Making my own cleaning products is something I began doing forever ago. It all started when I was pregnant with my first daughter and couldn’t stand the smell of any store-bought cleaners. At that time, I also began researching the ingredients in cleaning and personal care products. What I discovered gave me a lot of concern. My newest natural DIY obsession? Shaving cream! I recently discovered this DIY eco-friendly shaving cream recipe and now I won’t use anything else. It’s that good.
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DIY Shaving Cream
Ingredients
1½ cups water
1 cup Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Soap (I’m partial to the lavender, but they have a variety of scents, as well as unscented.)
3/4 cup baking soda
Directions
- Put all ingredients in a stockpot. Heat over a medium-high heat. Continue stirring slowly until the ingredients start to foam up and reach just below the rim of the pot. Turn off the heat and move your pot to an empty sink in case it foams over the rim.
- Allow your mixture to cool for approximately four hours. As it begins to cool, you’ll notice the foam will shrink while it forms together and separates from the extra water.
- When it is completely cooled, use a slotted spoon to collect the thick paste. Pour out the excess water.
- Move your mixture to a bowl and whip it using either a stick blender or a whisk. When it has the texture and creaminess that you prefer, you’re done.
- Store and enjoy your eco-friendly shaving cream. I use a couple of mason jars with lids to store my shaving cream.
Note: When you’re not using your shaving cream, keep it sealed so it doesn’t dry out. Your new shaving cream is best used within two weeks but will last a lot longer.
Enjoy
This shaving cream recipe meets all my criteria for a homemade product. It works as well or better than its commercial counterpart. It is quick and easy to make. The ingredients are simple and nontoxic. And, it actually saves money to make my own versus buying it from the store.
The resulting product is an all-natural and healthier alternative. It’s a comfort to know it is free from any preservatives, toxic chemicals, or mystery fragrances and dyes.
Brave enough to discover what’s in some of your favorite personal care products? Visit the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database to find out.
Originally published on June 7, 2017, this article was updated in August 2020.