How to make an all-natural homemade body wash using ingredients like honey, liquid castile soap, olive oil, and essential oils.
I recently shared how to make your own homemade natural soap bars as a way to clean your body using non-toxic, natural ingredients, but it suddenly occurred to me that for some people, soap bars can dry out their skin.
So, as another alternative, here is a recipe for making an all-natural body wash at home.
This this moisturising body wash is gentle enough to use on your face, and also makes a rich lather.
I like to use glass pump bottles, as plastic can leach chemicals in the body wash inside, particularly if stored for long periods of time, or if the contents are fatty or hot.
Homemade Natural Hydrating Body Wash
This body wash contains several natural ingredients chosen for their skin care properties:
- Raw honey: I’ve posted before about how great honey is for wound healing, but it’s also great for softening skin. It has antiviral and antibacterial properties, and helps skin retain moisture and elasticity without drying out. Always use local, raw honey (and ensure the honey was harvested by beekeepers who do not sacrifice the health of their bees for the honey produced). You can opt for an organic raw honey (like this one) if you can’t source any locally. If you’re vegan, you can exclude this ingredient from the recipe (and sub in melted shea butter instead), however the consistency will be slightly different.
- Liquid castile soap: A vegetable-based soap, it provides the cleansing ability without the harsh chemical foaming agents. This one is palm oil-free and unscented, so you can customise the scent with essential oils.
- Natural carrier oils: These add moisturising properties to the wash. Jojoba, sweet almond, coconut, castor, or olive oil work well.
- Essential oils: Adding essential oils to the recipe gives the body wash a natural fragrance while at the same time, adding healing, calming, soothing, disinfecting, or deodorising benefits to the wash (depending on what oils you use).
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup raw honey
- 1/3 cup liquid castile soap
- 1/3 cup carrier oil (I used a 50:50 ratio of sweet almond and olive oil)
- 25 drops essential oil
To make:
- Pour all the ingredients into a small bowl, then stir together slowly to avoid bubbling.
- Transfer the mixture to a foaming soap dispenser (preferably glass) and use as you would a normal body wash. You can pour this wash onto a natural sea sponge or natural loofah for easy use. This body wash lasts for up to 3 months.
As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor before trying or using any new products. I am not a doctor. All opinions expressed are my own personal thoughts and feelings of the products mentioned. Check with your doctor or health practitioner if you are uncertain about trying out any of the products, recipes or tips mentioned in this post.
Have you made a natural body wash before? How was it? Share below in the comments.
Lots of love,
🖤 Vanessa
Sources:
Jabs, Betsy. A Natural and Moisturizing Homemade Body Wash. DIY Natural. Retrieved from https://www.diynatural.com/homemade-body-wash/
Wells, Katie. (January 9, 2019). Homemade Natural Body Wash. Wellness Mama. Retrieved from https://wellnessmama.com/23862/homemade-body-wash/
Laura. How to Make Natural Body Wash. Our Oily House. Retrieved from https://www.ouroilyhouse.com/how-to-make-natural-body-wash/
Adcock, Maria. (July 26, 2020). DIY Natural Body Wash. Bicultural Mama. Retrieved from https://www.biculturalmama.com/2020/07/diy-natural-body-wash.html
Wills, Angela. (Updated: June 23, 2021). A Homemade Body Wash Recipe That’s Marvellously Creamy. Savvy Homemade. Retrieved from https://www.savvyhomemade.com/homemade-body-wash/
Groza, Daria. (Updated: February 8, 2021). 11 Ways To Make Homemade Body Wash. Hello Glow. Retrieved from https://helloglow.co/11-ways-make-homemade-body-wash/
Gerber, Stephanie. (December 7, 2020). Super Moisturizing Shea Butter Body Wash. Hello Glow. Retrieved from https://helloglow.co/super-moisturizing-shea-butter-body-wash/