Cleaning your face doesn’t mean you have to bombard your skin with a hodge-podge of chemicals. To put your best face forward, go all natural instead with these DIY recipes of face wash and facial cleansers.
Our skin does not need to be squeaky-cleaned—but that is what many harsh soaps and face washes do. They strip the skin of its natural oil barrier and make it more susceptible to dryness, inflammation, and the ill-effects of sun exposure. Why then, do we keep buying tubes of artificial chemicals in the name of beauty? Maybe because we are used to depending on store-bought tubes and concoctions. Thing is, many of these products can be made at home, at a fraction of the cost. Plus, the all-natural ingredients ensure good skin health as well. Aggressive beauty products may not always be right for the skin…In January, we gave you some easy recipes to make homemade, all-natural face masks—in February, let’s concentrate on face wash and facial cleansers.
Facial Cleansers
So what is a cleanser supposed to do? Clean the skin, let it breathe, and basically, keep it moisturized enough to look its best—whatever our age may be. Even if its makeup that needs to be removed, one can make do with natural and DIY options rather than store-bought removers. Your homemade concoctions are more than enough to remove makeup particles. Plus, they keep the skin moisturized and nourished, inside out…So here are some non-foaming cleansers that work just fine to remove makeup and other impurities.
A Basic Oil Face Cleanser
Makeup artists have long sung glories about the effectiveness of baby oil in removing makeup—but it doesn’t have to be baby oil. In fact, most bottled baby oils are nothing but low-grade mineral oils, hyped up with fragrance and pleasing packaging. Any virgin olive or coconut oil would be far better and more effective—not only in removing the makeup and impurities but also in leaving your skin wonderfully moisturized. Or you could always concoct an elixir of your own.
To cleanse with oil, these are the steps you need to follow:
- Wet your face with lukewarm water.
- Pour a little oil into our palm and massage it all over the face in gentle circular and upward motions. Make sure to rub off any eye or lip makeup as well.
- Use a dry face tissue or a washcloth to wipe away the oil and the makeup.
- Wash off with lukewarm water and moisturize as you would normally.
A basic olive oil works beautifully for dry, normal, and mature skin, but if your skin is oily or acne-prone, you can add some other oils to make it work for you.
- For oily skin, mix castor oil and olive oil in a 1:1 ratio and use as stated above.
- For acne-prone skin, tea tree oil can work like a charm. Simply add in two drops essential oil to 1 tablespoon of carrier oil—which in this case should be olive.
- For skin prone to inflammation and redness, use lavender essential oil mixed with olive oil, in the same ratio as above.
Honey-Lemon Cleanser
For a cleanser that keeps your skin feeling fresh and moist and keeps the pesky acne away, all you need is lemon, honey! Just mix 1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice with 2 teaspoons of honey. Massage well onto your face and keep on for an extra two minutes to let the skin soak in all the goodness. Wash off with lukewarm water for skin that glows.
An Apple A Day!
If your skin is prone to breakouts, blackheads, and all that healthy skin is not supposed to do, then the answer for you may lie in apple cider vinegar. With a pH of 5.5, that’s very close to the pH of the skin, and it can not only cleanse the skin of impurities but also prevent any clogged pores. However, a direct application may not be all that good for skin so it’s best to dilute apple cider vinegar with water in a 1:2 ratio. Store this in an airtight pump or spray bottle and dab onto a cotton ball before use.
Sud Up With These Soapy Face Washes
Sometimes, you do need a face wash that foams up as faithfully as the store-bought one you use. Well, no problem—here are a few DIY face wash recipes that soap up and still keep your skin moisturized and nourished. Now if you are wondering what we are going to use for soap—it’s castile soap. What’s so different about castile soap? As opposed to the many unfriendly materials that normal soap has, castile soap is made from olive oil and plant ash and is as skin-friendly a concoction as possible. But plain castile soap will only clean your skin—you have to add other natural ingredients to it to give the skin a beautiful healthy glow!
When you make these face washes, make sure to use clean utensils and bowls while mixing to make sure they last—there are no preservatives in them. Also, mix the ingredients in a bowl with a spoon, do not shake the ingredient in the bottle lest the castile soap starts to foam! Once mixed, transfer the face wash to a clean pump bottle for use.
- For Mature Skin: Mix 1 cup liquid castile soap with 1/2 cup rosewater and add in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Further, add 2 tablespoons honey and 15-20 drops of rosehip essential oil and lavender essential oil each.
- For Dry Skin: Mix 1 cup liquid castile soap with 1/2 cup olive or jojoba oil and add in 20 drops of frankincense essential oil.
- For Acne-Prone or Oily Skin: Mix 1 cup liquid castile soap with 1/2 cup castor oil and 2 tablespoons honey. Add in 30 drops of tea tree oil.
And that’s it—simple and easy to make DIY face wash and facial cleansers that keep your skin in the best of health. And keep the environment happy, too! And your wallet happier! So, no more reasons are needed to make these homemade face wash and facial cleansers, now, are they?
