Soothe skin after shaving, while preventing irritation, razor burn and ingrown hairs with this after shave lotion recipe.
After shave lotion recipe
Sometimes, it’s the little things that make all the difference. Like getting some uninterrupted time to take a shower! If you can have some special, handmade items to use at the same time, all the better.
At this point, I have successfully gotten my entire personal care routine to include only products I can make myself. And, after a ton of trial and error and testing, I really do love all of the products. I’m so happy with how they work.
When it comes to preventing razor burn and irritation from shaving, there are definitely commercial products out there. But, I have high standards for what I’m willing to use on my body. I want only the simplest, purest, and safest ingredients.This after shave lotion recipe is no exception.
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Who is it for?
Basically, anyone who shaves! My husband really likes this after shave lotion. He says it is cooling and soothing, and he really likes how it leaves his skin.
I like using it, too. Anywhere that tends to get irritated after shaving can benefit from it.
Just like my shaving butter recipe, which you can find here, this after shave lotion recipe makes a great handmade gift. The two could be paired together for a great men’s gift set.
The ingredients
I wanted something that could cool and soothe skin, while preventing any kind of razor burn or irritation. I chose a combination of aloe vera and witch hazel, along with a skin friendly oil and butter. It is very similar to my homemade lotion recipe, which you can find here. Basically, the oil and butter combination creates an emulsion with the aloe vera and witch hazel mixture.
I chose mostly olive oil with a little bit of shea butter. Olive oil is great for moisturizing skin, and shea butter helps to thicken the lotion just a bit. You could definitely substitute the olive oil for any other liquid, skin friendly oil that you like or already have on hand.
Witch hazel and aloe vera are well known for their skin soothing properties. I really like how they make this lotion feel so cool and refreshing. It also does a great job preventing irritation and ingrown hairs.
Lavender and tea tree are my personal essential oils of choice for this after shave lotion recipe. I like them because they help to soothe skin and help prevent irritation and infections. They also smell really nice! I like to use mostly lavender with a very small amount of tea tree.
Customize it
As with any DIY skincare product, you have full control over the ingredients, and can really tweak it to your personal preference. I always think that’s really fun.
For men, cedarwood would be a really nice addition. If I’m making it this way, I substitute most of the lavender for cedarwood.
The possibilities are really endless, though! Have fun experimenting and coming up with something you really like.
Things to know
When making this after shave lotion recipe, or any homemade lotion, you’ll want to understand the process before hand. Like I mentioned earlier, we’ll be creating an emulsion, where two things that wouldn’t normally combine are forced to combine. If you’ve ever made homemade mayonnaise, it’s the exact same process.
You want to make sure that the oil, butter and beeswax are completely melted and very hot before you begin. While you’re pouring in the olive oil and witch hazel mixture, you want to pour very slowly, in a small stream.
A blender or a food processor can be used to make this after shave lotion recipe. I personally prefer a food processor, since I find it to be the most reliable.
When making any homemade skincare product, but especially lotions, cleanliness is really important. I recommend cleaning all equipment with a solution of one part bleach to five parts water, and letting it air dry before making the lotion.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Get my full disclosure here.
Preserve it
Any product that contains any amount of water needs to have a preservative in it to keep it from going bad. I usually like to avoid preservatives and things like that in general, but in this case, it is really important. The preservative I choose to use is called Optiphen Plus, and you can find it here. I’ve been really happy with it.
If you’d rather, you can definitely leave the preservative out. However, you’ll just need to keep the lotion refrigerated, and know that the shelf life will be somewhat shortened.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Get my full disclosure here.
After shave lotion recipe directions
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup olive oil (or other skin friendly, liquid oil)
- 5 TBSP shea butter
- 1 TBSP beeswax
- 1/2 cup aloe vera
- 1/2 cup witch hazel
- 72 drops lavender essential oil
- 24 drops tea tree essential oil
- 1/2 tsp preservative
Instructions:
- Melt shea butter so it is liquid and can be measured easily.
- Measure olive oil, beeswax, and shea butter, and put them together in a heat safe glass container.
- Create a double boiler by putting the container with the oil mixture inside a pan of water, with a cloth under the glass container.
- Heat water to a gentle simmer and let sit until ingredients are completely melted and combined.
- While oil mixture is melting, measure witch hazel and aloe vera into the same pourable container.
- Put hot oil mixture into blender or food processor.
- Turn blender or food processor on, and very slowly pour the witch hazel and aloe vera mixture into machine while it is running.
- Add essential oils, and then preservative.
- Let machine run for about a minute.
- Store lotion in glass container.
After shave lotion recipe video
More DIY organic skincare recipes
Shaving Butter Recipe
DIY Lotion Recipe
Homemade Deodorant Stick Recipe
Homemade Face Exfoliator
DIY Salt Scrub
DIY Face Mask for Dry Skin
Tallow Lip Balm Recipe with Honey
DIY Face Mask for Acne
How to Make Tallow Balm
Honey Face Wash
How to Make Tallow Soap
Do you enjoy making your own skincare products?
What have you made so far? Let me know in the comments!
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Olive oil, extra virgin, organic
Plant Therapy lavender essential oil
Plant Therapy tea tree essential oil
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Thanks for stopping by! Be well!?
If you make this recipe and love it, please give it 5 stars! Also, tag me on Instagram @bumblebeeapothecary
Yield: 16 fl. oz.
After Shave Lotion
Soothe skin after shaving, while preventing irritation, razor burn and ingrown hairs with this after shave lotion recipe.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup olive oil, or other skin friendly, liquid oil
- 5 tbsp shea butter
- 1 tbsp beeswax
- 1/2 cup aloe vera
- 1/2 cup witch hazel
- 72 drops lavender essential oil, or essential oil of choice
- 24 drops tea tree essential oil
- 1/2 tsp natural preservative, optional
Instructions
- Melt shea butter so it is liquid and can be measured easily.
- Measure olive oil, beeswax, and shea butter, and put them together in a heat safe glass container.
- Create a double boiler by putting the container with the oil mixture inside a pan of water, with a cloth under the glass container.
- Heat water to a gentle simmer and let sit until ingredients are completely melted and combined.
- While oil mixture is melting, measure witch hazel and aloe vera into the same pourable container.
- Put hot oil mixture into blender or food processor.
- Turn blender or food processor on, and very slowly pour the witch hazel and aloe vera mixture into machine while it is running.
- Add essential oils, and then preservative.
- Let machine run for about a minute.
- Store lotion in glass container.
