sublime organic facial cleansers for all skin types

So simple to make and so incredibly amazing. Hurray for wild and wise, natural and intentional, pure and simple goodness for our faces!

Compared to over-the-counter cleansers laden with long lists of complicated, synthetic ingredients that tend to strip skin, the natural and organic facial cleansers offered here rely on five or fewer ingredients to hydrate, nourish, restore, and pamper your skin.

Each of these base recipes is not only simple to make, but also incredibly economical, particularly compared to most store-bought products.

There are four different base recipes from which you can choose: an Everyday Awesome blend for most skin types, a TLC blend for sensitive skin, a Restorative formula for mature or sun-worn skin, and a Free & Clear base for oily/acne-prone skin.

Each base recipe leverages a different combination of ingredients to support a variety of skin types. The recipes provided make enough for a handful of one-ounce stocking stuffers, a couple of 3-4 ounce gifts, or one large batch of about 6-7 ounces.

All of the ingredients are natural/organic, easy to source, and straightforward. Each ingredient offers a unique element to the resulting facial cleanser:

• Aloe Vera Gel: This mild, cooling gel is found within the aloe vera plant. Soothing, cleansing, and nourishing to skin.
• Castile Soap: Pure, mild, simple soap that gently yet effectively cleans without leaving a residue. Provides lather and detergent-free cleansing.
• Jojoba Wax: Chemically reminiscent of the natural sebum that keeps our skin looking young and healthy, this liquid wax helps balance your skin — be it oily, dry, combination, even sensitive. I recommend luscious organic, unrefined, “golden” jojoba wax.
• Tamanu Oil: Celebrated for its skin-healing properties, Tamanu has powerful antifungal, antibacterial, and cell-regenerative properties. The oil is colorful (reddish or greenish in hue depending on the time of year its procured); it’s aroma is reminiscent of a rich curry sauce!
• Marula Oil: Soothing and supportive of sensitive and/or irritated skin, marula is light in texture and sports a light yellow or peachy hue. It offers incredible support for skin that is irritated or reactive.
• Witch Hazel Hydrolat: Powerful astringent with strong antioxidant properties. Refreshing and naturally balancing.

If you want, you can also add a couple of tablespoons of French green clay or white Kaolin clay to any of the base blends.

Natural clays offer minerals and can stimulate circulation in the skin. I recommend green clay for oily/acne-prone skin and white clay for dry and/or sensitive skin.

Simply add 1-2T of your desired clay(s) to the base blend recipe, stirring vigorously to blend. It might surprise you to learn that clays are not

Note that solids like clay may clog pumps and caps in some containers, so consider your intended packaging before adding clays or other exfoliants to your blend.

This cleanser is gentle, effective, natural, and economical. Inspired by an awesome recipe from Andrea Butje at Aromahead Institute, it’s easy to put together and totally yummy for your face!

“TLC” Tender, Loving Cleanser for Sensitive Skin

5 oz. organic Aloe Vera gel

1/2 oz. organic Castile soap

1 oz. organic, unrefined Marula Oil

This cleanser brings in premium, exotic marula oil to help soothe and support sensitive/irritated skin. We use a little less Castile soap, too, to create an exceptionally mild, gentle, yet effective facial cleanser.

Restorative Cleanser for Mature/Sun-Worn Skin

5 oz. Aloe Vera Gel

1/2 oz. Tamanu Oil

3/4 oz organic, unrefined Jojoba Wax

2 tsp Castile Soap

vitamin E capsule(s) (optional) (Pierce capsule with a pin and squeeze contents into your blend.)

5 drops Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) plus5 drops Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)

Designed for combination or acne-prone skin, this gentle blend leverages the antifungal and acne-fighting power of Tea Tree with the soothing, nourishing, and restorative properties of Lavender. Together, these essential oils offer a simple, effective, yet gentle way to support combination skin. This essential oil blend is particularly lovely in the Free & Clear Facial Cleanser base blend.

Frankincense & Grapefruit

5 drops Frankincense (Boswellia carterii) plus 5 drops Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi)

This essential oil blend is designed to support your skin’s health while also serving as a mild astringent. Both Frankincense and Grapefruit help to tighten skin and pores–and their combined aroma is the perfect way to get your day off to a sparkling start!

Get extra-astringent power by pairing this essential oil blend with the Free & Clear base blend. For smell alone, it’s also ah-mazing in the Everyday Awesome blend.

Carrot Seed & Neroli

9 drops Carrot Seed (Daucus carota) plus1 drop Neroli (Citrus uranium var. amara)

Perfect for mature and/or weather-worn skin, this essential oil blend features skin-healing carrot seed and fragrant neroli to support cell regeneration. 

Note: Not intended for use by pregnant women due to the use of Carrot Seed. Equally excellent in both the TLC and Restorative base blends.

Rose & Geranium

4 drops Geranium (Pelargonium roseum X asperum) plus 1 drop Rose otto or Rose absolute (Rosa damascena)

A refreshing, fragrant, cicatrisant blend. Wonderful for mature skin, sensitive skin, and irritated skin — and perfect for every day use. Rose otto is preferable to absolute as otto does not have any potentially sensitizing elements leftover from the distillation process.

Sa