Ditch the tear-free baby soaps at the store. They’re filled with chemicals and preservatives. Make your own Homemade Natural Baby Shampoo and Wash.
Did you know that many commercial baby wash and baby shampoo products contain toxic chemicals? Yep, it’s true. These chemicals include artificial colors, synthetic fragrances and preservatives that can irritate your baby’s skin and may be linked to more serious health issues.
Luckily, I found out a way to make a Homemade Natural Baby Shampoo and Baby Wash with just a few ingredients and WAY cheaper than anything you’ll buy at the store.
Why Avoid Store-Bought Baby Shampoo
Here’s an ingredient list of a very popular brand of tear-free baby wash and shampoo:
Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine (coconut oil-based surfactant), PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate (chemical surfactant), Sodium Trideceth Sulfate (foaming agent surfactant), PEG-150 Distearate (surfactant), Glycerin (moisturizer), Polyquaternium-10 (anti-static agent), Tetrasodium EDTA (chelating agent), Sodium Chloride (salt), Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide (pH adjuster), Sodium Benzoate (preservative), Ethylhexylglycerin (skin conditioning agent), Phenoxyethanol, Parfum (synthetic fragrance that could contain dozens of chemicals to make up the scent).
So let me ask you: Would you want to put ALL of this on your baby’s skin? No way!
But many natural baby shampoo and baby wash products aren’t much better. Preservatives and synthetic fragrances are still found in them.
And organic baby wash products can cost a fortune. I used to pay about $14 for an 8.5 oz bottle of a popular brand of organic baby shampoo. I remember adding water to the bottle to make it last longer because it was so expensive.
Ingredients in this Natural Baby Shampoo
- Liquid castile soap is a coconut-based soap that is non-toxic and non-irritating to the skin. It’s gentle enough to use on baby’s skin, yet great for cleaning skin naturally.
- Vegetable glycerin is a natural moisturizer and gives this baby wash a thicker consistency that will lather well.
- Carrier oils such as almond oil, fractionated coconut oil, or jojoba oil help to naturally moisturize skin.
- Aloe vera gel helps to moisturize and soothe skin.
- Essential oils provide a natural, non-toxic fragrance and help to soothe skin. I only use Young Living essential oils (where to buy) for my baby. These are therapeutic-grade, organic essential oils.
How to Make This Baby Shampoo and Baby Wash – Step by Step
Ready to learn how to make your own Natural Homemade Baby Wash and Baby Shampoo? Check out this easy recipe and tutorial.
1. In a 16 oz pump bottle, add 1.5 cups castile soap.
2. Add 1/4 cup vegetable glycerin.
3. Add 1-2 tsp almond oil (or your favorite carrier oil), 10 drops essential oils and 1 tsp aloe vera gel.
4. Add 1-2 tbsp water or fill to the to with room to fit the lid and pump. Screw on lid securely and shake vigorously for a few seconds.
How to Use This DIY Baby Shampoo and Body Wash
Use a few pumps on wet skin or wet hair. Gently wash and be careful not to get into the eyes. While this is a gentle formula suitable for babies and kids, it’s not tear free. If shampoo gets into eyes, use a wet washcloth or rinse with water.
I’m Not Getting Bubbles. What Can I Do?
This is the biggest comment I get on this post. If you have hard water, then it could affect the volume of bubbles you get. Here are 3 ways you can get more bubbles:
- You could increase the vegetable glycerin in this recipe to 1/2 cup (so add an additional 1/4 cup of vegetable glycerin) . Or if you want to do a spot test first – do 1 1/2 tbsp of liquid Castile soap and 1/2 tbsp vegetable glycerin. Add to the running water of the bath. Agitate to see if you get more suds and foam. If it works well, then make a bigger batch and add the essential oils.
- Another option is opt for a natural bath gel instead of using liquid Castile soap. I love the Young Living bath gel base and use it along with essential oils to make a personalized scent, like Lavender + Stress Away blends. I skip the liquid Castile soap, vegetable glycerin, and aloe vera gel and just use the bath gel base and essential oils. Simple and it suds up so well.
- You could even simply use Seedlings Baby Wash as an alternative to the bath gel base (it already has Seedlings essential oil which is formulated for use on babies) and use it alone or dilute it with water to make it last longer. I like to do 1:1 with Seedlings Baby Wash to water.
How Can I Extend the Shelf Life?
This Homemade Baby Shampoo and Body Wash will last for up to 2 weeks since it has water in it. Or if you omit the water, it will store for up to 3-6 months. It will be thicker without the water so you may need to dilute it with a bit of water with each use.
Top Tips for This Natural Baby Shampoo and Body Wash
- You can use this almond oil or fractionated coconut oil or any of your favorite carrier oils
- Lavender or Gentle Baby are great oils for this recipe. whatever the case, make sure you use therapeutic-grade, organic essential oils
- Shake vigorously before using
- Top with distilled or filtered water
- If you’re not getting the foam or bubbles you want for this baby wash, it could be your water (e.g. hard water). Opt for a bath gel base instead and use it with the essential oils (ditch the Castile soap and vegetable glycerin)
How to Get Started with Essential Oils
- Sign up for my FREE essential oil email course in order to learn the basics.
- Check out my FREE masterclass all about essential oils and this beginner’s guide to essential oils.
- Get my essential oils online course – complete with video tutorials, e-book and everything you need to get started with essential oils.
- Find out how to buy essential oils at wholesale, and get a starter kit for 60% off retail prices. It’s the best deal around and a great way to get started with essential oils. Plus lots of freebies just for you.
More DIY Recipes You Might Like
- Homemade Bath Bombs
- DIY Aromatherapy Shower Steamers
- DIY Hair Detangler Spray (with a Printable Label)
Natural Homemade Baby Wash and Shampoo
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups liquid unscented castile soap
- ¼ cup vegetable glycerin
- 1-2 tsp almond oil or favorite carrier oil
- 1 tsp aloe vera gel optional
- 10 drops Lavender essential oil
- 1-2 tbsp filtered or distilled water
Instructions
- In a 16 oz mason jar, add castile soap, vegetable glycerin, carrier oil, essential oils and aloe vera gel.
- Top with distilled or filtered water.
- Replace lid securely and shake vigorously for a few seconds.
- Use 2-3 tbsp in a bath and agitate the water with your hands to create bubbles. Add more bubble bath as needed.
- Store for up to 2 weeks. Or if you omit the water, it will store for up to 3-6 months.
Notes
- You can increase the vegetable glycerin by 1/4 cup (so it will be 1/2 cup glycerin total with 1 1/2 cup liquid Castile soap). Do a test of 1 1/2 tbsp liquid Castile soap and 1/2 tbsp vegetable glycerin to see how it will suds up.
- Another option is to use a natural bath gel base instead of the liquid Castile soap and vegetable glycerin. Just add the essential oils you prefer. This list the natural bath gel base I use.
- You could even simply use Seedlings Baby Wash as an alternative to the bath gel base (it already has Seedlings essential oil which is formulated for use on babies) and use it alone or dilute it with water to make it last longer. I like to do 1:1 with Seedlings Baby Wash to water.
Want More DIY Recipes?
Check out my book Natural Beauty Made Simple. It comes with 45 homemade skincare recipes with a set of printable labels and gift tags. You can download it instantly to your phone, computer or e-reader, so it’s portable and can go with you anywhere!
With this book, you’ll learn how to:
- Make your own organic beauty and skin care products for less than $25 a month!
- Learn simple techniques to make your own skincare – without the fuss of complicated recipes or hard-to-find ingredients
- Get tried-and-true recipes that work to nourish the skin and make it look more radiant than ever before
- Create beautiful gifts for friends and family with the printable labels and gift tags I’ve included with this book
FREE DIY Beauty Book
Get glowing skin and learn how to make your own DIY beauty products with simple ingredients from your kitchen. Plus, get my 7-day essential oils course to get gorgeous skin from the inside out.
The featured soap on Dr. Bronner’s website is the peppermint version, so unless one wants peppermint baby shampoo, one should make sure to buy their “baby unscented” version.
Yes, totally agree to opt for unscented. Thanks!
would this soap work in a foaming soap dispenser? i was wondering if the glycerine would make it too thick.
It’s not the glycerine per se but the ratios of castile soap and water. For a foaming soap, you want roughly 2/3 water and 1/3 castile soap. Here’s a foaming hand soap recipe you can use as a baby wash: https://dontmesswithmama.com/diy-foaming-hand-soap/. Instead of lemongrass, I would do 2 drops of Lavender.