I don’t wear a lot of makeup, but mascara is on my list of daily must-haves. That plus under eye concealer and lip gloss makes up the majority of my day ‘look.’ Lots of natural face cleansers (like my favorite cleansing grains) don’t remove mascara so I researched a recipe for a simple all-natural homemade makeup remover that can handle even the toughest mascara – and save you money, too.
I love the ritual of curling my lashes and sweeping on a couple of coats of mascara. It takes me back to watching my mom get ready in the morning with curlers in her hair. I learned how to remove eye makeup from my mom, too. Her go-to was baby oil. It definitely worked, but as I’ve since moved away from mineral oil and other petroleum byproduct ingredients.
And let’s be honest, taking off your makeup at night is a pain. Yes, it’s an essential step in your skincare regimen, but it’s an easy one to skip when you’re tired. I avoid wearing eyeliner quite often just because I hate taking it off. And I know I’m not the only one who sometimes ‘forgets’ to remove their makeup? Sleeping in makeup can clog pores, leading to blemishes and premature aging. So the solution needs to be simple – and it is!
Natural Homemade Makeup Remover
I tried several liquid removers that were none-too-gentle and required lots of wiping, tugging and pulling on the delicate eye area. A big no-no if you want to avoid wrinkles! Another easy natural solution is coconut oil. It definitely removes eye makeup, but it can feel a bit greasy. And it sometimes sting my eyes.
Jojoba oil combined with witch hazel and aloe vera is gentle on the eyes without irritation. I added just a couple of drops of lemon essential oil for its natural grease cutting ability.
Shake to combine the ingredients before each use and then saturate a cotton pad. Close your eyes and sweep the pad over. Or you can also make makeup remover wipes by pouring the solution over a stack of pads in a jar. Easy peasy!
What’s you’re favorite way to take off your eye makeup?
Homemade Makeup Remover
Prep
Total
Yield 2 .5 oz
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons witch hazel
- 2 tablespoons jojoba oil
- 1 tablespoon aloe vera
- 2 drops lemon essential oil
Instructions
- Using a funnel, pour witch hazel, jojoba and aloe vera into a small container with a lid.
- Add 2 drops of lemon essential oil.
- Swirl to combine ingredients.
- To use, dispense a small amount onto a cotton pad and wipe gently over eye area. Don't pull or tug.
Shahad says
June 15, 2019 at 4:28 pmI’m struggling to find a witch hazel that doesn’t contain alcohol , anyone know where i can get one ? (Ps. i’ve been using rose water instead of witch hazel )
Emily Belous says
April 27, 2019 at 12:45 amIf you don’t have lemon essential oil, what other types of essential oils can you use?
Stephanie Gerber says
May 7, 2019 at 11:30 amYou can leave it out or use another oil like lavender.
Asiel says
March 19, 2019 at 11:13 amWhat is the shelf life on this
Natalie says
November 18, 2018 at 9:22 pmI have problems with Lemon oil on my skin, could I drop the lemon oil and substitute it with Lavender oil instead?
Julie says
January 1, 2018 at 4:40 pmWhat kind of witch hazel do you use? The kind with alochol or without? Thanks
Julie says
January 1, 2018 at 4:41 pm*alcohol
Janet says
October 10, 2017 at 5:35 pmHi,
Do you use aloe vera gel or juice?
Thank you!
Stephanie Gerber says
October 11, 2017 at 12:26 pmI use an aloe vera gel (this one: http://amzn.to/2xAsSsa) not the juice. But this ‘gel’ is still pretty liquid.
Lupe says
May 20, 2017 at 9:43 pmI know this is the very best make up remover ever you know what is in it your not dealing with hardh chimmals and you save money ot is a win win situation
Eva says
February 21, 2017 at 3:02 amHi! I’ rather new to your blog, but I already love it! I’ve tried a couple of your DIY’s and they are fantastic!
I have a question for this one though … I’m wearing eye contacts, so is this make up remover suitable for me? I don’t have any allergies or anything…
Thanks again for the beautiful site!
Mary M Heiser says
October 29, 2016 at 7:29 pmI use straight coconut oil. Do you suggest adding anything else such as an essential oil?
Deena says
April 27, 2017 at 4:53 pmCoconut oil is great. I put it in my shakes and hair; however, it rates a 4 on the Comedogenic scale, and so has the potential to clog pores. Put it in your body, not on your body (except feet and elbows).
Kippi Schank says
July 12, 2016 at 4:04 pmI have a question about the aloe. Is it juice or gel? Gel is very hard to mix!
Nutty Hiker says
May 9, 2016 at 12:32 amI will have to give this a try. I love making my own beauty (and cleaning) products when I can. I have been looking for a makeup remover that will remove mascara. Wonder if it works well at removing lip stain as well?
=) Bridget
http://nuttyhiker.com
Nora says
April 29, 2016 at 3:06 pmHello
the Aloe vera, do you mean the gel?
Stella @ Stellicious Life says
April 24, 2016 at 5:49 amHi,
thought you should know that I saw your post reposted in its entirety with the photos here:
http://beyondsavory.blogspot.com/2016/04/make-your-own-homemade-makeup-remover.html
Stephanie Gerber says
April 25, 2016 at 8:44 pmArg, this kind of thing drives me crazy! Thanks for the heads up, Stella.
momtheobscure says
April 22, 2016 at 8:10 amThanks this is just what I was looking for. I’ll have to give it a try. I admit that a lot of times I don’t apply make up because I’m deterred by the thought of having to take it off later!
Stephanie Hartley says
April 21, 2016 at 4:33 pmOh wow this sounds amazing! I imagine it smells beautiful. I’ve only just recently realised how harmful ‘normal’ face wipes are and I’ve moved to a more natural LUSH cleanser. I’m definitely going to be trying this out soon
Steph – http://www.nourishmeblog.co.uk
Colleen Welsch says
April 21, 2016 at 3:25 pmI bet that smells so good too!