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Making Homemade Shaving Gel
If you’re looking to create a more eco-friendly bathroom, one simple step you can take is to make homemade shaving gel. This DIY recipe for homemade shaving gel will leave your skin feeling smooth and let you get rid of that store-bought shaving cream that contains all types of toxic chemicals.
No time for DIY? That’s not a problem! You can still get a smooth, zero waste shave when you choose one of these best all-natural shave soap bars.
What’s Inside Store-Bought Shaving Cream?
Although shaving cream doesn’t get as much attention as other wasteful items in the bathroom, it has plenty of health and environmental concerns of its own.
Take a look at the back of your shaving cream can and you might see some of these worrisome ingredients:
Triethanolamine: A strong alkaline substance used to adjust pH levels and a known respiratory allergen.
Retinyl Palmitate: A form of vitamin A. A study done by the FDA found that retinyl palmitate could speed up the development of skin lesions and tumors when it’s applied to the skin in sunlight.
Methylisothiazolinone: A preservative that’s a known human immune toxicant and allergen.
Fragrance: Ahhhh. The dreaded “fragrance” ingredient. Fragrances are considered a secret formula, so companies don’t have to disclose anything they use to make their fragrance. That means simply putting “fragrance” on the can could conceal thousands of other ingredients. You have no way of knowing what these ingredients are and if they could be toxic to your health.
Of course, this is just a short list of some of the dangerous ingredients you can find in store-bought shaving cream.
Along with these dangerous ingredients, you also have to worry about the can itself. Although most shaving cream cans no longer use ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), they can contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
VOCs have a variety of short- and long-term adverse health effects, including headaches, nose and throat discomfort, damage to the liver and kidneys, and even some types of cancers.
Plus, many recycling centers won’t accept shaving cream cans, so they simply end up piled in landfills.
How to Make Homemade Shaving Gel
Now that you see how dangerous store-bought shaving cream can be to your health and the environment, you might be interested in making your own shaving cream. Fortunately, it’s incredibly easy to make homemade shaving gel.
Homemade Shaving Gel Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of aloe vera gel
- 1 teaspoon of vitamin E oil
- 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin
- 2 teaspoons of fractionated coconut oil
- 10 drops of your favorite essential oils (optional)
- Airtight container
Homemade Shaving Gel Directions
- Add all the ingredients in a bowl and gently stir until the aloe vera gel becomes opaque.
- If you want to add a relaxing or soothing scent to your shaving gel, stir in the drops of essential oil.
- Pour the mixture into the airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
- When you’re ready to shave, lather the gel on wet skin and use your safety razor to shave as normal. If you don’t have a safety razor yet, be sure to check out our post on the best safety razor for beginners.
- If you’re interested in getting an even smoother shave, don’t forget to check out our post on how to make a homemade coffee scrub that also helps reduce the appearance of cellulite.
Why Use Fractionated Coconut Oil?
You’ll notice this homemade shaving gel calls for fractionated coconut oil instead of regular coconut oil. This is because regular coconut oil hardens when it cools down.
Related: The Best Shampoo Bar for Your Hair
Since you’ll likely be using this shaving gel in the shower, you don’t want the coconut oil to cool down while it’s still in your pipes and cause a clog. If you discovered this the hard way, be sure to check out our post on natural ways to clear a clogged pipe.
Homemade Aloe Vera Gel
Along with fractionated coconut oil, this DIY shaving gel also calls for aloe vera gel. You can either purchase the aloe vera gel or use homemade aloe vera gel.
Store-bought aloe vera gel will likely have preservatives that will help it stay fresh for years.
Related: The Best Plastic-Free Conditioner Bars
If you make your own aloe vera gel and don’t use preservatives, your homemade shaving gel will stay fresh for about a week when refrigerated. If you use the natural preservatives mentioned in this post, it will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about 8 months.
Making Even More Eco-Friendly Beauty Products
Are you interested in even more amazing homemade beauty products? Then be sure to check out this Eco Beauty Products e-book!
It’s becoming even clearer how much damage is being done to our health and the environment because of conventional beauty products. Fortunately, you can easily enjoy the same benefits that conventional beauty products offer but without the harm and waste with this Eco Beauty Products e-book.
Thanks to this e-book, you’ll learn why it’s so important to make the switch to eco-friendly beauty products, the cosmetic ingredients you should avoid at all costs, where to find cruelty-free beauty products, and more.
You’ll also discover how to make a variety of face masks, body lotions, and bath products using simple, natural ingredients that are better for you and the planet! Check it out today!
DIY Shaving Gel
If you’re looking to remove harmful chemicals from your home and create a zero waste bathroom, this homemade shaving gel can help. Once you see how easy it is to make your own rich and nourishing shaving gel, you’ll never want to waste money on the store-bought stuff again.
More Eco-Friendly Tips
Now that you see how easy it is to remove toxins from your life by making your own homemade shaving gel, are you ready for even more natural living and eco-friendly tips? Then be sure to check out some of our other popular posts:
- Best Natural Sunscreens for the Entire Family
- The Best Bamboo Toothbrushes
- How to Get Energy Naturally and Quickly
- How to Make DIY Lavender Loofah Soap
