I have been using regular baby wipes until my daughter had a bad diaper rash and yeast infection that no diaper rash cream would help ease. She was prescribed Lotrimin for it and she is on cortisone cream for her (light) eczema for 2 months now. Neither of them have been conclusive and I started feeling uncomfortable applying such creams on her daily.
As I follow french moms groups, I often hear about liniment lotion. It is a popular natural preparation a lot of French mothers use on their babies’ skin. Even Though it is sold as wipes and lotion in France, many like to make their own.
Uses for baby
- Cleansing lotion for babies’ diaper area,
- No need additional water or rinsing,
- Helps fighting against acidic urine,
- Cleans baby’s face. Use it like any other wipes,
- Moisturizing lotion,
- Massage lotion,
- Helps reduce cradle cap (apply liniment on the desired area 10-15mn before shampoo your baby’s hair),
- Helps reducing eczema,
Uses for you
- Make up remover (you may use other vegetal oils that would suit your skin better but olive oil works just fine),
- Soothes cracked nipples for those who breastfeed,
- Moisturizing lotion,
- Massage lotion,
- Soothes superficial burns,
It is hard to find liniment in the United States so I decided to give a shot at doing it myself.
Ingredients
I do it with the metric system for precision purposes.
- 100 ml organic olive oil. Ideal for its soothing properties.
- 4g beeswax. It binds the ingredients together.
- 100 ml limewater.
How to do 500 ml of limewater :
- Add 5g calcium hydroxide (Don’t be scared by this chemical word, it has many applications, including food preparation)
- to 500ml distilled water.
Shake well. Filter with coffee filters to take off any excess. Do not use limewater directly on the skin because of its basic PH. Once mixed to the olive oil, it becomes totally harmless and will be the ingredient that cleans, purifies the skin and neutralises acidic urine.
You can purchase it pre made here but it doesn’t come cheap.
Instructions
- Sanitize your hands and utensils you will be using to make your liniment.
- Melt olive oil and beeswax together in water bath,
- Slowly add the limewater and mix for 4 minutes so the ingredients are well bound,
- Pour in pump bottle or any container you like.
Notes
- Try on your skin before applying on baby.
- Try on a small area of your baby’s skin before going any further in case of allergic reaction like any other lotion.
- You can use dry wipes (I personally bought those ones), paper towel, tissues or soft fabrics to wipe and clean.
- Do not take off any liniment excess from the skin. Let it shine to leave a protective and nourishing layer in the skin.
- check out this article to have more details on baby wipes toxicity.
- It does not smell like olive oil. I wanted to mention it because when I was making it, my husband said she would smell like pizza… 😀
My daughter yeast infection was gone after one day using liniment. Her eczema condition is stable.
With love,
E
Bicultural parenting and lifestyle blog 
I found your article very interesting im in desperate need of your help . Our daughter is in a lot of discomfort due to a yeast infection. We went to urgent care yesterday and they basically Dr. said to continue nystatin cream which isn’t working. I want to make the lotion but was a little confused. Do i make it in a small pot over a low flame? And also should i add the lime water and distilled water to her bath and apply the lotion after she comes out?
LikeLike
Thank you for the nice words and for sharing. Poor sweet girl 😦
Only the olive oil and the wax are heated in order to melt the wax. it is done using the water bath cooking method (http://www.afamilyfeast.com/how-to-bake-using-a-water-bath/). Once melted, add the mixture to the limewater away from the heat and mix for 4mn. DO NOT add limewater in her bath. It is used in such a small quantity here and mixed to oil to obtain a desired action. I strongly advise against using it without following instructions. I hope it helps and that your sweet little one feels better soon.
LikeLike
Hi where can u buy calcium hydroxide in Melbourne australia?
LikeLike
Hi Renee,
So sorry, I can’t help you here, I have never been in Australia.
I wish you luck in your search 🙂
LikeLike
You can buy it as pickling lime at Walmart. I’ve been using this recipe for 8 months. Wish I’d seen the blog before I started experimenting long ago!
LikeLike
Hi Renée,
My name is Morgan and I just came across your question. I started manufacturing a baby liniment in Australia. All natural ingredients. I used to do it at home ( being French) and now decided to give opportunities to Australian to enjoy it… My website is http://www.petitkiddo.com.au. Have a look and you can order online. I know it is not like doing it yourself but limewater is very difficult to find at small quantity in Australia… All the best with your bub…Morgan
LikeLike
Thank you for posting this. This blog didn’t exist when I had to figure out how to make liniment in Jan this year. Much trial and error to arrive at the same recipe! So glad it’s out there now. I will forward it to every mom I know! As a side note, I use pickling lime from Walmart for Ca(OH)2. That way I know it’s food grade.
LikeLike
Thank you so much Neha ! It’s not well known in the States and I think people are kind of scared. Glad you like my recipe and thank you for the pickling lime 😉
LikeLike
Thank you so much for sharing. We found out my daughter had a yeast infection yesterday and she is so uncomfortable. I was very excited to find your website. How is the Liniment stored? Should we store it in the fridge? and how long is it good for?
LikeLike
Thank you very much for your comment. I am glad this article was able to help you. There is no need to store it in the fridge and it can be good to use for one month 🙂
Eugenie.
LikeLike
I went crazy looking for pure beeswax. Thank goodness I got my hands on a 1.5oz bar (just like the photo). I multiplied the recipe by 5 to get enough to share. I’m diabetic, suffer from psoriasis and genearly dry skin. The melted beeswax & oliveoil felt amazing on my heels & lips ♡ 16.9 fl oz is equal to 500ml folks. Most bottles of water are too. Just referencing, because I’m not conversion savvy. You can empty a personal plastic bottle of water & add your distilled water to it. It feels amazing on my hands!!!! I can’t wait to try it as mentioned on the tips above!!!! Thank you!!!!
LikeLike
I’m glad it helps you and you like it ☺️
LikeLike
I tried to make this, but it seems to separate – oil on top of water. I even put it in the blender, but it’s still separated. Any ideas?
LikeLike
Hello,
A blender won’t help. You need to use a hand mixer for a few minutes.
LikeLike
So do you use 100mL of the lime water or 500mL of the lime water? It says 100 but then the instructions say 500? Thanks
LikeLike
I only use 100ml of lime water. Considering the little quantity of calcium hydroxide needed to make the lime water, I just make more of it. If you are able to precisely measure 1g, you are more than welcome to make 100ml only. Hope it helps.
LikeLike
Hi there! Just wondering if it matter whether we use olive oil or extra virgin olive oil. The only organice olive oil I can find seems to be extra virgin! Thanks!
LikeLike
Hi Emily,
It does not really matter.
LikeLike