Ok, so you’ve gotten yourself some great cloth wipes or made some using my easy no-sew instructions. In this post, I will share my favorite homemade cloth wipes solution, or as we like to call it Booty Wash! While there are many pre-made products available from brands I trust, it has always seemed like an unnecessary expense when I can easily and quickly make my own from ingredients I always have in my natural medicine cabinet.
I have experimented with different versions of this homemade cloth wipes solution over the last 4 years, but this has become my go-to recipe. (For a printable version, scroll down to the bottom of the post.)
You will need
- About a ½ tsp unscented Castile soap or two squirts of a natural plant-based baby shampoo
- Two squirts jojoba oil or other carrier oil (sweet almond oil, fractionated coconut oil, etc)
- 3 drops tea tree (melaleuca) essential oil
- 5 drops lavender essential oil
- distilled water or water that has been boiled for five minutes and cooled
- 4 oz one-touch dispenser or small spray bottle
What’s the point of all this stuff?
Can’t I just use water? Well, yes, kind of. BUT a good homemade cloth wipes solution will clean a bit better, provide moisture, and soothe the skin. So let’s break it down a bit.
Firstly, let’s talk about cleaning power. About a half teaspoon of Unscented Castile soap, (honestly I don’t measure it, I eyeball a few drops/a little drizzle) or two pumps of a plant based baby wash, will do the trick. This one is sorta obvious, but a bit of soap will help clean off the pee or poo. I use Dr. Bronner’s for all my homemade soapy products.
The carrier oil
Next, the vegetable-based carrier oil in this homemade cloth wipes solution will reduce friction and help the wipe glide across the skin. It moisturizes and protects the tender areas. My recommendation is that you find an oil that works best for you and your family and keep it in stock. In general, the liquid oils in DIY recipes can be swapped out for another liquid oil. (Like grape seed in place of sweet almond or fractionated coconut oil, etc.) When you’re initially making the switch away from store bought lotions and potions and experimenting with single ingredient plant oils, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. So just start with one kind and test it out.
You will see me talk about jojoba oil quite a bit because it’s my favorite all purpose carrier oil. It’s light and absorbs quickly into my skin. It is great for face, nails, hair, and body, especially after a shower, and won’t clog pores. Jojoba oil is anti-fungal, antimicrobial, and it has a pleasant faintly nutty aroma (source). It’s excellent for removing makeup, even waterproof mascara, which is how I first came to use it years ago. Importantly, it’s convenient for me. I am a Trader Joe’s fan and they carry a reasonably-priced one in their non-food section. I go through a few bottles a month, so I just grab it on my regular shopping trip. If you wanna give it a try, I have also used and liked this brand.
Wait!?! Oil near my cloth diapers- isn’t this a no-no??
What you want to avoid is petroleum based oil, as well as cod liver oil or fish oils, which are found in many diaper balms and creams and not a good idea to use with cloth. In general, I would all together steer clear of petroleum oils which are by-products of petroleum: not eco-friendly and not nourishing for the skin. While they do create a barrier, they do not provide moisture or nourish skin. So let’s stick with more healthful and greener options because there are plenty. And, relax, they will totally wash out of your diapers.
The essential oils
If you don’t own any essential oils, these two are excellent starter oils. Lavender and tea tree were the first two I ever used and still the ones I use the most. You don’t have to buy the most expensive ones, but you should purchase from a reputable, quality brand. I like Aura Cacia quite a bit as it’s affordable and widely available at places like Target, Amazon, and natural pharmacies. Another of my go-to brands is Now.
Lavender essential oil is derived from the plant Lavandula angustifolia and has long been a staple in natural medicine. For the purpose of our homemade wipes solution, lavender is antibacterial, anti microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and antiseptic. In other words it cleans, disinfects, and calms baby’s skin. Plus it smells lovely and promotes relaxation. If you’ve never used it before, I think you’re gonna find it handy. Here is a great article with a bit more science-y info about lavender essential oil.
Tea tree, or melaleuca oil, comes from the leaves of the Australian Melaleuca alternifolia tree. It reduces irritation and has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antimicrobial properties. Again, you can see how these are all excellent properties for soothing and cleaning the diaper area. (I use tea tree quite a bit for my own skin irritations, especially occasional acne.) It’s super useful to have around- check out this article for more ideas about how to use it.
Just add water
All you need to do to make this homemade cloth wipes solution is add your soap, oils, and essential oils to a dispenser bottle and top it off with distilled water. Give it a gentle shake and you’re good to go!
As we’ve discussed before, it’s a good idea to use distilled water any time you make homemade personal care products. It minimizes bacteria growth in your product and prolongs the shelf life a bit. (If you don’t have distilled water, you can use water boiled for 5 minutes and cooled.) The essential oils in this recipe also help keep the icky stuff at bay, but even still I would use this up in a few weeks.
How to use
Some folks keep their wipes solution in a little spray bottle at the changing table and either spritz the wipe or baby’s bottom. We could never get this method to work well for us for some reason and so I went in search of the perfect dispenser bottle. Here it is! I absolutely love this Menda one-touch style glass dispenser bottle. You just gently tap the cloth wipe on top of the bottle a few times and the solution will come out and moisten the wipe. It’s a one handed method that makes it easy to control how much solution you use. The bottle itself has enough weight to stay put while you are pressing it and it’s made of colored glass to protect the integrity of the essential oils (which can be light sensitive). Also, essential oils can react to and degrade some plastics, potentially contaminating your solution. I was initially hesitant to put a glass dispenser at my changing table where it will inevitably be knocked over by flailing baby legs, but I can report that it has held up really well.
Why it’s frugal
As I mentioned in it the No-Sew Cloth Wipes post, opting for a homemade wipes system can potentially save you about $160/year per kiddo. Besides that, I completely believe it is going to save you money on diaper balm, too. I can personally attest that when I have run out of this solution and been too busy to remember to mix up another bottle for a few days, a little redness begins to appear on baby’s bottom. This soothing wipes solution helps keep my several-times-a-day pooper’s pooper clean and calm. My preschooler is out of daytime diapers, but I still use this to help him clean up after a deuce and in the morning if he has wet his cloth pull-up. I’m going to admit that I totally use it for myself, too!
Check out the video tutorial and let me know what you think! I would love to hear if this is working for you or if you have another go-to Booty Wash solution recipe.
Homemade Cloth Wipes Soultion
This DIY homemade cloth wipes solution is cleansing, nourishing, and soothing. Easily and quickly make your own all natural “Booty Wash”!
Materials
- ½ tsp unscented Castile soap or two squirts of a natural plant-based baby shampoo
- Two squirts Jojoba oil or other carrier oil (sweet almond oil, fractionated coconut oil, etc)
- 3 drops tea tree essential oil
- 5 drops lavender essential oil
- distilled water or water that has been boiled for five minutes and cooled
Tools
- 4 oz one-touch dispenser or small spray bottle
Instructions
- Add soap, carrier oil, and essential oils to a clean container.
- Fill the remainder of the bottle with distilled water and give a gentle shake.
Recommended Products
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MENDA 35315 Amber Glass Dispensing Bottle with Stainless Steel One-Touch Pump, 4oz Capacity -
Dr. Bronner's – Pure-Castile Liquid Soap (Baby Unscented, 32 Fl Oz (Pack of 2) -
Desert Essence 100% Pure Jojoba Oil – 4 Fl Oz – Pack of 2 – Haircare & Skincare Essential Oil – All Skin Types – No Oily Residue – May Help Prevent Flakiness – Makeup Remover – Aftershave Moisturizer -
Aura Cacia, Essential Oil, Lavender, .5 oz -
Now Foods, Essential Oil Tea Tree Organic, 1 Fl Oz
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Can I use Dr. Bronner’s lavender Castile soap? And Argan oil instead? Thanks!!!
Yes! I think that would be lovely! Just eliminate the lavender essential oil since it is already in the soap.
Thank you!! Just waiting for the ever reliable pump from Amazon! Thanks for the reco! Xx
You’re so welcome! I’m glad you found it useful 🙂
Love this! Have you experimented with using the castille soap in bar form? Trying to eliminate purchasing plastic so if I can do this method without using the liquid castille soap I would prefer that!
Thanks, Christy! What a great idea! I am a little embarrassed to say that I haven’t used the castile bar soap, but now I feel like I need to try it. (I don’t know why this never occured to me!)
Yes, I think that will absolutely work. If you are using the bar to make like a soap cream or a batch of liquid soap, you would just use a few drops of that. Or, you could warm up your distilled water and dissolve a few small flakes/shavings from the castile bar into it. (If you are boiling your water instead, just add a few flakes while it’s still hot.) Either way, allow the soapy water to cool before adding the rest of the ingredients.