Mercredi: The Art of Beauty

I'll just come out and say that I am all for hair removal. I shave and wax with regularity because I am not one of those women that blames society for her grooming habits. To my mind, I want the hair gone and that’s all the reason I need. Then too in all fairness, I’m not that hairy.

Some ladies and an even greater number of men have to make shaving a daily ritual which, admittedly, must get a little old. Allow me to suggest turning a chore into a chance to bolster confidence by participating in it fully, even down to making your own shaving cream. It’s relatively easy, fun in a “play with your food” kind of way and you get to control texture and scent while you infuse your creation with every power that beauty can impart.

Here’s a simple recipe I’ve cobbled together from more than one experiment. These are the basics:

1 ounce cocoa butter
¼ ounce plain yogurt (I like the Greek kind for consistency, if you can find it)
¼ ounce honey
1 tbsp glycerin
1/8 ounce lemon juice

Mix all ingredients together either with a wooden spoon, whisk or preferably with a hand mixer. The use of the mixer aerates the shaving cream to a nice consistency but it is not necessary. Time to add the aromatics, which really can be any of your choice; here are a few of my favorites:

For winter: 1 drop rose essential oil, 1 drop clove essential oil and a capsule of vitamin E oil opened and contents added to the mixture.

For summer: 1 drop jasmine essential oil and 1 drop spearmint essential oil (warning: don’t use this one on your underarms; the scent is really refreshing but the mint stings.)

For a gentleman: 1 drop sandalwood essential oil and 1 drop vanilla essential oil (if you are making the cream for a gay friend, use lavender essential oil instead of vanilla; straight men love vanilla for some reason – go figure).

Mix your essential oils of choice in thoroughly and, if you’re not planning to shave immediately, place the cream in a glass jar with a tight lid. This recipe is for about one luxurious shave (two or three for men) so you can double or even triple it and keep the cream in a cool, dry place for up to a week. It will keep in the frig for two weeks but you will need to let it warm up before using it which changes the consistency which means you’ll have to get out the hand mixer again. I find it’s better to just start from scratch unless you’re shaving daily. A votre santé ~

Header: Lady at Her Toilette by M. Garnier