This rich, gentle creamy clay cleansing balm is a hybrid between a cleansing balm and a clay bar. It pairs the cleansing powers of emulsifying wax and clay with nourishing oils to leave your skin gently cleansed and lightly hydrated. It also smells a bit like a creamsicle, thanks to a blend of sweet orange and vanilla-y peru balsam essential oils. I think you’ll like it!
The base of this cleansing balm is a fairly soft blend of emulsifying wax, hydrating virgin coconut oil, cleansing castor oil (USA / Canada), lightweight grapeseed oil, and glassy candelilla wax. I kept it soft so we can add lots of clay without ending up with a clumpy, crumbly final product—instead it’s nice and creamy.
I chose white white kaolin clay (USA / Canada), but if you don’t have it you can use any other light, smooth clay you have on hand; French green, French yellow, or zeolite would all be good choices. The heavy clays (bentonite and rhassoul) aren’t good alternatives due to their completely different textures (especially bentonite, which absorbs moisture in a completely different way than the lighter clays).
For essential oils I went with a blend of sweet, juicy orange, surprisingly vanilla-like peru balsam (benzoin would work as well) and spicy cape snowbush. The cape snowbush is optional (I know it’s pretty weird), but it does a nice job of taming the sweetness of the citrus/vanilla blend. If you love sweet scents you likely won’t miss it! You could also try a drop or two of clove instead of cape snowbush for a spiced cake scent. Yum!
The final balm is thick, creamy, and utterly packed with clay. It’s best massaged into damp skin with wet hands and wiped off with a washcloth. I find it leaves my skin beautifully clean without feeling dry—give it a go!
Creamy Clay Cleansing Balm
10g | 0.35oz complete emulsifying wax (not beeswax!)
10g | 0.35oz virgin coconut oil
15g |0.53oz castor oil (USA / Canada)
20g | 0.7oz grapeseed oil
4g | 0.14oz candelilla wax6 tbsp white white kaolin clay (USA / Canada)
10 drops sweet orange essential oil
5 drops peru balsam essential oil or 2 blobs benzoin
2 drops cape snowbush essential oil (optional)Weigh the emulsifying wax, coconut oil, castor oil (USA / Canada), grapeseed oil, and candelilla wax into a heat resistant glass measuring cup. Place that measuring cup into a small saucepan that contains approximately 5cm/2″ of water and bring that water to a gentle simmer. Allow everything to melt through in the water bath, stirring to combine, and taking care to ensure the water bath does not summer dry.
Once everything has melted stir in the clay a tablespoon at a time, taking care to break up any clumps so your final balm is smooth.
When all the clay has been added, remove the measuring cup from the water bath and dry it off (to avoid incorporating any water by accident, which will cause the balm to spoil much faster). Stir in the essential oils, and pour the balm into a 60mL/2oz tin to set up.
To use, take a finger scoop of the balm that’s roughly half a teaspoon in size and blend it with some warm water between your palms. Massage into damp skin and wipe off with a wet washcloth (you will need a washcloth or some sort of a towel to get a fully clean washed-off feeling). Follow up with some argan oil and enjoy your soft, clean face!
Looking for something a bit different? I’m utterly smitten with my cold snap cleansing balm!
Could I use something other than coconut oil? It’s quite comedogenic, so I never use it on my face. Thanks for another wonderful recipe, Marie!
Have you read this article? It’s really helpful for making substitutions 🙂 Babassu oil would probably be your best alternative, but it general… this balm will be on your face for all of a minute. I’m not at all fussed about comedogenic ratings in such circumstances, but my skin is reasonably well behaved 🙂
I tried making this and I’m not sure if it didn’t come out right because I didn’t have emulsifying wax and I used xanthum gum instead and bee’s wax? It came out like a body butter and was very oily.
Hey Doreen! It does sound like it didn’t come out right because of your swaps—unfortunately they really wouldn’t do the same thing at all :/ Xanthan gum is not a complete emulsifier and it’s water soluble (so it won’t dissolve into the balm at all), and beeswax isn’t anything like emulsifying wax other than both of them having wax in the name :/ I’m guessing you’ve now got a body butter with lots of clay in it and some gritty bits of xanthan gum. You could probably make it usable by melting it down and adding some emulsifying wax and more liquid oil to counteract the thickening the beeswax added, but you will have to get some emulsifying wax for that, in which case you might just want to start over.
This looks awesome! I was thinking about something like this, but a bit harder bar. But I wasn’t sure about adding e-wax or how to add it when I was thinking of mine. How would you say the feel/slip compares to your other clay cleansing bars? Is it more creamy rather a bit rough? My skin was red after trying the french green clay one.
I meant is this balm more creamy rather than rough? Also, could humectants be added to your other clay cleansing bars or will that cause it mold since it is pulling water in? I really want to improve the slip of the other cleansing clay bars as it is a bit rough for me- any suggestions?
Hey! This is definitely more of a creamy balm than a bar. I did originally intend to make it a bar, but the possibility for spoilage was massive and it seemed silly to make something that required preservatives when this functions more or less identically but doesn’t require preservatives.
I’ve found the best way to improve the slip of bars that are mostly clay is to use a smooth side of them (you could sand it down if you’re finding it rough right after making) and ensure you’re using enough water that it softens a bit when you glide it across you skin. It will always be too rough if it’s too dry! I often have to re-wet mine three or four times during application to keep it gliding along. I have, in general, found clay bars to be very prone to mould, so if you want to start adding stuff, include a preservative. I haven’t experimented much in that realm, so I’m afraid you’re on your own there, but have fun!
How about if it was not a cleansing balm buy a simple body butter bar? Would adding clay into a body butter bar also increase the chances of mould?
If there is no water there can be no mould.
Instead of the candelilla wax could I use my beeswax?
You likely can, but I chose candelilla because it’s smooth, whereas beeswax is more sticky. You might find beeswax will effect the wash-off feel of the balm. You’ll also need to use a gram or two more 🙂 Happy making!
Hi there! thank you so much for the amazing recipe!
I just have two questions: can I replace the candelilla wax with beeswax? also could I use the cold pressed grapeseed oil that is used for cooking?
thanks in advance! greetings from Ireland!
You likely can, but I chose candelilla because it’s smooth, wheras beeswax is more sticky. You might find beeswax will effect the wash-off feel of the balm. You’ll also need to use a gram or two more 🙂 The grapeseed oil for cooking should work beautifully, but it is likely significantly more expensive than cosmetic grade, so if you find you’re using it a lot I’d look at buying some cosmetic grade so you don’t use up all your expensive cooking oil in body products. Happy making!
Another I have to try. Thanks for the great recipes.
Thanks! Happy making 🙂
I’ve been using this balm daily for a week and my lifelong blackheads are vanishing. There’s fewer every time I use it. It seems to make the most difference when I take 1-2 full minutes to massage it in. No scrub has ever made my face feel this soft and smooth either.
Could you leave the candelilla wax out all together. It’s the one ingredient I do not have on hand. =)
I wouldn’t leave the wax out all together unless you want quite a runny final product—that would still work, but it wouldn’t really be a “balm” anymore 🙂
Hi Marie, just wondering is your book is available for me to pre-order please?.
Thank you.
Not yet, but stay tuned here and on social media to find out when it is!
Can I make this clay balm for the purpose of sale… Whts it’s shelf life coz I won’t be adding any preservative
Please read this and this 🙂 . I would also recommend reading the disclaimer in the footer.
Yay! My candelilla wax and kaolin clay arrived today. I currently do OCM, so I will probably just replace the grape seed with the (light) oils that I use in my OCM mix. It will be fun to see how this compares with my normal routine. Thanks for the great recipe to try!
Woohoo! Happy making 😀
I have dry skin and though it does love a clay mask when followed by lots of moisture, I did not know if I would need to follow this cleansing balm with my light moisturizer on my driest area, my cheeks, or if I would need a more heavy hitter. So far it seems my skin is just as moisturized as with my normal routine! (Just moisturizer on cheeks) Normally I only need to wash it 1-3x a week, depending on the weather and my workout routine, so we will see how it holds up over this next month. If it passes the test I’ll be one happy camper because this would be much easier to travel with (I’m always worried about my bottle of oil leaking!), it applies very nicely, and I’ve had this cute round tin sitting around waiting for a use for 2 years so I’m happy to have use for it!
I also noticed my skin tone seemed a bit more even. I am naturally always a bit pink and have pink blotches on my cheeks as well that did not go away, but over all my skin seemed to look nicer. I thought I was just seeing things, you know, wanting it to look better so it did, but it just might be the addition of coconut oil that has made the difference. Once again, only time will tell!
Hey Liz! This is awesome first round feedback 😀 I’d definitely agree a solid balm is a much better travel companion than a liquid oil! Here’s hoping your skin tone continues to even out and you fall head over heels with this balm 😉
It’s been a few months, but better late than never, right? After a great start I found it too drying to use nightly. Usually not a problem, but I was experimenting with make up at that time so I was washing nightly. I switched to my normal routine for a couple weeks, but as summer’s semi-oily skin hit, I gave it another try. It works well with daily or every other day cleansing. I have enough to last me well into sept, so am contemplating how to reformulate for my winter skin.
Thanks again!!!
Thanks for the feedback, Liz! You can certainly try using less clay for drier months; that’d probably be the easiest change 🙂 You might also try using a bit less of it, and more water. Thanks for reading & DIYing with me, and for sharing your results!
Hey! Will grapeseed oil lead to breakout on the face? Also, will there be a residue of oil on the skin? Lastly, if I skip the candelilla wax completely and increase the e-wax by a gram or two will that do?
Hey! Grapeseed oil is rich in Linoleic acid, a fatty acid that’s been shown to help problematic skin, so it should do the opposite of lead to breakouts. If you wipe your skin down with a cloth after washing there won’t be residue. Candelilla wax and e-wax are not interchangeable/don’t do the same things in products, so using one for the other isn’t a great idea—there’s no reason to add more e-wax if you are dropping the candelilla wax. You’ll end up with a fairly soft, runny final product if you drop the candelilla.
Hi Mary, where do you buy benzoin? Thank’s
Check out my giant list of places to shop—benzoin is fairly common, so start with whatever country you live in 🙂
I made this the day you posted. Ohhh myyy goshh. I have dry skin. I kept everything in except the peru balsam and cape snow blush. I had benzoin and orange EO. This balm is the best. The dry patch on my chin….gone. i would not sub out any of the main ingredients. This is awesome!! The candelilla makes it nice and smooth along with the ewax. Thank you marie!! My skin loves this
Woohoo! I am SO thrilled 😀 Thanks so much for reporting back, Jeanette, and thanks for reading and DIYing with me 🙂
Hi Marie
Love, love, love your site. I have learned so much, can’t wait to try the liquid soap paste. I made the lots of clay bar, and it’s absolutely lovely. For this balm, do you think candelilla wax could be switched out for polo wax?
Thanks for everything!
Thanks, Debbie! Unfortunately candelilla wax has pretty much nothing in common with polawax other than both having “wax” in the name, so you can’t swap them—read this for more info 🙂
Hi Marie, quick question on the final feel of the balm. Mine was quite harder than I thought from your pics. I managed to mix it quite easily with the back of a metal spoon, and it’s now possible to pick some up with one’s fingers, but it would hold whatever shape you gave it.
Ingredients were exact to recipe, so I am wondering if I misread the clay measurement, which is the only one not in grams. Is it supposed to be 6 tablespoons? Thanks!
Hey Patrizia! It sounds like your balm is the right consistency—mine is a bit like play dough, just as you described 🙂 it’ll thin out when you blend it with water to use it. Thanks for reading and DIYing with me!
Thank you!
Marie,
up to date, which one is your absolute favorite cleansing balm?
Thanks!
This one 😀
hi marie, great site and ultra thanks for all the information you share. one quick request: can you check the gram-to-ounce conversion for the castor oil? I think it may be incorrect as detailed.
Good catch! It was 0.53 instead of .35 😛 For future reference, the grams amount is always the correct one if there’s a discrepancy; I do everything in grams first and just translate it at the end for the the Yanks 😛
Hi Marie,
Could you infuse this with herbs like in some of your other recipes to pack even more good stuff in? Thanks 🙂
Of course! What a lovely idea 🙂
Hi Marie,
First off I love all your recipes and I’m so happy I found your blog and your book. I can’t wait to start making my own products. My question is can this cleansing balm be poured into a pump bottle instead of a tin? Thanks!
Hey Chauna! This cleansing balm is 100% solid, so if you pour it into a pump bottle it will stay there forever haha.
Hi Marie, I spent 5 hours yesterday making your recipes (now that most ingredients have been delivered) and I made this clay cleanser too. I replaced the fragrance with 50% neroli and 50% frankinsense from Andrea Butje recipes (gotta use more oils from my newly acquired IMMENSE collection of eos). I feel like adding more EOs percentage-wise… I like the strong fragrance, and my skin is not sensitive.
It works great, and looks very natural “greige” haha! Wondering if I could ditch candellila wax and replace it with non waxy hardener, say lanolin alcohol? Any experience with it? I haven’t used it yet.
Thanks again!
Hey Natasha! It sounds like you had a very busy day yesterday 🙂 I haven’t worked with lanolin alcohol, but you might take a look at stearic acid as an alternative 🙂
Awesome, thanks! Adding it to the shopping cart. Did I mention that I also picked up a small fridge on ebay to store all this goodness in? 😀
Lucky you! I sort of have a DIY fridge, but it is also my beer fridge
This sounds lovely, can’t wait to try it out. Can I ask how long will this last, does it need to be kept in the fridge or will it be okay stored at room temperature as I noticed you didn’t include a preservative in this recipe. I have read it somewhere that products that contain clay is hard to preserved.
No water, no preservative! Just be sure to keep it dry 🙂 Check the FAQ for several articles on preservation and shelf life. Happy making!
I don’t have these ingredients: 5 drops peru balsam essential oil or 2 blobs benzoin
Is this just for scent? Meaning I can just use a different EO? Ty!
It’s just for scent 🙂 Do whatever makes your nose happy!
This is one of my favorite recipes! It was so easy and it works so well! However, the first time I used it, I smoothed it on my dry face with dry hands… it felt like I had just smeared my face with axle grease! It was so thick! But then I jumped in the shower and massaged in a little water- perfect! My face felt squeaky clean but hydrated! This cleanser paired with the rose gold serum are now my two must haves!
Yay, I’m so glad! I have taken to always blending cleansing balms with a bit of water in my palm before schmearing them on my face for exactly that reason
Hi Marie,
Just tried this recipe after some attempts at other balms inspired by your creations and I think it came out really well! One change I made based on the outcome of some of my other balms is that I lowered the wax content significantly. I found the other balms to create too much of an impenetrable barrier so that when i massaged with water, the product emulsified too poorly. The changes I made were: increasing the e-wax to 24% of total before clay, replacing 4g of candelilla wax with 1g cera bellina 2g cupuacu butter (these two made up 6% of total before clay), and using only 1 tblsp sea clay. I also broke up the grapeseed oil component into grapeseed, camellia seed and a little tamanu oil. The finally product is much more pliable and can be massaged on dry skin beforehand while still readily accepting water for the emulsification. I’m still want to experiment with adding more polysorbate 20 or 80 (not sure) separately to increase rinse off abilities for an option that does not require any hot cloth component. Let me know your thoughts!
Very cool! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂 You can use some Polysorbate 80 instead of some liquid oils if you are so inclined—I definitely want to try some new cleansing balm recipes stat now that I’m so in love with stearic acid and cetyl alcohol 🙂
Hi Marie, can I replace the clay with licorice powder?
I wouldn’t—all they really have in common is both being powders, so that would sort of be like using icing sugar instead of flour in a cake because they’re both powders. You could introduce a little bit of liquorice powder (maybe 2g), but I wouldn’t use it instead of the clay.
Made this today and I just love it. The only bad thing is, I can’t keep my hands off my face! When I saw 6 Tbsps. of clay then put in a 2 ounce tin I thought she must be drinking that E oil, no way is all of this going to fit in that, but, I was wrong, it fit just fine.So please forgive me for my loss in faith and keep giving us these great recipes.
Ahahahaha, I’m giggling away at the notion of drinking vitamin E oil and getting all loopy 😛 I’m glad you’re loving it!
Hi,
I’m thinking about adding kelp powder (Ascophyllum nodosum) to the recipe; maybe I’ll replace the kaolin entirely or make a combination of both. What are your thoughts about this – do you have any experience with kelp powder for cleansers?
I would’t replace the clay entirely as they do very different jobs (and seaweed stinks, ha)—I’d probably start with replacing 2–3tsp of the clay with seaweed and see what you think 🙂
Hello, I checked out the FAQ site but I still can’t find information on the shelf life of this clay balm. If it is kept dry (and by using a spatula each time) – how long will this balm last before I’ll have to throw it out?
This is the FAQ you’re looking for 🙂 “You’ll usually get at least a year out of a 100% oil based product, but that can be impacted by a few factors: (see FAQ)”
Thank you so much 🙂
Marie, would this be thin enough to put into a squeeze tube or a pump bottle?
Not even close, not even in Australian temps 😛 If I call it a “balm”, it’s a tin thing!
Good morning. I like to try out products for a few weeks prior to leaving a review on them. Ok, I have been using this creamy clay cleanser for a month now and OH MY! I am smitten, no, I am madly in love with it!
I have very sensitive, Scottish skin and I was a tad weary of trying a clay cleanser on my face for fear it would be too dying. Oh my word!!! My skin honestly looks fabulous, it has a glow to it. I have received approx 8 compliments on my skin in the past few weeks (Whoop!) and that is always nice to hear. It is not drying at all, my face actually feels as smooth as a baby’s bum. I wash my face with approx a quarter size morning and night and follow up with my other new favorite, the Gentle Calendula Cleansing Oil….FREAKIN AMAZING combo!! I love it so much that I made myself another batch on Saturday and one for my Bonus Mom and sister to try out.
Marie, thank you! You ROCK!!!
YAY!!! This comment makes me so darn happy 🙂 Thank you so much for DIYing with me and for taking the time to test things and then tell me how they work for you, I really appreciate it 🙂
Hi Marie! first of all, thank you for all your recipes, i’m learning a lot froùm them !
i did your clay cleansing balm, but i think i put too much of clay in it… (one spoon, to be exact). it has a very solid texture… could i do something to make it lighter?
thank you again!!
Thanks for reading! There’s nothing exact about “one spoon” (that’s like saying “one pinch”, ha), but if you followed the recipe, it will be quite solid—that’s how it is designed. I would not recommend adjusting it after it’s been made as that will dilute the emulsifier and compromise the rinse-off. You could adjust the recipe to contain more liquid oils and less solidifying ingredients and start from scratch if you want a softer end product 🙂
Hi Marie! 🙂 Could you use cetyl alcohol or stearic acid instead of the candelilla wax? Thanks!
Yes, BUT you would have to re-develop the recipe in order to find the proper quantities as it’s not going to be a 1:1 swap. Cetyl alcohol and stearic acid will thicken, but not with the same strength as candelilla wax.
Hi Marie,
Love your Website full of amazing DIY goodies, your such a star, keep up the great work. I have added up the ingredients of this Cleansing clay balm which totals to 59 grams so once I add the 6 tbsp of kaolin clay does this recipe then add up to 100 grams?. I feel it would benefit your bees if we had a total amount of the full ingredients listed too not just the individual amounts of each ingredient. Thanks
I’ve got over 1000 recipes up on Humblebee & Me; I’m not going to go back and weigh out every single ingredient previously measured in volume and do all that math. I have been doing this for newer recipes, but you are on your own for that sort of thing for older ones.
Hey Marie, What is the total amount in grams of all the ingredients including the kaolin clay? thanks
I don’t know; if you want that information you’ll need to weigh it out yourself 🙂
Hey Marie;
I love your recipies. I am trying to make them gradually and it is very joyfull. I am a bit confused about this recipe. On your you tube video you added stearic acid instead of cadelila wax. Which is more naturel and correct ? In additio. Can I subsitute candelilla wax to carnuoba wax though I can not find any candellia wax close to my region.
Kind regards.
I find the stearic acid gives the best results 🙂 “Natural” is a pretty useless definition, though both stearic acid and candelilla wax are derived from plants. And yes, carnauba and candelilla waxes are fairly interchangeable 🙂
Hi Marie, thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I have a very dry skin and when I used other clay mask products it used to give me super dry skin after using them. So, I decided that I would make my own clay mask with oil based. I have several questions for you and I hope you can answer them.
1. I would like to make this shelf life last longer. I have read your other article about preserving clay mask is impossible. However, I would still like to add some natural preservative even without an additional water. I am thinking of adding Dehydroacetic acid and benzyl alcohol (MICROCARE DB) – https://www.purenature.co.nz/shop/Cosmetic+Ingredients/Preservatives/Microcare+DB/x_sku/MICRODB.html at the end of making this product, preferably during the cooling phase? Do you know if this is possible? Would it change the consistency?
2. Also, I would like to add French Pink Clay, instead of Kaolin Clay, is this okay?
3. I also would like to make this more of a creamier texture (similar to buttercream texture), instead of a hard balm. How can I adjust the formula? Should I reduce the Emulsifying to 8g and Stearic Acid to 4g?
4. With your exact formula how was it like once you applied on your dry face directly without water? How long did it dry out? How long did you leave it for? 20 minutes? I’ve read above that with your formula it’s best to apply with a damp face.
Thank you so much for your time and effort, I hope you can help me.
Also, if I decide to add some water. How much water should I add? I really would like this similar to a clay mask but very hydrating. I’d like to dry out on the face for up to 20 minutes and then rinse it off.
I would also consider adding Dehydroacetic acid and benzyl alcohol (MICROCARE DB).
When should I add water? Should I also heat the water at the same time as the Oil Phase?
Thanks so much.
Don’t add water; with the amount of clay in here you will not be able to safely preserve it.
Hey!
1. If you’re adding a preservative I’d recommend liquid germall plus. If water does get into this balm it’s going to need a study preservative. The one you linked is only effective in a pH of 6 or lower and you cannot guarantee that. It’s also not effective against gram negative bacteria and not great with mould.
2. Yes, you can use other soft clays instead of kaolin.
3. You’re on the right track—remove hardening ingredients. E-wax is the active cleansing ingredient, so keep that in mind if you reduce it.
4. I don’t use this in the way you seem to think I do; I massage it into dry (or damp) skin and wipe it off immediately with a damp cloth. Given it does not contain water it isn’t really going to dry, and leaving it on for an extended period of time isn’t going to do a whole lot.
Hey Marie I’m so in love with your website with all these wonderful recipes.
I’ve done this recipe and it was easy to do and my face is so hydrated that I don’t need to use anything else.
I have done 3 recipes so far and I can’t stop wanting to explore more.
I am so glad! Thanks so much for reading and DIYing with me 😀
Hi Marie, since this contains lots of oil and ewax ( mine is emulsifying wax NF) does this remove eye makeup? If not, how can I make this recipe to remove makeup and wash off without a cloth? Is it possible with addition of SCI or cocamidopropyl betaine? I was hoping to make your Forest Facial Cleanser as my regular cleanser and this Creamy Clay Cleansing Balm for the days with makeup and sunblock on. Thanks for all you do I’m really grateful to find your website.
This will remove makeup, but you’ll need a cloth the get everything off—my newer Eucalyptus Mint Cleansing Balm has better wash off than this recipe 🙂
Can I add clay to this? Or do you have a recipe with clay that’s this same consistency?
Are you sure you’re commenting on the right place? This is a recipe for a “Creamy Clay Cleansing Balm” that already contains quite a lot of clay. So, yes, you can add clay—you have to! It’s part of the recipe, lol 😛
Hi Marie!
I’m loving this recipe! Is it possible to add a hardener and turn it into a stick version?
Yup! I’d look at a fatty thickener like stearic acid 🙂
Hey Marie,
I love this recipe! I made it with french green clay and I love the texture of the balm, it really feels like a nice exfloliantor as well as cleanser. Just a quick question about the ratio of clay, seeing as it’s so high and difficult to preserve, do you think a preservative would be needed here to reduce bacterial growth risk? Thanks!
Hey Ash! As long as this is kept dry, you don’t need a preservative 🙂 You could include one, but keeping it dry works beautifully in my experience. Happy making!
Hi Marie, how much would you say the 6tbsp of kaolin clay weighs? I am playing with this formulation – looking for a softer balm/butter consistency (subbing in some cetearyl alcohol for that) and adding polysorbate 80 for a better wash off, and I’m trying to percentify it(it’s not a word but you know what I mean ) thank you!
I couldn’t say without going and weighing it out myself, sorry!
Hi Ki Li!
6 tablespoons was around 36 grams (according to my scale last time I checked it) so this contains ~37,5 % clay (?) I’m been playing with clay balms too. Next I’m thinking of trying 10 % emulsifier and 4 % SCI with 30 % clay and 10 % bamboo powder. Enjoy!
Also, sorry, I bought some new polysorbate 80 and I can’t remember what my other one smelt like, but this current one smells like it’s kinda rancid, but in between the full on crayon smell and normal oil? It’s not meant to expire until December so I don’t know what’s wrong with it, does your polysorbate 80 smell like that? At the moment I’ve just been using EO to cover up the smell but for something going near the eyes I would leave out EO… thanks Marie, o goddess of DIY!
In my experience, yeah, all the polysorbates smell a bit ick, but it usually doesn’t come through in the end product.
I’ve never made this as written but I’m planning to – sounds fun. I decided to combine this with your recent creamy green clay mask, if that makes sence? Sounds and looks all kinds of lovely! I used same carriers as here, cetyl alcohol as thickener (I run out of C-waxes) and xyliance as emulsifier. Nice gentle clay mask + scrub in one jar!
Hooray! ❤️
Hie Marie, i made this balm with the ingredients as your youtube video with stearic acid and quantities mentioned and it still leaves a thick oily residue on the skin. Any suggestions to counter this problem???
I would recommend making one of my more recent cleansing balm formulations; I’ve learned a TON since I shared this nearly half a decade ago 🙂
I made the original version and loved it. I made a version with sweet almond oil, ecomulse, and phenonip… And HATED it. It’s impossible to rinse off. It feels waxy on my skin, not impossible to emulsify, but resistant to coming off my face. The almond oil couldn’t be the reason. It’s the first time I’ve used phenonip, but surely a plain old preservative at its appropriate usage rate wouldn’t do that. It must have been the ecomulse. But isn’t that supposed to be especially good for cleansing? That was the impression I got from the encyclopedia. The only other thing I can think of is that I could have weighed something incorrectly.