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2016 Note: Since this post was originally published, I’ve learned a lot about making homemade products, including the safety side of ingredients. While this recipe is extremely gentle and luxurious, and many folks have loved this body wash, it must be used very, very quickly due to the coconut milk. This is a fun DIY to make and freeze, and pull out in a small batches to use “in the moment.” You can find my current body wash recipe over here.
For over two weeks now I’ve been enjoying regular dates in the shower with a super luxurious homemade milk and honey body wash that literally takes five seconds to make. And everyday I feel the weight of guilt. Guilt for enjoying such a luxury and knowing I can’t share it until March 28th.
So today, it’s time to share. No more long waits, because guys, I love you. Go grab a bottle (any bottle will do) and the five simple ingredients to make this DIY Homemade Milk and Honey Body Wash. It’s my gift to you! A surprise that’s just way too good to keep a secret.
DIY Homemade Milk and Honey Body Wash
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/2 cup baby mild castile soap
- 1/3 cup honey
- 7 drops sweet orange essential oil
- 2 tsp vegetable glycerin optional
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a bottle.
- Shake the ingredients together until the honey is fully dissolved.
- Store the body wash in the fridge between uses. Use within one week.
So I’m new to this diy stuff, and I was really excited to try your recipe! I am super sad because the smell is very strange and unpleasant….it wasn’t till I added the castile soap and honey. The two together smell so strange! I’m not a huge fan of lavender, so is there another scent I could use?
Hey Aly, You could try adding Ylang ylang for a really nice scent. 🙂
I’m excited about trying this! Could I substitute coconut cream for the coconut milk? Thanks!
Hey Jessica, I’ve never tried using coconut milk (the beverage in the carton), so I’m not sure how well it will work. I know coconut milk in a can works great :). Enjoy!!
Was just wondering how much body wash this recipe makes?
Hey Nicki, This will make about 1 1/3 cups of body wash :).
I’m all new to this DIY stuff, really trying my hardest to learn so I’m not familiar with essential oils but are they necessary to this recipe? Are they added more for the scents? I’m just trying to buy the least amount of ingredients! Thanks!
Hey Kirsten, Various essential oils add different benefits to cleaning and beauty products. For example: Lavender can help soothe the skin. Tea tree can help fight acne. The essential oils also add wonderful scents to homemade products. The essential oils may be left out. Here’s a 101 post about essential oils that may be helpful: https://livesimply.me/2015/03/07/essential-oils-101-22-important-questions-answers/
Since you mentioned it’s fairly liquidy, would it work well in a foaming pump bottle? Thanks!
Hey Lisa, Yes, this soap works great in a foaming pump bottle!
Is the glycerine a necessity or can I leave it out? Unfortunately I’m allergic to it.
Hey Tamara, The glycerin can be left out. Enjoy!!
I pinned this and cannot wait to try it! I’m a beekeeper and love to use the honey and beeswax in unique ways. I”m going to make this and if I blog about it I’ll be linking back to your recipe. Thanks for sharing this!
Thank you, Michelle! I bet your honey is AMAZING!!
Mm this sounds good! I’m going to try it with the soap nut liquid I make out of my soap nuts.
my friend that is a medical assistant learned that in order to wash away germs, all you really need is hot water and friction. so i think doing with out the castille soap and glycerin would do just fine! wonderful recipe i cannot wait to make it tonight. do you have a shampoo and conditioner as well?
Awesome, Ana Isia. Thank you for sharing. I hope you love the body wash!
Water temperature has nothing to do with the removal of bacteria.
Hey M, Here’s a helpful article you may like from the government on boiling water: https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/water/drinking/boilwater/response_information_public_health_professional.htm “Boiling water kills or inactivates viruses, bacteria, protozoa and other pathogens by using heat to damage structural components and disrupt essential life processes (e.g. denature proteins).”
I made this body wash a couple of days ago – my first attempt at a DIY body wash (though I’ve been DIYing other products for about a year now). I’m not gonna lie – I don’t love it. Even thought I really wanted to! On the plus side, it does lather very nicely. But, I found the smell of the coconut cream a bit odd and a little off-putting, even after I added quite a bit more orange eo. Also, my skin feels squeaky. I’ve not used castille soap before, and have used soap-free products for years, so maybe my skin just needs to adjust? Is there a way I can tone down the squeaky-clean feeling?
Hey Jamie, Coconut milk can have a bit of a different scent, that’s for sure. I recommend leaving out the glycerin (a moisturizing and cleaning agent) and reducing the castile soap for less of a squeaky-clean feel. I’m not sure how this will change the consistency of the body wash (maybe resulting in a watery product?), but those are the ingredients that work to clean the skin.
there are a few other oils besides castor oil. like AVOCADO OIL, GRAPE SEED OIL, almond oil, coconut oil. (only good in warm climates, in cold it will turn solid) and some better eo, maybe peppermint, which will give a cooling sensation in addition to a stronger smell to counter the coconut milk smell you do not like. (I like a combo of tea tree oil and peppermint (peppermint alone can be strong, it is good blending with another)
Have you ever added aloe to this?
Hey Patricia, I bet that would be lovely.
Hi, Can i replace the coconut milk with breastmilk instead?
Hey Wei Ching, I’m not sure about breastmilk since the body wash would spoil within just a few hours.
Hi there! I was wondering if this could also be used as shampoo?? It seems to combine a lot of my favorite homemade shampoo ingredients. Thank you!
Hey Dawn, I bet you could use this body wash for shampoo. Castile soap tends to leave my hair very greasy, so that’s why I prefer to use it mainly for body wash.
Could goats milk be substituted for the coconut milk?
Hey K, I don’t believe so. The goat milk would spoil within just a day or two.
Hi Kristin! I am so excited to try this! I was wondering if it would be okay to use tea tree castile soap instead of baby mild? 🙂
Hey Nicole, Tea tree castile soap will work great in this recipe! Enjoy!
I love this body wash! I made it yesterday and couldn’t wait to take a shower! I loved shaving my legs with it. It was so luxurious!
Awesome, Stephanie! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the body wash!
Hello from sunny Singapore. Love your site and I am newbie in this new natural homemade adventure. I’ve tried your vapor rub and loved it. I’d like to know if you have another body wash recipe that does not need coconut milk. In our weather the milk usually will spoil within the day. Thank you 🙂
Hey Nikki, Thank you and welcome to Live Simply! I don’t have a body wash recipe without coconut milk (at the moment), but you can easily sub water for the coconut milk in this recipe. The castile soap is the cleansing ingredient (along with the honey).
hello, there are many substitutes, using the water rather than the milk for one, it is the fatty acids, in the milk that spoil. coocnut oil also is a good item which may work good in your area (warm) as it will stay in liquid form and does not spoil like the milk. Also other very good carrier oils listed below:
AVOCADO OIL: Avocado oil is rich with vitamins A, E, and K. It has the ability to penetrate deep into your skin to restore elasticity and to make it softer than ever before. It is also great for restoring health to hair.
CASTOR OIL: If you are struggling with hair loss or poor hair health, this is a great product for you. It can also take your damaged skin and bring it to life with a healthy shine. Start enjoying healthier skin and hair today!
GRAPE SEED OIL: Rich in fatty acids, this oil encourages the regeneration of skin cells which ultimately keeps your skin youthful. It reduces the appearance of cuts and also cures itchy scalps if used as a deep conditioner.
SWEET ALMOND OIL: With vitamins A, E , B, & D, and also Zinc, Calcium, this oil gets absorbed without blocking pores. It is lightweight and odorless, and calms skin inflammation, making your skin touchably soft and smooth.
COCONUT OIL: Coconut oil deeply moisturizes and softens your skin.
Thanks for sharing, Kevin. This is great info!
If you have to store this in the fridge the coconut cream will get very solid and hard so with that being said how do we get it to mix up when we need to use it? Will it just shake up and blend in when it’s cold like that?
I didn’t use the vegetable glycerin and the shower gel was very sudsy regardless. I love this shower gel. It smells good, feels like silk on the skin and suds really well. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Thank you, Lenore! I’m so glad you’re loving the body wash.
This looks wonderful! I have to try it! But will this last very long without a preservative? I am just wondering because of the added food type things like honey and coconut milk. Thank you!
Hey Trisha, It will last about two weeks. The milk will spoil (honey essentially lasts forever). If you’re planning to keep it longer, you can make half the recipe, or store half the body wash in the fridge until needed. Enjoy!!
Ahh! I have been using Suave’s milk and honey body wash for as long as I can remember, but I just asked my mom the other day if she thought there was a way to make it ourselves. She said no, due to the fact that she’s tried to make soap before to no avail. I’m not sure what went wrong for her, but she hasn’t attempted since then. I can’t wait to try this! I do have a couple of questions though. 1) Is it more on the liquidy side than your basic drugstore soap you squeeze out of a bottle, and 2) what is the use of the essential oil? Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
Hey Sarah, This recipe is more on the liquid side versus a thick store-bought body wash. The essential oils just provide fragrance and cleansing power. Let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy!!
Is there a way to make this thicker?
Hey Marie, Xanthan gum may help create a thicker body wash.
I thicken my body washes with ground oats (steel cut oats in the coffee grinder.) It also adds light exfoliation & skin soothing benefits.
I love this stuff…do u mix the coconut milk with the white solid coconut that come with it or only use the liquid?
Hey Michelle, Ah yes, thank you for mentioning the coconut milk separation…I’ll add a note in the recipe. The white solid on the top of the can is the cream and the liquid underneath is the milk. For this recipe you’ll want to use both the milk and cream, so you’ll need to stir the coconut milk/cream until combined.