I was about to go to the store one day to buy more body-wash, when I had a sudden moment of clarity: Why on god’s green earth would I PURCHASE body-wash? Why would anyone PURCHASE BODY-WASH?? What have I been doing all these years BUYING BODY-WASH? Absolute lunacy. I’ve seen the light.

Now I make my own body-wash. I’ve made this recipe four times, and have found it to be overall excellent. It doesn’t have exactly the same slippery texture as commercial body-wash (which, apparently, is a ploy to make it feel nice) but it leaves my skin more hydrated than any body-wash I’ve ever used.

This body-wash is truly glorious. It has a beautiful thickness to it, lathers nicely, and smells however you’d like it to smell. In the last batch, I used tea-tree, lavander, and vetiver for a nice earthy aroma, but do it up with citrusy lemongrass, spicy cinnamon, or minty freshness. Whatever floats your rubber duck.

Commercial body-wash uses wax, or something, to give it that silky smooth feeling, but that slick texture doesn’t actually help to clean OR hydrate your skin, it literally just feels nice. This recipe doesn’t give you that silkiness, but its still thick and lovely and honestly works way better. I’ve been using it for a year or two, so I can guarantee it.

A note on some of these ingredients, for your peace of mind:

Citric acid: This is literally what it says on the tin. Acid procured from citrus fruit! Its a natural preservative, totally safe to eat, used commonly in preserved foods like jam, and in most flavored seltzers.

Guar gum: A natural thickener that comes from the guar tree. Totally safe to eat and non-controversial. I prefer it to corn starch because you don’t need to heat the mixture for it to thicken. (It has a tendency to clump if you’re not careful, though.) I use it for MANY of my bath & body recipes.

Recipe

Its moderately easy! You might have to visit a health food store or order out for some of the ingredients, but they will last for many batches and are generally useful to have.

Tools

• A friend, if possible
• Mason jar (if your oil and/or honey are solids at room temperature)
• Mixing bowl
• Whisk (sub fork)
• Rubber spatula (helpful but not required)
• Sifter (sub with a fine mesh tea basket)
• Funnel
• Pump bottle or reused body-wash bottle, cleaned with a vinegar solution — vinegar (an acid) disolves soap (a base). (I bought some cheap soap from Home Goods that came in a nice glass pump bottle and poured out the soap. (it smelled weird))

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp coconut oil (sub extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 Tbsp Raw honey (skip honey if you want it to be vegan)
• 1½ C. Castille soap, unscented (I use Doctor Bronners)
• 1 tsp citric acid
• 1 tsp Guar Gum
• essential oils

Directions

1. First, melt the coconut oil and raw honey (skip if you are using liquid oil and honey): Put a small pot of water on the stove and add the oil and honey to a mason jar. Set the jar in the pot of water, bring the water to a simmer, and then lower the heat. Let it sit, stirring occasionally, until the oil and honey are fully melted.
2. Remove the jar from the pot and add the castille soap and citric acid. Mix gently with a whisk or fork until they are well combined.
3. Transfer approximately a cup the mixture to a mixing bowl. Leave the rest of the mixture in the jar.
4. The tricky part (get a friend to help stir, if possible, because the guar gum WILL clump badly given the chance): Ready your mixing bowl, sifter, and whisk. Put the powdered guar gum in the sifter and gently sift it into the mixing bowl, stirring constantly and swiftly, but not so swiftly that you create bubbles (test a mixing speed beforehand to get it right). It should become fairly thick, about twice as thick as you’d like your final product to be.
5. If your guar gum has formed clumps, wash your sifter and strain the mixture back into the mason jar, using a spatula to help get it all through the holes. (I made such a mess at this part LOL)
6. Whisk the mixture now that everything is returned to the mason jar.
7. Add your essential oils and whisk. (You can test to see if you’ve added enough essential oils by rubbing some of the body-wash on your arm — not your hands because they probably smell like your ingredients at this point — and give it a smell!)
8. When you’re satisfied, ready the bottle you want your body-wash to be in, put the funnel in the opening, and pour your finished mixture through the funnel. Use a spatula to get all of it out of the jar.
9. (Optional) Make a cute label! If you seal it with a coat of Mod Podge, it will be waterproof.

Washing up tip:

Vinegar will dissolve the soap, but soap will dissolve the oil, so use both to clean up (not at the same time, though).

Now take a shower and enjoy your amazing new body-wash. Rest easy knowing you aren’t falling prey to capitalism and you’re using a product on your skin that doesn’t have any weird ingredients that you can’t read the names of. You are amazing, self-sufficient, and hot damn — you smell really nice.