DIY Makeup Remover Wipes

          I am sure that all of you have insanely busy lives! Between work, school, parenting, grocery shopping, house cleaning, driving, and so much more we are exhausted by the end of the day! I know that I am! By the time I get home I am so tired that I get my studying done for the day and immediately jump into bed – not even thinking about taking the energy to wash my makeup off first! It is so bad for your skin! If your skin could talk, you would hear, “Save me! Save me from the makeup, sweat, dirt, and who knows what else that has managed to crawl up into these pores!” As we go through our day our skin builds up a layer of oil, dead skin cells, makeup, dirt, sweat, and bacteria! When we skip washing our face at the end of the day, we are allowing all of those things to settle deep into our pores creating larger pores, breakouts, and dull skin. You can bet that the next morning after forgetting to wash my face there will be some brand new blemishes!

In an effort to get myself to wash my face in the evening when I don’t have the energy to go through the process of washing and exfoliating (also important! I will be doing a blog post on that soon!) I purchased some makeup remover wipes. I’m sure that you have figured out what a life saver makeup remover wipes can be! I normally buy the cheap pack of equate makeup remover wipes. It’s a pretty good deal – you get around 160 wipes for $5 when they do the 2 for 1 deal. The only problem? The ingredient list is like size 4 font and around a paragraph long and filled with words you can’t pronounce let alone understand. And to be honest, a lot of my makeup ends up staying on my face and in my pores afterwards and my skin feels tight and dry. This is a pretty good sign that these wipes were not breaking down the layer of oil on top of my skin in order to get into my pores and really clean my face.

So one day I was on Pinterest and I saw a post for making your own makeup remover wipes and I was intrigued. These wipes were perfect! Just 3 natural ingredients and you have the perfect makeup remover or toning cloths! They are perfect for all skin types and completely customizable!! How cool is that!? The mixture that I made and have been using has proven to be very soothing and refreshing! I have used them as a complete makeup remover and as a toner and I love it!!! They are great at cleansing but are still gentle! Another thing I love – the cloths are reusable! Good for the environment too!

Like I said, this recipe is very customizable! Below is an ingredient list and directions but know that you get to choose what goes in! This is great for those of you with certain allergies because you control everything that goes into your own DIY Makeup Remover Mixture! *** Please know that it is important to either research or consult with someone who uses essential oils daily to make sure that the oils of your choice can be used together! Some oils are not meant to be mixed together! ***

Ingredients
 2 cups of your base of choice
 1-2 tablespoons of your oil(s) of choice
Around 5 drops of essential oil #1
Around 5 drops of essential oil #2
1 Microfiber cloth
1 small mason jar or container with lid

Directions

          Step 1: Make sure your jar or container is clean! We don’t want bacteria growing in our mixture! Cut the microfiber cloth into small squares (I cut mine into 2x2 inch squares) and stack in the middle of the jar or container. I personally like to stack them sideways so that it is easier to grab one - way at the end you don't have to reach the bottom of the jar to get a cloth. I forgot to take a picture before adding in the mixture so make sure to only put the microfiber cloths in for this step.

         Step 2: In a separate bowl, add 2 cups of your base of choice. I would recommend using water (boiled or distilled), aloe vera juice/water, or rose water. These are great! I used boiled water for the first batch of makeup remover cloths I made but I am very excited to try the aloe vera water next time!! I recommend boiling water if you do not want to purchase distilled water to purify it first.

         Step 3: Add 1-2 tablespoons of your choice of oil into the bowl with the base. I used two tablespoons of coconut oil. You can use jojoba oil, castor oil, extra virgin olive oil, vitamin e – pretty much any oil that was discussed in the oil cleansing method which you can find here. Everyone’s skin is different as well as their preferences. I personally LOVE the coconut and jojoba oil but find jojoba oil to be pretty expensive while coconut oil is not.

         Step 4: Add in your essential oils. Remember to do your research first and make sure that the oils you choose can be mixed together. Also keep in mind that some oils are more expensive than others! I chose to put in lemongrass and melaleuca oil.  Here is a list of oils and their benefits for skin. This is not a complete list, there are tons of oils that have great benefits for your skin – this is a just a selection of some of those. 

• Carrot seed oil – helps to smooth skin and increase cellular rejuvenation which can help with lightening scars and improving overall skin tone.
• Frankincense oil – is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory which is great for acne prone skin! It also helps to decrease pore size, even out skin tone, and hydrate skin.
• Geranium oil – helps to regulate oil production and reduce acne breakouts. It also helps to increase elastin production and blood circulation which helps to improve overall skin quality.
• Lavender oil – helps to increase cellular rejuvenation and smells amazing! It is great for using in the evening to help you relax.
• Lemon/Lemongrass oil – is a natural astringent and antibacterial which again is great for acne prone skin! It also helps with evening out skin tones and lightening scars.
• Myrrh oil – benefits aging skin and has anti-inflammatory properties that will aide in improving overall skin quality.
• Neroli oil – great for oily, sensitive, and mature skin! Helps improve cellular rejuvenation and has antiseptic properties.
• Tea Tree/ Melaleuca oil – one of the commonly used essential oils for acne prone skin. It has antibacterial properties and helps to regulate oil production.
• Ylang Ylang oil – helps to control oil production and minimize acne breakouts. It also increases cellular rejuvenation and helps to increase elastin production which increase skin quality.

         Step 5: Stir well and then pour over cloths in jar or container until the liquid just barely reaches the top of the cloths (you want to be able to reach a cloth without having to stick your hand into the liquid and contaminating it). You might have to squeeze out some of the liquid (I did) so make sure to wash your hands before sticking your fingers into the jar and squeezing out the excess liquid. 

That’s it! I let mine sit over night before using them because I really wanted the cloths to have time to soak up all of the goodies in the mixture!! You can choose to store it at room temperature or in the refrigerator (great for those who like a little “cooling” action in their skin care routine). Like I said earlier, you can use these strictly for removing makeup and/or as a toner. I love using one of these right after I get out of the shower because my pores are nice and open and it is so rejuvenating and energizing! When you use it as a makeup remover or toner – be careful around your eyes! You do not want to get this in your eyes – it will burn! Just warning you!  

Look how much makeup came off just on one side of this little square!!! Told you they worked! 

Of course, please let me know how you are liking your new DIY Makeup Remover Cloths! I promise you – you are going to love them! They are so cheap and easy to make and make such a drastic difference for your skin! Let me know if you have any questions!

“Encourage yourself, Believe in yourself, Love yourself”