DIY Foaming Baby Wash
When it comes to baby skin, less is more. This simple DIY foaming baby wash recipe will leave baby clean without the worry of harsh (and even cancer causing) chemicals.
Because a little dirt is good for the immune system, your baby doesn’t need a bath every day.
But for those diaper blowouts or a particularly adventurous chapter in your baby-led weaning experience, you may feel like they’ll never be clean again without some good old soap and water.
The Problem With Conventional Baby Wash
Some of the brands that have been around for decades use toxic and even cancer causing ingredients. They’re filled with synthetic foaming agents, hormone disrupting fragrances, and other chemicals you don’t want around your baby.
If you’re currently using a baby wash, check the ingredients on EWG’s Skin Deep database to make sure it has a low toxicity rating. Most brands are tracked there. If yours isn’t, you can enter the main ingredients individually and check their safety score.
Safer Soap Options
One of the safest choices for soap you can use is Castile soap.
Castile soap is made from a vegetable-oil base instead of animal fats. The name comes from a type of soap that originated in the Castile region of Spain. It cleans (and gently foams) naturally, so it’s effective for removing dirt and germs. And the gentle vegetable oils don’t dry out baby’s skin.
Dr. Bronner’s offers a certified vegan and cruelty-free liquid and solid Castile soap. Their ingredients are certified organic and GMO-free as well as Fair Trade.
Another of our favorite brands is Earth Mama Organics Castile soap. Their Castile soap is gentle and effective, and it doesn’t require preservatives, emulsifiers, or surfactant chemicals like detergent-based soaps. It also contains no artificial fragrance, triclosan, phthalates, parabens, sulfates, or known endocrine disruptors.
DIY Baby Soap Recipe
This DIY baby wash is free from synthetic foaming agents, hormone disrupting fragrances, or any other toxins.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. distilled, boiled, or filtered water
- 1 teaspoon fractionated organic coconut oil (olive oil, Vitamin E oil, or almond oil will also work)
- 2 Tablespoons Unscented Dr. Bronner’s liquid Castile soap (more soap = a more foamy soap)
- Foaming pump dispenser – use an old one or buy a foaming pump
Directions
- Pour all ingredients into foaming pump dispenser
- Before using, give the bottle a gentle swirl to incorporate ingredients
This baby soap recipe is meant for use with a foaming pump. Since it doesn’t contain synthetic foaming agents you might find that it doesn’t lather as much as other washes.
That’s okay! Suds don’t really do the cleaning, no matter what the commercials would like you think. If you find that you’d like more sudsing, simply add a bit more of the Castile soap to the mixture.