Out Of Body Wash? Here's What You Can Use In A Rush

We've all been there — you reach for your favorite body wash to keep you smelling fresh and upon lifting the bottle, your heart sinks a tad because it's far too light and you're only able to squeeze out a drop or two. As you make a mental note to subscribe to a recurring body wash order on Amazon, you confront the dilemma of what you should use instead that also happens to be in the vicinity of your shower.

You know none of the substitutes will provide as thorough of a cleanse, nor will they smell like your favorite scents. So, what can you use in place of your beloved body wash? Most people likely reach for the shampoo. And that choice may be suitable at the moment, but ultimately, shampoo isn't designed to wash the body. While it will work in a rush, there's another product you most likely have in the shower that's also a fair bet: face wash.

Shampoo is designed to clean the hair and scalp, but face wash is made for the skin, so it's similar in some regard to body wash. "Shampoos don't hydrate the skin and have a different pH," Dr. Karan Lal, a double board-certified adult and pediatric dermatologist and fellowship-trained cosmetic dermatologist, told Byrdie. "They remove oils more than body washes, which could lead to super dry skin."

If you spring for more luxurious face washes, lathering the precious — and costly — product all over your body might not sound too appealing. In this case, using shampoo in a rush makes a lot of sense. But you wouldn't want to resort to this option for too long or too often. You also want to make sure you're using the right body wash for your skin type, in general. If for some reason you can't get your hands on a bottle of body wash and you'd rather not go the face wash or shampoo routes, you can try the DIY option.

If you know you're out of body wash before you step into the shower, then you can quickly whip up a homemade scrub with just two simple ingredients from your kitchen. And as an added plus, it's extra moisturizing. All you need is oil and sugar to create a stand-in until you can replenish your body wash. You have options when it comes to the oil — try avocado oil, olive oil, sweet almond oil, or coconut oil. Pour a couple of tablespoons into a small bowl and simply mix with sugar until you reach the consistency you desire. You could also add honey to the mixture to thicken it.

This body scrub takes only a few minutes to make and it's likely you've already got the ingredients on hand. It'll be a bit more oily than your typical body wash, so it isn't an option you'd want to use daily, but as a placeholder, it will surely do the trick.