Being the naturalista that I am, for years I have usedĀ castile soap to wash my hair. On a whim I started using itĀ as body wash, mainly because I was tired of shelling out loads of cash for Cetaphil soap & lotion for out littlest’s sensitive skin.
I asked our pediatrician if that was okay – who, by the way, my oldest son went to & by the time the littlest was born we’d gone to her for at least 12 years. Ā She asked what we were using for moisturizer after & when I told her coconut oil, she just about jumped off her stool she was so excited.
Not only is it okay; it it’s better for his skin than all that other stuff. Ā I have used it every since, diluted with water. Ā But here’s the thing about castile soap…
It cleans REALLY well. Ā Like squeaky. Ā So you absolutely have to add some moisture back after using it. Ā I will be honest, my family is notoriously bad about putting on lotion – myself included.
That’s why I was so happy to find this recipe for a moisturizing body wash from One Good Thing by Jillee. Ā It’s simple with only 4 ingredients & 1 of those is optional.
Moisturizing Semi-Homemade Body Wash
- 3/4 cupĀ liquid castile soap
- 3/4 cupĀ moisturizing oil*** (grapeseed, EVOO, or whatever you prefer/have on hand)
- 1/2 cup honey
- 15 drops essential oil (optional)
Mix everything together in a jar or bottle, shake to combine & before each use. Ā Jillee used a glass jar with a pump top. Ā I like to reuse bottles so I made mine in the original castile soap bottle with the squirt top and that worked out well for me.
This is very moisturizing as is but I did have to tweak it a little. Ā I tried it at on my hair and it was WONDERFUL, but I found it a little too oily for the shower. Ā I used grapeseed oil and ended up with an oily floor – not slippery just oily. Ā So I altered it a bit to have less oil & it’s just right.
My variation is:
- 1Ā cupĀ liquid castile soap
- 1/2 cupĀ moisturizing oil***
- 1/2 cup honey
I love the honey in this but I will have to try it with glycerin just to see which I like better. Ā Both are humectants so technically serve the same purpose.
Also, I left out the essential oils the 1st time I made this because I was using lavender castile soap in my homemade body wash. Ā If I use baby mild, I could add essential oils for some scent or to serve a specific purpose like:
- Lavender
- Tea tree
- Chamomile
- Rosemary
- Eucalyptus
I’m pretty happy with this first batch. Ā It’s simple & it works. Ā My hair & body love it; my DH even likes it, and he’s hard to please with soap & lotion.
*** I had to specify moisturizing oil because not all oils are equal. Ā It’s really important to NOT use a “cleansing” oil like castor, but a truly moisturizing oil like grapeseed, olive, avocado, coconut, even hemp.
You could also add small doses of any number of oils with skin enhancing qualities like jojoba & vitamin E.
After using this semi-homemade body wash for a while, I diluted it with a little water to refill my foam soap dispensers. Ā That’s working out really well too!
If you love castile soap, this is a great way to use it without drying out your skin.