When I played soccer in high school, I spent a lot of money on fancy body wash products (and fancy personal care products in general). I bought into all the claims that these products would make my skin softer or tighter, smell great, help with acne, etc. I even had several different body washes I mixed and matched to get the scent and effect I wanted (chemical cocktail, anyone?).
I don’t use most conventional products anymore and usually default to using bar soap. When I want the skin-softening, great smelling benefits of natural body wash, I make my own. This DIY natural body wash recipe contains ingredients that provide added benefits to your skin without harsh chemicals.
Why Use Natural Body Wash?
There are lots of benefits of using a natural homemade body wash.
First, this body wash recipe is super simple and will only take minutes to put together if you have the ingredients. If you don’t have a specific ingredient, you can use substitutions. You could even get your kids involved in making this with you.
This recipe is versatile. There are many great combinations for you to choose from using your favorite essential oils. It’s fun to match your skincare product scents with the seasons, a holiday, or even your current mood. Plus, you can make different variations for everyone in your family if you want.
Although you might need to buy ingredients the first time you make this DIY body wash recipe, you will get lots of batches of body wash out of these ingredients. This will save you money in the long run. If you want to give a homemade gift to your friend or family member, this body is a great choice; and you will save money on gifts too!
Unlike store-bought skincare products, homemade body wash doesn’t contain chemicals or artificial fragrances. With this recipe, you can whip up a natural preservative-free, hydrating body wash in minutes! Using these natural ingredients for your body wash will still give you a great lather, so you won’t be missing out on any of the suds you get from store-bought body washes.
DIY Body Wash Ingredients
This natural body wash combines several of my favorite natural skincare ingredients. Each one offers unique benefits to your skin.
Raw Honey
I’ve posted before about how honey is a great skincare ingredient on its own. Did you know honey is also excellent for wound healing (and even used in hospitals)? In this recipe, honey helps soften your skin and is naturally soothing & antibacterial. When possible, I use local, raw honey. If I can’t find any honey locally, I use organic raw honey (like this one).
Natural Oils
Natural oils are great cleansers for our skin. I use the oil cleansing method to wash my face each day, and my skin has never looked better. This recipe uses natural oils to accomplish some of the same benefits as oil cleansing for the whole body. And using natural oils in your body wash will help hydrate dry skin. Natural oils also work as carrier oils for the essential oils included in this moisturizing body wash.
I use a mixture of castor oil and olive oil, but you can use whatever oils you might have on hand, such as jojoba oil or sweet almond oil. Olive oil is rich in antioxidants and would also be a good choice. If you want to use coconut oil, you could try fractionated coconut oil. It would work nicely since it stays in a liquid form. Regular coconut oil hardens when it gets cold, so it might not work well with this recipe.
Liquid Castile Soap
This gives the body wash the cleansing ability. I use Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild, which is unscented so that I can customize the scent with essential oils, but any scent of organic liquid castile soap will work. Keep the scent of your castile soap in mind when selecting your essential oils to make sure the smells blend well together. This ingredient gives your homemade body wash great suds!
Essential Oils
Essential oils are a great way to customize it. There are so many combinations of scents you could use! You could even change up the oils you use seasonally or based on the holidays. I buy organic essential oils in bulk for recipes like this and other homemade care products.
Some of my favorites are lavender and chamomile essential oils for a calming body wash, peppermint essential oil for an invigorating body wash, and ylang-ylang and lavender essential oils for a stress-relieving blend. Keep in mind that if you have sensitive skin, you might want to stay away from certain essential oils.
Pump Bottle
Since essential oils don’t store well in plastic containers, it’s best to keep your homemade body wash in a glass container. If you use one with a pump, you can put it on a shelf in your shower so that your body wash is always easily accessible. I like to use a pump bottle that also foams my body wash, so I get extra suds, but you can use any soap dispenser. Another option is to use a mason jar and a dispenser lid. If you aren’t a fan of using glass in the shower, there are some excellent silicone and stainless steel options available too.
Notes: I use a natural sea sponge (like this one) with this body wash, and it foams up really well. If you don’t have a sea sponge, a washcloth will work well too!
Shelf life: Since all ingredients in this recipe are shelf-stable, it seems to last a long time, though I still make it in small batches so I can customize the scent to my ever-changing favorites.
Moisturizing Natural Body Wash
Materials
- 3 TBSP castile soap (liquid castile soap works best)
- 3 TBSP raw honey
- 2 TBSP oil (I used 1 TBSP each of castor oil and olive oil)
- 10 drops essential oil of choice (or more for your preferences)
Instructions
- Carefully mix all ingredients by hand with a spoon in a glass liquid measuring cup. Do not use a blender, whisk or hand mixer as this will create bubbles and make it impossible to get into a container.
- Pour into a (preferably glass) container and use in the shower as a body wash. I use this homemade body wash with a natural sea sponge for easy use.
Notes
Other Uses for DIY Body Wash
This body wash is so versatile! If you need to shave, it works great as a shaving product. You can also use this homemade body wash as a face wash or hand soap. If you are traveling, take a small silicone container with you, so you don’t have to pack as many toiletries since it covers several bases.
Need a gift for someone who loves all things natural living? This body wash is a great homemade gift to give to someone special. You can customize the scent to their personality too. Wrap it up with a natural sea sponge, and you have a thoughtful, customized gift! You can also gift this to someone who usually buys store-bought shower gel and show them how amazing homemade body wash can be!
What do you use for moisturizing body wash? Or are you a bar soap type of person? Weigh in below!
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