Natural Anti-Fungal Cream

I’ve had some success making my own anti-fungal creams. This recipe for a natural anti-fungal cream is easy to make and you can use it daily — my husband has been using it for a year now and it’s his favorite cream for that nether territory where men seem to get uncomfortable.

He takes it with him when he travels too, but one time at the airport in Mexico, the young woman at security wanted to know what it was — My husband’s Spanish is ok, but he didn’t know how to say this — “aahh, anti-fungal cream??” — so he motioned trying to describe that it is a cream for the skin — she took it away and threw it in the trash. And it was only a small amount, the less 4 oz, and in a see-thru plastic container. He was bummed — I was too.

Here is the recipe for homemade anti-fungal cream with beeswax. Research shows that beeswax and olive oil inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans(Research here) (bacteria and yeast). Shea butter is anti-inflammatory (Research here). Tea tree essential oil is anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral(Research here). The almond oil has omega fatty acids and is an emollient.

If you do not like the smell of tea tree oil, try my anti-fungal cream with essential oil of bitter orange which seems to knock down the tea tree oil odor somewhat. Or you can use lemongrass essential oil which has anti-fungal properties.

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup avocado oil (or olive oil if you can’t get avocado oil or sunflower oil, or almond oil

1/4 cup beeswax (try to buy locally or within your region)

1/4 cup shea butter (choose a creamy smooth one, do not use the grainy ones)

20 drops tea tree essential oil or bitter orange essential oil, or lemongrass essential oil

1/2 pint Mason Jar

Directions:

Measure the shea butter, beeswax, avocado oil, and olive oil in a mason glass jar — the type you use for canning.
2. Place the glass in a saucepan filled with water.
Heat over the stove until the butter melts.
Remove from the heat, add the tea tree oil.
Stir occasionally for the first 15 minutes or put the lid on tight and shake it occassionally for the first 15 minutes until it just begins to solidify. Then put it in the refrigerator to solidfy completely. Once it is solid, take it out and keep it at room temperature as you use it. No need to keep in the refrigerator. This should keep the shea butter from becoming grainy.