All Natural Facial Cleansing Wipes

A while back I went on a hunt through my local drugstores looking for facial cleansing wipes made with ingredients I can actually pronounce and no artificial fragrances. Is it just me, or does everything have fragrance in it these days? My trash bags do not need to smell like potpourri and my face does not need to be covered in cheap perfume, thank you very much.

Add to that, the Boy is almost 14 which means 1) he’s at the age when blackheads and zits are running amuck, and 2) he won’t wash his face unless I nag. He’s more likely to do it with facial wipes but he doesn’t want his face to smell like cheap perfume, either.

So, what’s an essential oil-loving mom to do? Make her own, of course! I’ve made several batches of these now and they work like a charm. The recipe is really simple. It uses:

• 3/4 cup distilled water
• 1/2 cup witch hazel
• 1 tablespoon castille soap (I used tea tree soap to help fight breakouts)
• 1 tablespoon carrier oil (I used safflower oil)

If you can’t find tea tree soap, you can use plain castille soap and add 20 drops of tea tree oil.

I used heavy-duty paper towels that come in half sheets, and cut about 20 sheets in half. I folded them and stacked them in a plastic container, mixed up the liquid ingredients and poured it over top. I squished the towels down and flipped them over a couple times until they were saturated.

These really help reduce my son’s blackheads and breakouts, and I like them, too. They’re great for removing makeup and they don’t dry out my face. (We both rinse after we use them so we’re not leaving soap on our skin.)

I may tweak the recipe a bit to add some lavender essential oil for extra skin soothing, but I doubt I’ll be able to sneak that version past a teenage boy!

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