Recently Little Man (16 months now!) has been experiencing skin rashes. We’re trying to figure out what’s 
causing it – an allergy to the detergent, something he ate, who knows… But, the treatment of it has been key to dealing with the problem. We’ve been using bath products recommended by a dermatologist and lotions recommended by the same dermatologist. And that does a great job. But the dermatologist also recommended that we buy Aveeno’s bath powder. I checked that out, and the main ingredient is oatmeal. And $9. (gasp!)
So I did some research, and it turns out you can make your own colloidal bath powder from whatever oatmeal you have at home. Quick-cooking, instant, slow cooking, as long as it’s unflavored it all works pretty much the same.
Blend it in your food processor or coffee grinder until you have a fine, consistent powder. To ensure that it has the colloidal property, dissolve 1 TSP in a glass of warm water. The oatmeal should blend easily with the water and be absorbed into it. It should give the water a milky look and silky feel. If not, blend a bit more and try again. You can use it immediately, or store it in an airtight container for later.
At bath time, sprinkle a handful (or about 1/3 cup if you’re a measurer) into the bath and swirl the water around a bit to mix it in and dissolve everything.
This works great to treat rashes, sunburn, chicken pox, or just to soften your skin for a nice relaxing bath. That’s what works for me. Check out Rocks in My Dryer for more Works For Me ideas.
That’s really interesting to know. Thanks for the info. We have always used baking powder (bicarbonate of soda) in a cool bath to help treat chicken pox. It really works well in drying out the spots and helping get rid of them.
I’ll give oatmeal a go next time we have problems with the little ones and their skin!
Thanks.