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This simple, all-natural baby wash recipe is made for babies with sensitive skin, but it’s great for all skin types. Free of synthetic ingredients, this foaming body wash is perfect for your baby’s hair and body.
Baby’s skin is very delicate and soft; therefore, using a gentle bath wash is very important. You can buy natural options, but I found that making my own is cheaper, and it is simple to make.
With a few ingredients, you can whip up this baby wash in just a couple of minutes. We have been using this for our children for years, and it works well on their skin and hair.
I pretty much love making as much as I can for my babies! One, I can control the ingredients, and two, I can save so much money.
I even made a DIY diaper cream recently using ingredients I already had on hand!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Budget-friendly – The main ingredient of this wash is water; because castile soap is so concentrated, you don’t need much. I like to buy a 32-ounce bottle of castile soap and keep it under my sink for all my homemade foaming hand soaps, homemade body wash, and other DIY products. It will last me for such a long time because I use such a small amount. Making your own baby wash is much more cost-effective than buying a natural option at the store.
- All-natural ingredients – Knowing what goes on my baby’s skin is very important to me, so making my own baby wash makes it easy for me to know what is in it. You can customize this soap to make it the best for your baby’s skin.
- Simple – I love making homemade baby soap bars, but I will admit it’s a more involved (though rewarding!) process. Making a liquid foaming soap, on the other hand, is so simple. It is as easy as pouring a few ingredients into a bottle and shaking it up!
Ingredients + Supplies
- Castile soap: Castile soap is a very gentle plant-based soap. I like to use unscented so I can add my own essential oils and have control over how strongly it’s scented.
- Glycerin: This helps the soap thicken and froth, and is very moisturizing and protective to the skin.
- Fractionated coconut oil: Be sure you are using fractionated, not unrefined coconut oil, because it is in a liquid state no matter the temperature. Coconut oil is very good for baby’s skin as it’s moisturizing and nourishing. You can also use sweet almond oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, or olive oil in this recipe. Read more about the 10 best carrier oils.
- Essential oils: For baby products, we use gentle oils and add fewer drops than products for adults. Keep reading for some blend ideas!
- Foaming soap container: You can reuse an old bottle or buy a glass one online. Be sure it has a foaming dispenser, in any case.
How to Make Baby Wash
Step 1. Add all of the ingredients to the foaming soap dispenser.
Step 2. Top the bottle off with water, secure the lid, and shake to combine. Shake before each use.
How to Use Natural Baby Wash
This do-it-yourself baby wash is very foaming, and a little goes a long way. I like to get about a quarter-sized amount on the palm of my hand and lather it up before rubbing it onto the youngster’s body and hair.
Keeping out of the eyes, rinse thoroughly. This is suitable for both kids and babies, but keep it away from their eyes. This is not tear-proof.
Essential Oils for Baby Wash
Essential oils not only add scent, but they also add therapeutic benefits. Several essential oils, like lavender, are great for the skin and can help with skin conditions.
I shared a few different blends of essential oils you can use below, but I mainly stick to lavender and Roman chamomile for their calming and soothing effects on the baby. If you choose one of the other blends below, I recommend sticking to 8-9 drops per bottle of baby wash.
If you prefer to make your baby wash unscented, you can omit the essential oils.
If you’re new to essential oils, check out this post on how to use essential oils on kids.
Essential Oil Blends for Baby Wash
Calming
Lavender + Roman Chamomile
Clear Skin
Frankincense + Lavender + Melaleuca
Citrus Bliss
Wild orange + Lemon + Lime
Gentle
Ylang ylang + Geranium + Fennel
Recipe FAQs
If you’re just not a DIYer and would just rather buy your baby wash, no problem! I’ve done the research and chosen some good natural baby washes you can purchase. Here are a few great options that I had used in the past before I decided to make my own:
DoTERRA Baby Wash
Honest Co Baby Wash
Earth Mama Baby Wash
No, it isn’t, so it’s important to keep this wash out of baby’s eyes. While it’s not tear-free, the ingredients are extremely gentle on the skin, so you can safely use it on your little one as long as you’re careful around their eyes.
Yes! This body and hair wash is great for kids of all ages. It’s gentle on the skin while cleansing and moisturizing it very well. Feel free to just keep the one bottle for all of your kids. When they get old enough to want something else, you can make them homemade body wash and homemade rosemary shampoo.
Related Recipes
- Homemade Bedtime Baby Lotion
- All Natural Baby Wipes Recipe
- Top 6 Roller Bottle Recipes for Kids
- How to Care for Cradle Cap with Coconut Oil
- Homemade Bath Bombs For Kids
- Kids’ Calming Bath Salts
If you tried this All Natural Baby Wash or any other tutorial on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
All Natural Baby Wash
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup castile soap, – I use unscented
- 1 tbsp glycerin
- 1 tsp fractionated coconut oil
- 5 drops lavender essential oil
- 3 drops Roman chamomile essential oil
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to the foaming soap container and top off with water.
- Shake before each use to combine the ingredients.
- Lather up a quarter-size amount of body wash and apply to hair and body.
Video
Notes
- Keep away from eyes. This baby wash is not tear-proof.
- Always consult your healthcare provider before using essential oils.
- See the above post for alternative essential oil blends. If you prefer to make your baby wash unscented, you can omit the essential oils.
- Feel free to use a different liquid carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, or olive oil. Read more about the 10 best carrier oils.
This is fantastic! I have been using this on my baby and my toddler for months now. Thank you!
Yay I am so glad!
Hi, Thank you for the detailed yet clear description. I would love to try it out once my Castile soap arrive.
One question: would it be alright to use citrus based essential oil such as Orange,Lemon or Grapefruit since they are photosensitive and may cause the skin to burn when expose to sunlight? I’m living in Malaysia where it is summer all year long.
Thanks ahead!
Wen Huey
I have never had any issues with products that rinse back off. It is more of an issue when essential oils stay on the skin in sunlight. I have a whole blog post about photosensitive essential oils that may be helpful.
Hi, just a question about tweaking the recipe some. The washcloth feels thick and slimy when using this, just wondering if it is the vegetable glycerin or the oil (I used jojoba instead of coconut)? I was about to alter the recipe and use less glycerin but I decided to ask the creator instead…I’m sure you’ve tried multiple combos. Thanks!!
Yes, I would suggest using less vegetable glycerin.
What’s the shelf life for this soap
And how do you make it last longer than 12months
You can add an antioxidant like vitamin E antioxidant or rosemary antioxidant to help extend the shelf life of the product if desired.
Hi I tried this on my kids but it seems to dry the there skin. There skin feels dry and ashy any suggestions what I can add. I added almond oil instead of coconut oil and only did lavender essential oil? Thanks
How often are you bathing them? Sometimes overwashing can cause dry skin. You can also try my whipped body butter for when they get out of the tub.
What is the shelf life of this soap?
Do you have to use a foaming pump?
If you don’t it will be very runny. The foaming pump is best! I have the ones I love and use linked. I get them on amazon!