Powder vs. Lotion - What's the Difference

[SimCo]

When I first started wearing as an adult, I lavished myself with baby powder because the smell and process of getting powdered put me in a babyish place. Now I just use a diaper rash cream and no powder, but I am not sure if this is optimal.

Can any of the experience diaper wearers explain in simple terms what the purpose of baby powder is vs diaper rash cream? Is it either/or, or should I use both?

 

[bambinod]

When I first started wearing as an adult, I lavished myself with baby powder because the smell and process of getting powdered put me in a babyish place. Now I just use a diaper rash cream and no powder, but I am not sure if this is optimal.

Can any of the experience diaper wearers explain in simple terms what the purpose of baby powder is vs diaper rash cream? Is it either/or, or should I use both?

My skin is easy to upset, and I have to deal with fungal, eczema, and pimples on a regular basis. Right now I happen to be completely problem-free, which is nice, but that all goes to hell if I'm off on my powder, lotion, or zeesorb. Too much or too little of any of them and I have problems. Most people don't have to worry as much as I do about these things though.

On my hips under the wings of my diaper I exclusively (and generously) use talc to keep my hips from being covered with pimples. I've never had problems with too much talc, only with too little.

In my crotch I use a mix of zeesorb and cornstarch during the day to keep yeast away without drying my skin out too much (which leads to eczema on my inner thighs), and often just go with a moderate amount of talc in the evenings. This is usually a delicate balance for me, and it's easy to get eczema or funk developing because of how cornstarch is a double-edged sword. Most of the time I'm leaning one way or the other a little bit, and have to just work to prevent it from getting out-of-hand in either direction.

Generous lotion is the only cure for eczema on the thighs, and is difficult to get too generous with during the day, but if I'm having problems I'll use a lot of it in the evening and especially overnight.

I've never had much use for diaper rash / barrier cremes. I tried some monkeybutt recently when I had a weird fungal issue develop between my butt cheeks. Never had that before, and hope to never have it again.

No one is going to be able to provide you with an answer on what you should use because everyone's skin flora and circumstances are different. You'll have to learn to use what you need to, and be prepared to make adjustments if your conditions change or you develop problems. Some people have tough skin and can do no wrong, while some (like me) really have to keep a close eye on things, but I think the majority are somewhere in-between. There are a few general guidelines I've found that should work for most people:

- avoid cornstarch when you have fungal issues
- use talc only sparingly and lotion generously when you have eczema
- lotion and barrier cremes are good for calming inflamed skin
- apply talc generously where you need to keep sweating / itching / pimples in check

 

[Slomo]

When I first started wearing as an adult, I lavished myself with baby powder because the smell and process of getting powdered put me in a babyish place. Now I just use a diaper rash cream and no powder, but I am not sure if this is optimal.

Can any of the experience diaper wearers explain in simple terms what the purpose of baby powder is vs diaper rash cream? Is it either/or, or should I use both?

Powder only drys out slightly damp skin. Too wet though, especially with too much powder, and it will turn to a mud like constancy that keeps more urine against your skin. The only time you should use powder is when you don't expect to be wetting too much or too soon.

There is also a difference in rash cream and rash ointments. Creams are used to heal an existing rash by absorbing into the skin to heal it. If you don't already have a rash, creams are kind of pointless.

Rash ointments are used to create a barrier on your skin to prevent rashes from developing or worsening. This is what most people "should" be using on a regular basis.

 

[bambinod]

Powder only drys out slightly damp skin. Too wet though, especially with too much powder, and it will turn to a mud like constancy that keeps more urine against your skin. The only time you should use powder is when you don't expect to be wetting too much or too soon..

I don't use powder inside my diaper where I expect it to come into contact with urine. I only use it on skin that's dry and I want to stay dry. Specifically to help promote air circulation and ventilation, to stop my skin from sweating. Sweat is a snowball effect... if the plastic is smothering your skin it will start to sweat and itch, and that will only further seal the area against air and the sweating and itching will just spiral up and out of control. That's how it works with me anyway. (and then I get a bumper crop of pimples usually, adding to the fun)

Barrier cremes are the only thing that's going to keep urine that's present from coming into contact with your skin. (as you mentioned, powders only create "mud")