My own daughter had eczema when she was small until we discovered her food allergy, then presto! It was gone. However, she does still have very dry skin and needs lots of help with moisture.
One of the best things for all skin types with these issues, but especially baby's, is pure shea butter. This is a health food store buy for sure. It must be 100%, nothing else in there, and preferably unrefined. It's not cheap, but not like gold, but oh so worth it. (Great for cradle cap. Just massage it in, 100% not mixed with anything else.)
MY LOTION CONSISTS OF:
Coconut oil - For skin it is a moisturizer, antibiotic, multivitamin/nutrient, nourishing, anti-aging, anti-wrinkle and anti-oxidant. It needs to be virgin and/or unrefined. It's melting point is around 76 degrees, so it is solid at room temperature. So this lends well to a lotion. I'm guessing on the amounts here, because I eye ball a lot, even in cooking. It's how my grandmother did things and then I forget that someone else may need the exact amount (I'm NOT OCD, can you tell?) So about 1/2 cup.
Cocoa nut butter - Again 100%. Oddly $2 for the Queen Helen brand at Family Dollar. Really. This I know! One 1 oz stick.
Olive oil - skin compatible, heavier oil for dry skin. About 1/8 to 1/4 cup.
Grape seed oil - lighter, less greasy feel, lightens up the texture. 1/8 cup.
Vitamin E oil - 100% Harder to find, a little more expensive but under $10 and so good for your skin. I use it every night. Hmmm a good sized squirt? 1 tablespoons-ish.
Jojoba oil - Most like the skins natural oils in weight, very skin compatible and natural preservative. Again, 1 tablespoons-ish.
Natural beeswax - Holds in moisture. I would not add this to a lotion or mix for oily skin, but it a great protector for dry skin and helps the consistency of the lotion. Just a smidgen. Like a large marble size.
Essential Oils of:
3 Lavender - anti-histamine for the itch; promotes healing. I'm planning 12 drops 100% therapeutic grade essential oil.
2 Bergamot - analgesic, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic. I'm planning 6 drops 100% therapeutic grade essential oil.
1 Chamomile - Because of the varied constituents, Roman Chamomile has a broad range of applications as reported by many aromatherapists. Those mentioned include allergies, burns, diarrhea, nausea, psoriasis, and sprains. It is also great in baby preparations! Very soothing, and can calm in distressed situations as well as for a high fever, earaches, teething, and to help with tummy aches. I do not have this single oil on hand, but have a blend called Serenty that is mostly lavender based, but has chamomile in it as well. I will use about 3 drops of that. I'd use the same if it were the single oil.
3, 2, & 1 in amount. Also when I mention an oil as skin compatible, it means that it will not clog the pores.
INSTRUCTIONS: I'll leave the pictures for the end....
Shred the beeswax up and put it in a double boiler or in a glass oven safe bowl in a pan of hot water (I use a couple of mason jar rings to keep it off of the bottom of the pan.) The beeswax takes the longest to melt so I get it going first. Then shred in the cocoa butter. This is much easier to do than the beeswax and I just use a kitchen knife for both.
Next add the shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, and grape seed oil. I stir this until the beeswax is melted, take it off the heat and then add the jojoba oil and vitamin E oil and stir again.
At this point you cannot whip this into a lotion. It's hot and will stay melted for a long time. Stick it in the refrigerator and forget about it. You can use the freezer to speed things up, but I was making a small batch here and it will freeze quick. It doesn't whip well this way either. Don't ask how I know.
Anyway, after it's set up, start whipping just like you would heavy cream for whipped topping. You'll be surprised how fluffy you can get this. Add the essential oils after you have whipped for about 30 seconds. Either turn your mixer down, or put them in the side so they don't splash out of the bowl. When the consistency is as fluffy as you would like it, then just put it into a clean, wide mouth container and you are done!
The nice thing about small batches is that if the consistency is wrong or you don't like the smell, you don't have too much to use and you can try again. For example, say it separates at a slighter higher room temperature. You probably have too much (in amount) of liquid oils. IE olive, grape seed, jojoba. If it's too stiff, then you probably have too much beeswax or possibly solid at room temperature ingredients, like cocoa butter.
Really though, only one time when I accidentally dumped in a bunch of olive oil, did I have a problem of my lotion seeming to melt. It didn't separate too much, which I thought it would do, if it melted. So I just used it up anyway.
Now the best way to use this is on damp skin after a bath or shower. It will melt in your hand almost instantly. This is pure lotion, no fillers. Use a little and let the dampness of the skin help to spread it around without it being too heavy.
ENJOY and let me know if you try making your own batch!
NOTE: This batch was not as stiff and fluffy as I would have liked so I just put it in an amber lotion bottle. :)
PPS Never assume anything. I should have waited to put my lotion in a container. I thought it odd that it wasn't fluffy. Well my kitchen must have been too warm, or I mixed too long and warmed the batch, because my lotion set up in the bottle and it may be a little hard to pump out. It is a great batch though. Smelled wonderful and feels great on the skin!
