Ask any cloth diapering parent & they’ll share with you the special laundry routine they go through to protect their precious fluffy diapers.
As with any investment, we want to maintain our diapers in the best possible condition for the longest possible time.
Therefore, most commercial grade diaper rash creams are out of the picture. You’ll find no Desitin, Butt Paste, or Triple Paste in my medicine cabinet.
My favorite all-natural soothing diaper rash cream is coconut oil.
Coconut oil can be found in some supermarkets and inhealth food stores. Costa Rica is full of coconut palms, but for some reason it’s still hard to find this stuff. Thankfully, a friend came across a gallon jar in a rural town and shared with me.
Be sure that you purchase 100% coconut oil that is solid at room temperature.
Why coconut oil?
Coconut oil does not damage cloth diapers.
Unlike commercial rash creams, coconut oil is easy to remove in a typical cloth diaper laundry cycle—especially if you have the luxury of washing in hot water. We wash exclusively in cold water and have not seen any troubles with coconut oil. It’s light, soothing, and an all-natural alternative to commercial rash creams. It also doubles as a great lip balm and eye cream…just don’t use the same tub. I also use coconut oil to make cheap and effective deodorant.
Commercial grade diaper rash creams are usually zinc oxide based and extremely difficult to remove from cloth diapers. The dense creams work great to keep baby’s bums dry, but cause great damage to cloth diapers because the dense barrier is tough to remove from fabric, therefore jeopardizing diaper absorbency. In dire circumstances, commercial creams may be used, but it is advised to use a disposable liner between the baby’s creamed skin and the CD to reduce risk of diaper damage.
What is your tried and true method for clearing up diaper rash?
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When my baby gets diaper rash we use either vaseline or Budreaux’s butt paste, but we put a dry wipe (we use baby washcloths as wipes) between his bum and the diaper so the diaper is protected. I didn’t know coconut oil was safe for cloth diapers. That’s a great tip. Thankfully though, my baby rarely gets diaper rash…I think cloth diapers are responsible for that.
So when using coconut oil as a rash cream ….or lip balm or eye cream …..do you mix it with anything or just on its own.
Also I heard it is great as a body lotion or hair conditioner…..do you know if it is used straight from the jar or mixed with something?
Will greatly appreciate any input.
Shirley
Shirley, I use coconut oil straight up as lip balm, eye cream, and rash cream. If you’d like to scent it or add an antimicrobial to it, you could always mix with a drop or two of lavender oil, but too much of it and you could ruin cloth diapers if that’s what you use. Since it works plain, I like to keep it nice and simple. As for hair, I’ve never tried it, but I do use coconut oil in my belly butter recipes and for olive oil night cream too. Hope this helps!