This recipe/post has been a long time coming. Feels like forever since I wrote down the note on my idea board "Homemade Shave Cream". I think for some reason I was thinking it would be difficult to make or require something I didn't have on hand. Turns out that neither of those things were true and I'm glad I finally took the plunge! This recipe for Homemade Shave Cream is so easy to make and leaves your skin silky smooth. You can add essential oils to give it a little scent or just leave it unscented for those with fragrance issues.
Easy Homemade Shaving Cream
What You Need:
- 1/3 c. coconut oil
- 1/3 c. shea butter
- 1/4 c. olive oil (you could use a different oil like almond or jojoba, whatever you have on hand)
The ingredients! I order shea butter from Amazon, buy my olive oil in bulk, and order coconut oil from Tropical Traditions.
Start by melting the shea butter and the coconut oil on a low heat on the stove top. It doesn't take very long to melt.
Once it's melted, pour into a container and add in the olive oil and stir. Set this mixture in the fridge and let it hard.
Once it's solid again you can take it out of the fridge and put it in a bowl you can whip it in. It kinda looks like a block of butter doesn't it?
Whip it! I did this for about 3 minutes or you can do it until it's light and creamy.
Isn't it beautiful? Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark area when not in use.
Use as you would any store bought shave cream! Could be used for shaving for men or women. I'm so glad I finally worked up a recipe for this because I have some very strong reasons about not using conventional shaving cream!
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Merissa is a born and raised country girl. She loves being a wife and homemaker and strives to give her family the best with whatever she has! She started Little House Living in 2009 to share her love for all things simple, frugal, and natural.
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{ 57 comments… read them below or add one }
Yep, this looks delicious enough to eat and also looks like it would be better to shave with then regular shave cream.
I bet this smells wonderful! I just bought some shaving cream and was thinking that it was very expensive. I will have to give this a try. I like a cream for shaving better anyway.
Merissa,
Another winner. You keep teaching this grandma new tricks! Love, love, love, your blog. Hope 2013 is a great one for you and yours.
Thank you
I don’t need shaving cream, but this recipe is so brilliant that I went ahead and posted a link to you to share it anyway. Gee, maybe I’ll even start using shaving cream just to try this!
Thanks for sharing! Maybe you will find some kind of use for it in the future anyways!
Do you have any idea how long this will keep? I support troops fighting overseas and cannot send canned (aerosol) shaving cream and thought if this held up very long I might try send it instead. It is pretty cool/cold out now – so the dark, cool place for storage shouldn’t be a problem. If it will last that long to send.
Any ideas if it would make it?
I’m not sure how long. It should keep fairly well at least for a few weeks in a cool dark area.
If you’re going to ship it, you’ll have to add a preservative into it. I make a different shave cream, and when I shipped it just stateside, it went sour during the summer months. The stuff I have in our house, now, has lecithin in it and has been used since last June with success.
Also, I used to ship aerosol cans to my husband all the time while he was deployed. lol
You could also add a little Vitamin E oil to preserve it
I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for sharing!
Won’t this clog your drains?
It’s the same as any other shaving cream so I’m not sure why it would. Plus all the ingredients are natural and will dissolve.
Great recipe, Merissa! It’s basically the same one I use for body lotion on my blog, and I make mine the same way. That’s what’s so cool about natural products – they are so multi-purpose that it really saves money, doesn’t it? Great post!
I had the same question about the drain clogging. Oil solidifies when cold so wouldn’t it in the pipes?
If you pour it down your drains, it might. But, if you shave with warm/hot water there won’t be any problems. My husband has been using his shave cream (different recipe, though) for months, and we’ve never had any clogged drains.
I do love the idea though:)! Thanks for sharing!
I would imagine that if it’s being watered down as it goes down the drain, it would be fine…just like if you rinsed olive oil or coconut oil off your hands.
I don’t think this would work for people in the military overseas, if they’re in hot desert areas. Even if they had somewhere cool to keep it, it would likely melt while in transit, and re-solidify in a non-whipped condition. At least, that’s my thought.
Merissa this sounds wonderful. I’m going to make it for my husband and of course me
Hi, I will try this.love your blog.I see you are country girl,so am I. Thank You!
I wonder if my hubby would use this on his head? He does use homemade deodorant! Just gotta break down and buy shea butter:)
I bet it would feel nice! It’s much softer than regular shaving cream.
Wondering if my guys would use it?
My husband finally tried it out the other week and LOVED it!
This is pure genius! Seriously, best DIY I’ve seen in a long time! Definitely doing this as I have really sensitive skin and I react to almost everything. So excited about this. : )
Just wondering if there was an alternate ingredient for the Shea butter? I’d love to try this but I really don’t like the smell of Shea butter.
Have you tried Kokum butter? I love the stuff!
I also wonder if there is a possibility to sub for Shea butter. I hate the smell as well and its sooooo oily!
I tried this recipe as written today and it works awesome. Ledt my skin very moisturized. It’s just a bit too oily for me with the shea, I gunked up my tub pretty bad! Next time I’m gonna try cocoa butter.
I haven’t used anything besides shea butter but if you try something else let us know how it goes!
I think I’m going to try it with the Shea butter and try to cover the smell with essential oils. Is it better to use refined or unrefined Shea butter? Our homesteading store has both.
Definitely unrefined
I thought shaving cream (for men anyway) should have some clay in it? Currently I use a soap which was expressly made for shaving. It just lathers up when I rub my shaving brush on it. It does contain some clay, which is what distinguishes it from other soaps. The clay helps to lubricate the blade across the skin.
You could always add clay if you’d like to but you don’t have to with this recipe.
I love this! I would love for you to come over to my blog hop and share this!
http://countrifiedhicks.blogspot.com/2013/02/mondays-with-countrified-hicks-blog-hop.html
My boyfriend currently uses shaving soap, would it be possible to make this and leave it in it’s hardened state to use as soap?
You could try it!
I don’t have EVOO, just “light tasting olive oil” that my husband didn’t know he grabbed, lol. Since I don’t want to use that oil, I do have jojoba, avocado and grapeseed oil. I’m thinking jojoba would be the best substitute, what do you think?
NM, I just read your alternate suggestions in the actual recipe, lol!
Yes, I think Jojoba would work great!
Hi Merrisa!
I love your blog! It’s full of great ideas and recipes, and inspiring me to follow my dream to get back into the country life and simple living. I actually made this shaving cream, and then handed it to my fiancee to try. He wasn’t happy with it because it totally melted on his face and didn’t foam up. I didn’t expect it to foam up, of course, it takes soap and one of those foam-making pumps for that, but I thought it was interesting that he was so against it because it didn’t do that! Well, it did not go to waste! It’s actually a fabulous body butter that I have been using every morning! I probably should try it as a shaving cream for myself, but I keep forgetting to take it into the shower with me!
I just made this yesterday. It works pretty well on my head and face. Unlike the store bought cream it still pulls pretty hard, like using bar soap, but there was a major advantage.
I use a very cheap razor and cut myself EVERY time I shave. With this recipe I didn’t have even one nick. It was quite wonderful.
It is a bit of a greasy mess to clean up though.
Thanks!
Wow! I’ve been searching for a shaving creme for The Man. However, he can’t use olive oil on his face (think skin problems). Can you recommend a substitute (healthy) oil? Thanks much!
I would try jojoba oil instead.
Does this work well for wet shaving, i.e. with a brush and double edge razor (for men)? Also, for wet-shaving, can the whipping step be skipped so it can be used like a traditional shaving soap such as Williams, etc?
I haven’t used it as a bar but I’d assume it would be fine, maybe a little harder to use…and yes it works for wet shaving with a men’s razor as my hubby can attest to! He said it made his face feel the smoothest it’s ever been.
I have to tell you this is not only good shaving cream, but the best facial cleanser you will ever try!!! I rub it on a dry face (eye-make up too) and remove with a warm washcloth. It is awesome!
Awesome! I’m so glad it’s working for you!
Just wondering if there was an alternate ingredient for the Shea butter? I’d love to try this but I really don’t like the smell of Shea butter
It was lovely after i whipped it up, but it soon went flat and gooey. My husband shaves in the shower & it makes the shower floor slippery. Still searching for a good alternative, sad to say this isn’t it.
I’m sorry that happened for you Jean! My shaving cream stayed fluffy for months and months (until we used it up) so I’m not sure why it would do that for you.
Would cocoa butter be a viable replacement for the shea butter?
It should work but I’m not sure if it would whip up the same. If you try it let us know!
I wonder why you wouldn’t be able to mix like fells naps a (spelling not sure )soap to the recipe ?..I definitely want to try this but think I will use cocoa butter in place of Shea!…thanks
I’m not sure if you’d want to mix a bar soap with this recipe. I don’t think it would whip up the same and the consistancy wouldn’t be as smooth for shaving. Cocoa Butter should work fine in place of shea though!
I tied this with cocoa butter instead of shea…it whips the same, but it does melt easier then with the shea. I like this for my friction burn (because I sit on my feet I get this on my ankles) I use it as an overnight butter. I use the shea butter one as a shave crème but it gets melted and is more like a shaving oil then a crème, but either way I like it better then the store bought stuff.
I’m wondering what one could use as a substitute for coconut oil? I have extremely oily skin that is acne prone, and coconut oil is highly comedogenic. Could I simply mix jojoba and shea butter together?
You can try but I’m not sure it would whip up the same. It should still work though!
Coconut is non-comedogenic? I use it on my oily, break out prone (42 y/o) skin and have no problems at all…
http://www.livestrong.com/article/173683-what-are-the-benefits-of-coconut-oil-on-the-skin-hair/