Boo-Boo Cream

A.K.A Calendula Coconut Cream but my kids call it boo-boo cream. It doesn't matter if its a tiny paper cut, a huge scrape from falling on the sidewalk, eczema, diaper rash, a fake boo-boo you can't see or something else - it's the first thing the kids ask for! And guess what? It's cloth diaper friendly and no nasty ingredients in it!!!!

This picture doesn't even give its colour justice.

I can't even remember where I found this idea or who shared the recipe with me. I modified it a bit as I found it was too much herb to oil ratio but please let me know and I can give you credit for this post!

Why Calendula? What are the benefits?

(I'm not a herbalist - yet! It is on my list of school courses to achieve in the future but I am using my books to share resources with you. Check out Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs)

I chose calendula simply because I ordered some online one day about 5 years ago so I could explore using it. I wanted to make my own, cloth diaper friendly cream. It turned into a multi-purpose cream! You can add whatever herb or essential oil you like to the mix but I always go back to just my original mixture.

Calendula has the botanical name of Calendula Officinalis. It has some amazing medicinal properties. It is edible, eat it in your salads, drink it as a tea or you can use it topically. It has been said that Calendula has been used medicinally for centuries to heal wounds, burns, rashes, skin ulcers, skin infections and bruises and used internally and externally. It can help keep infections at bay. Heals wounds by promoting cell repair and growth. It is gentle and soothing for use on babies and children and is wonderful for cradle cap, diaper rash and skin irritations.

I have used it on my children's eczema before we discovered their food sensitivities(yup eczema can be from allergies!) and I can definitely vouch how awesome it is! I haven't tried this before but Rosemary Gladstar suggests its use in treating thrush (yeast overgrowth) as well as for treating gastrointestinal problems (ulcers, cramps, indigestion and diarrhea) in combination with other herbs. She states it is one of the best herbs for nourishing and cleansing the lymphatic system. Wow! I have so much to learn about herbs, I look forward to it.

Boo Boo Cream Recipe

Ingredients:

15 grams Dry Calendula

100 grams Organic, unrefined Coconut Oil

Grab your kitchen scale and measure out the calendula! Be sure it is organic... not sprayed by anything extra. Then I measure out my coconut oil. I melt the coconut oil in a mason jar on the stove(picture below) on VERY low heat. Once it is melted, I pour the oil into the calendula. I put water in the bottom of a pan with a kitchen towel rolled up. Leave the burner on low - it should NOT boil. It should just be a very low heat. Place the mason jar with the oil and calendula in the pot with a lid lightly covering it. You can infuse this for 4-6 hours. I did this batch for 6 hours to make it more potent! After it is done infusing, I take a piece of cheese cloth and a jar(you can see those in the background in one of the pictures below). I pour the mixture into the cheesecloth and squeeze out all that medicinal goodness!

Then, Voila! Let it sit to harden and you have yourself homemade calendula coconut cream. As I said, you can add essential oils or other herbs... but this is usually what I like to use for our all purpose basic cream anyways.

Enjoy!

-K