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Making your own homemade body wash is easier than you think. With this simple 4 ingredient recipe, I will show you how to make a natural body wash that is moisturizing for the skin and cost-effective.
Some of the products that we are using to keep our bodies clean can actually cause our bodies more harm than good. Have you revamped your daily grooming routine yet?
When I decided to “clean up” (pun 100% intended) my routine, I noticed that making my own natural body wash was going to be much cheaper than buying natural options from the store.
I guarantee you that DIYing your own body wash, homemade natural shampoo, and homemade natural conditioner is much easier than you are expecting. And the best part is that they require a lot of the same ingredients, so once you make one, you might as well make them all.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Cost-effective: I already mentioned that making your own body wash is much cheaper than buying a natural body wash at the store, but it is worth saying again! I’ve saved so much money by DIYing my bath and beauty products. Once you buy the ingredients, they last for several batches.
- Moisturizing: When I’m choosing a body wash or homemade soap bar to use, one of my top priorities is how hydrating it is for my skin. I often struggle with dry skin and what I use in the shower can make all the difference. This body wash uses ingredients that will leave your skin soft, smooth, and well-moisturized.
- Gentle ingredients: I love that this recipe uses natural ingredients that I feel good about my whole family using! This body wash is gentle enough for all of my kids, even those with sensitive skin.
Materials Needed
- A foaming soap container: I purchase them online to use for body wash and foaming hand soap.
- Castile soap: Made with all-natural plant oils, castile soap is a moisturizing and effective cleaner. It’s also very gentle for sensitive skin, which is why I use it in my homemade baby wash and this recipe. You can buy it scented or unscented; I prefer unscented so I can add my own essential oils.
- Honey: Honey has antibacterial properties, making it great for natural skincare. Raw honey can help with blemishes and skin conditions and may even offer anti-aging properties, according to Medical News Today. When possible, find local, raw honey.
- Carrier oil: You can use any liquid carrier oil that you prefer. I like fractionated coconut oil, but it’s a good idea to try a few and find what works best on your skin. Check out my post on the top 10 best carrier oils for further reading.
- Vegetable glycerin: Glycerin is a vegetable-based, odorless, clear liquid. It will add thickness to the body wash and help it to lather more. Glycerin is a natural moisturizer and will help your skin to stay smooth and soft.
- Essential oils: You can use any of your favorite essential oils in this recipe! A few of my favorite oils to add are lavender, frankincense, tea tree, wild orange, and sandalwood.
- Water
How to Make Natural Body Wash
Step 1. Pour the castile soap, honey, carrier oil, and vegetable glycerin into the foaming soap container.
Step 2. Add your essential oils of choice to the bottle.
Step 3. Fill the foaming soap container to the top with water.
Step 4. Secure the lid and give it a gentle shake to mix the ingredients. The body wash is ready to use!
Expert Tips
- It’s a good idea to use warm water so the honey dissolves into the body wash more effectively.
- This natural body wash will last up to 3 months in a cool, dark place.
- Be sure to use a liquid carrier oil. Using cold-pressed coconut oil will not work as it can clog up your soap dispenser.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can. The ingredients in this natural body wash are gentle enough for your face. However, you may prefer a soap that is specifically formulated for the face. If so, try my homemade face cleanser gel or DIY face wash recipes.
You can use any essential oils that you like! If you aren’t sure where to start, I like to add anti-aging essential oils or essential oils for clear skin when I am making any skincare product.
It is always best to use pure essential oils that are not made with any added fillers. Because the FDA doesn’t regulate essential oils, you really have to do your own research. I use doTERRA essential oils in my home and find them to be very effective and pure. Learn more about why I choose doTERRA essential oils.
More DIY Bath Recipes
- DIY Shaving Cream Recipe
- Cold-Process Shampoo Bar Recipe
- How to Make Homemade Conditioner
- DIY Shower Oil
- How to Make Rose Bath Salts
If you tried this Natural Body Wash Recipe or any other tutorial on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
How to Make Natural Body Wash
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2.6 oz liquid castile soap, ⅓ cup
- 3.5 oz honey, ⅓ cup preferably local and raw
- 2.6 oz carrier oil, ⅓ cup I use fractionated coconut oil
- 0.5 oz vegetable glycerin, 1 tbsp
- 20-30 drops essential oils, optional
Instructions
- Pour all of the ingredients directly into the foaming soap container.
- Fill the foaming soap container to the top with water.
- Secure the lid and give it a gentle shake to mix the ingredients.
Video
Notes
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- This natural body wash will last up to 3 months in a cool, dark place.
- It’s a good idea to use warm water so the honey dissolves into the body wash better.
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- Be sure to use a liquid carrier oil. Using regular coconut oil will not work and it will clog up your soap dispenser.
Shouldn’t this body wash have a preservative in it because you are mixing water into the formula?
You can add a broad spectrum natural preservative or antioxidant like vitamin E antioxidant or rosemary antioxidant to help stabilize the shelf life of the product if desired.
I wanted to love this recipe, but sadly I don’t. I don’t really like how the honey gives it a slight sticky feeling when applying. It is a lot thinner than I thought, I don’t know if it’s because it says to add water or what. I also don’t like how it doesn’t lather/sud up hardly at all. All I can smell in it is the honey & I even tried adding a lot of extra essential oil drops & that didn’t seem to change it.
I made the body wash recipe ,but the mixture kept separating. If this is normal, should we be shaking it up before each use?
They should stay combined pretty well. If needed, you can certainly give it a quick shake before using it.
Hello for the carrier oil can I use extra virgin olive oil? Has anyone tried it?Thank you!Also can I subsitue the glycerin for anything else?
Olive oil is a tad thicker than most carrier oils but should work just fine! I use fractionated coconut oil or jojoba oil
Can I leave the honey out of the body wash?
Yes
Do you have any body was recipes for squeeze bottles and not foaming bottles?
Hi! We’ve been using several of your natural recipes the past few months, but all the “body” ones puzzle me. I find every time I use this body wash I get out of the shower feeling soft and smooth and smelling like grease. I’ve tried buying all new products for freshness but it didn’t change anything. Does this body wash really just make you smell horrible or what am I doing wrong? Any information or advice is appreciated as every “body recipe” leaves us stinking of grease. It is the reason we’ve given up on natural alternatives time and time again.
Anytime you switch to natural the first thing you will notice is that you won’t have that lingering smell from the product. That is because many synthetics and artificial fragrances are added to give it that smell. Even though the smell might be different, it is still cleaasing. It is something that you will get used to as you switch to natural products. You can add in more essential oils to give it a stronger scnet.