The following is a guest post by Stephanie of Naturally Mindful. Stephanie is a full time nursing student with a focus on alternative medicine, yet still makes time to not only blog, but to experiment with DIY recipes! If you don’t already know Stephanie’s blog, go check it out!
I don’t know about you, but I hate shaving.
I started looking around for a homemade shaving cream because I have very sensitive skin. In the winter it is worse due to Keratosis Pilaris (AKA chicken skin) which is in part due to a vitamin A and D imbalance and a loving gift from my father’s genes.
Skin issues or not, who doesn’t want to feel pampered with a luscious shaving cream, while also feeling good that no harmful chemicals will be in contact with your precious skin?
After a few trial-and-errors I came up with a recipe that I love and I am sure you will too.
All Natural Homemade Shaving Cream
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp solid shea butter
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil (where to buy)
- 2 Tbsp sweet almond oil
- 10-12 drops pure lavender essential oil, optional* (where to buy)
Directions
Using a double boiler, (I use a glass bowl over a pot of simmering hot water) add the shea butter and coconut oil and let them melt over the lowest heat setting, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat once completely melted.
Add almond oil and essential oils and stir to combine completely.
Transfer bowl to the fridge and let the mix harden. Remove from fridge and, using a stand mixer, or a hand-held electric mixer, whip until the mixture is the consistency of frosting.
Let it sit on the counter for a couple minutes before transferring to an airtight container (these pint sized mason jars are adorable) for up to a month.
Tips and Notes
*Essential oils are optional, however they add a great scent and some essential oils can be healing for the skin. Here are some examples of great EO combinations:
- Roman Chamomile and Lavender essential oils are moisturizing and used for dry skin or skin with issues such as eczema
- Tangerine and Sweet Orange are hydrating
- Geranium and Jasmine are typically used on normal skin
- Eucalyptus and Rosemary for scarred skin or skin that is prone to infection
This all-natural homemade shaving cream can be a great gift for someone if you want to make a large batch. Pack a natural loofah and a real steel razor into a cute basket and you have an economical gift that would impress anyone, and make them feel special that you went thought the trouble of hand-making their gift!
I almost like shaving now…
Return to Top of Homemade Shaving Cream
Meet Stephanie
Hi, my name is Stephanie, and I live in Ohio with my curly-hair two year old boy, my handsome and supportive husband—even during my crazy attempts at homemade natural concoctions—and our two dachshunds. I am currently a full time nursing student with emphasis on alternative medicine, and author of the blog Naturally Mindful.
I believe in Real Food, in living sustainably, and being gentle to our planet. I believe that a green and healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult. I write about what I am passionate about, helping others take baby steps towards a more natural life.
Further Reading from Around the Web
- Attend one of my Essential Oils 101 classes here!
- 10 Simple & All Natural Beauty Tips
- The Oil Cleansing Method: The Best Way to Wash Your Face
- How To Buy Therapeutic Essential Oils
- 50 Uses For Essential Oils
I tried the recipe and I love it. My legs feel so smooth and it doubles as lotion when my hands need moisturizing. The only problem I have is when shaving since the shaving cream is oily and pretty thick it clogs my razor and it is hard to remove. Do you have that problem? If you do, how do you deal with it? I ended up cleaning my razor mid shave with a q-tip and soapy water but it was a bit of a pain at first.
I am so glad you love it! What kind of razor are you using? I use a Merkur stainless steel razor with straight blades and I find it very easy to clean…
Great recipe – can’t wait to give it a try! However, I found an error:
**Sweet almond oil can be used in place of jojoba oil. I decided against sweet almond oil because it is technically a wax rather than oil, and shea butter is waxy enough.
Jojoba is actually the wax.
I was just about to post the same correction re: *jojoba* (not almond oil) being a wax.
Recipe sounds great. But why is is only good for a month?
Theresa, because it loses its whipped consistency after a while.
Isn’t the coconut oil problematic for the drain/pipes as it would eventually solidify again, I assume, once it gets cold enough? I use it for a lot of things and wondered about this. I shaved with only coconut oil before and it works GREAT! No lotion needed after the shower
Kelly, I haven’t had any problem. I always shower with hot water so that would melt any lingering coconut oil, plus coconut oil’s melting point is about 76 degrees, which means it melts easily. I hope that helps!
Hi! Beautiful looking product! I have made whipped coconut oil that looks the same, but it melts in the summer heat. Do you know if this melts or does the shea butter keep it from melting when coconut oil would melt?
Leona, yes, the shea butter keeps it for melting at the temperature coconut oil would melt (which is pretty easy for coconut oil to melt). However, it will melt if it is TOO hot, I keep mine in the bathroom and it doesn’t melt.
Can’t wait to try this and love the idea of making some as gifts for my girls. Do you have an approx measure of the finished product …. one pint, etc? Thank you!
Judy, the little mason jar you see here holds 4 oz, and the recipe yields enough shaving cream to fill this jar completely. I hope your girls like it
Can men use this recipe for shaving cream as well? Or can you recommend some other recipe?
I made this yesterday and it has already lost its whipped effect. What did I do wrong? It’s already congealed and hardened
Same thing with the whipped body butter I made.
How long does it take to harden in the fridge?
Can you store this in the shower or will the heat from water from everyone else’s shower melt the cream?
Good morning! I am working on a gift idea for my Girl Scout troop to make. We are doing Sugar scrubs for the moms and I want to do this shave cream for the dads.
My question is: If I have 8 girls who each will make a pint size jar of this, how much of each ingredient should I purchase? I will make it in small batches, but I need to buy enough. Does this one recipe make 1 pint size jar?
Second question: Would you recommend using peppermint essencial oil for the sent?
A pint seems like an awful lot for each girl. This recipe makes about 1/2 cup. My husband tells me peppermint is too strong. You want something soothing. Peppermint is nice for an aftershave.
Thank you. I tested this tonight as mine looks like a thick butter cream. Did I not mix it with the mixer long enough???
I have butter instead of frosting. What did I do wrong??
Can someone tell me why mine looks more like a thick butter cream instead of the fluffy frosting in the picture? Did I not mix it long enough??
How long does it stay in the fridge before hardening? Mine has been in there a LONG time. It’s not even close to being hard.
I made this, but I don’t know if I made it right. I was hoping for a foamy white product like the canned shaving cream my husband likes. Once I applied it to my leg it was clear oil. Is that how it is supposed to be. It feels incredible, but if it is supposed to be a white cream on the skin then I did something wrong.
This is made with coconut oil – the minute it comes to above room temp (like when you rub on your body) it will melt into your skin. It is homemade. Glad you love how it feels!
I am a man and I tried this out. I was both pleased and disappointed. The cream does make your skin soft, but the razor does not glide as well as with commercial creams. It does not seem to hydrate your beard quickly as other creams do. It also turns to a clear oil directly when it touches your face. This was a bit harmless but a bit disconcerting. It should be mentioned in the description.
I think you could use it as a skin cream.
I am going to try to modify it to make it more male friendly. Maybe an organic emulsifier and some high quality organic soap. I have seen baking soda in some recipes. Any idea why that would be there?