Micellar water is a gentle cleansing solution that typically works well for all skin types. A few swipes of a cotton pad can wipe away impurities like dirt and oil without stripping the skin of it’s needed oils or damaging the acid mantle. Plus, you don’t even need to rinse afterwards! I’m sharing a homemade micellar water recipe my daughters and I have been using and loving. It’s easy to make and only contains natural ingredients. Micellar water is the perfect addition to your beauty routine!!
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This diy micellar water recipe contains tiny oil particles that attach to dirt, oil and makeup on the skin. By using a cotton ball, you swipe away skin impurities. Using micellar water is an easy way to cleanse the skin without causing skin irritation due to it’s gentle properties.
What is Micellar Water?
Micellar water is a cleansing water that contains tiny droplets of cleansing oil molecules. Makeup, dirt and grime is attracted to the oil molecules and you swipe them away with a cotton pad. Micelle facial cleansing is a gentle way to remove impurities and is safe for all skin types. Micellar water contains mainly water, a very mild surfactant and oil.
Many micellar waters contain witch hazel which acts as a toner for the skin. Micellar water that contains soap, witch hazel and oil is a three in-one cleanser, toner and moisturizer.
No water is needed which makes it a very versatile cleanser you can take anywhere.
Micellar water is meant to be a very gentle cleanse but still effectively purges the skin of impurities. Some formulas are great makeup removers. My formulation will remove makeup but I did not formulate this product for that purpose. It took some effort and product (and cotton pads) to thoroughly remove my makeup using only my micellar water. I personally have never used micellar water to remove makeup. I’ve only used it for a light cleanse in the morning.
A few weeks after I made this recipe, we lost power in our home and both my daughter and I needed to remove our makeup and cleanse our skin for bed. We are on a well so when the electricity goes out, there is no water. Sofie and I were both relieved to have my micellar water on hand and it worked in a pinch with zero water.
What I’m trying to say is that the DIY micellar water will remove makeup. However, I would not use this product on a daily basis as my only cleanser if I wore makeup because I believe on a certain level, it isn’t thorough enough without using a lot of product and water.
If you are looking for a recipe formulated to specifically remove makeup, check out my natural Makeup Remover recipe or use an oil cleanser like my Detox Solid Oil Cleanser recipe. Oil removes eye makeup (even waterproof) thoroughly and gently. it’s like magic! Plus your lashes get nourished with the oil!
Uses of Micellar Water:
- Works great as a gentle cleanser.
- If witch hazel is added, it can also be used as a toner.
- It’s great to carry with you on the go to refresh your skin through out the day.
- Can be used as a hand sanitizer on the go.
- Soak makeup brushes in it for cleansing.
- Depending on amount and type of makeup, can remove makeup in a pinch without rinsing.
What You Will Need to Make Your Own Micellar Water:
Materials
- 1 cup Rose Water
- 1/2 tsp. Sweet Almond Oil
- 1/2 tsp. Castile Soap
- 1/2 tsp. Vegetable Glycerin
- 1/4 tsp. Sunflower Lecithin
- 1/2 tsp. Leucidal Liquid
- 5 drops of Essential Oils (if you choose)
Tools
- Container
- Glass Bowl
- Teaspoons
- Blender
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup of rose water into your glass bowl. I used a Pyrex glass measuring cup because they have a spout which make them great for transferring liquid.
- Add 1/2 tsp. of Glycerin
- 1/4 tsp of Sunflower Lecithin
- 1/2 tsp. of Leucidal Liquid
- 1/2 tsp. of Sweet Almond Oil
- 1/2 tsp. of Castile Soap
- 5 drops of Essential Oil if you choose.
- Pour the glass cup into a blender. I used a Magic Bullet.
- Blend the liquid thoroughly. The lecithin is difficult to blend but will eventually dissolve or what doesn’t can be strained out if you like.
- Pour into containers.
Notes
- If you’d like to add witch hazel to give this product toning action as well as cleansing action, cut the rose water in half and add 1/2 cup of witch hazel. I love using Thayer’s witch hazel. It’s alcohol free and affordable. Plus, I love the different scents-rose is my favorite!
- This recipe is easy and straight forward all though the lecithin was tricky to work with. It has a thick honey consistency and does not dissolve quickly or easily. I tried heating it in the liquid and found this was an unnecessary effort that didn’t work well enough to advise you to do it. Blending did the best job but I noticed bits of lecithin remained. While you could strain them out, I didn’t feel it was necessary and noticed that within a few days the bits of lecithin dissolved.
- If you plan to use this as an eye makeup remover, I suggest leaving out the essential oils.
Related Post: DIY Cleansing Grains w/ Vitamin C
To Use:
- Saturate a cotton pad with micellar water.
- Gently swipe over the skin using more cotton pads as needed.
- Follow up with toner, serum and moisturizer.
Ingredient Alternatives:
- Instead of rose water, you can use any floral waters. Cucumber water is another favorite of mine because it has strong anti-inflammatory properties. You could even use distilled water (no tap water) or witch hazel. If you’d like to make your micellar water a toner as well, cut the rose water in half and add 1/2 a cup of witch hazel. You could also add aloe vera gel as well all though, I would not recommend adding an entire cup full. I would add 2 tbsp. at the most.
- A carrier oil can be chosen depending on your skin type. I chose sweet almond oil because it is light and sensitive skin friendly. It is also very easy to find. Argan oil and avocado oil are fantastic oils for dry skin. A non-comedogenic oil like hemp seed oil, sacha inchi oil or hazelnut oil will be best for oily skin types.
- You might be able to omit vegetable glycerin but I’m not sure. I personally would not. Glycerin gives a bit of a slip to the micellar water that is different than oil. Plus, it has been shown to speed up healing and restore hydration in the skin. It’s affordable and you can use it in recipes like DIY Setting Spray, DIY Sheet Masks and my Puffy Eyes Roll On.
- Sunflower Lecithin is the ingredient that suspends the oils in the water. It is an emulsifier and for now is all I’ve tried when making micellar water. Some type of emulsifier must be used and lecithin comes in other forms but I did not want to buy several different kinds and waste time and money when I knew this brand and this product work. Unfortunately the lecithin bottle is 8 ounces and we only need a tiny amount. You can actually add it to your smoothies because it is an excellent source of choline. It helps liver function, brain function, muscle movement, nervous system health and metabolism!
- Castile soap is needed so the micellar water will actually cleanse the skin. It is easy to find and not the same as a cleanser. This type of soap is highly concentrated which is why we add so little. It is also easy to find and you can use it to make my easy Foaming Cleanser recipe and my new Thieves All-Purpose Cleaning Spray just to name a few!
- Leucidal Liquid is a preservative. You must have a broad spectrum preservative in this recipe. Your shelf life will be 1-2 weeks even in the fridge which to me, is not worth making! Plus, micellar water is a cleanser. Spreading bacteria over the skin is the opposite of cleansing!
- Essential oils are a great addition to this natural micellar water recipe but if you plan to use this cleanser to remove eye makeup, you might want to nix them since they can cause burning and irritation in the eyes. A quick swipe won’t hurt but actually removing mascara where you are swiping over and over the eye area will tend to burn. Since I use my micellar water in the morning and oil cleanse at night, I don’t have to remove any eye makeup with it so I do add essential oils to mine.
If you are in need of affordable essential oils with free shipping, I recommend Plant Therapy! Plus you can use my coupon code, JENNIRAINCLOUD for 10{2ac9033caf61aa83cf45584f992fcbdbe657ee6f770037f39c3ded45073822b8} off! Shop HERE.
The Best Way to Store Your DIY MIcellar Water:
I found THESE pump bottles that are perfect. They are actually used for nail polish remover. However, I don’t like that they are plastic. I also used THIS glass pump which works great as well. You could also use a bottle like THIS ONE.
My simple micellar water recipe is one of my favorites that I now keep on hand at all times. I love using it every morning for a quick cleanse before toning and moisturizing. I also keep it in my brow wax and brow tint supplies for easy makeup removal and tint removal after shaping and tinting my brows. Also, DIY micellar water is a great beauty product to start your tweens on since it’s such an easy and gentle way to cleanse!
xx, Jenni
