Whenever I can, I try to ride my bicycle to work. It makes all the difference in my day! But I noticed that when I cycled more often than driving, that my face would get even oilier than normal by the end of the day. I definitely didn’t want to cut cycling out of my routine, but when I found what looked like acne on my face something had to change! With a bit of research, I found that I wasn’t alone. Not just something you experience as a teenager, it’s been found that diet and environmental factors are leading to a rise in adult acne. As you go about your day, your face accumulates dirt, bacteria, and pollution from around you. What can you do about it?
The best way to remedy a breakout is to adjust your diet (avoid refined sugars!) and wash your face with a cleanser. But not all cleansers are created equal. Some cleansers have chemicals that are just as bad (or worse!) for your skin as the toxins in the air.
Certain ingredients will strip your skin of some of the natural oils your skin needs for protection. Take for instance Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) which handles foaming in many skincare products. SLS has been shown to dry your skin out, encourage mutations in bacteria, and harm the immune system. Despite that, it’s often one of the most concentrated ingredients in our products!
There are hundreds of products available on the market, but looking through and researching each ingredient can be tough. How about avoiding all the chemicals and trying out a homemade face wash? When I first started looking into homemade face washes, my biggest worry was having to get a lot of ingredients. Looking at the back of my store-bought cleansers, it was a reasonable assumption.
But I was completely wrong. These 5 DIY face washes are so simple to make! Each of the ingredients in these recipes has many uses beyond the skin. You’re likely to have some of these ingredients already, so why not give this a try today?
DIY Face Wash Recipes
DIY Foaming Face Wash for All Skin Types
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon Coconut oil
- ? cup Castile soap
- ? cup Filtered or distilled water
- 10-15 drops Lavender essential oil
Directions
- Swirl the ingredients in a small bowl until everything is blended.
- Take an empty container (I like to reuse empty soap dispensers for this) and pour your mixture in.
Face Wash For Acne-Prone or Oily Skin
Ingredients
- ½ cup organic honey
- ¼ cup Apple cider vinegar
- 10 drops of tea tree oil
Directions
- Mix all of the ingredients, put it into a dispenser.
- When using it, take a little bit and massage it onto the face.
- Wipe it off with a moist cotton ball and then wash your face.
DIY Face Cleanser For Dry Skin
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon almond oil
- 1 cup mild castile soap
- 20 drops Jasmine fragrance
- 1 cup distilled water
Directions
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until everything is blended.
- Pour it into a dispenser bottle.
Face Wash Gel For Dry Or Oily Skin
Ingredients
- ¼ cup aloe vera gel
- 1 or 2 teaspoons sweet almond oil
- a few drops of your choice of essential oil (optional)
Directions
- Swirl all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until well mixed.
- Pour into a dispenser bottle.
- For oily skin, substitute almond oil with liquid castile soap
Basic Face Wash
Ingredients
- ½ cup liquid castile soap
- 1 – 2 tablespoons oil
- 10 drops of essential oil
Directions
- Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.
- Pour this mixture into an empty dispenser.
- For oily skin, substitute oils for aloe vera gel (See above recipe).
- You can optionally add coffee grounds to this mixture to make it into an exfoliating cleanser.
5 recipes that will help you get on top of oily, dry, or combination skin, simple as that! As the largest organ in your body and your body’s line of defense against the elements, your skin deserves the best. Treat it tonight with one of these simple recipes.
Here are a few more great DIY face mask recipes you have to try!
- Turmeric Face Mask
- Charcoal Face Mask
- Match Coconut Oil Face Mask
