I have a bedtime face wash routine that I love! I even bring all of my stuff with me when I travel! Here is how it goes down…
- I start by removing my eye make-up using on old t-shirt that I cut up into small squares. I get the squares damp with warm water and then I dip them into coconut oil. I then use the coconut soaked squares to remove my makeup. Works like a charm!
- After that I wash my face using the “oil cleansing method”. I use half olive oil and half castor oil
- Then I splash my face with cold water and use another t-shirt square to wipe my face with witch hazel
…..now comes the interesting part
- I slather my face with Beauty Balm and then finish by rubbing Castor oil under my eyes
- abd…abd…abd…That’s all folks
Why the heck to I do all of this? Because I’m a crunchy Mama, that’s why! No, seriously I just don’t want to get wrinkles prematurely and I like to take care of my body as best I can. Here is a little more detail into each part of my routine:
Coconut oil: Coconut oil is a great moisturizer and it very effectively removes makeup and dirt. Coconut oil naturally clears away dirt and dead skin cells. It also softens wrinkles. It even has some antibacterial and antiviral properties. It’s excellent as an eye makeup remover because it does not sting your eyes! — where to find
Castor oil: Castor has been touted to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and dark circles. It is very thick and moisturizing. Perfect to put under the eyes! — where to find
Oil cleansing method: Click HERE for a good tutorial on the method. Basically the oil cleansing method is based on the premise that like dissolves like. The oil dissolves the oils in your face and removes it along with all of the dirt. You can make your oil from a variety of oils based on your skin type. I use half castor oil and half olive oil. Here is the general rule:
- Oily skin: Use 2/3 castor oil to 1/3 carrier oil. (Or measure out 2 tsp castor oil and 1 tsp carrier oil.)
- Normal skin: Use equal parts castor oil and carrier oil. (Measuring out 1-1/2 tsp castor oil and 1-1/2 tsp carrier oil.)
- Dry skin: Use 1/3 castor oil and 2/3 carrier oil. (Again, 2 tsp carrier oil and 1 tsp castor oil.)
Beauty Balm: Made by Green Pastures, the same place that we get our Fermented Cod Liver Oil supplements. It is amazing and makes the color of your skin tone very even. — where to find (if you use coupon code: REALFOOD at checkout, you get 10% off of your entire order too!)
The old t-shirt rags: I came up with this idea all by myself. I took one of my husbands waaaaay stretched out t-shirts and cut it into roughly 4×4″ squares. I chose to use white because I can see all of the junk coming off of my face when I wash with them. I throw them into my laundry and re-use them. Very earth friendly! I store them in an old candle jar that also has a nice lid. Another great recycling opportunity.
Witch Hazel: Witch hazel is a natural skin toner and it is very pure and excellent for sensitive acne-prone skin. After I oil cleanse, I use another t-shirt square to wipe my face with witch hazel before applying my beauty balm and castor oil. — where to find
So, to sum it up again, my routine goes like this: coconut oil to remove makeup, oil cleanse, witch hazel to tone, beauty balm over entire face, castor oil under eyes. That’s it!
Well now that you know all of my secrets I hope you choose to implement some of these into your own routine. It’s fun experimenting with oils and natural skin care. I am sure my routine will change and evolve with time as everything always does. I will continue to update this post at that occurs.
Looking for more DIY beauty tips? Check out this amazing book by Heather from Mommypotamus
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38 Replies to “My Bedtime Face Wash Routine”
Use Witch Hazel all the time..
It’s great! I even use it in my homemade bug spray!
Kate, LOVE THIS! Is your skin oily, dry, normal? I’ve always been weary of oil cleansing method as I’m more dry but good to see you can still try it. Is the “carrier oil” olive oil?
Thanks Mama Natural 🙂 My skin is normal, but can be oily when I am hormonal. As far as carrier oil, I do half and half so I’m not sure which is the carrier! You should definitely try the Beauty Balm if you have dry skin. It’s awesome!!!
Thanks for the detailed explanation Bethany!
What should a person with oily, acne-prone skin use in place of the beauty balm, if anything? Or would the beauty balm be sufficient?
I’m not sure, but it can’t hurt to try. I have heard rave reviews from many people! I have been using it ever night for about a year now and it seriously evens out your skin tone. Great stuff!
Do you use the same routine in the morning?
In the morning I just wash my face with water in the shower and apply a thin layer of coconut oil if my skin feels dry. Then I put on my makeup if I am going to wear any that day.
What kind of makeup are you using? I’m super excited to try your nighttime routine! I was just thinking I needed to start searching for what to do to help even my skin tone and rejuvenate my skin at night. Thanks for the great info!!
When I wear makeup I usually wear Tarte (https://amzn.to/153YP8k) or anything that I can find at my co-op. I always make sure to check it on the EWG Skindeep database.
Hi, Kate.
Have you every used any of the 100% Pure products or know anything about the integrity of the company? I am new to chemical free and I thought that I was on the right track with these products then I viewed some reviews stating that they may not be chemical free, as they are not complying with FDA rules of listing all ingredients. It is difficult to know which sources to trust since I am very new to this and I have not educated myself yet to sort through all of the “opinions” to determine trustworthy person or site.
I have not tried that line. Plus all of your products into the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database and they will let you know how “safe” your products are.
Thank you for your reply, Kate. I checked out the EWG’s website and I am addicted to the app that I was able to put on my phone. It is very helpful!!!
Kate, what does the witch hazel do?
It’s touted to clarify skin and minimize pores
Does the Beauty Balm smell bad? One review on Amazon says it is awesome but smells bad… ??
I was worried about that too, but no it doesn’t. There is a scent, but it’s not bad. At least that’s my opinion. 🙂
Just started doing this last week and I am in LOVE! I will never go back, so cheap, easy, and my skin looks and feels amazing. This is the first time in my life the pigment in my face has been even. I have tried all the expensive skin creams and make-up products, but nothing has ever worked.
I feel exactly the same way! Glad you like your new routine 🙂
I’m still tweaking my new, “crunchy” skin care routine. I really like the idea of using coconut oil to remove eye makeup ~ that’s one thing I’ve still been having trouble with. Now I’ll be adding that to my routine for sure!
I have a question for you ~ what, if anything, do you do as a morning routine?
Katie,
I just wash my face with water, or oil cleanse. Then I use coconut oil as a moisturizer if my skin is dry. Pretty minimal.
Thank you for detailed instructions!! I’ve been using straight up jojoba oil after cleansing my face with some tea tree oil facial cleanser I found at Trader Joe’s. I thought for sure I.would be breaking out and I haven’t at all. It’s been over a year since I made the switch. I’ve had strangers ask or compliment how nice my face looks. I have to.admit the first time it happened, I.looked around to.see if I was getting punked and then I.just chalked it up to the woman being a clever mary Kay agent trying to segue into giving me her business card 😉
Awesome!
Love this routine! I bought it all and started following and love how smooth my face is! After reading more about castor oil, I was wondering if it is safe to use topically on the face while pregnant? I can’t seem to find a “straight” answer from google =)
Well many women buy it and drink it to try to go into labor when they are past due. You only use a small amount under the eyes, but you might just want to try a different oil for the time being. Jojoba oil is another good one.
Vitacost.com carries Home Health castor oil for $10.54, ( 32 oz) and Heritage for even less
I love Vitacost!
thank you! Curious if you ever tried just cleaning your whole face with the coconut oil…if it works on the eyes, you’d think it would be ok on the face…is there a reason why not? I am totally going to try this. thanks again
Hey Talysa,
I have not tried it that way before, that is interesting though! Maybe I will switch it up and see what happens. So far this method has been great for me. Let me know how your routine works out 🙂
That’s a lot of oil to put on your skin but I’ve heard that oily skin can be from not putting enough oil on your skin and your body producing extra oil to make up for it. I like the t-shirt squares idea too. Thanks for posting your recipe.
I can’t find the Green Pastures beauty balm. Where do you purchase that from?
Oh sorry, I think that one is no longer in production. This is an older blog post. My favorite face cream now is this one, I use it every night: https://www.beautycounter.com/realfoodrn?goto=/product/countertime-tetrapeptide-supreme-cream. This company is super clean and high performing, I switched all of my makeup and skincare to them. Coupon code CLEANFORALL20 gets you 20% off your first order if you wanted to try some.