Katie Wells, founder of Wellness Mama, has published a recipe for an oil-based “baby balm skin cream” made from cocoa butter, shea butter, olive oil and optional castor oil, with an optional addition of essential oils. In the post, Wells says she began making her own baby skincare after reading ingredient lists on commercial baby lotions she received while pregnant with her first child.
Katie Wells, the founder of Wellness Mama, says she created her “Homemade Baby Balm Skin Cream” after receiving “literally 11 bottles” of baby lotion during her first pregnancy and then reading their ingredient labels. In the blog post, she writes that she questioned the presence of ingredients such as propylene glycol, parabens, artificial fragrances, synthetic waxes and petroleum-based oils in baby lotions, and opted to look for alternatives she considered more natural.
Wells’ recipe is fully oil-based and uses shelf-stable ingredients. The formulation she lists calls for 1/4 cup cocoa butter, 1/4 cup shea butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon castor oil (optional). In the post, she describes cocoa butter as naturally high in antioxidants and fatty acids that moisturize skin, and shea butter as a natural source of vitamin A and other nutrients.
The recipe also includes an optional essential-oil component. Wells writes that she used frankincense, myrrh, chamomile and rose essential oils in her own batch, specifying 15 drops of each in the version published on the site.
For preparation, Wells instructs readers to heat the ingredients (excluding essential oils) in a double boiler (or a jar or bowl set over a small pan of boiling water), stir until melted, remove from heat, and then add essential oils if using. The mixture is then poured into a glass jar for storage.
In her write-up, Wells says she likes that the balm has “no liquid” added and that it absorbs in a few minutes. She also reports hearing from friends who said it was helpful for eczema and other skin problems.
The post’s comments include at least one reader who said the recipe “works great as a balm” but did not improve their baby’s eczema, and another thread in which a reader notes common kitchen-measurement conversions, stating that 1/4 cup equals 4 tablespoons or 60 ml.
