10 DIY Men’s Grooming Products Anyone Can Make (Including You)
Creating men’s grooming products at home is simple, requires minimal expertise, and few ingredients. Here are ten such products you can make in no time:
1. Beard Oil
Beard oil supplements the natural sebum oil produced by the skin, softens the beard hair, and reduces itchiness from dry skin beneath the beard. This homemade grooming product is cost-effective and customizable compared to commercial versions.
📝 Ingredients & Supplies Required
Carrier oil, essential oils, small dark glass dropper bottle, and pipette.
🛒 How to Make
Select a carrier oil such as jojoba, argan, or sweet almond oil and choose an essential oil for fragrance, like sandalwood, cedarwood, or lavender.
Beard oil is primarily carrier oil, making up around 90-95% of the total mix. The essential oil should only make up about 5-10% of the finished oil due to its potency.
Mix, shake, and apply generously to your beard.
🤔 Difficulty Level
Easy
🧑💻 Guide & Recipes
Our guide contains over 36 different beard oil recipes, that’ll help you find the perfect blend for your beard.
2. Beard Balm
Beard balm tames and shapes beard hair, while also conditioning and nourishing it. This product is slightly more complex to make at home than beard oil, but still easy.
📝 Ingredients & Supplies Required
Carrier oil, essential oils, beeswax, shea or cocoa butter, small metal or glass container, and a double boiler.
🛒 How to Make
Mix your carrier oil and essential oil. Typically, a beard balm recipe includes about 1-2oz of carrier oil. Next, add about 1oz of beeswax and 1-2oz of shea or cocoa butter.
Melt the beeswax and butter in a double boiler until it liquifies. Once melted, add your carrier and essential oils. Stir well until thoroughly mixed.
Pour the mixture into your chosen container. Allow it to cool and solidify, which can take a few hours.
🤔 Difficulty Level
Easy to Moderate
🧑💻 Guide & Recipes
This guide on how to make beard balm, expands on the different ingredients, benefits, and contains a recipes section.
3. Aftershave
Aftershave soothes and disinfects the skin post-shave. Making your own aftershave allows you to cater to your skin type and preference. You also avoid many harsh chemicals present in commercial aftershaves.
📝 Ingredients & Supplies Required
Distilled water, witch hazel, aloe vera gel, vegetable glycerin, essential oils, dark-colored glass bottle with a spray top, and a funnel.
🛒 How to Make
Blend 3/4 cup of witch hazel, 1/4 cup of aloe vera gel. Add a teaspoon of vegetable glycerin for skin hydration.
Choose your essential oils (refreshing, invigorating options include eucalyptus or peppermint, while lavender or chamomile offer a calming effect). Add 10-20 drops, adjusting to suit your scent preference.
Once thoroughly mixed, use a funnel to transfer the mixture into a dark-colored glass bottle with a spray top. Shake the bottle well before each use to ensure the ingredients are well mixed.
🤔 Difficulty Level
Easy
A simple guide on how to make aftershave (with or without alcohol) along with various essential oil blends.
4. Shaving Soap
Shaving soap creates an insulated lather and slick base that significantly increases the comfort of your shave, reducing razor burn and nicks. Shave soap may use tallow or vegetable-derived ingredients. This grooming product is more complex, so patience and attention to detail are required.
📝 Ingredients & Supplies Required
Tallow or vegetable fat, lye, distilled water, essential oils, pot or pan, molds, safety gear (goggles and rubber gloves).
🛒 How to Make
Carefully measure your lye and distilled water separately. Typically, use about 0.13 ounces of lye and 0.38 ounces of water per ounce of fat.
In a well-ventilated area, slowly add the lye to the water (never the other way around) and stir until dissolved. Avoid breathing in the vapors and skin contact.
Melt your tallow or vegetable fat in a pot over low heat. Once melted, slowly add the lye mixture to the pot, stirring constantly.
Stir the mixture on low heat for about an hour, or until it reaches ‘trace’ (the soap leaves a visible trail on the surface when drizzled from a spatula).
Remove from heat, add your chosen essential oils, and stir well. Pour the soap mixture into your molds and let it sit to harden for 24 hours. After the soap has hardened, remove it from the molds and let it cure for 4-6 weeks. This allows the soap to become milder and harder.
🤔 Difficulty Level
Moderate to Difficult
5. Bar Soap
Bar soap, a staple in most bathrooms, effectively cleanses the skin and removes dirt. Unlike shaving soap, bar soap does not need to create a stable, slick lather for shaving. However, it should be gentle on the skin and not overly drying. Making your own bar soap at home can be a fun and rewarding experience.
📝 Ingredients & Supplies Required
Fats or oils, lye, distilled water, essential oils, molds, pot or pan, safety gear (goggles and rubber gloves).
🛒 How to Make
Carefully measure your lye and distilled water separately. Typically, use about 0.13 ounces of lye and 0.38 ounces of water per ounce of fat.
In a well-ventilated area, slowly add the lye to the water (not the other way around) and stir until it’s dissolved. Avoid breathing in the fumes and skin contact.
In a separate pot, melt your chosen fats and oils over low heat. Once melted, slowly add the lye mixture to the pot, stirring constantly.
Continue to stir the mixture on low heat for about an hour, or until it reaches ‘trace’ (the point when the soap leaves a visible trail on the surface when drizzled from a spoon).
Remove the pot from the heat and add in your chosen essential oils. Stir well to ensure they are thoroughly mixed.
Pour the soap mixture into your molds and let it sit to harden for 24 hours. After the soap has hardened, remove it from the molds and let it cure for 4-6 weeks. This curing time allows the soap to become milder and harder.
🤔 Difficulty Level
Moderate
6. Mustache Wax
This highly concentrated beeswax formula styles and holds the wiry hairs of the upper lip in place. It can be infused with essential oils for added scent and benefits. Making mustache wax at home is straightforward.
📝 Ingredients & Supplies Required
Beeswax, carrier oil, essential oils, small tin container, and a pot.
🛒 How to Make
Start by melting 1 part beeswax in a pot over low heat. Once fully melted, add 1 part of your chosen carrier oil, stirring well to ensure a thorough mixture.
Remove the pot from the heat and add in your chosen essential oils. A few drops usually provide a pleasant aroma without being overpowering. Remember, this is applied directly under the nose, so you don’t want the scent to be too strong.
Pour the mixture into a small tin container before it starts to harden. Allow it to cool and fully harden overnight before use.
🤔 Difficulty Level
Easy to Moderate
🧑💻 Guide & Recipes
Find an easy-to-follow guide on how to make your own mustache wax that includes a few different recipes for varying levels of hold and scent.
7. Hair Wax
Hair wax, a versatile hair styling product, offers a strong hold with a slightly glossy finish, suitable for a wide range of hairstyles. The all-natural ingredients used in homemade hair wax provide an excellent hold and also nourish your hair, promoting its health and growth.
📝 Ingredients & Supplies Required
Beeswax, carrier oil, shea butter, essential oils, jar or tin container, double boiler, and mixing spoon.
🛒 How to Make
Begin by melting 1 part beeswax, 1 part shea butter, and 1 part carrier oil together in a double boiler over medium heat. Stir until they are fully melted and combined.
Once the mixture is smooth and well mixed, remove it from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.
While the mixture is still liquid, add in your chosen essential oils. A few drops usually provide a pleasant aroma without being overpowering.
Stir the ingredients together to ensure everything is evenly distributed.
Pour the mixture into a jar or tin container and let it cool and harden completely before use.
🤔 Difficulty Level
Easy to Moderate
8. Solid Cologne
Solid cologne is a compact, travel-friendly alternative to traditional spray colognes. They have a high concentration of fragrance, and their solid form allows for more precise application. Making solid cologne at home lets you customize the scent to your liking and control the intensity of the fragrance.
📝 Ingredients & Supplies Required
Beeswax, carrier oil, essential oils, small tin container or locket, double boiler, and a mixing spoon.
🛒 How to Make
Start by melting 1 part beeswax in a double boiler over medium heat. Once melted, add 1 part of your chosen carrier oil and mix well.
Remove the mixture from heat and let it cool for a few minutes. Add your chosen essential oils. Use the fragrance pyramid concept to build your scent. This involves using a base note (the longest-lasting scent), middle note (the main body of the scent), and top note (the first scent you smell). A common ratio is 30% top notes, 50% middle notes, and 20% base notes, but you can adjust this to fit your preference.
Mix all the ingredients together to ensure an even distribution of the scent. Pour the mixture into a small tin container or locket and let it cool and harden completely before use.
🤔 Difficulty Level
Easy to Moderate
🧑💻 Guide & Recipes
Read this how-to guide if you want to try different base ingredients (beeswax, candelilla, and petroleum jelly) or test out one of the 5 different essential oil blends.
9. Face Cleanser
A homemade face cleanser, made with all-natural ingredients, removes dirt, oil, and impurities from your skin without causing dryness or irritation. You can easily customize the recipe based on your skin type and needs.
📝 Ingredients & Supplies Required
Castile soap, distilled water, carrier oil, essential oils, honey or aloe vera gel, glass pump bottle, and a funnel.
🛒 How to Make
Combine 1/4 cup of castile soap and 3/4 cup of distilled water in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of your chosen carrier oil, which will moisturize the skin and aid in removing oil and impurities.
Add 1 tablespoon of honey or 2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel, both of which have soothing properties and can help to calm the skin.
Add a few drops of your chosen essential oils. Some good options for face cleansers include tea tree oil for its antimicrobial properties, lavender for its calming effect, or peppermint for a refreshing feel.
Stir all the ingredients together until well combined. Using a funnel, carefully pour the mixture into a glass pump bottle for easy dispensation. Your homemade face cleanser is now ready to use.
🤔 Difficulty Level
Easy
10. Beard Wash
A homemade beard wash cleanses your beard thoroughly without stripping it of its natural oils. It can be customized to suit your specific needs and preferences. Making your own beard wash at home is simple and cost-effective.
📝 Ingredients & Supplies Required
Distilled water, liquid Castile soap, vegetable glycerin, essential oils, small squeeze bottle.
🛒 How to Make
Start by combining 1 cup of distilled water and 1/4 cup of liquid Castile soap in a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin, which adds moisture and softness to your beard hair.
Choose your essential oils based on their properties and scent. For example, tea tree oil has antibacterial properties and can help combat beardruff, while lavender oil has a calming scent and can soothe irritated skin. Add around 5 drops of essential oil to the mixture.
Stir all the ingredients together until well combined. Using a funnel, carefully pour the mixture into a small squeeze bottle for easy dispensation. Shake well before each use.
🤔 Difficulty Level
Easy
🧑💻 Guide & Recipes
Find a full guide on how to make your own beard wash including a step-by-step walkthrough, benefits, and tips for use.