Ordinary calamine lotions may contain worrisome chemicals like zinc carbonate, iron oxide, zinc oxide and fragrance. Oftentimes, there are other added ingredients like parabens, alcohol, pramoxine HCl, polysorbate 80 and propylene glycol as well. Yikes!
So let’s take the safer route and make our own calamine lotion. Just 5 ingredients provide the same effective and soothing relief as the store bought kind. Plus, it’s safe for babies too! Use it for itching and skin irritations brought on by:
- stings
- bites
- chickenpox
- rashes
- poison ivy
- oak
- sumac
Ingredients (makes 1/2 cup)
- 1 Tbsp bentonite clay
- 1 Tbsp baking soda
- 1 Tbsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp organic apple cider vinegar
- 15 drops organic lavender essential oil
Tip: If you want pink calamine lotion, just add a couple teaspoons ofpink kaolin clay to the mix.
Directions
- Combine bentonite clay, baking soda, sea salt and apple cider vinegar.
- Add enough water to make a creamy paste.
- Add lavender essential oil and mix well.
- Store in a glass container with non-metal lid in the refrigerator for several weeks.
- Apply as needed.
NOTE: Use only non-metal bowls, utensils and storage containers for this project. Metal can react with the ingredients causing them to lose their effectiveness.
Reprinted with permission from The Soft Landing
Laura Saville is the mother of three and a co-founder of The Soft Landing, a company started In 2007 by three sisters and their mom, They set out to find safer products for their children and found that it was easier said than done! Today they work together to help parents provide a safe, natural home for their children through natural remedies, eco DIY projects and non-toxic shopping guides
Very informative post. I made some and it works really great. I took your advice and don’t use metal to store the lotion. I use Infinity Jars which has dark violet glass and keeps the lotion in prime condition for a long time. https://infinityjars.com/collections/screw-top-jars