DIY: Shaving Cream

With bikini season just around the corner (at least I hope it is coming soon), it is time to think about shaving a bit more frequently than most of us do all winter (at least if you are like me). 

Think about the shaving cream or soap you currently use to help that razor glide across your skin.  Is it full of toxins to be absorbed or is it all natural and safe?  Does it have fragrances and chemicals you can barely pronounce listed in the ingredients? 

After discovering how easy it was to make my own shampoo and body lotion, I decided to find a good recipe for shaving cream.  It needed to be safe, smooth, and effective.  And it needed to pass the "Mike and Journey test".

Last night I gave it a whirl and put it to the test this morning.  Mike shaves his head and his face and I notice that he cuts himself occasionally... and Journey shaves too, even at her young age, so I wanted something non-toxic that would glide across her skin in the shower and prevent nicks from the razor.  This shaving cream worked wonders, while leaving skin soft... and no razor nicks today!

It is easy to make.  You will just need a mixer and some basic ingredients like these:

1/3 cup cocoa or shea butter
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp vitamin E (preservative... optional)
You can add some essential oils for fragrance if you wish but we did not add them in this batch.

First you must melt the cocoa or shea butter and the coconut oil.  You can do this simply in a glass bowl or jar in some hot water.  I used a double boiler set up and melted my ingredients in a glass ball jar that I keep dedicated to skin care recipes.  The coconut and cocoa butter melted quickly.

Then with a spoon, mix the olive oil into the melted oils.  At this time I added the 1 tsp of vitamin E oil for it's preservative qualities.  Once all that was stirred together, it was put in the refrigerator to "harden" back up. 

When it is cooled adequately, it will look like soft butter.  Now here comes the fun part:

With an electric mixer, whip the cold concoction.  It will whip up all creamy and soft.  Then it is ready to put in a container and keep in your bathroom for shaving cream.  It is soft, slick, and leaves skin conditioned and healthy!  Just dip your hand into the container and apply it to damp skin for a smooth razor glide.

We put ours in little covered containers that I save .. ours is in a sour cream container and Journey's is contained in a very old little margarine container. (I inherited dozen of little margarine containers from my mother-in-law.. don't worry... I don't "touch the stuff")

Bring on the warm weather!!