How to make my homemade liniment?

Carried by the trend of returning to nature, the oleo-limestone liniment is more and more used by parents for changing babies. On sale in pharmacies, this fatty emulsion can also be made at home. Manual.

The oleo-limestone liniment is a natural emulsion made from olive oil and lime water. It is used in particular for the baby's toilet during the change. You can buy it in pharmacies or drugstores, many brands specializing in cosmetic products for babies or for the skin market it. But more and more parents prefer to make it themselves to better control the ingredients that compose it and thus protect their baby's skin from any harmful substances. It is also practical to use (without rinsing) and economical!

Before you start making your homemade liniment, it is important to know when and how to use it.

The liniment to protect the skin of the seat

The liniment is indicated to protect the skin of the baby's seat after cleaning and drying, during the change. It constitutes a protective barrier since it isolates urine and stool:

  • lime water, thanks to its alkaline pH (around 9) neutralizes the acidity of urine (pH between 4.5 and 6.5) and thus helps to restore a pH close to the normal pH of the skin .
  • Olive oil, due to its oily texture, forms a protective film on the skin, like a shield against urine and stool. It also hydrates the skin.

Its use is simple. All you have to do is soak a cotton ball in the liniment and pass it over the baby's skin when changing, starting from the penis towards the buttocks. No need to rinse, you can then give your child a clean diaper!

How to prepare it at home?

Homemade liniment recipes abound on the Internet. But here's what you need to have in mind before you jump into the preparation:

  • always choose organic ingredients (you avoid exposing your baby to any traces of pesticides!).
  • prepare a clean container with an airtight seal and a pump if possible. It will be easier to manage the dosage later.
  • make sure that the kitchen equipment you are going to use is clean.

So you need preferably extra virgin olive oil, lime water (available from pharmacies) and beeswax. The beeswax will act as an emulsifier, that is, it will stabilize the mixture of olive oil and lime water, two substances that normally go out of phase. If you don't like the smell of olive oil, you can substitute it with another organic vegetable oil like sunflower or sweet almond oil.

Recipe for the DIY liniment (for 200 ml of liniment) proposed by the blogger mom Océanne Pujol:

  • In a bowl, pour 100 ml of olive oil and 4g of beeswax. Heat in a double boiler. Allow to heat until the wax is completely melted and the mixture is liquid.
  • Turn off the heat and pour 100 ml of lime water into the still hot mixture of olive oil and beeswax. Gradually add the lime water while stirring with a whisk to emulsify everything. Be careful, lime water must be handled with care as it can cause irritation. Wear protective gloves and goggles.
  • Pour the still lukewarm preparation into a clean bottle and let it cool before using for the first time. You will probably need to shake it a little before the first use to homogenize the mixture a little compact after cooling.
  • Label your bottle with the date of manufacture of the liniment. This can be stored for a month at room temperature. Better not to keep it longer as a precaution.

You can also make this recipe with the Thermomix to save time. First mix olive oil and beeswax at 70 ° C for 3 minutes, speed 2. Add the lime water and mix again for 20 seconds, speed 4.
Thoroughly clean the equipment used for the recipe, especially the container (s) in which the lime water has been poured.
As with any product intended to be in contact with the skin, check that it is not causing an allergic skin reaction by applying a small amount in the crook of baby's arm. If you do not notice any abnormal reactions, you can use it for breech care.

To make this DIY liniment, you will need to obtain:

Mother blogger Océanne Pujol offers her community her DIY homemade liniment recipe accompanied by pretty photos.

Beware of misuse of the liniment!

Often used as a cleanser when changing, the liniment would not be the most suitable product, say some dermatologists. Indeed, the passage of cotton soaked in liniment makes it possible to remove soiling by mechanical effect (it takes off the impurities) but it does not replace water and soap or a cleaning milk provided for this purpose. The liniment should not replace a detergent product because it can promote the proliferation of microbes (those that were not removed with the cotton).

However, it can be used after cleaning and drying to prevent the appearance of irritation due to the acidity of urine and stools. The liniment can also be used occasionally after changing a diaper soiled only with urine, if you do not have soap and water nearby or a cleaning product. Parents won't say the opposite, the liniment, like the wipes, comes in handy when you're out and about with baby!

During your travels, also favor flexible and comfortable diapers so that your child can be free to crawl, hoist up and walk without having any irritation … The smart idea: choose diapers with an irreproachable absorption that will avoid you having to change baby every hour. Our advice: Choose diapers with a safe composition and equipped with an effective anti-leakage system for optimal protection. Don't know which ones to choose? Lotus Baby Natural Touch diapers are perfectly suited in this case: flexible and elastic, they are equipped with an anti-leakage system for up to 12 hours.

As a reminder, the liniment is not a cleanser but an emulsion that can prevent diaper rashes. On the other hand, if you see that your child has red bottom, avoid the liniment because it does not let the skin breathe and prevents the lesions from healing. After cleansing, apply a drying lotion and a water-based paste that lets the skin breathe instead.

Other uses for the liniment are circulating on the forums, such as applying it to the face to moisturize the skin or on cradle cap. These practices are not recommended because several cases of acne and folliculitis (inflammation of the hair follicle) have been reported following the use of the liniment on the face. The liniment is used exclusively for the care of the seat. There are other products for face care and cradle cap.

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Video by Clara Poudevigne