Like soap, I’m sure we all use body wash at least once a day, right? Whether it’s in the bath or the shower, it feels good to pamper yourself with a soothing, moisturizing wash.
Unfortunately, some store-bought body washes are getting a tad pricey. So, how do we get around this? Well, we make our own body wash!
Here are some DIY body wash recipes for you to make at home!
Why Make Natural Body Wash?
It’s certainly true that store-bought body wash is, in many ways, cheaper; they do sometimes contain ingredients that can cause problems for you.
Using natural ingredients mostly eliminates the risk of an adverse reaction to a body wash product – the exception being if you’re allergic to certain things (i.e. honey).
Additionally, making your own body wash is an interesting and enjoyable hobby which, if you’re really good at it, can bring in a neat side income.
It also ensures you get exactly what you want/need so you don’t have to experiment with multiple brands of store-bought stuff to find what you need.
1. Honey and Coconut Oil
Honey and coconut make a great mixture if you’re looking for a nice, moisturizing wash. This recipe uses coconut oil which, depending on where you are, can be quite expensive.
The anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory properties of honey make it a healthy addition and the use of liquid castile soap and essential oils gives you a nice, moisturizing body wash with a nice scent. You can get the recipe here.
2. Skin Clearing Body Wash
If you’ve got sensitive skin that’s prone to breakouts of acne, then this is the wash for you.
It’s no secret that acne can make you self-conscious but a mixture of jojoba oil, honey, glycerin, castile soap, and water gives you a good cleansing soap to help fight the ever-present problem that is acne. Here’s the recipe for you!
3. Green Tea Body Wash
Green tea is certainly an acquired taste, but there’s no denying that it has good anti-inflammatory properties.
Combine it with products like coconut oil, shea butter, and/or honey and you’ve got a moisturizing wash that lingers for a while after use. You can get the recipe here.
4. Shea Butter Body Wash
You knew shea butter was going to appear a few times, didn’t you? This recipe mixes shea butter and sunflower oil and the result is a moisturizing body wash that replenishes the body’s natural oils.
Additionally, shea butter is very soft on your skin. If that sounds like something you need, you can get the recipe here.
5. Citrus Body Wash
Citrus fruits like oranges and lemons are very refreshing – trust me, bite into a lemon and your whole body’s going to go: “what are you doing?!”
All jokes aside, this body wash recipe is a good cleanser and moisturizer. If that’s what you need, you can get the recipe here.
6. Rosewater and Witch Hazel Body Wash
This body wash recipe has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and is good for fighting acne and getting rid of sweat and dirt – especially in the summer when you can sweat just by standing outside for a few minutes! You can get this recipe here.
7. Sweet Almond Body Wash
Sweet almond oil can be a bit on the pricey side depending on where you are, but it makes a great base, and the addition of vitamin E oil and castile soap makes this recipe a nourishing moisturizing body wash that’s gentle on the skin. Get the recipe here.
8. Coconut Milk Body Wash
Coconut milk has great moisturizing qualities and is gentle on the skin.
It smells great and is jam-packed with vitamins to help keep your skin moisturized. If that’s something you need, you can get the recipe here.
9. Lavender Body Wash
Lavender is one of the most popular scents in beauty products – right up there with vanilla, sandalwood, and peppermint.
It’s got a sweet scent that isn’t usually overpowering, and it makes for a refreshing body wash.
If you have difficulty waking up in the morning and a cold shower doesn’t do anything for you, then maybe this recipe will help.
10. Lavender and Eucalyptus Body Wash
Here’s a blend that I never thought of lavender and eucalyptus. I’ve used eucalyptus oil in mixtures with peppermint and tea tree oils to clear my sinuses, but I never tried mixing eucalyptus and lavender oils.
With that said, it makes sense eucalyptus is a strong scent that goes well with just about anything and you can use lavender to lighten the scent a bit so that it’s not too strong. You can get this recipe here.
11. Grapefruit and Peppermint Body Wash
Peppermint and Grapefruit both smell really nice on their own, so when you mix the two, you get something with a sweet, refreshing scent.
The use of coconut oil and vitamin E oil make this one a good moisturizer to use if you need one. Here’s the recipe for you to try at home!
12. Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle is a plant of which I have very fond memories.
When I was a kid, my grandparents had this massive honeysuckle bush in their front yard and I used to sit for hours smelling the sweet, fragrant flowers and, much to my grandfather’s chagrin, helping myself to the sweet nectar (sorry, grandad).
With that in mind, it’s no surprise that honeysuckle makes a good body wash.
13. Shea Butter and Apricot
Shea butter, castile soap and apricot oil provide a creamy moisturizing soap that’s gentle on the skin and gets rid of all the dirt and muck that ends up on your skin.
It’s easy to make and smells great. You can get the recipe here.
14. Shea Butter and Oatmeal
I told you shea butter would appear a few times, didn’t I? This one is creamy, moisturizing, and the oatmeal adds a touch of exfoliate to the mix.
If you want to try this one, you can get the recipe here.
15. Shea Butter and Coconut Oil
Shea butter and coconut oil are both great moisturizers, and they’re very gentle on your skin so you don’t need to panic about possible problems/damage to sensitive skin. It smells great and feels fantastic!
Give it a try and see what you think.
A Fun, Pampering Hobby
Making your own body wash is a fun, interesting hobby to have. It’s a great conversation starter and, let’s face it, sometimes you just want to pamper yourself a bit.
The nice thing about this is the sheer versatility, the only limits you have are your budget (obviously) and your imagination. Feel free to experiment and see what you like.
As always, I hope you all enjoyed the article and found it informative. Thanks for reading, it’s greatly appreciated, and I’ll see you in the next one!
Greg is a South African farmer and homesteader who’s been around animals ever since he can remember. He’s also an avid camper and hiker.