Here in Canada, Victoria Day weekend marks the unofficial start to summer. For many of us ladies, the arrival of summer means it’s time to start shaving our legs again. Read on for my easy DIY shave lotion recipe and other shaving tips to reduce waste and the environmental impact of shaving.
The joys of spring
After a long winter, we’re always excited for ice cream, shorts, sundresses and swimsuits. But bare legs means it’s time to do something about the hair we often neglect in the winter.
So, let’s talk about shaving.
On my journey to reduce waste and eliminate single-use plastic, I tackle one item at a time. As I use up the last of something, I look for eco-friendly alternatives. When I emptied my container of shaving lotion last summer, I got ambitious and decided to give a do-it-yourself option a try.
Easy DIY shave lotion
Here’s my Easy DIY shave lotion recipe if you want to give it a try.
- ½ cup oil (olive, sweet almond …)
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup liquid castile soap
- 25 drops of your favourite essential oil
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum (to thicken)
- Combine the oil, honey, castile soap and essential oil. Mix well with a whisk until blended.
- Add the xanthan gum and stir or whisk until thickened.
- Pour into a squeeze bottle.
Bar soap is an easier alternative
I made a couple of batches and used this DIY shave lotion for a few months. I found it worked well. Then, when I ran out, I decided to go even more minimalist and give good old-fashioned bar soap a try instead. I worked my Soap Works Aloe and Vitamin E soap bar into a good lather and found it worked just as well as the home-made shave lotion. One less bottle on my shower shelf!
This experience taught me a couple of things. First, eco-friendly living is a journey and there is no right or wrong answer. There’s a lot of trial and error involved. Second, we buy many things out of habit but we don’t actually need them. Check out 40 Things I No longer Buy for other ideas.
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Zero-waste hair removal ideas
Wanting to reduce waste even further, I researched zero-waste shaving ideas. I read lots of stories about people replacing disposable razors with safety razors, but I wasn’t ready to go all-in on that for a couple of reasons. I was still using up my refill cartridges for my razor and, to be honest, the idea of a safety razor kind of scared the crap out of me.
These days, I use an epilator for hair removal. Check out Zero-waste hair removal options to learn more about my experience with an epilator and other hair removal options I researched.
What’s your go-to hair removal option? Tell us about it below.
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Thank you so much for this wonderful DIY method. This year I have been trying to go totally product free and try out natural things that are easily available at home because every product available in the market is so much full of chemicals. It really got very bad for my skin once and then had to visit the doctor to get things back to normal. Since then I have been looking for DIY methods.
Best wishes from The Strong Traveller and have a great day.
Do have a look at my blog whenever you find the time. There is some travel and lifestyle content which you may find interesting. Your thoughts will surely be very valuable. Stay connected. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. As a cancer survivor, I know exactly what you mean about all the chemicals in so many of our products. It’s scary. There are so many simple, natural solutions to everyday products. Take care!
I want to try the safety razor but I’m a bit nervous too.
A friend of mine suggested sugaring as an alternative to shaving. I feel like I would give that a try before the safety razor.
Oh I will have to look into that. Sounds safer! 😆
Wow what a great “recipe”! I’d never have thought to make my own shaving lotion! I absolutely HATE shaving, so anything to make it a little bit more enjoyable! x
It works pretty well. Costs a fraction of the store-bought stuff and I buy most of the ingredients in bulk so less plastic waste.
One of of my friends makes eco-friendly soap bars, and I’m pretty keen to look into them to see if they’ll work for my skin and shaving! We’re about to go down the opposite route here in Australia; more of an excuse not to shave for the next few months haha! I’ll be excited when summer does come back around though!
Ha ha. Yes we all look like yetis in winter time. I did a soap makimg class last year. It was fun but a lot of mess and effort. I have found a great Canadian brand of unwrapped soap so I think I will stick to that.
I make a lot of homemade products, but I have never thought to make homemade shaving cream. How interesting!
The first time I made it, it was really thin. Adding the xanthan gum was a bit of trial and error.
It’s been years since I shaved my legs – don’t worry, I’m not a yet, I use an epilator! But I love that you’re making your own lotion – I’d probably opt for geranium essential oil as it’s good for the skin too. Great tips – fingers crossed we can get back onto an even keel for a decent summer ! Lisa x
Thanks Lisa. I haven’t tried an epilator. Someone else suggested sugaring. So many things to try! Yes, I am crossing my fingers that we will be able to get out and about more this summer. Our Canadian summers are short enough that we don’t like to waste a moment.
We’ve been on a journey to reduce single-use plastic, too. It’s a great goal with some surprising benefits. When the toilet paper shortage occurred, we already had a good supply because we’d been buying TP in bulk to avoid single use plastic packaging. When buying TP in bulk online, it gets shipped to our home in one big box & each roll has a thin paper wrapper. Saves money, too! Our 23-year old daughter started using a safety razor to reduce plastic consumption even more. She’s had no problems with it.
We found a local industrial supply company that sells TP with no plastic packaging. I probably will try the safety razor when I use up my box of refill cartridges for my razor. One step at a time!
Wow, I love how easy this is, and that, instead of specifying an essential oil, you leave it up us to decide what scent we want. For me, I think I would pick lavender. 🙂
Lavender is my favourite too!
Oooh! It is interesting that you make your own shaving lotion! Pretty cool and better that it has controllable ingredients. I love that you’re also doing this to reduce waste as well. Thanks for sharing!
Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me
Thanks Nancy. Yes, it’s nice to know what’s in the stuff we put on our bodies.
Thank you so much for this excellent ‘recipe’ Michelle! I am looking forward to being able to walk along Lake Michigan again. It’s still closed because of COVID-19; however, here’s hoping things are on the mend! Happy Victoria Day weekend! Cher xo
Let’s hope so, Cher. They are starting to reopen some parks here. Fingers crosses thing will return to normal soon. Xox
That’s great to hear about the parks, Michelle! Yes, that’s what I’m hoping for too! Cher xox