Make your own shower gel - Here's how

Can you actually get a Make shower gel yourself? You can often find questionable ingredients in shower gel from the drugstore. Some substances cause allergies, others are even carcinogenic. Fortunately, you can make your own shower gel with just a few natural ingredients. In addition, you can use the shower gel completely in the sense of the plastic-free life make your own without producing plastic waste. In this article I show you the best recipes for your own homemade shower gel. Have fun trying it out!

Here is another short Table of contents about the article:

• Advantages
• Basic recipe
• Refine recipe
• Extend shelf life
• Closing words

Make shower gel yourself - The advantages

Conventional shower gel from the drugstore usually contains many questionable substances. About 2/3 of our cosmetic products, including shower gel, contain microplastics. In addition, there are fragrances such as hydroxycitronellal, which triggers allergies in some people. Even the carcinogenic substance formaldehyde, which has been banned by the EU Commission, can be found in some shower gels. According to ÖKO-TEST, PEG (polyethylene glycol) can be found in 18 of 21 shower gels.₁ PEG is carcinogenic and can damage genetic material. If you make shower gel yourself, on the other hand, you know exactly which ingredients the shower gel contains. This way you can prevent allergies. In addition, you can save on the plastic packaging that is used for most shower gels. If you want to make your own shower gel, you can also save a little every month. Save money.

Make shower gel yourself - The basis

Make your own shower gel is very simple if you know the basic recipe. For this you need the following ingredients:

Ingredients:

• 30 g - 40 g Natural soap or Curd soap
• 400 ml water
• Cornstarch*

Here's how: Grate the soap with a cheese grater (alternatively you can use a knife). Fill a pot with water and heat it on medium heat. Now you can add the grated soap. When the soap starts to melt, stir the mixture with a whisk. Keep stirring until you can't see a single bar of soap. Then add cornstarch until the shower gel reaches a suitable consistency.

Notice: The shower gel becomes even slightly firmer when cooled than it is when warmed.

Ready is the homemade shower gel.

Refine recipe from homemade shower gel

The basic recipe for homemade shower gel can be extended with some caring ingredients.

Vegetable oil

Plant oils such as olive oil or sesame oil nourish the skin and make the homemade shower gel more supple for the skin.

Essential oil

To make your shower gel smell good, essential oils are suitable. So that you do not irritate your skin, you should make sure to use a natural essential oil. For a fruity scent, you can use lemon or orange, for example. For relaxation, use scents like lavender and vanilla. Add 12 drops of essential oil to your homemade shower gel.

Herbs

Herbs smell just as good as essential oils. If you want to add herbs when making your own shower gel, boil the water with the herbs before adding the soap. You can use fresh herbs from your own windowsill or tea. Chamomile is especially soothing for the skin. See also the article 10 plants to plant yourself.

Honey

Thanks to the enzymes that bees produce, honey has an antibacterial effect. It also moisturizes. So that the enzymes are not lost, add the honey only when the shower gel has already cooled down a bit. If you are vegan, you can also use avocado syrup.

Coconut oil

Another vegan antibacterial alternative to honey is Coconut oil. Coconut oil not only smells good, but also has nourishing properties that are good for our skin. By the way, you can also use coconut oil for your homemade deodorant.

The right consistency

Depending on which soap you use, a different consistency will form after cooling. Your homemade shower gel should have about the same consistency as a regular shower gel from the drugstore. In the end, though, it depends on what consistency you like best. Fortunately, there are a few tricks to make the right consistency even when cooled.

The shower gel is too liquid

If you find that the shower gel has become too liquid, you can add a little more cornstarch. It is best to first add a teaspoon and stir the mixture around. Repeat the process until the consistency of the shower gel suits you.

The shower gel is too firm

If your shower gel is too solid, you can easily use water to make it more liquid. Again, be careful and add water millimeter by millimeter.

The shower gel has settled

Since the conventional shower gels from the drugstore contain preservatives, the ingredients in the shower gel do not settle. Since your homemade shower gel does not contain the preservatives, the substances will settle in the container after some time. Just shake the shower gel once and the problem should be solved.

Make shower gel yourself - extend shelf life

If you use only soap, water and starch, the homemade shower gel can be stored for several months. However, as soon as you add oils, herbs or honey, the shelf life drops to one week. To make the shower gel last longer, you have the following options:

Use lecithin

Lecithin is a natural emulsifier that can help you make your homemade shower gel last longer. Use a plant-based lecithin for this purpose. Another plus to using lecithin is that the ingredients in the shower gel won't settle as quickly.

Mix high-proof alcohol with

If you add some alcohol to your homemade shower gel, it will last much longer. By the way, you don't have to worry about your skin drying out. A concentration of about 20 percent is completely safe. Cleaning the shampoo bottle you use for the DIY shower gel with alcohol beforehand can also extend its shelf life.

Freeze small quantities

If you don't want to use any of the above options, you can also fill the homemade shower gel into several small containers and freeze them. Whenever a shower gel ration runs out, you simply thaw a new one. This way you can make a larger quantity from the beginning, which may even last for several months.

The best recipes for your homemade shower gel

If you want to make a more special shower gel yourself than the one described in the basic recipe, you can try one of the following recipes.

Make lemon shower gel yourself

Lemons are very good for the skin, because they have a high content of vitamin C, magnesium and calcium. In addition, lemons smell good and give the shower gel a fruity note. To make a really good shower gel from lemons yourself, you basically only need the following ingredients.

The ingredients:

• 1 organic lemon
• Four teaspoons vegetable oil
• 200 ml lemon tea
• A cheese grater
• A lemon squeezer
• Container

Here's how:

Cut the lemon and squeeze one half with the help of the lemon squeezer. Then scrape off some lemon peel. It is important that it is really an organic lemon. Now follow the basic recipe and use the lemon tea instead of the water. Tip the lemon juice and grated lemon peel to the mixture. When it cools down, you can pour the homemade shower gel into the container.

Chestnut shower gel make yourself

For your homemade shower gel, you can also completely dispense with soap and use chestnuts instead. Chestnuts contain saponins, which, among other things, produce foam in the shower gel. Just collect enough chestnuts already in the fall, because they are not only suitable for a homemade shower gel, but also for other DIY products. The following ingredients will help you to make your own chestnut shower gel.

The ingredients:

• 5 Rust chestnuts
• 1 apple
• 300 ml water
• 1 cheese grater
• possibly coconut milk

Here's how: For the chestnut shower gel you can either use fresh chestnuts or homemade chestnut powder, which you have previously dried in the oven or on a sunny windowsill. If you use fresh ones, chop them into as small pieces as possible. Then grate the apple with a cheese grater. Put the grated apple and russet chestnuts in a pot with the water and simmer on medium for about 10 minutes. If you are prone to dry skin, you can add a little coconut milk afterwards. By the way, from chestnuts you can also make your own Make detergent yourself.

Make shower gel yourself with these tips

Making your own shower gel is very quick and has many advantages. You save money and can significantly reduce the plastic and waste consumption in your household - in the spirit of the Zero Waste Lifestyle. In addition, you know exactly which ingredients are in your homemade shower gel. With alcohol and lecithin, and proper cleaning beforehand, you can make the shower gel last even longer.

What is your favorite recipe for making your own shower gel? Write it to me in the comments.

Stay sustainable,

PS: If you're also looking for a plastic-free alternative to shampoo, check out this article. Wash hair without plastic an. At Natural Cosmetics DIY Blog we have many more tips ready for you.

References:
₁ https://lichterschein.com/2017/09/01/oeko-test-duschgel-mikroplastik-und-gesundheitsschaedliche-peg-derivate