Make a Shaving Cream for Men

The ritual of putting a thin sliver of steel to one's face has been practiced for centuries. Preventing one from getting nicks and cuts is the function of shaving cream. Here is a simple recipe for a hot lather brush-on shaving cream that works extremely well. It does not require you to know cold-process soap making.

Steps

  1. Get 1 bar of moisturizing soap and 1 bar of regular soap.
  2. Grate them into a large stainless steel pot.
  3. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of castor oil to the soap mixture.
  4. Add just enough distilled water to the mixture so that the grated soap starts to stick together when stirred.
  5. Over low heat, continue stirring the soap mixture until everything is combined and the water begins to evaporate. This is called re-batching, and is a process soap makers use when their soap hasn't quite set up right.
  6. As the soap thickens, add essential oils for fragrance: orange and clove work well as a start. The soaps are already scented, so you just want to add some masculine scents to the unisex Ivory and feminine Dove soaps. A few drops of each are all that is needed, unless you want people to smell you before they see you. The later you incorporate the essential oils, the stronger the scent.
    • Optionally, you can add 1/4 teaspoon of menthol crystals that have been dissolved in 1/4 teaspoon of olive oil.
  7. Pour the still-pliable thick liquid soap into a clean coffee mug and let it cure for several hours to a day. The final product should not be "goopy" ... if it is, you can reheat it over a stove and evaporate more water out of the product. The best texture will be like chilled soft margarine (the kind in a tub).
  8. You'll probably have leftover soap. Pour this into a small, cleaned Pringles® potato crisps container. After it hardens, you can slice it into disks that you can use to refill your mug.
  9. To use, dip a shaving brush into very warm water and then whisk the brush in the coffee mug to create loads of lather. Spread on your face and shave as normal.
  10. Rinse the shaving brush carefully and let it air dry between shaves.

Tips

  • Castor bean oil is the oil that gives these shaving creams their thick moisture-rich lather.
  • You can make a non-lathering shaving oil which works as well as the shaving cream by mixing sweet almond oil, olive oil, castor oil, and adding a few drops of peppermint oil, clove oil, and sweet orange oil. Spread a few drops over a wet face using the palms of your hands, and then shave.

Warnings

  • If you're allergic to any of these ingredients, do not use them; most allergies are either from the soap used (in which case use a different soap) or from one of the essential oils used.
  • Graters and razors are sharp and you can hurt yourself. Be careful.
  • You'll be "cooking" the soap, which could result in burns and scalds if you're not careful. Be careful around high heat sources.

Things You'll Need

  • 1 bar Dove® soap
  • 1 bar Ivory® soap
  • olive oil
  • castor oil
  • sweet orange essential oil
  • clove oil
  • menthol crystals (optional)
  • distilled water
  • grater
  • stainless steel pot (8 quart)
  • ceramic coffee mug
  • Pringles® can, emptied and cleaned
  • shaving brush (badger hair is best, boar's hair is acceptable)
  • razor (a classic double-edge razor is the most traditional, but any will work.)

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