Natural DIY Wipes with Essential Oils

Changing diapers: a task that every parent who has raised children from their infant years has undoubtedly experienced, with three major components – the diaper, the cream, and the wipes. I’m sure every experienced parent has their own way of dealing with the dirty, but if you are like some of the parents I’ve come to know, you may be looking at the ingredients list on your package of wipes and thinking, “What are all these things I can’t pronounce?” I believe that everyone makes different choices based on what each parent finds is best for their family, but for those of us who like to make our own products from basic and natural ingredients, here is a way to make your own gentle wipes.

Maybe you don’t have little bums to wipe. These wipes serve many other purposes, as well! They are so gentle you can use them on your face to cleanse at the end of the day, or on sticky hands and faces for a quick on-the-go clean.

What you’ll need is:

a roll of paper towel (I’ve found through trial and error that it’s important to use a thick, fluffy paper towel – no scrimping here, or the wipes won’t turn out very well.)
2 cups water
2 tbsp baby wash/shampoo/soap
1-2 tbsp oil (baby, olive, or grapeseed)
2-4 drops of certified pure therapeutic grade tea tree oil (also called melaleuca – a natural cleanser renowned for it’s rejuvenating effect on the skin, also a great additive for this DIY kitchen cleaner.)
*optional* 2 drops of another pure essential oil for scent (I like lavender, which is widely used for its calming and relaxing qualities, and soothes occasional skin irritations.)

If you haven’t tried essential oils before, I encourage you to check out all of the amazing natural benefits that they have to offer. Here’s another post with 5 simple ways to start using essential oils. Remember, not all essential oils are created equal – make sure you are using a certified pure therapeutic grade essential oil, as others can be cut with some pretty scary stuff.

Here’s what you do:

Cut the paper towel in half with anon-serrated knife.

Mix the ingredients and pour over paper towel in a big bowl and let this soak for about 10 minutes (or to however moistened you like).

You can now easily pull out the cardboard from the centre of the roll, where the wipes can be drawn from. If you prefer how wipes come out from a store-bought box, you can unroll the paper towel roll and fold it at the perforations before soaking.

Then pop your wipes into an old container, empty wipes bin, or ziplock bag, and start wiping.

When it comes to tea tree oil (melaleuca), make sure to buy the pure form, and don’t get thrown by the price – it will last a long time. My small 25 mL bottle cost $10 at Pharmasave. These wipes tend not to dry out the skin as much as some of the store-bought products, and can be used on baby’s bottom, hands, and even to remove make-up.

A big thank you goes out to my helpful sister, who used these homemade wipes with her own little guy, for sharing this recipe and her photos with me. Happy Diapering!