Facial Cleanser Recipes

Looking to make some sort of facial cleanser? I've got recipes for foaming cleansers, cleansing oils, cleansing balms, and more!

Don't have a certain surfactant?

I've made a table detailing all the different surfactants I work with so you can compare their attributes and choose one that works for you!

Check the Chart

Why do you no longer recommend high pH cleansers?

Soothing Micellar Water

Today we're continuing our soothing series with this formula for a gentle Soothing Micellar Water. You'll find many of the same soothing ingredients we've been using throughout the series, creating a soothing and softly scented facial cleanser. Micellar water is a...

Winter Solstice Facial Polish

After the annual colourful craziness of Christmas DIYs I've really been enjoying dreaming up something solstice-inspired these last few years. We've got a face cream, a soap, and a mask, and now we've got a star-studded charcoal-infused facial polish. This facial...

Clementine Facial Cleansing Milk

Today we're making a gentle, low-foam, creamy Clementine Facial Cleansing Milk. It comes together just like a lotion, with the addition of a few grams of surfactants in the cool-down phase for a titch of cleansing power. If you've been looking at making your own...

Sea Buckthorn and Charcoal Cleansing Balm

This striking Sea Buckthorn and Charcoal Cleansing Balm stars two potent ingredients to create a perfect-for-Halloween cleansing balm. The inspiration for this came from wanting to create something for Halloween—in past years I've done lots of pumpkin spice things...

Oil Cleansing Gel

When I was in Montreal last year I visited Coop Coco, a local DIY supplier, and poked around, looking for things I didn’t have that would fit in my suitcase. I ended up picking up a bottle of Sucragel, a cold-process emulsifier I’d never worked with before, brought it...

Eucalyptus Mint Soft Cleansing Balm

This soft, squeezable cleansing balm is rich and creamy, melts into a stunning cleanser once you start working with it, and leaves your skin feeling refreshed and just a touch minty. I love it first thing in the morning to help me hit the ground running! Want to watch...

Lemon Rose Facial Cleansing Drops

I seem to be on a bit of a "concentrated" kick, partially inspired by my recent trip to Australia. I brought shampoo bars with me (that also ended up doubling as body wash), and found that all the use (aka getting wet) and the lack of time to dry between moves meant...

Lavender Gel Facial Cleanser

This fun, softly purple Lavender Gel Facial Cleanser is another thing I've devised as part of my Formula Botanica coursework. It's a wobbly, silky semi-solid facial cleansing experience that I probably find entirely too amusing 😝It's simple to make (no heat...

Rose Micellar Water

I'm pretty excited to be able to share a micellar water recipe I'm happy with. I've been experimenting with micellar water formulas quite a lot over the last year and while the concept is simple enough in theory, it took quite a lot of fiddling and refining to create...

Eucalyptus Mint Cleansing Oil

This silky smooth Eucalyptus Mint Cleansing Oil is really quite lovely; freshly herbal and minty, with a touch of a cooling tingle that definitely helps perk one up first thing in the morning. I tried a new solubilizer and I really like it—the cleansing oil rinses off...

Ginger Oak Moss Solid Facial Cleanser

This Ginger Oak Moss Solid Facial Cleanser is the sister to my Ginger Oak Moss Cleansing Balm Stick; the two accompanied me all around New Zealand last December, and did brilliantly. The inspiration for this came from a product I stumbled across while perusing...

Ginger Oak Moss Cleansing Balm Stick

I love this fragrant, creamy stick of cleansing goodness. I took the first version with my to New Zealand, where I spent much of my time on the road, camping somewhere new each night, and this stick was brilliant. I was so happy to have something I could use quickly...

Forest Cleansing Balm

I'm happy to report that Danny has been loving the Forest Facial Cleanser I made him (I'm loving it, too!), so I thought I'd extend the collection. And guys—this is the best cleansing balm I've ever made. It has the most amazing creamy consistency, beautiful rinse...

Coconut Clay Facial Cleanser

Last year, the first thing I ever made with Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (SCI) was a Gentle Foaming Clay Scrub that I really, really liked—I polished it off in a matter of weeks! For some reason or another I got to thinking about it again, and then I got to missing it,...

Forest Facial Cleanser

I dreamt up this cleanser for my friend and super-awesome yoga instructor Danny. He's pretty much the sole reason I've been able to start running again, so when he mentioned he'd be interested in trying some of the things I make, I was on it (I definitely prefer to...

Gentle Calendula Cleansing Oil

Something about the string of hot summer days we've been having has been making me think about herbs. It's probably all the lush, overflowing gardens Lottie and I walk past on our walks, and the way the now-golden prairie grass ripples in the wind. It could also be...

Lime in the Coconut Facial Cleansing Oil

When was the last time you listened to the entirety of the Lime in the Coconut song? Technically it's "Coconut" by Harry Nilsson, first released in 1971, but to me it's just "the Lime in the Coconut" song. The song is definitely a bit ridiculous and the music video is...

Green Tea and Roses Facial Cleanser

My green tea kick continues with this Green Tea and Roses Facial Cleanser, which pairs beautifully with my Green Tea Cleansing Oil and Green Tea Face Cream. This rose scented cleanser has a beautiful, creamy, low lather that won't leave your skin feeling dry or...

Green Tea Cleansing Oil

I might as well own up to it and declare my solemn love for cleansing oils. We have moved past the crush stage and into a stable, long-term relationship. I love how gentle (yet effective!) they are—they leave my skin feeling delightfully clean without feeling hardcore...

Cleansing Mud Mousse

Have you ever stumbled across a for-sale skin care project that was so simple, yet so expensive, that it made you downright mad? That was my initial reaction to the product that inspired this DIY. $70 for mostly clay, some salt, some inexpensive herbs, and some spices...

Mint Julep Cleansing Oil

This creamy Mint Julep Cleansing Oil came about as a bit of an accident. I had "Julep oil cleanser" on my to-do list as a recipe request, and without referring back to the original request, I got all excited about an oil cleanser that smelled like a mint julep....

Grapefruit Deep Cleansing Oil

I've lost track of the number of requests for a cleansing oil I've received over the last little while. Danielle, Christine, and Shelley all sent some in, and then there's been a bunch in the comments on various posts and videos, so I figured I should pull this one...

Gentle Chamomile Facial Cleanser

I have fallen hard and fast for this Gentle Aloe Facial Cleanser. So much so that I made a video of it because I was using it up so rapidly that I needed more, so I figured I might as well film the making of batch #2. If you make anywhere close to as many things as I...

White Willow Micellar Water

I've been playing around with my skincare routine lately, and one of the things I'm toying with is the notion of gentler cleaners. I've been using African Black Soap a lot for the last three months (or so), and that was working brilliantly for a few months, but now...

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