Hey Mama!
Welcoming a new addition to the family is a joyous occasion, and as a parent, you're always seeking the best for your little one, especially when it comes to their delicate skin. Store bought baby lotions can unfortunately be full of toxic chemicals and fragrances.
In this blog post, we'll explore the heartwarming process of creating your own breast milk lotion, a gentle and nourishing option for infant skincare that adds a personal touch to your baby care routine.
Why Breast Milk Lotion for Infants?
Breast milk is nature's perfect nutrition for infants and toddlers. It provides a myriad of benefits for their development, immune system, gastrointestinal system, and overall health and wellbeing. Beyond its nutritional value, breast milk is celebrated for its moisturizing and protective properties, making it an ideal ingredient for a homemade lotion.
All You Need is a Few Simple Ingredients:
Breast Milk: Fresh or thawed from frozen, brought to room temperature. Breastmilk offers natural moisturization and potential skin-soothing benefits.
Organic Coconut Oil: Known for its moisturizing and antibacterial properties, coconut oil is an effective, yet gentle base for baby lotion.
Organic Tallow: Tallow is rich in fatty acids, particularly stearic acid and oleic acid, which can provide effective moisturization to the skin. These fatty acids help to hydrate and soften the skin, making tallow a natural emollient. Additionally, the saturated fats in tallow create a barrier on the skin's surface, helping to lock in moisture and protect the skin from environmental factors such as wind and cold weather. This protective barrier can be especially beneficial for individuals with dry or sensitive skin. Does you baby struggle with eczema? Tallow has been suggested to have anti-inflammatory properties, which may help soothe irritated or inflamed skin. This makes it potentially beneficial for individuals with conditions like eczema or dermatitis. For my lotion, I used wild venison tallow from a deer that my brother harvested this season. If you’re not a hunter, grass-fed beef tallow will be just fine! (This one on Amazon is great: https://amzn.to/47S2JSl)
Organic Vitamin E Oil: Vitamin E Oil is a common ingredient in a lot of skin care products. Vitamin E Oil is known for moisturizing the skin, helping to alleviate dryness and itchiness from eczema, healing wounds and scars, decreasing fine lines and wrinkles, and decreasing the severity of sunburn. Vitamin E Oil can be sourced from a few different avenues- soy, sunflowers, olives, or a combination of oils. For my lotion, I opted for a 100% pure, organic oil sourced from sunflowers. You can find the link here: https://amzn.to/3sSLDoH.
Essential Oils: Essential Oils can also add additional benefits for the skin. Some common essential oils and their skin benefits are:
1. Lavender Oil:
Calming and Relaxing: Lavender is renowned for its calming properties,
promoting relaxation and reducing stress.
Skin Care: It has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, making it
beneficial for minor skin irritations.
2. Tea Tree Oil:
Antimicrobial: Tea tree oil has powerful antimicrobial properties, making it
effective against bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
Skin Health: It's commonly used for acne-prone skin and helps soothe various
skin conditions.
When choosing Essential Oils, you always want to chose a brand that is Therapeutic
Grade. My favorite brand is Young Living. You can shop their oils here:
6. Extras: Double boiler or microwave safe bowl (this one on Amazon is super affordable:
https://amzn.to/3N14WTM) , 17 ounce jars (I bought these ones from
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3RlXncX), and a whisk.
Step-by-Step Guide:
Note: Prioritize cleanliness and hygiene throughout the process.
Sterilize Your Equipment: Ensure all utensils, containers, and equipment are thoroughly sterilized to maintain a hygienic environment for your baby's skincare products.
Combine Your Oils: In a double boiler (or a microwave safe bowl), gently melt the coconut oil and tallow together. If microwaving, microwave for 30 seconds than continue with 5-10 second increments until melted. Be careful not to overheat. Once melted, allow to cool to room temperature. Once cool, add the Vitamin E Oil and Essential Oils, stir well to combine.
Add Your Breastmilk: Stir in your room temperature breastmilk to the room temperature mixture.
Pour and Store: Transfer the lotion into your sterilized jars and place in the fridge to solidify overnight.
Label and Date: Clearly label each container with the date of preparation to monitor freshness. This also helps you keep track of the lotion's shelf life. I recommend keeping your lotion in the fridge to avoid separation and to keep it as fresh as possible. The lotion will be firm but you can easily scrape a small amount off the top with a spoon. It should stay fresh for 3 months if kept in the refrigerator.
How Much Do You Need?:
It really just depends on how much you want to make and how much extra milk you have.
Our youngest son has a rare, congenital skin condition so we use this in lieu of the strong, anti fungal ointment that he was prescribed. (Not trying to give medical advice, but this was just my personal preference as I try to do things as naturally as possible.) We apply it twice a day to his “spot” + use it on my toddlers eczema. I also get dry, cracked hands very easily so I use it daily as well. In addition to that, we shared a jar with one of our milk donor babies for her eczema as well. All of this to say that is why I used so much milk (48 ounces) and yielded FIVE 17 ounce jars. But here are the ratios:
9 ounces of breastmilk
9 ounces of coconut oil
3 tablespoons of tallow
18 drops of vitamin e oil
30-45 drops of essential oil
This should yield about one 17 ounce jar, If you don’t have an extra 9 ounces of milk, or don’t need that much, you can do…
3 ounces of breastmilk
3 ounces of coconut oil
1 tablespoon of tallow
6 drops of vitamin e oil
10-15 drops of essential oils
This should yield about 1 cup of lotion.
Usage and Considerations:
Perform a patch test on a small area of your or your baby's skin to ensure there are no adverse reactions to any of the ingredients
A little lotion goes a long way
Store the lotion in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight (like the fridge) to preserve its quality.
Conclusion:
Crafting your own breast milk lotion for your baby, your family, or yourself is a beautiful way to infuse love and care into anyone’s skincare routine. This DIY project not only embraces the benefits of breast milk but also allows you to create a personalized product tailored to your baby's unique needs. As you massage this homemade lotion into your little one's skin, you're not just providing nourishment — you're creating a special bonding moment that reflects the warmth of your love and the purity of nature's gifts.
Full Recipe:
9 ounces of breastmilk
9 ounces of coconut oil
3 tablespoons of tallow (Like this one on Amazon: https://amzn.to/47S2JSl)
18 drops of vitamin e oil (I used this one: https://amzn.to/3sSLDoH)
30-45 drops of essential oil
17 ounce jar with lid (I use these and love them: https://amzn.to/3RlXncX)
Double boiler or microwave safe bowl (this one on Amazon is super affordable: https://amzn.to/3N14WTM
Ensure all utensils, containers, and equipment are thoroughly sterilized
In a double boiler (or a microwave safe bowl), gently melt the coconut oil and tallow together. If microwaving, microwave for 30 seconds than continue with 5-10 second increments until melted. Be careful not to overheat.
Once melted, allow to cool to room temperature.
Once cool, add the Vitamin E Oil and Essential Oils, stir well to combine.
Stir in your room temperature breastmilk to the room temperature mixture.
Transfer the lotion into your sterilized jars and place in the fridge to solidify overnight.
Label each container with the date to monitor freshness. This also helps you keep track of the lotion's shelf life. It should stay fresh for about 3 months if kept in the refrigerator.
Inspiration for this recipe came from Keeper Of Our Home’s Easy Breast Milk Lotion Recipe
https://keeperofourhome.com/simple-breast-milk-lotion-recipe/ [This post contains affiliate links. I do earn a small commission for all purchases using my link at no additional cost to you. Commissions received help support my business, expand access to care, giveaways/ donations, and more. Your support is always appreciated!]
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