DIY Body Wash So Simple a Caveman Could Do It

We live in a world filled with countless mass-produced hygiene products, and anyone who cares about their health has probably wondered whether those bottles are as safe as the labels claim. When it comes to personal care, it is worth being selective about what goes on your skin.

Big companies often promote the idea that beauty is only skin deep, but real beauty includes wisdom and discernment. It means knowing what you are using, understanding the ingredients, and refusing to trust marketing alone.

That is where homemade products shine. When you make your own beauty items, you choose the ingredients, the scents, and the level of purity. You know exactly what is in your bottle. Many skincare experts now say that the most reliable way to avoid questionable additives is simply to make your own.

DIY body wash is one of the easiest places to start. It is simple, fun, customizable, and far cleaner than most store-bought versions. In fact, the best body wash you may ever use is the one you make with your own hands.

Reasons Why DIY Body Wash is Superior

It doesn’t take long to think of reasons why everyone needs to start making their own body wash. But for those of you who like lists, let us consider a few benefits of DIY body wash below.

Cost Effectiveness

Many conventional body washes on the market are expensive. Higher-end brands cost double the price or more. Instead of your money going to giant corporate ad campaigns or fancy packaging, you’ll get more bang for your buck if you spend it on the raw materials to make your own body wash instead. 

Forget the high prices, costly chemicals, and synthetic smells. Save your money and go natural instead.

Limits Chemical Exposure

Commercial body wash contains harsh ingredients that only chemists can pronounce. Those chemicals may detrimentally affect our skin’s health and moisture balance. While we can’t look at each one of these chemicals in this post, some of them may even be carcinogenic. DIY body wash contains only essential ingredients that are safe and effective.

Promotes a Natural Lifestyle

We ought to always strive to eat and live well. That’s why we recommend naturally grown food products over processed foods with additives. But why stop with the things we eat? Using and creating your own natural beauty products is exciting and will promote an all-around natural lifestyle.

Everyone in the Family Can Enjoy It

Since you control what goes into your DIY body wash, rest assured when you use it for your children.

Do you want a milder and more basic body wash for your newborn? Use a few simple, mild ingredients tailored to your baby’s sensitive skin. Are you on a budget? Just create a giant batch of body wash for your whole family. Those savings can add up considerably over time vs. store-bought alternatives.

Everything Can Be Personalized

DIY body wash can also be personalized depending on your skin’s needs and the scents you love. Some essential oils that you might want to add to your body wash recipe are eucalyptus essential oil, lemon essential oil, lavender essential oil, and more.

There are so many amazing scents waiting for you. Before you try a bunch of new oils in your body wash, check out which ones are known to provide the best aromatic results and choose high-quality oils. It’s also a good idea to patch-test your mix before using it regularly.

Creates Fun Memories

Some of the best memories include making something while spending time with friends and family members. Perhaps you remember your mom or dad teaching you how to plant your first flower or create your first craft. Whatever the case, you can create those same kinds of memories with the ones you care about as well.

Carry on the legacies, folks. DIYs make for happy memories, indeed.

DIY Body Wash Common Ingredients

We always strive for convenience. While DIY body wash may sound like a lot of work, it’s not. Making our own DIY body wash is really quite simple. Making your own body wash is so simple that even a caveman can do it. You’ll only need a few simple ingredients, and the process will take minutes at most.

There are many variants of DIY body wash you can choose from. They include moisturizing honey body wash, oatmeal body wash, orange honey body wash, and more. The options really are endless and completely up to you.

To jumpstart the process of making your own body wash, you need to know the basic and essential ingredients. The following list includes ingredients that are easy to find online or maybe even in your kitchen.

Coconut Oil

The coconut tree is almost known as a tree of life in the natural health world because it’s useful for almost every application in health, beauty, and wellness. Coconut oil is essential in DIY body wash because it provides moisture to the skin without clogging pores.

Unlike some other natural moisturizers, coconut oil does not have a foul scent. Just the opposite, you’ll smell like you just spent a relaxing day at the beach drinking Pina Coladas.

Over time, your coconut oil may separate from your other ingredients. When that happens, just give your body wash a good shake, and all will be well again. It’s quite normal for ingredients in naturally made products to separate, so there are no worries if that happens to yours. 

Lastly, most people don’t have any issues with their coconut oil turning solid. But if that becomes a problem, just use almond oil or coconut milk instead.

Liquid Castle Soap

There are various kinds of liquid Castile soaps available, depending on what you want in your body wash mixture. Very mild and natural forms of this soap can also be found online. You’ll notice that there’s a wide range of scents available, as well as different kinds of oils used in the soap.

If most other soaps leave your skin filmy and dry, you’ll definitely want to try this instead since it lathers nicely, too.

Raw Manuka Honey

The benefits of Manuka honey are well-documented and quite impressive, as we’ve discussed at greater length here on Enticingly Simple. Using raw honey (especially Manuka Honey) should be a non-negotiable for promoting skin health. If you want to promote healthy skin, use raw Manuka honey in your DIYs.

Essential Oils

The essential oil options that can be used in your homemade body wash are virtually endless. Once you start making your own body wash and other homemade beauty products, you may even build up a collection of essential oils that’s quite impressive (if you don’t have a massive collection already).

For DIY body wash, the most popular choices include lavender, chamomile, sandalwood, tea tree, sweet orange, jasmine, and more. If you want to start with something a bit more gentle, use chamomile. If you want something more invigorating to start your day, try peppermint, eucalyptus, and a mix of citrus oils.

Once you’ve acquired your four main kinds of basic ingredients, you are ready to make your own body wash.

What You’ll Need:

• ¼ cup coconut oil
• ¼ cup raw honey (Manuka Honey is best)
• ½ cup liquid castile soap
• 15 drops of eucalyptus essential oil
• 10 drops of grapefruit, lemon, or lime essential oil
• 10 drops of sweet orange essential oil
• 1 teaspoon Vitamin E

Step 1: Melt the coconut oil in a glass bowl or measuring cup for about 30 seconds.

Step 2: In a bowl, combine coconut oil, essential oils, honey, and Vitamin E. Mix well.

Step 3: Slowly stir in liquid castile soap. Add the soap very gently without creating a lot of suds.

Step 4: Pour the mixture into any container of your choice. For best results, shake before each use.

If you tend to be tired in the morning, this aromatic body wash’s invigorating scent will bring you to your senses. After you make it, try alternating different kinds of citrus scents to see which you like best.

You could also add a bit of peppermint oil to this recipe to feel even more refreshed in the morning.

Helpful Tips

While this is not nearly as involved as making natural homemade soap from scratch, you may want to start basic at first. When you are more comfortable and confident, you can start to implement more exciting scents, experiment with differing amounts of soap, and so on.

Since there are a lot of essential oils to choose from, you can experiment with whichever essential oils can be mixed together to most effectively create the scents you prefer. Additionally, learning more about aromatherapy will better equip you to create exceptional fragrance blends.

Lastly, if you don’t have vitamin E readily available in liquid form, just add the contents of a vitamin E gel capsule. Vitamin E is great for skin repair and moisturizing. It also preserves the shelf life of your body wash. Be sure to use Vitamin E in your body wash during the winter months since you’ll be more susceptible to dry and chapped skin.

Enjoy Your Body Wash

Striving for a natural and healthier life is doable. In the case of DIY body wash, there are only a few basic ingredients that you’ll need to make the healthiest body wash you’ve ever used. Go ahead and start creating your own customized blends of body wash.

I suggest you create 3-5 different mixes with various scents so that you’ll always enjoy a new aromatic adventure every time you bathe. Once you smell your own amazing creations and get cleansed without nasty chemicals, you’ll never purchase synthetic body wash again!

DIY Body Wash FAQs

What basic ingredients do I need for DIY body wash?

A simple body wash only requires a few core ingredients. Most recipes start with:

• Liquid castile soap
• A moisturizing oil such as almond, jojoba, or coconut oil
• Essential oils for scent
• Optional boosters like glycerin or honey for extra hydration and slip

Can I make body wash without castile soap?

Yes. Castile soap is the easiest base, but you can use alternatives such as:

• Aloe vera gel
• Coconut milk
• A premade natural liquid soap base
• A blend of distilled water and gentle plant-based surfactants

These versions may have a different texture and lather, but they can work very well.

What natural oils work best in homemade body wash?

The best oils are lightweight, moisturizing, and skin-friendly. Common options include:

• Jojoba oil
• Sweet almond oil
• Fractionated coconut oil
• Olive oil
• Avocado oil
• Vitamin E oil for added nourishment and shelf life

Each oil can change the feel of the wash slightly, so experiment to find what works for your skin type.

How long does homemade body wash last?

Most DIY body washes last 2 to 3 months when stored:

• In an airtight bottle
• Away from direct sunlight
• At room temperature

If your recipe contains fresh ingredients like milk, keep it refrigerated and use it within 1 to 2 weeks.

Can I adjust the thickness of my DIY body wash?

Absolutely. Adjusting consistency is simple.

To thicken, try:

• More liquid castile soap
• More carrier oil
• A small amount of vegetable glycerin
• A bit of honey

To thin, add:

• Distilled water
• Aloe vera juice

Start slowly so you do not dilute the wash too much.

What essential oils scent homemade body wash?

Many essential oils blend beautifully in body wash. Excellent choices include:

• Lavender
• Lemon
• Peppermint
• Tea tree
• Rosemary
• Grapefruit
• Sweet orange
• Eucalyptus

Choose skin-safe oils and avoid very strong or irritating ones unless properly diluted.

Does homemade body wash lather well?

It depends on the recipe. Natural washes usually create a lighter, softer lather than commercial formulas, but they still clean effectively. If you want extra foam, use:

• A foaming soap dispenser
• Castile soap as the base
• A small amount of vegetable glycerin

Is homemade body wash safe for sensitive skin?

Yes, DIY formulas are often far gentler than store-bought versions. They avoid sulfates, artificial fragrances, and harsh preservatives. For extra-sensitive skin, stick to:

• Unscented castile soap
• Mild oils like jojoba or olive
• Soothing additives like aloe or chamomile

How do I package and store my DIY body wash?

Place your wash in:

• Foaming pumps
• Reusable squeeze bottles
• Glass pump bottles for a more natural look

Store it in a cool, dry place. Shake before each use if ingredients separate.

Can I customize DIY body wash for specific skin needs?

Yes. You can tailor your recipe based on your skin type.

For dry skin:

• Add shea butter, avocado oil, or glycerin

For oily skin:

• Choose lighter oils like jojoba or grapeseed

For acne-prone skin:

• Use tea tree or lavender essential oil

For mature skin:

Add rosehip oil or vitamin E for extra nourishment