How to make homemade shaving cream in 5 steps

1. To melt the butter

   Melt the shea butter and coconut oil in a bain-marie. Put them in a bain-marie over medium heat. It will take them about five minutes to melt. During the summer, the coconut oil will be softer and can be added a few minutes after the shea butter because it will take less time to become liquid. Once they have melted, remove the bowl from the boiler from the heat.

   DIY double boiler

   If you don’t have a double boiler, you can easily make your own using a saucepan and a mixing or glass bowl. Fill the saucepan half full with water and put it on medium heat. Bring the water to a boil and place the bowl in the water.

2. Mix the oils

   Once the shea butter and coconut oil mixture has cooled for a few minutes, stir in the carrier oil and essential oils.

3. Put the mixture in the freezer

   Chill the mixture in the freezer for 10 to 12 minutes. You want it to be firm but not harsh. As it cools, the mixture will become more opaque. Depending on the bowl used, the mixture may cool unevenly; it’s OK. Remove it from the freezer once most of it has become solid.

4. Whip it

   Using a hand mixer, whisk all the ingredients together for about 2-3 minutes. You will notice that the mixture will be lighter in color and have a fluffy yet creamy texture. This is an important step to ensure that the melted shea butter does not become grainy.

   No hand blender?

   You can also use a stand mixer, whisk, or even a fork if you don’t have your own hand mixer. A non-electronic tool will simply add a few more minutes to the time needed to whip the mixture.

5. Pour into an airtight container

   When the mixture is fully whipped, pour it into an airtight container for storage. It is easier to access if the container has a wide opening.

Variants

There are many ways to tailor this shaving cream to your specific needs. By using different carrier oils, essential oils, or even adding soap, you can vary the benefits of this homemade skincare product.

Vary Carrier Oils

Many oils are considered moisturizing, but each has properties. Research shows that olive oil has ideal properties for drier skin. Grape seed oil is known to be easily absorbed by the skin and provide antioxidants. Argan oil helps skin maintain a barrier to retain moisture, and studies show it’s anti-inflammatory. To make your shaving cream do the extra work, choose a carrier oil that has added benefits.

Essential oils

Varying the type of essential oils used in your shaving cream can have benefits besides making it smell good. Tea tree oil is antibacterial; however, it can sometimes irritate the skin, so should be used at a concentration below 5%, according to one study. This recipe meets that recommendation, calling for 20 drops, which is less than a millimeter. Additionally, lavender is a popular essential oil that is considered to improve mood and relax the senses.

Add soap

Not everyone likes oil on the skin. If that sounds like you, you can instead add 2 tablespoons of Castile soap during the whipping step; this will help you remove the mixture from your skin more easily. Adding castile soap, however, will prevent it from being used in other ways, like as a body butter.

Troubleshooting tips

You will find with this shaving cream that a little goes a long way. However, if you want more, or are having trouble with the texture of the cream, here are some tips:

• The mixture is too thick: If the mixture is too hard and you have trouble whipping it, you may have left it too long in the freezer. Let it sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes, then try again.
• The mixture is too liquid: The mixture being liquid could be a number of problems. First, try putting it back in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. He may not have taken enough. If that doesn’t work, the ingredient ratio was probably not correct. There may be too much oil or not enough shea butter. To fix this melt some more shea butter, let it cool a bit before mixing it with the original mixture then place it in the freezer.
• There is not enough mixture: For every part carrier oil, you will need two parts shea butter and two parts coconut oil. So if you have 3 ounces of carrier oil, you will need 6 ounces of shea butter and coconut oil.