This cheerily swirled White Chocolate Peppermint Cleansing Balm is just the thing for morning face-washing. With a refreshing pop of peppermint essential oil and gorgeous slippy texture, this cleansing balm melts quickly on the skin and rinses off readily, leaving your face gently cleansed and refreshed.
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The bulk of this White Chocolate Peppermint Cleansing Balm is inexpensive fractionated coconut oil and castor oil. When formulating oil cleansers it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to include a lot of fancy, expensive carrier oils since an oil cleanser (liquid or solid) is only in contact with the skin for a few seconds before being rinsed down the drain. All we really need from the oils in a cleansing balm is that they are oil, so choose something inexpensive (and/or something that is nearing the end of its shelf life) and save expensive oils for leave-on applications where they can truly shine.
This balm is thickened with a combination of creamy, rich stearic acid and beautiful chocolate-scented cocoa butter. The stearic acid is doing most of the heavy lifting in the thickening/hardening department, but the cocoa butter definitely helps.
A blend of Polawax (a complete emulsifying wax) and Polysorbate 80 (a solubilizer) give this cleansing balm its beautiful rinse-off powers. A cleansing balm doesn’t need both an emulsifying wax and a solubilizer to work, but I enjoy the result I get from using a combination. If you want to make the balm more or less cleansing, these are the ingredients you’d tweak. Less will reduce the wash-off of the balm and make it gentler; more will increase the wash-off and make the balm stronger.
For a bit of holiday fun, I’ve included an optional green mica swirl. After bringing it to trace you’ll basically pour most of the balm into your container, and then quickly blend a touch of green mica into the remaining cleansing balm before pouring that into the container and giving the mixture a light swirl with a spatula or toothpick. This part is completely up to you (it’s also lovely as a creamy white balm), but I think the green-on-white works beautifully for our white chocolate & peppermint theme!
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White Chocolate Peppermint Cleansing Balm
Heated phase
1.8g | 6% Polawax (USA / Canada)
1.5g | 5% Polysorbate 80 (USA / Canada)
12.69g | 42.3% fractionated coconut oil
6g | 20% cocoa butter (USA / Canada)
3g | 10% castor oil (USA / Canada)
3.9g | 13% stearic acid (USA / Canada / UK)
0.9g | 3% white kaolin clay (USA / Canada)Cool down phase
0.15g | 0.5% Vitamin E MT-50 (USA / Canada)
0.06g | 0.2% peppermint essential oil (USA / Canada)Optional: A small amount (~0.1%) of green mica
Prepare a water bath by bringing about 3cm/1″ of water to a bare simmer over low to medium-low heat in a small saucepan.
Weigh the heated phase ingredients into a small heat-resistant glass measuring cup. Place the measuring cup in your prepared water bath to melt everything through.
While the heated phase melts, prepare an ice bath. Take a bowl that is large enough to accommodate the container the heated phase is melting in, and fill it about halfway with ice cubes and cold water. You’ll also want to weigh the cool down phase into a small dish or bowl so it’s ready when you need it.
After about 20–30 minutes everything should be completely melted through. Remove the water bath from the heat, remove the measuring cup from the water bath, and dry it off with a dishtowel. Stir with a flexible silicone spatula to incorporate.
Place the container holding the melted balm in the ice bath and stir frequently until it gains a bit of viscosity. Remove it from the ice bath and add the cool down phase, stirring to combine. Put the cleansing balm back into the ice bath, stirring until you reach trace (watch the video to see this in action).
At this point, you have two options. If you don’t want to do the mica swirl, just pour the entire batch into a 30mL (1fl oz) jar and transfer it to the fridge to fully set up. If you want to do the swirl, pour about 90–95% of the cleansing balm into a 30mL (1fl oz) jar, and then quickly blend a small amount of green mica into the remaining 5–10%. Drizzle that green portion into the jar with the uncoloured balm, and gently swirl with a toothpick or the tip of your spatula (take care to not over-swirl). Transfer the balm to the fridge to set up.
To use, blend a small amount (½ tsp or less) of the cleansing balm with some warm water in your palm, massage that into your face, and wipe clean with a damp cloth. Alternatively, you can massage the balm into dry skin and then add water with wet palms or a damp cloth before wiping off. It’s up to you!
Shelf Life & Storage
Because this cleansing balm does not contain any water, it does not require a broad-spectrum preservative (broad spectrum preservatives ward off microbial growth, and microbes require water to live—no water, no microbes!). Be sure to keep it dry to ensure it lasts as long as possible—don’t let any water get into the container and it should easily last a year (use a dry finger or popsicle stick to dip into the container). If you plan on giving this cleansing balm away or taking it into the shower/bath with you, please include 0.5% liquid germall plus (USA / Canada). Though this preservative is water-soluble, this cleansing balm contains emulsifiers so it will emulsify, and because it is water-soluble it’ll be in the right phase if the balm gets contaminated with water.
Substitutions
As always, be aware that making substitutions will change the final product. While these swaps won’t break the recipe, you will get a different final product than I did.
- As I’ve provided this recipe in percentages as well as grams you can easily calculate it to any size using a simple spreadsheet as I’ve explained in this post. As written in grams this recipe will make 30g.
- To learn more about the ingredients used in this recipe, including why they’re included and what you can substitute them with, please visit the Humblebee & Me Encyclopedia. It doesn’t have everything in it yet, but there’s lots of good information there! If I have not given a specific substitution suggestion in this list please look up the ingredient in the encyclopedia before asking.
- Emulsifying Wax NF will work in place of Polawax. Emusilmulse/Ritamulse and Olivem1000 should also work; I’d avoid BTMS-50 simply because it is more expensive than the other options.
- You can try Cromollient SCE, water soluble shea butter, or Olivem300 (USA / Canada) instead of the Polysorbate 80
- You can substitute another lightweight oil like sweet almond, grapeseed, or sunflower seed for the fractionated coconut oil and/or castor oil
- I don’t recommend swapping out the cocoa butter as it is part of the theme. If you have to, another brittle butter (like tucuma) would be a decent option.
- I don’t recommend swapping out the stearic acid. Cetyl alcohol has a very different feel, and cetearyl alcohol gives a very different consistency.
- You can use a different clay instead of white kaolin, but be aware that it will likely impact the end colour.
- I don’t recommend swapping out the peppermint essential oil as it is part of the theme. If you want to leave it out, replace it with more fractionated coconut oil.
- Please don’t increase the amount of peppermint essential oil used.
I’m so excited to try this!
Is it stiff enough to pour into a little mold or best to keep in a jar?
Have you tried it with different clay?
My understanding is that Kaolin is the mildest, so I would assume using something else would be a bit harsher.
Thank you for the wonderful formula!
Sly
Can I use Olivem 900 instead of polysorbate 80?
I haven’t worked with Olivem900, but from reading the product description it is a very different product from Polysorbate 80 and I wouldn’t recommend that swap at all. Please refer to the Humblebee & Me DIY Encyclopedia (https://www.humblebeeandme.com/diy-encyclopedia/) for better swaps & info + the FAQ article on solubilizers. Happy making!
You’ll definitely need to keep it in a jar—it is in no way moldable unless you live in a freezer 🙂 I have not tried a different clay with this formulation, but I suspect other soft, smooth clays (French Ggeen, red kaolin, zeolite, etc.) would also work 🙂 Happy making!
OMGosh.. I love that swirl, I’m trying this today! I’m always scared of peppermint oil because it’s so strong.
Woohoo! I look forward to hearing your thoughts 😀
i’ve made your recipe but it melted right away. i live in tropical country so, would you mind to tell me how to make this recipe stay the same. should i give a bigger percentage to polawax?
Please give this FAQ a read.
“The stearic acid is doing most of the heavy lifting in the thickening/hardening department, but the stearic acid definitely helps.” You might like to modify this sentence, it doesn’t seem to make sense… 🙂
Fixed, whoops! Thanks 🙂
Can’t wait to try this one! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for reading & happy making!
This sounds great, thanks Marie, I know what I will be doing this weekend. 😀
Wahoo 🙂 Happy making!
This looks amazing! I’ve been wanting to switch to cleansing balms instead of cleansing oils, and now can put this alongside the creamy clay cleansing balm and soothing cleansing balm as recipes to try. Your blog is the best resource, I rarely take inspiration from anywhere else these days :]
Thanks so much, Ashley! I hope you love ’em all 😀
I’m trying to figure out what bringing a product to trace means, neither your video or blog post explained it:(,
Whoops! This post covers it better 🙂
Many times I’ve made your cleansing balms recipes, but every time I use caolin clay (which I love) it gets grainy, even after sifting the clay before adding it. Can I sub it with cornstarch?
That should work 🙂 Happy making!
After watching the video like 5 times I finally ordered all the supplies to make this. It’s my first recipe to make and hopefully not my last.
Ooooh exciting! I hope you love it 🙂 Happy making!
trust me, it won’t be the last time this happens. I do that with many of Marie’s videos, I’m addicted! I even watch videos of recipes I’ve made several times LOL!!!
Thank you so much! Your comment put a massive smile on my face 😀
Can I use hydrogenated castor oil to substitute Polysorbate 80?
No; they do totally different things.
I thought Hydrogenated Castor Oil also a solubilizer? Is it a different type of solubilizer that got different fit for the type of product or oil?
PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil is, but plain ol’ hydrogenated castor oil isn’t. The PEG part is key 🙂
Can I use 11% emulsifying wax, ie with 0% polysorbate 80?
You can try it, but keep in mind you are using something solid in place of something liquid, and that will impact the end consistency/melting point. Happy making!
omg I cannot wait to make this! Quick question…when adding a preservative as I plan on making these as gifts, you mentions .5% liquid germall, if using the above recipe I’m assuming that would be .15g? Also if adding preservative the percentage will be above 100% for total recipe. Do I need to account for this somewhere? Might be small potatoes but I figured II’d ask. Thanks!
Hey Chrysta! You’re totally right—knock that extra 0.15g/0.5% off the fractionated coconut oil 🙂 Happy making!
This is the most amazing cleanser! I am 47 and have drying skin and this is super gentle and softening. I can’t use peppermint on my skin (sorry, the theme, I know), but I used just 3 drops of rosemary and it’s divine. The cocoa butter, coconut oil…divine! And it’s totally affordable to make (this working mama is on a budget). Thanks Marie! It’s my new, year-round cleanser 🙂
Woohoo! I’m so glad you’ve created something you love 🙂 Thanks for DIYing with me, and happy making 🙂
Hi Marie, do you think I could substitute some of thefractionated coconut oil in this for cocomidapropyl Betaine as there is emulsifying wax and polysorbate 80? Or do you think caprylyl/capryl glucoside would work better seeing as it can solubilise? I want to give it a bit more cleansing power when washing off makeup , thank you!
You’d be on your own on that front—in theory, it could work, but you are now introducing water into the formulation so you will need to do your own tests for viscosity, stability, etc. Happy making!
With cocoa butter having a comedogenic rating of 4/5, won’t this clog pores?
Please give this FAQ a read 🙂
Hi. Can I use this cleansing balm and then use the passionfruit matte moisterizer afterwards, or can I just simply replace the farcionated coconut oil in this recipe with passionfruit oil as i want them to go together. 🙂
Either will work, but replacing fractionated coconut oil with passionfruit oil will make this cleansing balm far more expensive, and since it’s a wash-off product, I’d personally consider that to be rather wasteful 🙂 Happy making!
is polysorbate 80 safe, is it approved in organic cosmetics?
It is safe (I wouldn’t use it if it wasn’t!) but not typically considered natural 🙂 Learn more in the Humblebee & Me DIY Encyclopedia (https://www.humblebeeandme.com/diy-encyclopedia/)!