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    Home » Crafts & Projects » Homemade Beauty » Orange & Honey Body Wash

    Last updated: Oct 21, 2021 by Keri · 49 Comments

    Orange & Honey Body Wash

    Orange and honey body wash with Young Living essential oil!

    Make your own uplifting, moisturizing orange and honey body wash with just 6 easy ingredients!

    orange honey body wash in glass jar

    Homemade Body Wash

    Never in my wildest dreams would I ever picture myself making my own body wash.  In the past, I have been a loyal user of big brand body washes.  But last weekend, it looked like a hippy and a mad scientist invaded my kitchen.  And it was pretty amazing.   At the end of the day, this bubbly beautifully fragrant body wash was bottled and ready for my early morning shower.

    Once I made this body wash I also realized it would make a great gift. Whip some up and package with a candle (click here for how to gift wrap candles) and you have a spa-day gift that's easy and affordable!

    Supplies

    • ⅔ cup castille soap  - I use Dr. Brommer's unscented Baby-Mild castille soap
    • ¼ cup honey
    • 2 teaspoons oil (jojoba, sweet almond) - I used sweet almond oil
    • 1 teaspoon vitamin E
    • 2 teaspoons vegetable glycerin
    • 40 - 50 drops of Young Living Orange Essential Oil
    • glass jar or bottle to store

    Update for 2020: I created printable labels for gifting this fun body wash, click here to download the homemade body wash labels!

    Let's talk ingredients ... there are only 6!  And I can pronounce them all!

    Castille soap, jojoba oil, vitamin E and glycerin can be found at your local pharmacy, grocery store or health food store.  

    • Castille soap is an organic, gentle base for our body wash.  
    • Vitamin E and sweet almond oil moisturize and nourish skin.  
    • Glycerin provides the bubbles - what is body wash if it doesn't foam and bubble, right?!
    • I picked up Florida honey to support our local community.  After a little research, I learned that honey is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal.  It accelerates healing and has historically been used to treat skin conditions.  {I swish it in my mouth when I get a canker sore and it is gone in a day or two!}  So, honey is a perfect additive for this body wash.
    • Orange essential oil (I use Young Living) is cold pressed from the orange rind.  The smell is distinctly orange without being too sweet.

    So, "Does it lather?"  YES!  It really, really does!

    And "Does it rinse clean?"  Yep, it sure does.

    But "Does it smell good?"  It smells like orange and honey ... if you like orange and honey, then the answer again, YES!

    Step by step

    Stir or gently whisk together all six ingredients.  Since I will not be ingesting any of this mixture and this recipe doesn't make a huge batch, I am comfortable storing this in a plastic pump bottle in my shower.

    More Essential Oils DIYs you might like: Uplifting Lemon Mint Sugar Scrub, Relaxing Lavender Bath Salts, DIY Mason Jar Gel Air Fresheners

    « Mothers' Day Entertaining Ideas & Cute Manners Printable!
    Moisturizing Body Wash with Lavender & Coconut Milk »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Wendy Hogue says

      May 12, 2014 at 7:21 am

      Great post daughter! Loving my Orange Honey body wash! Keep the creative juices flowing!!

      Reply
    2. Kristi V says

      May 12, 2014 at 10:22 am

      Did you use raw honey? If how did you get it to mix? Thanks!

      Reply
    3. Jessi @ Practically Functional says

      May 12, 2014 at 2:33 pm

      Ooh I love it! Definitely pinning this to try later, thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    4. Laura Beth says

      May 13, 2014 at 7:20 am

      This looks like it smells sooo good! Great job!

      Reply
    5. Elisa says

      May 13, 2014 at 7:33 am

      Hi Keri! This sounds heavenly...I love the smell of Orange essential oil! I cant wait to give it a try!

      Reply
    6. Vanessa says

      May 13, 2014 at 7:26 pm

      I bet this smells AMAZING!

      Reply
    7. Carrie This Home says

      May 13, 2014 at 10:54 pm

      Waking up to this scent would be wonderful! I might have to make this for myself soon!

      Reply
    8. Andrea @ This Pug Life says

      May 14, 2014 at 11:56 pm

      I LOVE the smell of honey (as well as the taste). I am just imagining how good this stuff smells!

      Reply
    9. Sherri@The Well Floured Kitchen says

      May 15, 2014 at 7:14 am

      I've never bought orange essential oil, I bet it would make this smell amazing. Great tip about the honey and cankers. Pinned!

      Reply
    10. Linda @ Mixed Kreations says

      May 15, 2014 at 8:32 am

      I want to try making some of this. I bet it smells wonderful! I think I have everything to make it too, except the Castile soap. Pinning so I can try later! Thanks for sharing your recipe.

      Reply
    11. Mandi says

      May 15, 2014 at 11:33 am

      This looks so easy to make on your own. I will SO be trying this out! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    12. Natasha in Oz says

      May 17, 2014 at 12:36 am

      I can almost smell it from here! Seriously though, that looks like such a healthy alternative to normal shower gels and so inexpensive too. Thanks for sharing you 'recipe'.

      I would be thrilled if you could share this post at my weekly Say G’day Saturday linky party. It has just started and this would be a brilliant addition.

      Best wishes for a great weekend,
      Natasha in Oz

      Reply
    13. Rachel @ BubblyNatureCreations.com says

      May 19, 2014 at 1:35 pm

      I really need to buy some castile soap! I can't wait to try this!

      Reply
    14. Tanya says

      May 24, 2014 at 12:31 pm

      This sounds divine Keri!! Pinning & sharing on FB today 🙂

      xo, Tanya

      Reply
    15. Rachel says

      August 18, 2014 at 12:08 pm

      Love this recipe! How big of a bottle did you use?

      Reply
    16. gisel says

      November 03, 2014 at 3:48 pm

      Your orange shower gel for how many ounces is? thanks a lot!

      Reply
    17. donna says

      December 11, 2014 at 6:09 pm

      The one thing I see you did not mention is that orange and all other citrus oils can make your skin more vulnerable to the sun! While this may smell absolutely amazing, readers should know the risk of citrus oils, too. I, too, have used this recipe for months - nearly a year now, and won't go back to commercial body wash. I opt for ylang ylang, or use a synergy essential oil blend for psoriasis.

      Reply
      • Dawn says

        July 09, 2020 at 12:15 pm

        Question - what size bottle and like foaming hand soap, do I fill the rest of the way with distilled water or something? And thank you for letting us know about the sun and citrus oils. I was going to make today but work out in my yard lots.

        Reply
        • Melissa Riker says

          August 26, 2020 at 8:53 am

          I believe my bottle was about 9 ounces and I didn't add any water to it, just used it by itself!

          Reply
    18. Jennifer says

      January 07, 2015 at 11:24 am

      Does the honey make it feel sticky??

      Reply
    19. lachele58 says

      January 19, 2015 at 3:34 pm

      I just made this and it is amazing! It makes you feel super clean and the scent is awesome.
      Thank you for this diy.

      Reply
    20. Sam says

      February 24, 2015 at 11:28 pm

      Thanks for the awesome recipe! Can't wait to try it. Orange Essential Oil makes you more susceptible to UV rays, and as an Australian I don't need that!! So I'm looking forward to trying this and mixing up the flavours a bit, I love messing around with all my essential oils.

      Love the awesome articles!

      Reply
    21. Karla says

      March 02, 2015 at 2:41 am

      Just made and tried this. It smells great and feels wonderful on your skin. Thank you! 🙂

      Reply
    22. Lesley says

      March 12, 2015 at 1:59 pm

      lol, your introduction speaking OF your kitchen counter top really made me Laugh OUT LOUD!
      It's just soooo like me! Ohhh what a mess I can make! But OH! Out of those messes come a wealth of
      "OH! I can't wait to get in the shower and try this !"
      Yes, I can totally relate!
      To the point I was getting to, I made the Coconut Lavender Body Wash and NOW I want to shower like 3 times a day lol!!! Seriously, it's awesome ! I did have to cut down on the cStille however as I was out of it! (I have a OCD thing going on that makes me more looney, can't seal with being OUT of something )... But ! I don't think it mattered too much it still lathered and felt decadent !
      I felt like Cleopatra bathing in Milk! What a LUSH feeling!
      Thank Yoi!.......and now the friends I share with will love it too!
      PS.. When the spouse "Likes It" I know it's good!
      He's so picky about his chemical water body wash yuck !
      I think I have him converted ! I used some Vetiver EO in his, smells great and awesome benefited as well! Again Thank You!

      Reply
    23. Iwona says

      March 13, 2015 at 10:24 pm

      My daughter used just honey to wash her face and it worked great. She got really excited when I showed her your recipe. Honey and orange- sounds fantastic. We are definitely going to make it!

      Reply
    24. Amber says

      April 15, 2015 at 6:40 pm

      How long can this be stored? I've heard that honey can start to ferment, would this be a problem? Otherwise, Im really excited to try it.

      Reply
    25. Rachelle Thompson says

      May 25, 2015 at 11:54 pm

      Is there a website that you can buy the almond oil and vegetable glycerin in larger quantities and cheaper?

      Reply
    26. Kellie says

      June 07, 2015 at 9:42 pm

      Does this orange/honey body wash need a preservative? How long is it safe to use?

      Reply
    27. Kellie says

      June 07, 2015 at 9:43 pm

      Does the orange/honey body wash need a preservative?

      Reply
    28. Luz says

      June 10, 2015 at 1:16 pm

      Hello! Sorry if I missed it but about how many washes does the recipe make?

      Reply
    29. Karen Li says

      May 28, 2016 at 2:37 am

      Hi, normally, volume of one cup means 250ml? Please let me know...thank you!

      Reply
    30. Rita says

      May 30, 2016 at 10:55 pm

      Made this and loved it! Thank you!

      Reply
    31. Jennifer says

      July 13, 2016 at 11:12 pm

      Could you tell me what form the Vitamin E you are using please
      Jennifer- Australia

      Reply
      • Keri says

        July 23, 2016 at 6:42 am

        Hi Jennifer - I use vitamin E capsules. They are soft so I use scissors to snip a tiny hole in the capsules and squeeze out the liquid vitamin E. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    32. Stephanie C. says

      July 21, 2016 at 1:00 am

      2 questions: first, is there any benefit to using jojoba or almond oil as opposed to FCO or avocado oil? I have the latter 2 and was wondering if they worked just as well. Second, for those that mosquitoes just flock to have you tried this and has it affected whether the bugs bother you more or less than before?

      Reply
    33. Martine says

      February 26, 2017 at 6:17 pm

      can we make this recipe without castille soap?

      Reply
    34. Rose Payette says

      July 12, 2017 at 12:39 pm

      Love this body wash! Thank you so much for sharing. It is not cheap to make this body wash but it is part of my day now and on top of that my husband is using it as well. He gets worried when when we're getting low of this concoction! When I go to the commissary I make sure that I get the biggest raw honey available.
      Again, thank you!
      Rose

      Reply
      • Keri says

        July 23, 2017 at 5:54 am

        Hi Rose! Thanks so much for the sweet comment - glad both you and your hubby love this orange and honey body wash!

        Reply
    35. Zenab shamsi says

      August 21, 2017 at 12:07 pm

      What's the shelf life of the product as you don't have use any preservative in it

      Reply
    36. Kathy says

      December 25, 2017 at 5:53 am

      What about phototoxic issues? Orange is citrus and phototoxic correct?

      Reply
    37. Jo says

      March 14, 2018 at 3:33 pm

      Hi just wanting to know the shelf life of the lotions you produce?

      Reply
    38. Jeanette says

      June 11, 2018 at 7:26 pm

      Love this recipe! I used almond Castile soap and substituted grapeseed oil for the oil. I didn’t have glycerine so added a little more vitamin E oil and a few pumps of aloe Vera. Also a few drops of frakincense. It turned out great, blended together nicely and lathers up amazing.

      Reply
    39. Laura Sisco says

      July 16, 2018 at 7:43 pm

      I love the body wash. It foams up so much. I used Almond Castille Soap and Sweet Orange and Grapefruit essential oils. It smells divine. Thank you for the fantastic recipe.

      Reply
    40. Linda S says

      December 10, 2018 at 11:22 pm

      I so love this idea. I’m surprised you need so much of the Orange Oil. I’m assuming this makes a little over 1 Cup of finished product. I don’t know how many drops are in a 5ml bottle, but I was hoping to make 3 or 4 containers for gifts. Should this be applies with a washcloth or one of those pouffy scrubbers to make it go further?

      Reply
    41. warie says

      February 28, 2020 at 2:11 am

      ORANGE SHOWER GEL IS WARMING SENSE AS IT CREATES MUSCLE RELAXING.

      Reply
      • Melissa Riker says

        February 28, 2020 at 7:38 pm

        hope you like it!

        Reply

    Trackbacks

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