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Baby wipe recipe upgrade

I’ve decided to revise my baby wipe recipe. It has always been one of my top favourite spotless recipes. The heavenly scent, the natural oils, the freedom from horrid commercial wipes laden with chemicals, while retaining the convenience of an all-in-one bottom (or messy face, or sticky finger) cleaner, the cost savings – all together I was pretty happy with these wipes. And they really are quick to make.

So why the change? Well, a couple of things still weren’t perfect to my mind. First, despite vigorous mixing, the oils were hard to distribute evenly. And secondly, the lemon juice, while good at cleaning and helping to distribute the oil to some extent, was a bit stingy on any rash or redness. I’ve improved on both these problems by replacing the lemon juice with more salt. I’ve tried the new recipe on my own skin when I had a skin wound, and it did not sting at all. My baby has also not complained. The salt is much more effective as an emulsifier, and the oils are far better distributed through the mixture, and hence the wipes.

baby wipe ingredients

The new recipe means the way to mix the ingredients has changed slightly. Now, you add your olive and essential oils to the salt and allow them to be absorbed. Then add the boiled water (or Rooibos) and mix thoroughly to dissolve the salt. The full details are on the baby page, so have a look and give them a try.

folded wipes

I normally use paper towels (unbleached if possible) to make my wipes, and also sometimes use muslin ones, which can be washed with nappies. Another good idea is to use old nappy liners for wipes. I always wash and use these a few times, but they do eventually get a bit tired. Instead of throwing them out though, they can do another shift cut up as two baby wipes.

(Another use I’ve found for tired liners is to put one in the bottom of a pot plant, under the soil. It helps retain the soil and stops drainage holes getting clogged.)