Honey, Coconut, Orange and Rosemary Facial Cleanser: Easy, Simple Natural Beauty
In this post, I’ll share a GREAT recipe for a beautiful foaming or liquid facial cleanser using the powers of honey, coconut, orange, and rosemary. And guess what? It’s easy to make, too!
Many people wonder…..
Do DIY facial cleansers work as well as the commercial ones do?
Well, in my years of experience: Yes. Yes, they do. Many times, even better! That is, if you create them with a formulation that works. If you have the right ingredients and preparation method for your skin type, creating an effective cleanser is hard to mess up. This Natural Facial Cleanser recipe I’m sharing with you today is great for all skin types, even dry, mature skin like mine or oilier skin like my daughter’s.
One of the things I love about this cleanser is that it includes a bit of jojoba oil. I know this may sound strange to you, but jojoba oil in your cleanser is GOOD for all skin types, even skin with acne. Therefore, this facial cleanser is a bi-phasal facial cleanser.
Essentially, a bi-phasal cleanser is one with a water phase and an oil phase that aren’t necessarily emulsified. The oil in the cleanser scoops up any oils, dirt, and debris, and the water rinses, leaving a nice light layer of the jojoba on the skin’s surface. This helps the skin retain the natural lipid barrier. Some people do follow up with a gentle cleanser, but this truly isn’t necessary with this soap recipe as it does contain castile soap, too.
Now you know that when you cleanse your skin with commercial cleansers that contain harsh surfactants and other chemicals, you effectively strip the lipid layer from the surface of your skin.This may sound like a good plan if you’re dealing with oily skin, but it’s NOT.
Believe it or not, removing the natural lipid (oil) layer on your skin actually creates more sebum production in oily skin as well as greater irritations in sensitive skin types, thereby making the problem even worse.
If you’re a sufferer of rosacea acne, like I have been for decades, then you know the battle it is to keep it under control. I’ve found that removing the lipid layer on the skin’s surface leaves your sensitive skin open to the elements, toxins in commercial skincare products that exacerbate the issue even more, and really just creates a big mess—-sometimes a painful mess.
Making sure this healthy lipid layer is retained, even while giving my face a thorough cleanse is vital for my own skin health and has been during the years of my 20’s to my current late 50’s. Jojoba oil is really a liquid wax that comes closest to your own skin’s lipid layer, and is therefore one of my favorite carrier oils to use for cleansers.
In fact, one clinical study shows that jojoba oil may keep acne at bay, and this bears up my own personal experience with this beautiful carrier oil.
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Jojoba oil is really a liquid wax that comes from a seed.
Now, let’s discuss the other main ingredients of this natural DIY cleanser for the sensitive skin of the face:
Besides a bit of jojoba oil (wax), I like to include raw honey, coconut liquid soap (or unscented liquid Castile soap, and distilled water, as well as essential oils that are fit for the type of skin I’m working with.
Raw Honey:
I love using honey as a cleanser, even all by itself. According to formulator Amy Galper, raw honey has antibacterial properties, is antioxidant, and improves circulation to an extent. It’s also extremely gentle. And…if you happen to get some of this cleanser in your mouth, well it tastes great!
Liquid Castile or Coconut Oil Soap
Either soap is just fine, to be honest. The addition of one of these unscented, natural liquid soaps is really for those who need to feel a bit of lather on their skin. I’ve used a relatively small amount in this formulation recipe, so if you want to add a bit more, feel free. However, I personally like the lather in this ratio.
Distilled Water
Using purified or distilled water as the hydrous portion of the recipe is important, as tap water can contain impurities. It’s important to note that any time you’re making a skin care product that includes water, you should consider a somewhat natural preservative.
So, Does This Recipe Need a Preservative?
If you’re planning to sell any kind of water-based product, then absolutely, you need a preservative. If you’re gifting the product, you should like-wise add the preservative as well. If you’re just using it for yourself, and it will be gone within a week or so, then you can probably get by without one.
However, keep in mind that water in formulations creates a bacteria-loving environment, and you don’t want to be slathering microbes on your face.
The Essential Oils
The essential oil blend I use for this recipe includes choices that create a herbaceous-citrus scent. Besides the aroma of the essential oils, I just LOVE that they also provide therapeutic actions for skin health as well as your emotions. As a certified professional level aromatherapist, I always consider the incredible therapeutic actions when creating blends.
Here’s a quick run down of the essential oils in this cleanser:
Sweet orange (Citrus chinensis), which provides a beautiful uplifting aroma and balances the stronger scents of the other essential oils. Citrus oils are particularly mood enhancing, and most people just love them.
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is included for skin types that need a bit of astringency, so if you have dry skin, you can leave it out if you like. I actually like it, though, even though I have mature skin, because rosemary increases circulation to the skin surface.
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) contains compounds that help reduce inflammation and is helpful for sensitive, itchy skin. It also blends nicely with the orange essential oil.
Helichrysum (Helichrysum italicum) essential oil is one of my favorites for aging, mature skin. It’s got excellent regenerative properties and a lovely scent to boot.
Basil (Ocimum basilicum ct. linalool) essential oil is wonderful to use in the morning as it helps you wake up! The chemotype, linalool, is calming and soothing as well. If you’re not fond of basil, you can leave it out.
NOTE: I prefer to use essential oils from companies I trust. These kinds of companies provide a GC/MS chemical report, and this way I can feel great about my choices. Here are just a few of the companies I personally buy from and I feel good about recommending:
In the video below, you can watch me make this beautiful facial cleanser! Be sure to like, comment, and subscribe!
Raw honey is incredibly healing. Photo by Art Rachen
Honey, Coconut, Orange, and Rosemary Facial Cleanser Recipe
This recipe makes approximately four ounces of facial cleanser. I’m splitting this with my adult daughter, so I feel fine not adding a preservative. You might want to halve this recipe, or even quarter it to be sure you like it. It’s up to you!
Ingredients:
4 tbsp. distilled water
2 tbsp. raw honey
2 tbsp. coconut oil soap or castile soap (liquid) and unscented
1/2 tsp (approximately) jojoba oil
10 drops orange essential oil
3 drops fennel essential oil
3 drops rosemary essential oil
3 drops basil essential oil
3 drops helichrysum
**This is an approximate 1% essential oil dilution, which is good for facial skin. If you want to up it to 2%, you certainly could if you want a stronger scent.
Directions:
1) Add the honey and liquid soap to a small bowl. Stir well.
2) Add your essential oils and stir until completely combined with the honey and soap. The reason you’re adding your essential oils to the honey and soap combination is that they’ll be more evenly distributed before the water is added.
3) Add your water and stir well.
4) Pour this mixture into your pump bottle, just to the shoulder because you need to leave some room to shake it. Now, add your jojoba oil to the neck of the bottle, or just under.
To Use:
Wet your face. Shake the bottle well before using to be sure the essential oils and the jojoba oil is distributed well throughout the mixture. Use two to three pumps, depending on the size of your bottle. Massage gently into your facial skin and enjoy the scent! Rinse well, and proceed with your toner. I suggest using rose water hydrosol for a nice tightening yet gentle toner.
Enjoy!
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Final Thoughts on Natural Honey, Coconut, and Orange-Rosemary Facial Cleanser Recipe
This is my latest favorite recipe, and I’ve made it several times! So, I decided to share it with you. I hope you enjoy this cleanser, and if you make it, be sure to let me know in our FREE Healing Harvest Natural Living Community that I’d love to have you join!
And, if you want to learn more about using those essential oils that are just sitting on your shelf, consider joining us in The Confident Oily Crew! This is a community of members for learning aromatherapy together, with a new monthly course and two live lessons a month, as well as the student group!
You might also enjoy these related articles:
The Healing Powers of Honey: Seven Ways to Use Honey in Your Life
Killer Toxins Lurking in Your Soap
The BEST and Most Easy All Purpose Cleaning Spray
Natural Homemade Deodorant Recipe and Why You Should Just Make Your Own
The 20 Best Carrier Oils for Your Handmade Skincare Products
How to Make Homemade, All Natural Soap: A Recipe and Tutorial
And there are over 500 more articles on my website, so I hope you’ll head over and explore!
Hugs, Health, and Self-Reliance,
Heidi
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