Wellness Wednesday: Shaving with Coconut Oil?

You may have gathered from past posts that I'm attempting to remove chemicals from my life, one shampoo, one deodorant at a time. Well, that's definitely going to be a slow process for me simply because 1) I'm trying to figure out what items/brands to replace the toxic ones with and 2) my body is so crazy, I react negatively to ingredients that most people would have no trouble with, so this is even more so a trial-and-error process than it would normally be.

My quest for a deodorant replacement is looking promising, and I may have found it, but I am not positive about that yet. So my verdict on that will come later. However, I do have one success to share: shaving with coconut oil! (This page contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after following these links, I may receive a small commission. Thank you!)

Maybe you've heard of this, or maybe this sounds crazy to you (I was skeptical), but I first saw this over at Empowered Sustenance (I use Lauren's experiences and suggestions as a great guide in the quest for a healthy lifestyle) and I decided to try it.

Now, I have a horrible time with shaving my legs. Maybe some people find it pleasant, but there's nothing pleasant about it for me. I have tried all kinds of shaving creams and shave gels and different kinds of razors and up until trying the coconut oil thought I'd found the best option that was possible for me. Regardless, when I would be done shaving, I would have to put loads of lotion on to try to get the itchiness to calm down. And I would have to keep putting more lotion on every so often when it wore off. They would itch so bad, I would actually use the word "screaming" instead, as it felt more appropriate.

Well, after replacing my shave gel with coconut oil the first time, I didn't need to put lotion on--it felt like I already had! Needless to say, as far as I'm concerned I am done with shave gel for good. I've been using coconut oil ever since, which has been about a month and a half now.

Besides the benefit of not needing to use [toxic] lotion afterwards (I haven't found my lotion replacement yet), the coconut oil doesn't cost more than shave gel--while you pay more up front for a jar, it lasts a lot longer than a bottle of shave gel and so really balances out. Plus, the coconut oil leaves your legs smooth and almost dewy for hours afterward--and you can even apply more later for kicks! I recommend Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. (Here's a coconut oil guide for you.)

You only need about 1 teaspoon per leg, so before I take a shower, I take a plastic spoon and scoop out enough for both legs and take it into the shower with me. (Storing coconut oil in the bathroom isn't a good idea because of the temperature changes.) When you go to put it on your legs, it will probably seem kind of clumpy at first, but just rub it in as best you can. It will definitely seem odd the first time because it looks like you have nothing on your legs--I'm used to them being completely covered in shave gel!--but it doesn't feel like that at all. And you don't even need to rinse your legs afterward--plus rinsing wouldn't do much good anyway since water doesn't rinse oil away.

My only warning is that the very small amount of oil that does fall off can make the bathtub floor kind of slick, so do watch out for that. You can either wipe it up afterward or just be really careful, and I go with the latter. ;)

So if you're looking for a chemical-free shave gel, here's your answer! I highly recommend giving coconut oil a try! And if you do try it, let me know how you like it!

Have you tried cutting any chemicals out? 

Are there any brands or tricks like this you've found that you'd recommend?

P.S. I'll be making my big announcement tomorrow, you guys! Can't wait! :D