Body Wash Recipe – A “Clean” Way to Clean Your Skin

As I have shared in my About Me section of my blog, I used to make and sell bath salts and body oils and other herbal products. One of my goals was to sell great smelling, “clean” products that were as good for your skin as they were nice to use. One of my motivations for making my products was the realization that so many skin care products contain ingredients that are harmful to our health (especially contributing to cancer) and that our skin is our body’s largest organ. Everything that you put on your skin is absorbed into your body.

When I had my first child, this beautiful, fragile, tiny creature that I suddenly was charged with keeping healthy, I knew there was no way I could put chemical-laden baby care products on her skin. I thought about the idea of a lifetime of using these things, her body having to detox from them and the resulting chemical overload and potential for cancer later. After taking one look at the safe or “clean” products on the market and the prices they are, I was very quickly prompted to make my own baby body wash/shampoo, and I liked it so much that I started using it as a body wash too.

Here is the recipe for you to make it yourself (you will be very shocked at how simple and inexpensive it is);

Ingredient List:

• 1 part Bronner’s Castile Soap. I like Dr. Bronner’s because it is very concentrated and you can buy lots of different kinds. Some castile soaps are not as concentrated and they get too watered down.
• 1 part water
• 1 tablespoon of almond oil
• 20-30 drops of your favorite essential oil.

I combine these in an 8 oz bottle (available at any health food store and probably other places as well, or recycle an old shampoo bottle).

Step 1: Add the almond oil.

Step 2: Add the essential oils and gently swirl to mix.

Step 3: Add the water – this is as simple as filling the bottle half full of water. Note: when I make this for myself, I like to use a bit less water and more castile soap. Also, I leave out the almond oil because I like more suds.

Step 4: Add the castile soap until the bottle is almost full.

Once you have combined all of the ingredients, gently shake the bottle to mix.

That’s it! I told you it was very easy! I like to experiment with different kinds of essential oils. For my kids I really like the gentle, soothing aroma of lavender oil. For myself, I most often use clary sage because I really love how it smells. You could try eucalyptus, sandalwood, mandarin, or any other of your favorite oils; you could even get creative and try a blend!

There you have it… a very cheap, very quick way to clean your skin with a product that is “clean” (or not loaded with harmful chemicals).