucepan, melt the shea butter, coconut oil, and beeswax together. No need to boil, just need to get everything melted together.

Remove from heat. Add in the vegetableglycerin.

With an electric mixer of some kind, beat until the mixture gets creamy.

Pour into a jar or container and let cool. The diaper rash cream will firm up a little more as it cools.

Thank you so much for the awesome recipe! My sister made some of this for my 1yr. old and our baby due in three weeks. It works amazingly well, within 24hrs. I am not only using it on his bum, but his chin gets really broke out from teething. This makes a huge difference! I love that I know exactly what I am putting onto his tender skin.

Kimberly, Little House Living reader

Thanks soooo much for the recipe! My son (2 weeks) has had a nasty never ending diaper rash. Yes, we use disposables… yes I make my own wipes with processed chemicals… however NO diaper rash creams were helping. We even used a prescription cream only for it to continue to get worst with every thing we tried. We even used desiten (sp?), no luck there either. Tried this recipe, (without zinc) and in less than 24 hours it’s almost completely gone!!! What a relief, I’m in love. When I put it on I actually feel like I am doing something GOOD for his skin, not just fighting a diaper rash.

I am not a person that has to have stuff all natural, or organic… however when it works as well or better and is cheaper than the other stuff I am all for it. So if someone is reading this and is wondering if they should try it… YES!

I divided mine up into 3 containers, one for his bed room, one for our downstairs changing area, and one for the diaper bag. Just a suggestion. 🙂

thanks so much!!

Charis, Little House Living reader

Tips and Tricks for Using Homemade Diaper Rash Cream

• The final product will be very thick, you only need to use a little bit at a time.
• I use a special saucepan that I got at a thrift store to make all my homemade lotions and creams just like this one. The beeswax is very difficult to scrub off so I don’t like to use my regular cooking pots and pans.
• You may not need to use some each time you are changing a diaper unless you have to use wipes.
• As I mentioned above, this recipe is cloth diaper safe.
• This homemade diaper rash cream can also be used as an all-purpose rash cream; it works great for healing many skin conditions!

Be completely frugal with your baby by learning all about Cheap Cloth Diapers and How to Make Your Own Baby Wipes. And don’t forget to first read about Budgeting for a New Babyand Simple Living with Baby.

Of course, make sure you check out all the DIY and Make Your Own recipes on Little House Living!

Tip: Changed your mind about making this yourself? Buy handmade Rash Cream from Made On instead!

And that’s how you make the best homemade diaper rash cream! Are you going to try it? Read the comments below to see how awesome this cream really is!

Merissa Alink

Merissa has been blogging about andliving the simple and frugal life on Little House Living since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from theContact Page.

This blog post on Homemade Diaper Rash Cream was originally posted on Little House Living in 2013. It has been updated as of December 2023.