The Best DIY Shaving Cream Recipe

Why You Will Love It

I am sure you will love this shaving cream recipe as much as the men in my family:

• it is inexpensive
• it is great for sensitive skin
• it gives a very close shave
• a little bit goes a long way
• it has amazing benefits for the skin

Why Make Your Own Shaving Cream

There are lots of reasons why I enjoy making my own skincare products:

• Better than store-bought shaving cream: The more I learn about the lack of regulations when it comes to personal care products, the less I want to buy them. There are no standards or regulations or oversight and companies can basically put anything in commercial shaving cream without anyone verifying them. Also, to make products shelf-stable, companies often use sketchy, synthetic, and harmful ingredients. 
• They are cheaper: Even though you may have to purchase some ingredients you don’t yet have, in the end, your homemade shave cream will be very cost-effective. If you were to buy certified organic shaving creams from trustworthy companies, you tend to pay a lot more. 
• They are fun and easy to make: I don’t know about you but I really enjoy making my own homemade shaving cream. They really are easy and quick to make!
• All natural ingredients: I love that I know exactly what’s in it. Using simple ingredients that are often food-grade makes this DIY shaving cream a great alternative.

The Ingredients

All you need are four pure ingredients:

• Shea butter: Shea butter is anti-inflammatory, has healing properties, and softens the skin. 
• Coconut oil: Coconut oil is highly moisturizing while its high amount of medium-chain fatty acids make it antibacterial and antimicrobial.
• Castile soap: I use unscented castile soap to make it a bit foamy and to wash away any dirt.
• Jojoba oil: Jojoba oil is very moisturizing. It makes the skin supple while being antibacterial and antioxidant.

Helpful Tools and Equipment

You probably have everything in your kitchen to make this shaving cream:

• Small glass bowl or double boiler: ​I prefer using a small glass bowl over a small saucepan but you can also use a double boiler. 
• Hand blender or stand mixer: I like to use my hand mixer to whip this shaving cream but you can also do that in your stand mixer.
• Glass mason jar or another pretty jar: If you’d like to give this as a gift, you might like to find some pretty jars. Otherwise, a wide-mouth 8 oz mason jar is perfect.

How To Make

1. Measure and add your ingredients to a small glass bowl or the top part of your double boiler.
2. Over low heat and in a small saucepan or the bottom of your double boiler, bring some water to a boil.
3. Set the bowl with your ingredients over the boiling water and let the butters melt. Stir occasionally.
4. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator until this mixture has become a bit more solid.
5. Remove from the refrigerator. 
6. Either with your hand blender or in a stand mixer, whip this mixture for 3 minutes. It should be fluffy and lighter in color.
7. Fill it into a glass jar or another pretty jar. 
8. I recommend you write “shaving cream” and the date on a product label and attach it to the jar.
9. For best results, keep it at room temperature. 

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Substitutions or Extra Ingredients

This is always the fun part when making your own beauty products:

• Other oils: You can use other oils such as olive oil (which has a stronger scent, though), grapeseed oil, or sweet almond oil.
• Other butter: You can also use mango butter or cocoa butter but then I recommend you use a little bit more oil since cocoa butter is not quite as soft as shea butter. 
• Essential oils: While I prefer this natural shaving cream unscented, you can add all your favorite essential oils. Lavender essential oil has a nice smell and lessens skin irritations. Other oils such as cedarwood, eucalyptus, jack pine, or bay laurel have a more masculine scent. 
• Extra ingredients: If you’re making this shaving cream recipe for the first time, I recommend you stick to the original recipe. Once you are a bit more comfortable, you might like to add additional ingredients such as honey, aloe vera gel, vitamin E (which is a natural preservative), baking soda (which helps to remove the oils from the skin for a closer shave and less irritation).
• Container: Instead of a small jar you can also fill your shaving cream into a clean soap dispenser or pump bottle.

How To Use

• Just use this DIY shaving cream as you would use store-bought. 
• Start with a small amount of shaving cream and rub it all over skin to be shaven. 
• I recommend using it in a steamy shower to soften the skin before shaving. Just be sure to clean the shower floor afterward!
• Rinse with plenty of warm water.
• Ideally, follow up with a homemade aftershave. 

Helpful Tips: