Homemade Shaving Cream {with essential oils}

I don’t know about you, but with summer almost here, I will be shaving a lot more often.

And that means I needed a new batch of my homemade shaving cream.

It’s rich and creamy and leaves my legs and underarms silky smooth.

And it has built-in moisturizers, so I don’t even need to use lotion after my shower.  Just shave, rinse off, pat skin dry, and my skin is soft, smooth, and perfectly moisturized.

Love it!

Give it a try.  Once you make your own DIY shaving cream, I bet you won’t go back to using store-bought shaving cream ever again.

Why you’ll LOVE this homemade shaving cream

1. You’ll get an extremely close shave – much better than you’d get with soap.
2. Silky soft, smooth legs, underarms, and face.
3. It moisturizes so well you can skip putting on lotion after your shower.
4. Works great for sensitive skin.
5. You make it yourself, so you can control what’s in it.
6. It’s all natural, no artificial ingredients or harmful chemicals that you find in many store-bought shaving creams.
7. Customize it with essential oil blends to make your shaving cream relaxing, uplifting, energizing, or whatever else you want.
8. It rinses clean.  Adding the little bit of Castile soap helps the oils and butters rinse cleaning off the skin.
9. Makes a great gift!  Combine it with exfoliating essential oil soap (recipe here), bubbling bath salts (recipe here), soft & silky whipped body butter (recipe here), calming magnesium body butter (recipe here), or shimmering dusting powder (recipe here) to make a fabulous pampering gift basket.

What do you need to make homemade shaving cream?

This website contains affiliate links. This means that should you click on certain links, and then subsequently purchase a product, I will receive a small commission. The price is exactly the same for you as it would be without the affiliate link. 

extra virgin coconut oil (the solid kind)– With its low melting point, coconut oil melts on skin contact so that your razor can easily glide over your skin and get a closer shave.  And even better than traditional shaving cream, coconut oil helps soften and moisturize skin.  click here for my favorite coconut oil  Or you can substitute with babassu oil which has a similar consistency and melting point to coconut oil)

mango butter–  Mango butter is smooth and creamy.  It has a lighter consistency than even shea butter.  And mango butter has a light, subtle scent that’s not overpowering like a lot of shea butter and cocoa butter that you may have used in other homemade items.  Mango butter is a great source of fatty acids that’s very moisturizing and soothing for skin.   It’s solid at room temperature, but melts at 87-90 degrees, so when you apply it to your skin it melts and absorbs in (exactly what you want in a shaving cream).  click here for my favorite mango butter.  Or you can substitute with shea butter, if you prefer.

apricot kernel oil–  Apricot kernel oil is one of the gentlest oils.  It’s extremely nourishing, rich in Vitamin D.  And it’s an excellent emollient known for its ability to soften and recondition the skin.  click here for where I get my apricot kernel oil  Or you can substitute with another liquid carrier oil like sweet almond oil, fractionated coconut oil, or avocado oil.

unscented liquid Castile soap- This gentle soap is the perfect addition to this shaving cream.  It helps the oils and butter rinse off after shaving, but it still leaves skin soft, smooth, and moisturized.  click here for my favorite Castile soap

essential oil– I use a variety of essential oils in my shaving cream.  Sometimes I opt for a relaxing combination of eucalyptus and spearmint, and other times I prefer an uplifting blend of lime, grapefruit, tangerine, and spearmint, and still other times a choose to make a version of this shaving cream that helps me wake up with a mix of sandalwood, lemon, lime, tangerine, and rosemary essential oils.  I give other ideas for essential oil combinations below.  One of the things that’s great about making homemade shaving cream is that you can control exactly what you put in it.  

How do you make shaving cream?

click here for a free printable of my homemade shaving cream recipe

step 1:  add the following to a heat-safe glass measuring cup or bowl:

1/2 cup coconut oil (the kind that’s solid at room temperature) or you can substitute with 1/2 cup babassu oil

1/2 cup mango butter or you can substitute with 1/2 cup shea butter

step 2: melt the coconut oil and mango butter using double boiler method (described below)

Double Boiler Method:  Add 1-2 inches of water to a pot that’s slightly bigger than your heat-safe glass measuring cup.  Bring the water to a gentle simmer over medium heat.  Then add the measuring cup with coconut oil and mango butter to the pot – that is, the measuring cup sits inside the pot of water.  Stir occasionally as the coconut oil and mango butter melt.  Continue to heat until the oil and butter are completely melted.  Then remove measuring cup from the pot.

step 3:  Add 1/4 cup of apricot kernel oil to the melted coconut oil and mango butter mixture

note: If you don’t have apricot kernel oil, you can substitute with another liquid carrier oil like sweet almond oil, fractionated coconut oil, or avocado oil.

step 4:  stir to mix, then put the oil/butter mixture in the refrigerator or freezer until the mixture solidifies.  This cooling can take 30 minutes to a couple hours.

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tip: You can do up to this step one day, and then finish the rest of the recipe the following day if you want.

step 5:  When the mixture is solid, transfer the oil/butter to a mixing bowl (stand mixer works best).

Use whisk attachment to whip oil/butter mixture until it’s fluffy.  This usually takes about 10 minutes for me.

step 6:  add up to 60 drops essential oil (this is a 1% dilution)

Here are a few essential oil combinations that I like in this shaving cream, but feel free to create your own or use a favorite single essential oil.  If using an essential oil that’s phototoxic (causes a reaction when skin is exposed to the sun), be sure that the essential oil is completely washed off or do not expose skin to sun for at least 24 hours.

1. 30 drops spearmint essential oil and 30 drops eucalyptus essential oil — This combination has a fresh, clean scent that’s very relaxing and helps relieve stress.
2. 15 drops lime essential oil, 15 drops grapefruit essential oil, 15 drops tangerine essential oil, and 15 drops spearmint essential oil — This uplifting blend smells like a citrus mojito.
3. 40 drops lavender essential oil and 20 drops lemongrass essential oil — This blend smells like a spa, and it helps calm skin, reducing irritation and redness.
4. 12 drops each sandalwood, lemon, lime, tangerine, and rosemary essential oils — I love this combo!  It smells great and helps me wake up in the morning.

step 7:  add 1/3 cup unscented liquid Castile soap and blend with the mixer until everything is fully incorporated.  This usually just takes a few seconds.

step 8:  scoop the shaving cream into an airtight container(s).  How much shaving cream this makes will depend on how much air is whipped into the shaving cream.  It usually makes 2-3 cups of shaving cream.

Since I’m using this in the shower, I use an essential-oil safe plastic jar for my shaving cream.  Look for either  PETE (plastic #1) of HDPE (plastic #2) on the bottom of the plastic jar to make sure that it’s safe to use with diluted essential oils like this.

How do you make shaving cream?  (recipe recap)

see above for more detailed instructions and substitutes

click here for a free printable of my homemade shaving cream recipe

1. add the following to a heat-safe glass measuring cup or bowl:

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup mango butter

2.  melt the coconut oil and mango butter using double boiler method

3. add 1/4 cup of apricot kernel oil to the melted coconut oil and mango butter mixture

4. stir to mix, then put the oil/butter mixture in the refrigerator or freezer until the mixture solidifies.  This cooling can take 30 minutes to a couple hours.

5. When the mixture is solid, transfer the oil/butter to a mixing bowl (stand mixer works best).  Use whisk attachment to whip oil/butter mixture until it’s fluffy.  This usually takes about 10 minutes for me.

6. add up to 60 drops essential oil (this is a 1% dilution).  See detailed instructions above for ideas of essential oil combinations to try in shaving cream.

7. add 1/3 cup unscented liquid Castile soap and blend with the mixer until everything is fully incorporated.  This usually just takes a few seconds.

8. scoop the shaving cream into an airtight container.

click here for a free printable of my homemade shaving cream recipe

How to use this shaving cream

1. Shave towards the end of your shower so that your pores have had enough time to warm up
2. Use a good quality razor with a sharp blade
3. Use about a quarter-sized amount for each leg.  Apply a thin layer of shaving cream to legs, underarms, or other areas wish to shave
4. Shave with long, gentle strokes
5. Rinse blade as needed during shaving

Notes:  (1) Be careful to not get any water in your jar of shaving cream so that it will last as long as possible.  Water getting into the shaving cream jar will cause it to spoil much more quickly.  (2)  Don’t use too much shaving cream.  If you use too much, the oils and butters in the shaving cream could make your shower floor or bathtub slippery.  Be careful when you get out of the shower/tub.

Where to get supplies?

This website contains affiliate links. This means that should you click on certain links, and then subsequently purchase a product, I will receive a small commission. The price is exactly the same for you as it would be without the affiliate link. 

extra virgin coconut oil (the solid kind)–  click here for my favorite coconut oil

mango butter–  click here for my favorite mango butter

apricot kernel oil–  click here for where I get my apricot kernel oil

unscented liquid Castile soap-  click here for my favorite Castile soap

wooden sticks for stirring (find them here)

heat-safe glass measuring cup or bowl (like these)

16 oz PET jar – find them here  or 8 oz amber PET jar – find them here

click here for a free printable of my homemade shaving cream recipe

here are a few other essential oil posts that I think you’ll like:

DIY lavender, oatmeal & milk bath soak for dry skin

essential oil bath melts for luxuriously well-moisturized skin

bubbling bath salts {made with essential oils}

sea breeze bath bombs

soft & silky body butter with essential oils

essential oil face wash for your skin type

super rich & creamy dry hand lotion

DIY Face serum with essential oils for your skin type (dry, mature, sensitive, acne, oily, normal)

20 Favorite Roller Bottle Blend Recipes and Free Printable Labels

Clever & Creative Ways to Use Empty Essential Oil Bottles

25+ Easy DIY Gifts Made with Essential Oils

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Please note: Products mentioned in this article have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products and information on this page are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This website is not a substitute for professional care.  Always consult your medical doctor regarding your medical care. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

Disclaimer: Please know that this website contains affiliate links. This means that should you click on certain links, and then subsequently purchase a product, I will receive a small commission. The price is exactly the same for you as it would be without the affiliate link.  Thank you for supporting me in this way.