After a long day – and especially before bed – it’s extremely important for the health of your skin to remove all of your makeup. You may be using eye or face makeup remover that you have bought from a makeup counter, or those pre-moistened wipes to remove everything but let me give you a few more ideas.
Most eye and face makeup removers that come in bottles contain alcohol and chemicals that help to dissolve the makeup and make it easier to get off the skin. These can greatly irritate the skin with their ingredients so if your skin is breaking out or red, consider changing your makeup remover. Pre-moistened pads and wipes can contain soothing ingredients and claim to be good for your skin, but personally I don’t like the waste that comes with these wipes. Using one or two a day, day after day, produces a lot of garbage and most wipes are not biodegradable.
A few amazing, safe, non-chemical, not bad for the environment ways I’ve found to remove makeup are to use oils. You can use Olive Oil, Pure Coconut oil, Jojoba oil, or Avocado Oil. Some add more moisture to the skin than others so experiment to see what works best for you and your skin. Dab the oil of your choice all over your skin and eye area and wait a minute or two to let it work its magic. Wet a very soft gentle cloth with lukewarm water and gently remove the oil from your skin. Gently rub the cloth across your closed eyes to remove any eye makeup – do not tug at the eye area! You may find your skin is left a little sticky and still a bit oily so it’s best to follow up by cleansing your skin as usual. You can then apply any treatment products – or even a very little bit more of the oil to any dry areas.
I find that oils work best to remove my makeup without adding extra irritants but I have also heard of people using a mixture of dry milk and water, apple cider vinegar, or very gentle natural no-sulfate baby shampoo. With these methods you would just wash with the one of your choice – then follow with your cleanser and treatments.
Your skin will thank you for removing all of your makeup gently, safely, and naturally!