Want to give that special man in your life a simple, natural and yet useful gift? How about homemade aftershave?
Recipe #1: Coconut/Shea Butter Salve
I made this concoction for my husband and he says it works great. Avoid the chemicals and yet nourish the skin with the healing properties of coconut oil and shea butter. Shea butter is rich in Vitamins A, E, and F, which help to soothe, hydrate, and balance the skin. Make sure to select raw shea butter, because many companies use bleaches, deodorizers, or chemicals to alter the scent and appearance of shea butter. These processings deplete the product of its healing and medicinal properties, and also destroy the vitamins and minerals present. You will know if it is raw by its distinguished nutty smell. Coconut oil is also very nourishing and moisturizing to the skin and has great anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. This is the same basic recipe I use for diaper salve cream. This recipe is creamy in consistency. It works beautifully for both tasks!
1/8 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup shea butter
essential oil of your choice – a few drops of clove, cinnamon, bergamot are preferred manly scents
Whip your ingredients together with a small hand blender or by hand. Place in a small container of your choice and give to that special guy. 
We buy our extra virgin coconut oil and raw shea butter from Mountain Rose Herbs.
Recipe #2: Apple Cider Aftershave
This second recipe is a wet consistency due to the liquid astringent. Store in a glass jar. An empty spice container with the holes works great because you can simply dab a little bit on a cotton ball to apply. Apple cider vinegar is great for the skin and completely natural! Vinegar contains acetic acid, which has anesthetic properties if you cut yourself during shaving. It also moisturizes the skin, closes the pores and soothes razor burn. It has all the benefits and none of the chemicals in traditional aftershave. No fear of the scent either because it will disappear as it dries and can be easily covered up with a few drops of essential oil.
3 Tablespoons witch hazel
5 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
a few drops of essential oils of your choose – bergamot, clove & cinnamon again are the recommended manly scents
a clean, empty bottle to hold the aftershave, an 6-8 oz clean spice container works great or for special gift giving, check out the cute glass cork bottles from Mountain Rose Herbs.
Combine all the ingredients, close the jar and shake it to make sure everything really is mixed thoroughly. Put the jar in a cool, dark place and keep it there for 3 or 4 days, making sure to take it out and shake it well once a day. Shake before use.
For dry skin: Add 1 Tablespoon of aloe vera gel, vegetable glycerin, or rose water to the aftershave.
For oily skin: Add 1 Tablespoon vodka.
For sensitive skin: Use apple cider vinegar alone for a great simple aftershave or dilute the apple cider aftershave with a little distilled water.
Enjoy!
Hi Lindsay,
Although this is an older blog I hope you can answer my question. First I like to say I love the simple recipes. I make Shaving Soap and was looking for a easy After Shave to accompany it. I want to know can you use Coconut Oil that is sold in Whole Foods or Health food stores as long as it is unrefined as you mentioned. I like to cut shipping costs and buy local whenever I can.
Thanks
hi for the apple cider recipe what good replacement can i use instead of witch hazel…dont own any?
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A couple quick questions. About how much of the salve does this recipe make? 2 ounces? 4? Also, what are the benefits of the salve versus the liquid aftershave (I’m assuming they’re both aftershave??)? I’m very excited for this recipe, makes a great gift for all of the men on my list!!!
Probably about 4 oz. salve is more moisturizing.
Thank you very much!
Just made the coconut oil/shea butter recipe for my husband and he really likes it. The only thing is, it doesn’t seem to soak in for a while, leaving him looking shiny. Is he just using too much?
Probably. A little dab will do yah.
I use coconut oil (by itself) as a moisturizer/aftershave right now and it works wonderfully! What are the benefits of adding shea butter? I find that coconut oil already does a great job, so I’m curious about shea butter because I think of them as being very similar.
Can you tell me if this would be okay for someone that is prone to acne? My husband has fairly oily skin and I would not want to clog his pores, but I’d love to make this for him.
I don’t think this should be a problem, but you may want to try the apple cider vinegar liquid if you are worried about the oils. You can add the vodka too, for the oily skin as recommended in the recipe.
I don’t know about shea butter, but I’ve used coconut oil on my face with no ill effect. The prescription acne meds I’m on can be overdrying, and a tiny bit of coconut oil balances things out.
Hi Lindsay,
As it contains shea butter, would this be a good pregnant mama stretch mark cream? Or a good hand lotion? Or too oily…?
Definitely! I use it as a lotion and it could definitely work for the pregnant mommy tummy. It is a good multi-purpose salve!
This is a great idea! I’m freaked out about making personal hygiene products in the same appliances we eat out of…even though it is cleaned after…i’ll KNOW it was there. Although the ingredients all sound like stuff you can eat.
one quick question? when looking on Mt. Rose Herbs…for the Coconut oil…I could not find the extra virigin…only refined or unrefined? Is this the same Coconut oil that you can cook with? If you could email me soon that would be great….I’d like to order soon! Mt. Rose Herbs has a great site…thanks for sharing!
The unrefined is virgin and that is what you want. Unrefined is best for cooking as it preserves the nutrients.
thanks for the great idea! I will definitely have to try it!
I just love your blog Lindsay–thanks for all the great ideas! Would the second recipe work in place of face wash? (Excuse my ignorance–is that what after shave is?) I would love to get my husband something more natural!
Sure! Why not! Aftershave is just a nourishing way of healing the skin after shaving. Apple Cider vinegar is an excellent choose for facewash too!
love this idea!
My hubby could use this, but is there a non-nut alternative to shea butter? Our son is allergic and I don’t want to take chances. Thank you.
This looks like wonderful aftershave. What does your husband use for shaving cream? Could this be used or does he just use regular shaving cream. We’ve been looking for an easy recipe.
Recently found your site and am really enjoying all the homemade products. Made my first batch of laundry detergent this weekend and it turned out great.
These really are great ideas! I love giving natural, nourishing gifts whenever I can. And men can be so hard to buy for! Thanks for the ideas!
Hi Lindsay,
I really enjoy your blog and all of your great, frugal, and natural ideas; thanks for sharing! Just one question about the aftershaves you posted about: how long will they last once mixed? Do I need to worry about either of them going bad?
Thanks!
I will not say indefinitely, but I will say that I don’t believe there is any fear of them going bad. Coconut oil has a shelf life of at least six months….and the average guy will use these products before then anyway.
Those are neat ideas! I’m done buying for hubby but need to work on stocking stuffers now, and I think he might like something like this. He doesn’t usually use may products, but his skin is a bit sensitive so he might really appreciate the salve.
Do you have any recipes for shaving cream or related products for women? I have extra sensitive skin that is painful to shave unless I use shaving cream/lotion and it can be so expensive to buy non-toxic shaving cream.
Heather, if you use hair conditioner, that will work too. I’ve done that when I’ve run out of shaving cream.
Honestly, I just lather up a bar of soap and use that for shaving cream. I have very sensitive skin as well and shaving cream always caused me problems. I finally stopped buying it and just used soap and it works beautifully. I also use a Gillette Mach3 raver and that helped significantly as well.
Baking soda works great as a shaving cream alternative. A solution of 1 cup water and 1 Tbls of baking soda will let your razor glide over and leave your legs smooth!
you can also just use coconut oil on your legs when you shave. razor glides smooth and it moisturizes. Be sure to only use a bit, you don’t want the shower floor slippery.
This is a great idea. I’ll have to try it for my husband. He shaves his head bald and he has super sensitive skin and always breaks out from shaving. The problem is getting him to try it! Ha ha!
Made it for my bald boyfriend as well. Hoping he likes it! He tries to wear a hat during the winter, but two types of oil will probably help with dryness.
Adding comfrey root would also make it very soothing to dry/itchy skin!