I found a sexy-sounding recipe for an all-natural shaving cream and decided I had to try it. The ingredients were great and the finished product really was incredible. Only thing was… when I went to use it, it clogged my razor and gunked up the sides of my sink. But that’s because it wasn’t really shaving cream. It was a moisturizing balm.
And a fantastic one at that.
This is my own take on that recipe — revised to be a bit more earthy and masculine.
Ingredients.
- ⅓ cup organic Shea butter
- ⅓ cup organic Virgin Coconut oil
- ¼ cup organic Almond oil
- 5 – 7 drops Vetiver essential oil
- 10 – 15 drops Tea Tree oil
In a saucepan, melt the Shea butter and coconut oil on the stove at low heat. (If you’re making this in Canada, they should both be solid at room temperature; if you’re making this in Texas, only the Shea butter will be.) Once completely liquid, add your almond oil, tea tree oil, and vetiver essential oil. Stir everything together, then pour it all into a mixing bowl and leave in the fridge for about an hour. Once it’s solid, whip it with a hand beater until it has the consistency of a fluffy paste. Then spoon into small jars and store your surplus in the fridge. Voilà.
These ingredients sound almost good enough to eat. That’s because we do. Our skin is our largest organ, and what we put on the outside invariably ends up on the inside.
Use as a conditioning aftershave or right after the shower to combat winter dryness.
Shea butter is a not only a great skin softener, but also has anti-inflamatory, antioxidant, and healing properties particularly beneficial to scarred, burned, and aged skin.
Coconut oil penetrates deeper than water-based moisturizers to strengthen underlying tissue — but unlike petroleum-based moisturizers, won’t suffocate skin or damage your cells’ sebaceous glands.
Almond oil is a nutrient powerhouse. It’s packed with essential fatty acids and antioxidants that help defend against environmental damage and minimize moisture loss over the course of the day. Plus, it’s quickly absorbed for a lightweight, non-greasy feel.
Tea Tree oil is naturally antiseptic, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal — you name it. It’s perfect for clarifying your skin, minimizing breakouts, and (if you use this after shaving) great for protecting minor cuts from infection. Plus, a hint of Tea Tree oil also makes sure your new moisturizing balm stays clean and pure, just the way you made it. Best of all, it complements the woodsy vetiver smell fantastically. Which brings me to the last ingredient:
Vetiver. Sure, there are a ton of vague, medicinal indications for this grass-based perfume oil — but let’s face it: it smells great.
This recipe is still a part of my shaving routine, but now I apply it after I shave to moisturize and protect my skin. It’s even replaced my pricier Aveda and L’Occitane creams during the drier winter months.
Use this balm right after the shower for healthier skin that feels — and smells — fantastic all day long.
The Crunchy Urbanite 
“Why do guys like know what a duvet is?” Nothing wrong with being a little cosmopolitan. 🙂
Love this recipe! Haven’t seen aftershave recipes anywhere so far and this is just this one thing I (well, to be more precise, my significant other, not growing a beard myself:D ) was missing from the bathroom cabinet. How big jar should I get for this amount of ingredients? I mean if being fluffier can double the amount or it stays same at the end? Thank you!:)
Thanks! I put this in a glass jar that I’m guessing is around 10 ounces — (I’m terrible with picturing volume; it’s about the size of an orange) — and keep the whole thing in my fridge and fill a smaller balm-sized jar that I keep in my medicine cabinet. Whipping this recipe won’t make it fluff up all that much more. In fact, depending where you live, the coconut oil will want to melt again at room temperature, anyway. If you and your significant live in a warmer part of the country, you can even try using less coconut oil and more shea butter instead. (Like, we’re talking one tablespoon on either end.) It’ll stay harder at room temperature, preserve fluffiness better, and absorb faster into the skin. (The tea tree and vetiver proportions are incredible, and I keep getting compliments!) This recipe lasted me about a year, and that was using a little dab after every shave and shower; so if you want, feel free to halve the whole thing for your first batch. I’ve also got a recipe for a shaving gel I’ve been making with vetiver and frankincense. I’ll let you know when post goes up! In the meantime, enjoy the balm and let me know what the verdict is! 🙂
Oh, don’t worry about the melting.. our winter is starting and it’ll be about -30 outside in few months, I can pretty much do what ever I want with the room temperature. Now I just need to find this vetiver essential oil, I have all the other things, yay! Looking forward to next posts:)
I made a half portion substituting walnut oil for almond. I whipped it up and tried it on my dry hands. It is very effective. However, I’m on the fence about the fragrance. My daughter doesn’t like it. Has anyone tried different scents?
To each, their own. Any EO can work here so go with what you (or your daughter) prefer. 😉
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Hello! Any updates on the shaving gel? I’m very interested in see what that’s all about. Thanks!!
Hi, Heather. So sorry, I think I’ve buried myself in a thousand great recipes and don’t know which to post first. Now I’ll be sure to get the shaving gel one up ASAP and will tag you when I do!
how long will it keep at room temperature? If I wanted to make this and gift it, how long will it last if its not in the fridge? Just to be clear, since this doesn’t have water I don’t need to add a preservative, correct?
Correct. The coconut oil alone has enough anti-microbial muscle to keep things nice and kosher without needing any additional preservatives. Plus, don’t forget, there’s tea tree oil in this. That being said, I’d say a year is a responsible use-by date to give yourself. (Officially: coconut oil will last virtually forever; Shea butter’s good for 2 years (but freezes well); and almond oil is good for about a year, if not a little less.)
Thanks for a great recipe! I’m not good withblending fragrances for men and since I’m married and have 4 boys, that’s a problem! This is great and I just put less for the younger teens. It smells so nice and works like a charm on their super dry knees and elbows! I can wait to try more of your products! So glad I happened upon your site!!
Aw, thanks. When it doubt, guys are pretty easy. If fragrances are making things difficult for you, you can totally skip that part and the men in your household will still be just as appreciative. 😉
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Love the recipe ..sure to make it for my hubby .. Thank You 🙂
hi and thanks for the recipe 🙂
i tried it today but i am not sure i did it right.
After using it my face gets super greasy so there is no waay to use it before going out.
is it supposed to be this way or did i screw up?
Hey, Pete. You probably made it right. Just thinking what the issue could be. For starters, use less. It’s not a lotion. Your skin will absorb it, but not like you’re probably used to with store-bought creams. Where you live and the climate could also have a big influence. Expect to be greasier in Miami than in Nova Scotia. But easiest fix: just use less initially, then just double-dip if you still need more.
ah sorry now i can see my first comment.
please excuse my double post.
so started to use less and less until there is only a slight shine btu how much does it take to hav an effect?
i can imagine that using to less of the balm will end up in hving no effect at all or am i wrong?
i live in an area where i tends to be colder around 41-70 degrees these days.
thanks again 🙂
Can I make a recipe like this with tools that I also use for food? I’m planning to use an unglazed metal saucepan and my regular mixer attachments that I also use for chocolate chip cookies 😀 I think I saw that you are supposed to use different equipment for soap, but I think that’s because of the lye, right?
For this balm, absolutely. One of the things I love most about a lot of these DIY recipes is essentially it’s all food. Olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter, beeswax. Your skin is your largest organ, so I very much like the philosophy of putting nothing *on your body that you wouldn’t put *in your body. Short rant there, sorry, but yeah, for balms and salves or deodorant, you can absolutely use the same kitchen tools you would for food. (For soap, technically, if you follow proper technique, your finished product is quite literally bar soap and comes right off with water – but if you have the space and don’t mind buying a few bowls or stick blenders twice, it’s not unwise to have duplicates – although I have dedicate soap-making equipment, not because of the anything from my soap-making getting into my food, but because I don’t want to taint my lye-water with kitchen residue if I’ve been using things for a million different tasks. If that makes sense.) 😉
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