DIY Facial Wipes for Cleansing and Makeup Removal

We all have so much to do that taking care of our skin can be a tricky business. I wash my face every morning, and again at night if I wear makeup, like this DIY blush. There are times when I’m out of the house and I just feel messy and need to freshen up. Disposable facial wipes are convenient, but they can be expensive, aren’t eco-friendly, and are usually full of ingredients I’d rather avoid.

Toxic Ingredients In Facial Wipes

The popular Burt’s Bees brand is more natural, but not much better. It will cost you about $3 for just 10 cloths and contains iffy ingredients. One ingredient is phenoxyethanol, which is classified as a skin irritant and toxic to your bodies organs. Why wash your face with a skin irritant?!

Benzyl alcohol is another common ingredient in many popular wipes. This alcohol is classified as a moderate risk and immunotoxin and limited to low exposure for workers handling the product. Of course though the FDA has approved it for use in food, which makes perfect sense (not).

So what’s the solution? Make your own, portable and easily used cleansing cloths! Below is an easy DIY project that has so many uses. These can be kept in a wide mouth, screw top container like a mason jar, or a repurposed cosmetic jar and easily thrown in your bag.

How to Make Facial Wipes For Cleansing and Makeup Removal

You Will Need:

• Flannel fabric
• Sewing machine or needle and thread
• Scissors
• Wide mouth lidded jar
• Marker
• Pins

1. Fold your fabric in half. Starting at the end farthest from the middle crease, lay the lid down on your fabric and trace around it with the marker. Don’t worry about the marks as they won’t show once the project is done. Make as many as you want, keeping them closely spaced to save on fabric. Cut out all the pieces

2. Turn all the fabric pieces so that the patterned/colored side is on the inside. Line up the edges and place 1-3 straight pins in the center to hold the pieces together.

3. Using your sewing machine or hand needle, sew around the edge leaving about 1/4 inch of fabric on the outside rim. Do NOT sew all the way around but leave about a 1.5 inch opening.

4. Remove the pins and turn the fabric right side out. Use your finger or the eraser side of a pencil to make sure the fabric is pushed back and the largest space inside possible is created. There will be an unsightly gap.

5. Fold the edges of the unsewn fabric under and towards the center of the cloth. Starting at the unsewn area, sew around the edges of the fabric about 1/4 inch in. Be sure you don’t sew too far towards the center otherwise the gap fabric won’t be secured.

Facial Wipes Solution Recipes

Now that you have your wipes you need something to wet them with! This solution could be put directly on a stack of wipes in their storage container, or kept in a small squirt bottle. The recipes below contain natural essential oils with antiviral and antifungal properties so the wipes should stay fresh for a week when stored with the solution out of heat. Depending on how many wipes you have you may want to cut the recipes in half.

For acne prone skin use:

• 3-5 drops Tea tree essential oil
• 2 teaspoons Grapeseed oil
• 3-5 drops lavender essential oil
• 4 oz witch hazel

For normal to dry skin use:

• 5 drops vitamin E oil
• 2-4 drops Rosemary essential oil
• 2-4 drops Sandalwood essential oil
• 2 Teaspoons Olive or Sweet almond oil
• 4 oz witch hazel or flower hydrosol (rose and lavender are my favorites!)

1. Thoroughly combine all ingredients, then pour solution onto wipes.
2. To keep the wipes fresh, toss them in the laundry when done and wash like anything else.