Cleansing your face of makeup and other residues before bedtime is vital for your skin’s health and longevity, and makeup wipes have remained a bathroom necessity for getting this important job done. There is an undeniable convenience to wiping your makeup away, throwing the towelette in the trash, and going to bed with a clean face. This sounds great in theory-- yet in practice, you sacrifice the health of both your skin and the environment by using cleansing wipes. Read on to explore the risks of makeup wipes and find the perfect zero-waste recipe for DIY makeup remover!
Makeup Wipes Are Really Harmful For Your Skin!
Like many other single-use items, i.e. plastic straws or grocery bags, makeup wipes are handy because they can be thrown away and forgotten about after use. But also like other disposable products, your personal mountain of waste grows taller each time you throw one out. These non-biodegradable wipes are forgotten, but not gone!
The vices don’t stop at a lack of sustainability. Cleansing wipes pose incredible risks to your skin because they do a lousy job of removing residue, the harsh chemicals in them cause irritation and the poorly made fibers are abrasive on your eyes and face.
A viral video demonstrating the low efficacy of wipes shows aesthetic medicine expert Dr. Tijion Esho applying foundation to an orange. Then, he attempts to remove the product with a cleansing towelette, pulling the wipe away to show gunky foundation still trapped in the orange’s pores (which are similar to our face pores). This is what happens when you use makeup wipes: residue is spread all over your face where it burrows into your skin, causing buildup and acne.
Even worse, many types of makeup wipes are soaked with harsh ingredients like alcohol or fragrance, which can cause extreme dryness and irritation. Plenty of wipes also include additives and fillers that can worsen your skin problems. These low-quality ingredients are some of the main culprits when it comes to redness, dryness, and irritation. In other words, your skin can tell if the products you apply contain whole ingredients. Do you know how after you eat a huge, messy cheeseburger, you feel like your organs are actually made of beef, grease, and bun? The same thing happens when you apply irritating products to your skin. Poor ingredients can lead to dryness, irritation, blocked pores, problems with oil production, and so on.
Just to top it all off, the fibers in your cleansing wipes are most likely made of plastic or other synthetics. Rubbing circles into your eyes with abrasive materials and chemicals will only worsen dark circles, eye bags, and wrinkles!
It’s time to stop putting your skin through so much turmoil. A homemade makeup remover recipe will reduce your waste and rejuvenate your face with whole ingredients.
DIY Zero-Waste Makeup Removal Recipes
The good news is that homemade makeup removers can maximize glow and minimize irritation. Here are a few eco-friendly makeup remover recipes for every skin type that can be customized to fit your own skincare needs!
Homemade Makeup Remover For Oily Skin
If you have oily skin, it’s best to cleanse with the goal of removing buildup without causing dryness. Dry skin can cause your glands to overcompensate and produce even more oil. This means your DIY makeup cleanser should wipe away oil and add moisture. Here’s a recipe you can make for oily skin, followed by why the ingredients work:
- Create a 50/50 ratio mixture of witch hazel and water.
- Add an equal part of jojoba oil, then mix!
- Apply your remover to a reusable fabric facial round and gently hold it over your eyes for 15-30 seconds. This will soften your makeup for easy removal. Rather than rubbing the product off of your eyes, dab with a gentle firmness until enough product has been removed for your facial cleanser to finish the job.
If you already have a favorite moisturizer, you can skip the oil and apply the witch hazel and water mixture to your face to eliminate excess oil. Be sure to rehydrate your skin after applying!
Why Witch Hazel Works
Witch hazel is a wild plant humans have had a close relationship with for hundreds of years. Indigenous peoples found they could boil the witch hazel plant and use the distilled liquid to treat skin sores and cuts or ease illnesses like dysentery. Today, witch hazel has become a commonly used skincare product that many people apply as a toner because of its anti-inflammatory and anti-redness properties. It is said to help with many skin problems because it removes oil and dead skin cell buildup from deeper inside of your pores than a simple cleanse achieves.
Why Jojoba Oil Works
According to the National Library of Medicine, jojoba oil is very similar to the sebum produced by the oil glands under the skin. Healthline explains how the gentle oil preserves moisture while killing certain bacteria on the skin. This means the moisture your skin wants to retain can stick around for longer and prevent over-production of oil and sebum!
Homemade Makeup Remover For Dry Skin
If you have dry skin, you want to avoid using products that will add more irritants and dryness to your face. Cleansing with oils like castor oil (pictured above) will help lock in moisture and prevent your skin from compensating for dryness by producing oil. Here’s a recipe you can start with:
- Mix 1 part pure aloe with 2 parts jojoba oil and 2 parts castor oil.
- Dampen a reusable facial round with your mixture and hold it over your eyes for 15-30 seconds to loosen eye makeup. Then, gently dab away the product. Use clean hands to apply the oil mixture to the rest of your skin, then wash your face as usual.
Why Castor Oil Works
In the recipe for oily skin detailed above, we explained why jojoba oil is such an effective moisturizer. Castor oil has many similar properties, but it also has some varying benefits that encourage a partnership with jojoba. Castor oil is full of highly moisturizing fatty acids, which is why the oil is so often found in chapsticks and lip glosses. Even better, the versatile oil has anti-inflammatory and anti-wrinkle properties, so your skin will be vibrant and smooth instead of flakey and dry!
Conclusion
Whip up a DIY makeup remover and escape the abrasive wipes that contribute to dark circles, eye bags, and wrinkles. Your customized remover will look great on your bathroom counter. next to your eco-friendly cotton rounds (they’re gentle on the skin, plus they come with a cinch bag for washing)!
Which recipe works best for you? Do you have any other sustainable makeup remover or skincare ideas? Share your creative ideas with us in the comments!
