essential oils // all natural bees wax & essential oil balm

ever since our theodore has been itty bitty he has had eczema.  upon bringing him home from the hospital, we could tell his skin was different than his sisters being that it was much more sensitive and delicate.  we've treated his dry, chapped, and sore skin on and off for well over a year now with a variety of over the counter creams and medicines, and even resorting to steroid creams when it got really bad.  we've done all things one is supposed to do, such as dietary changes and no harsh chemicals etc. etc. etc. alas, he still has eczema flare ups here and there.

just a few weeks ago, his skin was very clear thanks to this recipe, his eczema quite mild and hardly noticeable.  he had some dry skin here and there when we went without applying everyday, but no irritation or itching which was what we always try to avoid.  however that changed when i sadly forgot to pack our balm when we went to florida for two weeks and things went south for him, no pun intended, in a matter of hours.  apparently humidity makes eczema worse?  i had no idea.  it got so bad he itched during his naps and it bled and bled.  i am sparing you the photos of that because it was horrible.  talk about mama heart ache.  as soon as we got home we slathered it all over his tiny body.  this stuff is pretty thick and within hours, no joke, it started looking better.   we put it on his scratches and sore patches and in all the chubby little creases.  we then put our sweet little curly haired babe in a onesie and let his body heal.  all i can say is thank goodness for this balm.  thank goodness.

i made this recipe using the reference guide gentle babies that suggests using two essential oils, lavender and melrose.  lavender is a single oil but melrose is a blend specifically made by young living, both safe for little ones, according to research.

i ended up tweaking this recipe to fit our needs, because we wanted more of a thick balm than a cream to help the oils really stay on his skin longer.  you can always adjust the ingredient amounts below if you find that this recipe is too thick to apply.  it is also worth mentioning that we sometimes run warm water over the glass container to loosen the balm before digging in and slathering on.  you can also swap out the essential oils i used for others if you are wanting to make a healing balm for other ailments.  i like using this recipe (with peppermint oil in lieu of lavender and melrose) for homemade chapstick, too.

ingredients:

3/4 cup unrefined bees wax pellets (try amazon)
1/2 cup unrefined shea butter (amazon, too)
1 cup unrefined organic coconut oil (i get mine at trader joes)
1/8 cup organic jojoba oil OR vitamin E oil (TJ's, too)
25 drops lavender oil (young living)
25 drops melrose oil (young living)

to prepare, add the first four ingredients to a small sauce pan or double boiler over medium heat.  each oil melts at different temperatures, so your mixture will look a little odd until everything is incorporated.  with an old spoon, stir your mixture until it turns clear and everything is melted.  it is at this point that you should add your essential oils and mix well.  i suggest using a pan you really do not care much about or an old glass bowl in a pot of warm water.  the bees wax is very hard to get off once dried and this way you will not ruin any of your good cookware.  you can spoon or pour into glass jars and let harden on the counter at room temperature.

*because everyone has different skin, you may need to tailor this recipe to fit your needs.  this is what helps us out, but know that it may not work on everyone.  :)  and if you are wanting to know more about how and why our family uses essential oils or order some young living products for yourself, head here.