Diaper Rash Salve

As strange as it may seem, adopting our dog Rosie, provided my first opportunity to make a diaper rash salve.  Now it wasn't Rosie who had a rash, but her foster mom's 10 month old baby.

The St. John's Wort oil gives the salve a dark pink color.

When the family came to bring us Rosie, their little guy was screaming as his diaper was being changed.  I learned that he had a persistent diaper rash and his parents had tried many products, included prescription ointments to no avail.

Click Read More (below) to see the complete post.




The next day, I perused my herbal texts and found Rosemary Gladstar's recipe for diaper rash salve.  Since I had all the infused oils already on hand it was easy to make up a batch and put it in the mail. 

I received an email later saying that it had worked!   This humble mixture of calendula, comfrey, St. John's Wort, olive oil, and bees wax did the trick when other treatments did not work.  

I knew this was a product I needed to make for my new grandbaby!  Her mom reports that using this salve at the first sign of redness, keeps little Mercy's bottom rash free.

The Process

Infusing Olive Oil with Herbs


When making medicinal salves, the first step is to extract the medicinal properties of the herb using olive oil as a solvent.  There are two basic extractions methods. 

Solar Extraction 


If have the luxury of time, sun extraction over a 6 week time period during the summer makes a wonderful oil.  Just place plant material in a jar, cover with oil, and set in a sunny window for 6 weeks.  For detailed instructions, check out my Herbal Oil Infusions post.

Sun infused oils of comfrey, golden calendula, and dark red St. John's Wort.

Stove Top Extraction

But if you don't have 6 weeks to wait, then the herbs can be infused by gently heating in a double boiler.  I like to make 1 cup batches so I have extra infused oil in the fridge to use as needed.

• Place 1/2 cup dried comfrey or calendula in a 2 cup glass measuring cup and pour in 1 cup of olive oil.  (You will need to infuse freshly picked St. John's Wort flower buds to get the dark red oil.)

• Make sure the oil completely covers the plant material.  Give it a stir as you want the plant material completely covered in oil.

• Place the cup in a pan of water and heat over a very low flame for 4 - 8 hours. The longer you heat the oil the more medicinal the oil will be. 

• Allow the oil to cool and then strain using a nylon jelly bag.  Squeeze until all the oil is out of the plant material.  

You also have the option of purchasing oils that have already been infused. Calendula , comfrey, and St. John's Wort oil can all be purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Diaper Rash Salve Recipe

2 oz calendula infused olive oil

2 oz comfrey leaf or root infused olive oil

2 oz St. John's wort (flower buds) infused olive oil

3/4 oz bees wax pastilles (or cut up beeswax)

It is fun to see the oil absorb the colors of the herbs.

• Measure the oils and weigh the bees wax.

• Place oils and beeswax into a 2 cup glass measuring cup and place in a pan of water.

• Heat slowing until the water is hot, but not boiling.  (Make sure the water from the pan does not splash into the cup.  Moisture in salves leads to premature spoilage.)

Heat just hot enough to melt the wax pastilles.

• Using a wooden skewer or chop stick, stir the oils occasionally until all the wax has melted.

Add a label and your done!

• Place a few drops of the liquid on a plate and allow to cool for a few seconds.  Then test to see if the consistency is correct.  If the salve feels too firm add a bit more oil, if it is too soft add a few more bees wax pastilles.

• Test again and when the consistency is to your liking, pour into small tins.

• Add a label, listing the herbs you used.

• Place the tins you will not be using immediately in the fridge to prolong their shelf life.  Keep one tin out to use at the first signs of redness.

Tips

• If you can, grow your own St. John's Wort. One of the active ingredients is most abundant in the flower buds and is best extracted when the flower is fresh. 

• If your fingers get small red stains on them as you pinch the St. John's Wort blossoms and buds off the plant, you know it is in the perfect stage for infusing in oil.  If you cannot grow St. John's Wort, you can purchase  John's Wort Oil from Mountain Rose Herbs.

• Calendula is easy to grow, even in Minnesota.  Check out my Calendula blog post to learn how.

• Comfrey is a hardy perennial in a zone 4 garden.  It puts down deep roots and will live for years in the place it is first planted.  Even if you try to dig it out!  Comfrey leave and roots heal by promoting cell proliferation.  The mineral rich leaves also make a great fertilizer when infused in water, or a mulch when dried.  They can be added to a compost pile to add minerals and accelerate decomposition.

• You can make good oil infusions from dried comfrey and calendula.  Dried herbs and ready made oils can be found at Mountain Rose Herbs.

• Can't find all three herbs?  Calendula, comfrey, and St. John's Wort can all be used individually to make healing salves.

Interested in more herbal baby care products?  Check out my Herbs for Baby's Bath, Calendula Baby Lotion, and Alternatives for Treating Ear Infections posts.