Homemade Face Wash

I had a few of you ask about the homemade face wash I referenced last week...so I wanted to hand over that recipe today!

I wanted to also give you a little background on why I'm doing more DIY/homemade stuff...and why I'm doing on a non-fanatical basis.

It's true that I'm possibly one of the most easily-freaked out people I've ever met. It's just better all the way around if I know minimal information about most things, because the more I know, the more I worry, and no one has time for that level of panic. Ignorance really is bliss, sometimes.

So that's the reason I refuse to really read and research all the ins and outs of the chemicals in everything around me, because if I dig in too much, I'll buy a plastic bubble and never leave it. {Except living in plastic is probably a health hazard too!!} It's just a weird thing about my brain and personality. Having said that...I am increasingly aware that I can do something to eliminate at least a portion of the junk in my life. And something is better than nothing.

Very slowly, Ryan and I have been working to find ways to do things on our own so we can be a little more in control of what we're putting in and on our bodies. In addition to that, we're always on the hunt for ways to save money, and if somehow, a little bit of a DIY life can accomplish both of those things at one time, we say yay! But on the flip side of that, we're not choosing to go 100% organic on everything in our entire lives. We're not driven by it in every area.

In the land of health and beauty products, I decided to start my DIY adventure with face wash mostly because my store-bought bottle was almost empty. For many years, I used Mary Kay face wash, but at almost $20.00 a bottle, I came to the place where I didn't feel like I could afford it anymore, so I moved to a store product that was about $5.00 a bottle. Not horrible at all in the grand scheme of life, but if I could do it cheaper myself...and save some mysterious chemicals in the process, I wanted to try.

I found a recipe on Pinterest that took me here, and then I made my own version of it, which is as follows:


Homemade Face Wash

1 cup water
1/2 tablespoon grated glycerin soap
5 drops lavender essential oil

Bring cup of water to a boil in a pan on the stove. Add the grated soap and stir until it's completely melted. Let it cool, and add the essential oil drops. Store in a glass container. 

Tips and Hints:

* The original recipe called for unscented glycerin soap, but at our grocery store, that did not exist. I decided to purchase the 3 pack of Vitamin E glycerin soap, which cost me $3.00.

* The original  recipe also called for peppermint and lemon essential oils, but I chose to use lavender instead. I did find a really helpful article online here that talks about how different oils are helpful for different skin types and issues.
 
* I am so brand new to the world of essential oils that I cannot even claim to be any sort of teacher. But I can tell you that one thing I have learned about them is that they should not be stored in plastic containers. Because of that, I purchased a bottle actually intended for oil and vinegar in the kitchen. I keep it on the bathroom sink and just pour out some of the soap onto my washcloth each morning when I wash my face. One thing you should know is that this does not create a lather, which is weird at first, but it doesn't sacrifice any cleanliness, I can promise you.

* Between the glycerin soap and the oil, it's pretty invigorating and wakes me right up, which I love. My old face wash had caffeine beads in it, and I was worried I would miss those, but this has done a great job of being the perfect wake up call.

* I believe my skin is even less oily than it was with my face wash, and it feels really soft, even before I put on moisturizer. I may, in the future, play around with different oils, as I learn more about them and what I need for my skin, but for now, I'm really pleased with this.

* This used next to NONE of the three bars of soap I purchased, and obviously water is already covered under our household bills, so even when adding essential oil drops, this is still much cheaper than purchasing face wash at the store, and with the results being positive as far as how my skin looks and feels, I'm sold on continuing to make this myself. {Bonus: it takes almost no time to make!}

* I'm guessing the recipe above will last about a month or more, so I won't have to make it very often!