You can never be too picky about what you put on your baby’s skin, and commercial, chemical, and preservative-laden lotions are out. I honestly had no idea what I was going to do until I came across this homemade baby lotion recipe.
Why would you put those chemicals on your baby’s skin if you wouldn’t feed them to them? Skin – any skin, but particularly baby skin – is extremely absorbent. If you rub it in, it will find its way into your body.
As a result, I make my own lotion. This is also the lotion I frequently use on myself. It’s a great facial moisturiser because it absorbs quickly and you can customise the ratios to suit your skin type. Is your skin oily? Increase the amount of aloe vera gel you use. Is your skin dry? Increase the amount of coconut oil. Do you have acne? Add a few drops of tea tree oil.
As you can see, this homemade baby lotion recipe is very simple and adaptable. It’s a great combination because coconut oil absorbs quickly into the skin, and the aloe vera gel helps it absorb even faster, so it doesn’t feel greasy at all.
There is some debate over whether homemade lotions should be kept at room temperature for more than a few weeks, so I’ll just say that I’ve kept mine out on the counter for a couple months at a time with no problems. I do, however, usually add some antibacterial essential oil to it, even if only a few drops. If you keep it in the fridge, the texture will be more like a lotion bar than a creamy lotion. (See image below.)
Lavender essential oil is an excellent addition to baby lotion, particularly if your baby has trouble sleeping. Lavender is extremely relaxing – and it also happens to be one of those anti-bacterial oils mentioned earlier!
Simple Homemade Baby Lotion Recipe
Ingredients for Homemade Baby Lotion:
- a half-cup coconut oil
- 1 cup aloe vera gel
- Essential oil – a few drops (optional)
Instructions:
- Gently heat the coconut oil until it is just melted – not hot. Pour cold aloe vera gel and essential oil into a blender or food processor (or use a cup and stick blender for easy clean up!) and blend until creamy and well emulsified.
- Scrape into a container with a tight-fitting lid and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator, as desired.
- That’s the only thing there is to it!
