How to make your own baby wash

There are many reasons you might want to create your own baby wash. Maybe you don't like the added fragrance or the way they dry out your baby's skin. Maybe they're too expensive. Or maybe you just don't like the ingredients of commercial washes. 

Whatever the reason might be, I have the perfect solution for you! It's inexpensive, it's natural, it's great on sensitive skin, you know all the ingredients, and it's simple!

The initial purchase price is a little bit of upfront cost.. but I've been using this soap for over a year and haven't had to repurchase any of the ingredients. In fact, the photos you'll see below are the exact bottles that I originally purchased. They're still practically full.

First, gather your materials. You will need:

1. Coconut oil. I prefer organic, pure extra virgin coconut oil. Here is what I use: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003OGKCDC/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_21Vfub1RK9GBA

2. You'll need a container in which to add the completed project. A basin, jar, or cup is fine but I prefer a foaming soap container because this mixture will foam! I poured the container out into a plastic bag so I could use it without wasting the hand soap.  I then rinsed the container out with hot water. Easy peasy.

3. You'll need Dr Bronners Castile Soap. It's natural, gentle, and overall just good stuff. Here is where I purchased mine. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DAI76TC/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_QfWfub09NS7QF 

4. You'll need a measuring cup filled with 1/4 cup of water.

Now, the fun part.

1. Warm the water however you feel comfortable. Doesn't need to be hot, but does need to be warm. I used a tea kettle to heat it and stopped before it boiled but you can use a microwave or heat it on the stove. Be careful & don't burn yourself please!

2. Add 1/4 cup of coconut oil to the warm water. The coconut oil will likely be solid at room temperature but will melt into liquid-y goodness when put into the water.

3. Stir gently. 

4. Add the mixture to the container you plan to use for the baby wash.

5. Add 1/4 cup of Dr Bronners.

6. Swirl gently (don't shake). 

That's it! Use caution as with trying any new product on your child's skin.. but this is the most gentle baby wash formula I've ever experienced. 

After you've made it the first time, depending on the size of your container, you can increase all the portions to 1/2 cup or even 1 cup. You can also add 1-5 drops of essential oils if desired. We don't use them in our wash as I try to keep ingredients to a minimum.. but I'm certain that a few drops of lavender would be delicious.

Please keep in mind that it is not tear free. Tear free products actually just have numbing agents in them to make your child not feel pain. I'd much rather just avoid my baby's eyes than expose her to unknown amounts of chemicals.

Try it out and let me know if you love it! 

Until next time!

You know you're a crunchy mama when...

You might be a crunchy mama if:

1. You spend hours researching how to make your own household supplies. Baby wash, laundry detergent, dish soap, diaper cream, toothpaste.. you've researched it all.

2. You own one pair of shoes but you can't count the amount of babywearing devises you have. Ring slings, wovens, ssc, mei tais.. you've tried them all.

3. While on the topic of babywearing.. the thought of walking your child down the aisle on their wedding day in a woven wrap doesn't seem that weird.

4. You see a fabric and your first thought is "omg I need to wrap my kid's butt in that". Cloth diapers ftw!

5. You don't refer to your food as "organic".. if it's not all natural, it's not food!

6. Extended rear facing. Just the mention of car seats and you won't stop talking for at least an hour.

7. Your friends know better than to mention weaning your child from breast milk. The last person who did that still has the scars from when you clawed her face apart.

8. You can make anything with breast milk. Ice cream. Popsicles. Lotion. Bath soap. The list goes on.

9. "You think it's weird to feed a toddler breast milk? Really? Cause your kid is drinking breast milk from another species and it's pumped full of hormones and antibiotics. What isn't weird about that?!" Yes. You've said that. A lot.

10. You have coconut oil in every room of the house.  You cook with it. You bathe with it. You slather it on your body.  You fix diaper rash with it. You've brushed your teeth with it. Your baby permanently smells like it. If you had to choose between losing both your legs and never using coconut oil again.. You'd put some coconut oil in your cart when you're buying your wheelchair.

11. Welcome back. You just took a break from reading to go lotion your hands up with some coconut oil.

12. Did someone say coconut oil?

13. You had a hard time between saving your placenta to plant a tree with it and encapsulating it. You probably choose the latter.

14. You refer to yourself as an intactivist even if you don't have any male children.  You have more knowledge about circumcision than most pediatricians. In fact, you talk about it more than most urologists.

15.  You respect your child's virgin gut. You believe food before one is just for fun. You waited until at least 6 months to give your child solid food. If your dr suggested starting your baby on rice cereal at 4 months old, you switched pediatricians. Bye bye dr douchebag.

16. Just the mention of rice cereal makes your skin crawl. Poison in a box.

17. You bedshare or cosleep. You don't agree with "cry it out" method and would never do it. Your baby cries because they need you.

18. Baby led weaning. You love that shit.

19. You spent enough hours researching vaccines that you could have a phd.

20. You have no shame in any of these things. You  hear another mom mention coconut oil and your first thought is "omg, best friends?"

Stay tuned for more adventures of a crunchy mama!