Facial Cleanser Formulations

Looking to make some sort of facial cleanser? I've got free formulations 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!

Why do you no longer recommend high pH cleansers?

Gentle Low-Lather Face Cleanser

Gentle Low-Lather Face Cleanser

If you’re looking for an ultra-gentle, super inexpensive facial cleanser for any skin type—this is it! You can make a kilo of this cleanser for about $10USD, and all of the ingredients are super versatile, inexpensive, and easy to get 😄 Want to watch this...

read more
Easy DIY Cleansing Balm: 3 Ways

Easy DIY Cleansing Balm: 3 Ways

Cleansing balms are a fabulous way to cleanse the skin (they're especially great for removing long-wearing makeup!), and they're really easy to make. In this post I'll teach you how to make three different simple cleansing balm formulations. Each uses just three or...

read more
Extra Creamy Green Clay Cleansing Balm

Extra Creamy Green Clay Cleansing Balm

This Extra Creamy Green Clay Cleansing Balm is a Bee Better version of 2017's Forest Cleansing Balm. That formula was one of the first anhydrous formulas I made with fatty thickeners and I remember being absolutely blown away by its rich, creamy, slippy consistency...

read more
Creamy Clay Balm-to-Milk Cleanser

Creamy Clay Balm-to-Milk Cleanser

Today's Creamy Clay Balm-to-Milk Cleanser is a Bee Better update to 2016's Creamy Clay Cleansing Balm. It's a rich, slippy, gentle facial cleanser that rinses off the skin beautifully. True to the name, it's creamy and contains a hefty dose of soft white kaolin clay...

read more
Winter Solstice Facial Cleansing Cream

Winter Solstice Facial Cleansing Cream

This silky, slippy, honey and rose scented Winter Solstice Cleansing Cream is a positively divine way to gently cleanse your skin at the darkest, coldest time of year (if you're in the southern hemisphere you might prefer this summer solstice themed formulation!)....

read more
Frosted Cranberry Powder to Foam Facial Cleanser

Frosted Cranberry Powder to Foam Facial Cleanser

The Frosted Cranberry fun continues today with this creamy red Frosted Cranberry Powder to Foam Facial Cleanser. It's a soft, water-free cleanser that transforms into a gentle, foaming, lightly exfoliating cleanser when you work it up between your palms with a bit of...

read more
Natural Turmeric Foaming Face Wash

Natural Turmeric Foaming Face Wash

Gently cleanse your skin with this formulation for a sunshiney Natural Turmeric Foaming Face Wash. It stars anti-inflammatory turmeric extract + two of my favourite gentle surfactants, and it positively spews bright yellow bubbles when you pump it out 😄 Let's...

read more
Clear Jelly Oil Cleanser

Clear Jelly Oil Cleanser

I'm pretty dang smitten with this Clear Jelly Oil Cleanser. It's an oil cleanser... but gelled... and clear! I brainstormed up a big list of creative names like "Clear the Day Away" and "Diamond Velvet Cleansing Gel", but in the end, I decided to mostly just call it...

read more
Super Simple Oil-to-Milk Cleanser

Super Simple Oil-to-Milk Cleanser

Today's Super Simple formulation is the most super-ly simple of the super simple formulations I've shared with just two ingredients! I've also shared two different variations and discussed how to customize it to make it as accessible as possible (and also to hopefully...

read more
Almond Oat Creamy Conditioning Face Wash

Almond Oat Creamy Conditioning Face Wash

The almondy, oaty goodness continues today with this formulation for a gentle Almond Oat Creamy Conditioning Face Wash. This formulation features soothing colloidal oatmeal, vitamin-rich sweet almond oil, and conditioning BTMS-25 ❤️ It gently cleanses...

read more
Sweet Magnolia Natural Cleansing Oil

Sweet Magnolia Natural Cleansing Oil

This exotically-scented Sweet Magnolia Natural Cleansing Oil gently cleanses the skin, leaving your face feeling soft and nourished. It uses a new-to-me natural emulsifier and has quickly become a favourite facial cleanser for removing layers of summer sunscreen (and...

read more
Almond Oat Powder to Foam Facial Cleanser

Almond Oat Powder to Foam Facial Cleanser

This soft, silky powder transforms into a creamy, sudsy cleanser when you work it up with a bit of warm water between your palms. It stars soft and velvety kaolin clay and skin-soothing oats, and you can blend up a batch in just a few moments from just six...

read more
Almond Oat Balm to Milk Cleanser

Almond Oat Balm to Milk Cleanser

Today's rich and all-natural Almond Oat Balm to Milk Cleanser is a gorgeous way to gently wash your face, and it pairs wonderfully with my Gentle Oatmeal Almond Body Wash Bar! I've been using this softly oat-scented cleansing balm to remove eye makeup and wash the...

read more
Rich Plum Face Wash

Rich Plum Face Wash

If you're looking for a new indulgent, creamy facial cleanser then I think this Rich Plum Face Wash is just the thing ❤️  Made with luxurious plum kernel oil and vitamin C rich Kakadu plum power, it's a beautiful and gentle way to wash your face. Want to...

read more
Apricot Powder-to-Foam Facial Cleanser

Apricot Powder-to-Foam Facial Cleanser

This Apricot Powder-to-Foam Facial Cleanser needs just five ingredients, and it's pretty cool! It's a smooth, dry, orangey powder in the bottle, but once you get it wet it transforms into a silky foaming cleanser with just a hint of exfoliation. To make this cleanser...

read more
Cocoa Coconut Rich Cream Facial Cleanser

Cocoa Coconut Rich Cream Facial Cleanser

Today's Coconut Cocoa Rich Cream Facial Cleanser has a decadent, rich skin feel with a lotion-y consistency and offers fabulous yet gentle cleansing. It's also a bit of a riff on the two rich cream cleansers I shared earlier this year—Rose & Honey and Whipped...

read more
Gentle Clay Facial Cleansing Bar

Gentle Clay Facial Cleansing Bar

Today we're squishing up a creamy off-white Gentle Clay Facial Cleansing Bar, starring velvety white kaolin clay and a gentle surfactant blend that kicks off dense, rich lather. You don't need any heat or even a mould to make these—just a bowl, a dust mask, and a pair...

read more
Rose and Clay Cleansing Balm

Rose and Clay Cleansing Balm

When I first dreamt up this cleansing balm, the dream was of a seaweed and clay cleansing balm. How romantic and exotic-sounding, no? A hefty dose of vitamin-rich green seaweed powder would star, and how lovely it would be. There was just one problem with that....

read more
Whipped Cream Calendula Facial Cleanser

Whipped Cream Calendula Facial Cleanser

This decadent Whipped Cream Calendula Facial Cleanser is a riff on the Rose & Honey Rich Cream Cleanser I shared earlier this summer. That cleanser was really popular, and I really loved it, so I thought I'd play with the idea a bit more. This variation features a...

read more
Creamy Jelly Facial Cleanser

Creamy Jelly Facial Cleanser

Today we're creating an ultra-gentle Creamy Jelly Facial Cleanser! This gelled facial cleanser features some lovely soothing ingredients, a super mild surfactant, and a really fun, jell-o-y consistency. I'm loving it as my sole cleanser first thing in the morning, and...

read more
Cream Silk Cleansing Balm

Cream Silk Cleansing Balm

Today we're blending up a Cream Silk Cleansing Balm that I'm really quite proud of. It was vaguely inspired by a storebought cleansing balm that I recently tried + a need for a really effective waterproof makeup removing product. In regards to the storebought...

read more
Rose & Honey Rich Cream Cleanser

Rose & Honey Rich Cream Cleanser

This Rose & Honey Rich Cream Cleanser is quite the treat—it's rich and gentle, smells softly of roses, and leaves your skin feeling clean but not tight or dry. Made with sweet almond oil, fragrant rose hydrosol, and local raw honey, it has a positively decadent...

read more
Soothing Creamy Facial Cleanser

Soothing Creamy Facial Cleanser

This lovely Soothing Creamy Facial Cleanser is a new favourite of mine for washing my face, morning and night. A gentle blend of surfactants is suspended in a creamy base with lots of moisturizing glycerin, anti-inflammatory aloe vera juice, and soothing allantoin....

read more
Lavender Aloe Cream Facial Cleanser

Lavender Aloe Cream Facial Cleanser

Today we're blending up a gentle Lavender Aloe Cream Facial Cleanser, featuring fragrant lavender hydrosol, soothing aloe vera, and gentle Cocamidopropyl Betaine. This lotion-like cleanser is brilliant for dry skin, offering great cleansing without being harsh. You...

read more

Love making stuff?

Sign up for my emails for new DIY skincare & haircare projects 2x a week!