Homemade All Natural Facial Wipes

Yes, I'm still here and kickin'! It's just been that I've either been too busy doing to take the time to write, or I just haven't had enough brain power to write a coherent post. There's been a whole lot of apple picking, applesauce making, batch cooking, crock-pot freezer meal making, sewing and lots of other projects going on.

The other day I was on Pinterest and one of the people that I follow had pinned homemade boogie wipes. Now, my kiddos are a bit too old for boogie wipes, but my nearly 3 year old niece was a perfect candidate for them, and I just so happened to have the ingredients* and other items needed. Her mother was very pleased with them, and so was her poor little nose! It got me to thinking about what other types of "wipes" I could make from flannel material. And then I had an AH HA moment!

Now, I wear make up nearly every day. And I have never been able to get into the habit of washing my face at night. By the time I've gotten the kiddos to bed and it's time for me to turn in, I'm toast and so is my body, especially my back. The thought of huddling over the bathroom sink to wash my face (and get my front side soaking wet in the process- it never fails!) is just not as appealing as heading right to my bed and my secret stash of York Peppermint Patty Pieces. And I know that there are commercially made wipes out in the store, but I have almost entirely eliminated chemicals from my personal grooming. AND I want to stick to our budget. BUT I don't want to keep scaring my hubby and children every morning by stumbling out of the bedroom with a bad case of bed head, white drool marks on my face and raccoon eyes. I can at least get rid of the raccoon eyes!

So here is my budget, health and planet friendly solution! Homemade facial wipes. Before I give the "recipe" I want to say that you may need to adjust to your own skin. I have very oily skin, wear liquid eyeliner, mascara, homemade blush, homemade foundation powder and a touch of concealer under my eyes. I have found that by holding the wipe on my closed eye lids for a few seconds helps to loosen the eye makeup so that I am not wiping too much on such a delicate area of the face. These do a remarkable job of removing nearly all traces of eye makeup and my skin feels clean, refreshed and moisturized.

~Homemade Natural Facial Wipes~

 

~Container to store your wipes

~Flannel material cut into squares, as many as will fit folded neatly

and to the size you prefer.

~About 1 C. of hot water (you could use distilled if you want, I just used tap)

~about 1/4 C. of witch hazel

~about 2 Tbsp. of glycerin

~about 2 tsp. of almond oil

 

Cut your flannel into squares of the size you feel most comfortable with. Mine are about 12 x 12. You could use an old flannel sheet or shirt. I happened to have a fabric remnant that I picked up at Walmart and thought the dark brown would be best because of my eye makeup.You can also hem these, or just run a stitch aroung the edge. I was lazy and just used my pinking shears to cut them. Fold your squares and place in a container with a lid, I used a plastic wipes container that was lurking in my bathroom cupboard. Then heat your water until hot, then add the other ingredients and stir well to break up the oil. Pour over the flannel squares and carefully "smoosh" them down. You could let them sit for a minute or 2, close the lid of your container and then flip it over to help distribute the fluid. If they seem too dry, add a bit more hot water until they are all moist, but not dripping wet. Use as needed to remove the daily dirt and makeup!

 

 

 

You could add essential oils if you prefer a scent or want the added benefits, but I like the plain smell of witch hazel. Glycerin is a gentle cleanser and a humectant, which means it draws moisture to your skin. The almond oil will also help in cleansing and moisturizing the skin, I don't feel the need to moisturize after using these, but if you have very dry skin, you can, or you could try upping the quantity of glycerin and almond oil. I just throw my used wipes into the laundry with our towels and wash them. Then I set them aside until I have them all and make another batch of the solution.

 

*For the homemade boogie wipes I mentioned above, I didn't have aloe vera gel as the recipe calls for, so I used glycerin instead. And I had grabbed the eucalyptus essential oil instead of the lavender, not realizing my mistake until after I had added a drop to the solution. I liked the results of using the eucalyptus instead of the lavender, though, it gave the boogie wipes a Vick-sy smell. Just be careful when using eucalyptus oil on the skin, I wouldn't use more than 1 drop when making these boogie wipes. I had more flannel squares than would fit in the box for my niece, so I stuck them in a baggie for my cold and cough kit in case some one does have a sore nose in the house this winter!

 

If you decide to try the facial wipes, I'd love to hear from you! Well, even if you don't want to try them, I'd still love to hear from you! You can comment at the end of the blog post, or you can "like" Homespun Inspirations over on face book.

 

Have a wonderful autumn day, Friends!

 

Many Blessings,

Kelly