How to Make Shaving Cream: Green Homemade Shaving Cream for a Cleaner Earth and Better Skin

Written by: BStone • Edited by: Tania Cowling
Updated Apr 26, 2011

Learn how to make shaving cream instead of depending on synthetic, chemical based products. A homemade shaving cream is easy to make, eco-friendly, and skin nourishing.

Green Shaving Cream

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Commercial shaving creams usually consist of some sort of animal-based or hydrogenated vegetable-based fat, such as stearic acid, chemicals meant to create the right texture and pH, fragrances and dyes, and water. They may have one or two natural ingredients, such as aloe vera gel, or a vegetable-based fat source, but for the most part, they have a significant amount of toxic ingredients. In commercial creams petroleum based derivatives, propylene glycol (an ingredient in industrial antifreeze), benzaldehyde (irritating to mucous membranes), and camphor (easily absorbed through the skin, can cause dizziness and nausea when inhaled) are often used.

Learning how to make a shaving cream with natural ingredients at home is a great way to prevent these chemicals from entering the ecosystem. They are washed away into local water systems with every use, and introduced into the human body. A non-toxic, homemade shaving cream is completely safe for the earth, made only from biodegradable, natural substances. It is also great for the skin, being both nurturing and moisturizing. People with sensitive skin will really benefits from homemade, natural skin care.

Natural Ingredients

A homemade recipe consists of a few essential ingredients. Everything should be easily found at a natural market, such as a Whole Foods store.

Four tablespoons of an essential fatty acid-rich oil. Sweet almond, jojoba, and apricot all work really well.
Two tablespoons of a natural skin nourisher and moisturizer, such as shea butter, cocoa butter, or beeswax.
One and one-half cup of water; use a distilled or filtered water for the purest source.
One teaspoon of baking soda, which acts to soften and protect the skin.
Four tablespoons of castile soap. Castile soap is vegetable oil-based, usually from olive oil, coconut oil, or jojoba oil. It can be found in liquid form, which is easier to use for this shaving cream recipe; in bar form, simply grate the soap. Dr. Bronner's is probably the most popular manufacturer of this eco-friendly, natural product.
One-half cup of either aloe vera gel or honey, this ingredient is optional, but really beneficial for people with sensitive skin.
Essential oils, again, they are an optional, natural aromatic. For men's shaving cream, use three drops of pine essential oil and three drops of bergamot; for women's shaving cream, use three drops each of rose essential oil, and lavender.

Instructions

How to make shaving cream? First heat the oil and skin nourisher over a double boiler at a low heat. Stir until the mixture is clear, then pour into a large bowl and let cool. In another pan, heat the water, then add the baking soda, and castile soap, stirring until completely diluted. Add the aloe vera gel or honey to this solution and stir. Pour the soap mixture into the bowl with the now room-temperature oil and skin nourisher. Add essential oils if desired. Blend everything very well with a hand mixer, or throw into the blender. For best results, blend for two minutes, stop, and then blend again for another two minutes.

Store the cream in an airtight container in a dry, cool location. This natural cream can be stored for about three months; none of the ingredients are perishable but oils such as sweet almond and apricot have a limited shelf life. This is a great opportunity to reuse old jelly jars or pickle jars. Wash well with soap and warm water to get rid of any odor residues. Not only is this homemade shaving cream wonderful for personal use, but also makes a great eco-friendly gift for someone else.

Resources

"Twenty Most Common Chemicals in Thirty-one Fragrance Products, based on a 1991 EPA Study." (Our Little Place) http://www.ourlittleplace.com/chemicals.html

Balch, Phyllis, CNC. "Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition." (The Penguin Group, 2006).

"Make Your Own Organic Shaving Cream." (GardenMandy) http://www.gardenmandy.com/make-your-own-organic-shaving-cream

Photo Credit

photo by: Evil Erin (CC/flickr) http://www.flickr.com/photos/evilerin/3266289133/

Jen Dec 19, 2011 7:57 PM

RE: How to Make Shaving Cream: Green Homemade Shaving Cream for a Cleaner Earth and Better Skin

maybe you did something wrong...i've made it a number of times and whenever i mix it, it looks just like regular shaving cream...after a while it settles down and you need to mix it/shake it back up again (though it doesn't get to the shaving cream consistency unless you use the hand mixer again)...but it really has worked great

Jadore_sara Dec 18, 2011 10:16 PM

I was excited to make this, but found it a waste of time and precious ingredients. Blending all of the ingredients with a hand mixer caused the castile soap to froth into a huge soap-bubbly mess.

BStone Aug 23, 2011 12:08 AM

I'm really not sure. Even the orange essential oil is non-irritating. That would be my guess of all the other ingredients, cocoa butter, Dr. Bronners, almond oil and baking soda are all softening, and its just unlikely that you both are allergic to an ingredient. I'm sorry. You could always try a more sensitive essential oil such as lavender instead of the orange.... I wish I could be more helpful.

Nikki Aug 22, 2011 9:16 PM

Itching - Ingredients

I used cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap (unscented), baking soda, and a couple of drops of sweet orange essential oil. To me, none of those seemed like they should've led to itching. But I normally just use Dove bar soap to shave because Skintimate and other shaving creams irritated my legs and made them itch like crazy.

BStone Aug 22, 2011 8:30 PM

Nikki, which ingredients did you use?
Without knowing, I'm not sure, but even with knowing the best i can come up with is pine essential oil, for sensitive skin, pine can be irritating. Let me know, hope i can help.

Nikki Aug 22, 2011 6:45 PM

Itching

I'm chemically-sensitive and can't be around my husband when he uses commercial shaving cream. I made a batch of this tonight, but DH said his face was itching from it. Out of curiosity, I shaved my legs with it and am now itching as well. Any idea what could have caused the itching?

Paula Apr 3, 2011 1:01 PM

Homemade Shaving Cream

Just came across your blog a few days ago looking for handmade shaving cream. Thank you so much for sharing. Yours, along with Bright Hub, were one of the recipes I got inspired to make my own (http://trumbuctu.blogspot.com/2011/03/diy-creme-para-barba.html) with a slight components changes.

I have tried as a depilatory and it really worked well. Mine got closer to solid and in a soap dispenser works fine.

Once again thanks for sharing.

Michelle Feb 16, 2011 8:24 AM

Shaving Cream

Thanks for the advice, I may also try the quick recipe you mentioned. I did use honey instead of aloe and I will still make use of the mixture, possibly in a foaming bottle like someone else mentioned. :)

BStone Feb 15, 2011 9:17 PM

Unfortunately it is going to separate once it has time to set. You can whip again before use, (time consuming, I know!) and cut the recipe in half if you are only using a small amount to shave.
Make sure you are going for aloe vera gel, not juice.
I tried this for a quick version that is not a foam, but it is workable, nourishing, and moisturizing — whisk together one to two tablespoons each of jojoba oil (or any of the other oils), castile soap (dr. bronner's liquid soaps are great), and aloe vera gel, still add one or two drops of essential oil if you want and a half teaspoon baking soda if desired. Really great for your skin, but this isn't going to solidify and is more of a quick natural homemade shaving gel to use within two days.

Michelle Feb 15, 2011 11:46 AM

I mixed and got a ton of foam but still way too much liquid on the bottom and it keeps settling into liquid. Did I do something wrong? I used a hand-mixer and mixed even longer than the article says to... thanks for any help you can offer.

Andrew Bray Feb 7, 2011 12:46 PM

A response to Jiminy Critic

Although propylene-Glycol is not toxic at normal levels to humans or most animals, it can be lethal to cats. Additionally propylene-glycol in a water system (stream, lake, etc) can cause an increase in BOD (biological oxygen demand) thereby contributing to low oxygen levels in nearby streams. It should be noted that the relatively small amount coming from shaving creams may not be significant.
It is indeed good to research what chemicals are in commercial products, and to know if they are good or bad. I believe care should be taken to avoid putting unnecessary chemicals in products as we may not know everything they do. I would remind you of the widespread use of asbestos prior to learning that it causes mesothelioma.

Jenny Jan 1, 2011 12:39 PM

Thanks!

Thank you so much for all your help!

BStone Dec 31, 2010 11:01 PM

Whipping/stirring it will improve the consistency. Separation is natural — think of how natural peanut butter always ends up!!! Just give it a good stir, and don't forget to let it blend for about two minutes when it is originally made. I didn't have consistency problems, but I will try to investigate to help figure out how it can be better for you.

Jenny Dec 31, 2010 4:18 PM

Consistency

Thanks so much for the information on the shelf life. I have one other question. I decreased the water by half a cup and it turned out great, but then by the next day it was watery again. Did I do something wrong or is it something my husband and I will need to go back downstairs and whip up again each time before we use it?

BStone Dec 29, 2010 2:50 PM

shelf life

If stored well, the homemade shaving cream should be fine for up to three months. After that it may be time to make a new batch and throw out what is left unused. A lot of oils only last for four to six months. Also, try using a newly purchased oil, rather than something that has been in the cupboard for a couple months. Take care!

Jenny179067 Dec 22, 2010 4:35 PM

Shelf Life

Did anyone ever find out how long the shelf life is for this?

Michelle Nov 4, 2010 10:17 PM

Shelf Life???

Thank you for this recipe. I want it to try it for a few Christmas gifts this year. How long will it last in clear glass jars? Also what kind of consistency does it keep? ~Thanks

Mike Aug 8, 2010 8:46 PM

first batch - not sure it worked

Dear BStone -
thank you for your reply! I think I figured two things out:
1) The aloe I used was "100% pure aloe" - but it was a juice (very watery) with many of the solids removed.
2) I was at a friend's house and they had one of those foaming soap dispensers. I will put my very liquidy shaving cream mix in that and see if that will dispense it as a foam. If it does, then that is very cool and should help me use it in a very economical way. Even with this dilution it still provides a good shave. So maybe it will be a serendipity thing!
I did get some "goopy" aloe and will give that a shot. I may add some glycerin as well. any thoughts on adding glycerin?
Again - thanks for the reply!

BStone Aug 7, 2010 10:47 PM

Hi Mike,
Glad you made your own cream! If the end result is too watery try scaling back the water by half a cup. It should turn out alright, ending up as a gooey/creamy cream. Also, adding another tablespoon of the shea or cocoa butter can help. Also, make sure you blend for a full two minutes. Hope that helps, but let me know!

Mike Aug 7, 2010 8:51 PM

first attempt - not sure it worked?

Hey! Love this idea. I want to make my own shaving cream after starting to shave with a straight razor. Anyway - I made the recipe and believe I followed the instructions - but the resulting product is very very watery. Is this supposed to turn into a gel or a cream or a solid? Thanks for any help!

Jiminy Critic Jun 18, 2010 9:14 AM

Propylene Glycol

Propylene glycol is not an industrial antifreeze. It's a thickener that is used in many products, including antifreeze. Antifreeze also contains water, but you don't say water is an antifreeze.

Also, stearic acid is not an animal-based fat. Cosmetic-grade stearic acid is obtained from the hydrogenation of unsaturated vegetable oils.

Your article is otherwise interesting. But please forgo the usual all-chemicals-are-bad misinformation, unless of course you're a chemist and know a thing or two about the subject.

Emilio Gutierrez May 11, 2010 2:25 PM

BEST SHAVE EVER!!!

I was SICK and TIRED of buying electric shavers that did nothing for taming my facial hair. I decided to look for a cream i could make myself. I came across your website and was delighted to try out the instructions. I am a very hands-on-do-it-myself kind of guy. I went to Hobby Lobby and found most of all I needed for this mixture. When I finally came home it only took me less than 5 minutes to make. As soon as it was ready I went straight to shaving. In less then 5 minutes I had the BEST SHAVE EVER!!! I am soooo happy that I came across this. Thank you soo much! No more spending unneccessary money on products with name brands!