Homemade All-Natural Face Wash

This homemade face wash uses all-natural, food-grade ingredients. Very simple to make it is perfect for every skin type.

I get so many questions about what skincare routine and beauty products I use. Most if not all of them are homemade, including this face wash.

Every once in a while, I either get some samples or end up purchasing a commercial product when it is on sale (all natural of course!). But you know what?

Most of the time, I like my homemade products better! I can customize them in every which way I want. They work. And they are very inexpensive.

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Why you’ll love this homemade face wash

When you look at ads and commercials, you might think that it takes very special ingredients to make an effective face wash. However, I think that the opposite is true.

For me a face wash has to do this:

• cleanse the skin of dirt, grime, and make-up
• be gentle even for sensitive skin
• and be good enough for daily use
• be nourishing
• AND contain natural ingredients that you could actually eat

What are the ingredients for this homemade face wash recipe

Here are the simple ingredients for this natural face wash recipe

• dried herbs such as calendula flowers, chamomile, lavender, and rose. My favorite place to get them is Mountain Rose Herbs.
• liquid castile soap (unscented)
• jojoba oil
• essential oils such as lavender, geranium, frankincense, and carrot seed oil.

What are the health benefits of these natural ingredients

Let’s have a closer look at the ingredients and their health benefits:

• Calendula: these yellow flowers are particularly good for sensitive skin due to their anti-inflammatory properties. Skin-soothing, it can reduce skin irritation and discomfort. Since calendula is rich in anti-oxidants, it reduces the signs and symptoms of any stressors (sun, free radicals, etc).
• Lavender: Another soothing herb, lavender is also very healing and calming. Therefore, it is can help both sensitive and acne-prone skin.
• Chamomile: Full of anti-oxidants, this popular herb can help cell and tissue renewal while reducing the appearance of fine lines. It works really well for dry and mature skin.
• Rose petals: With its astringent properties, rose can help with acne, redness, and inflammation. It also has a delicate, lovely scent.
• Liquid castile soap: we are adding this to help with removing excess oils. I use to recommend Dr. Bronner’s unscented castile soap but recently tried Quinn’s unscented castile soap (purified water, coconut oil, potassium hydroxide, argan oil, jojoba oil, hemp oil, olive oil, vegetable glycerin) and really like it! It has a creamy luxurious feel to it.
• Jojoba oil: Adding this lightweight oil to your homemade face helps make it calming both for dry skin as well as oily skin. Since it is technically a wax, it is very similar to human sebum (own skin oil) and therefore balancing for all skin types.
• Essential oils: While not necessary, I like to make this cleanser even more powerful by adding essential oils. Lavender essential oil, geranium, frankincense, and carrot seed essential oils are my favorites for mature and dry skin. You can learn more about my favorite essential oils company right here.

Useful tools and equipment

Most likely you will have in your kitchen what you need to make this natural cleanser. Here’s what I recommend:

• glass pyrex measuring cup
• strainer
• small funnel
• bottle with pump top (I like to reuse on old one)
• and if you’re making the bonus recipe:
• blender

How to make your own face wash

1. If you are not using distilled water, I recommend boiling filtered water for a few minutes.
2. Place 2 teaspoons each of dried calendula flowers, dried chamomile flowers, dried lavender, and dried rose petals in a 16 oz mason jar or other heat-proof container.
3. Pour the boiling water over the dried petals and steep for 30-45 minutes.
4. Add ½ cup of liquid castile soap and 1 tablespoon jojoba oil to another mason jar.
5. Pour the herbal liquid through a strainer into the jar with the castile soap. You can compost your spent flowers. Give this mixture a good stir.
6. Using a funnel if necessary, pour this homemade face wash into a nice bottle, ideally with a pump top.
7. I recommend splitting this recipe in half and storing the other half in the refrigerator.
8. Since this recipe does not contain any synthetics or binders, it will separate. Simply shake it up before use.

How to use this natural face cleanser

• Moisten your face well with warm water.
• Pump a small amount of your face wash into your hands and gently work it into a lather.
• Using circular motions, massage this face cleanser into the skin. It is best to avoid the eyes.
• Rinse thoroughly and pat your skin dry.
• Follow up with your favorite toner (or rose water or apple cider vinegar) and face serum.

Bonus recipe (natural exfoliant)

Since you might have some dried herbs left over, it is the perfect time to use them in this bonus recipe, an all-natural but gentle exfoliant.

All you need to add is some bentonite clay and oats. This recipe is very loosely based on Rosemary Gladstar’s Miracle Grains but I am omitting the ground almonds and ground corn or poppy seeds. Either way, it is perfect for sloughing off dead skin cells, absorbing excess oil, and leaving your skin with a healthy glow. It is the perfect natural alternative to harsh commercial cleansing grains.

Simply add 1 cup of bentonite clay, ½ cup of oats, 1 tablespoon of lavender, and 1 tablespoon of rose petals to a blender. Pulse until everything is finely ground. If you like, you can sift out any remaining bigger pieces or use them as is.

How to use the natural exfoliant

Moisten your face with warm water. Add a small amount of this homemade exfoliant to your hand. Mix it into a paste with water. It helps to work fast and break up any clumped pieces. However, don’t worry about this too much. With a circular motion, massage the skin of your face for any length of time. Rinse with plenty of warm water and follow up with a toner and your favorite face serum.

Easy way to customize your own products

Here are just a few tips and ideas on how you can customize your homemade facewash to suit your skin type and concerns:

• If you have very oily, acne-prone skin or other skin problems, you can add a drop or two of tea tree oil to this cleanser. You will love it for its antibacterial properties!
• Other good choices for essential oils are clary sage, cypress, rosemary, and/or ylang-ylang
• You can use other carrier oils instead of jojoba oil such as sweet almond oil, fractioned coconut oil, avocado oil, or even castor oil.
• Instead of only using herbal water, you can decrease the amount of liquid and add some rose water or aloe vera to this recipe.
• You can add green tea to the herbs before steeping.
• Or you could add some dried rose hips. They are very high in vitamin C and other vitamins helping reduce fine lines, wrinkles, and even scars.

Other personal care recipes you might like

DIY Face Serum

2 Ingredient Body Wash (perfect makeup remover)

Homemade Tooth Powder

Calendula Healing Oil

Soothing Calendula Salve

DIY Hand Cream for Dry Skin

Cabbage Leaf Wrap for Joint Pain & Swelling

Shop this post:

Essential oils

Dried herbs

Jojoba oil

Liquid castile soap

Bentonite clay

“Herbal Recipes” by Rosemary Gladstar

Blender

Let me know if you have any questions or comments!

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