

My DIY projects have been a little hit and miss lately (homemade Drano was a flop and the verdict's still out on the homemade shampoo and conditioner we've been using for the last week), but I loved this homemade face wash when I first made it a few weeks ago and still love it now. 

This super-simple face wash recipe comes from Live Simply and requires only four ingredients (one of these ingredients is water). I'm a person who has SENSITIVE skin , which I know because a.) I live with myself and b.) every doctor, dermatologist and esthetician I've ever worked with has said, "Oh, you really DO have sensitive skin" as if they're accustomed to hearing from patients who think they do but really don't. But me, yes: I really DO have sensitive skin. I also have skin that is dry in some areas and prone to hormonal breakouts in others. So when it comes to face wash, gentler is better for me. That's probably why I love this recipe so much: there are no harsh ingredients. 

Here's what you'll need:
1/3 cup liquid castile soap
1/3 cup raw honey
3 T distilled or boiled water
2 T nourishing oil like jojoba, almond, avocado, olive, apricot or argan

(By the way, this past week my poor husband discovered the perils of being married to a DIY-er.
Me: So what did you end up putting on your sandwich? 
Husband: That strawberry mixture from the fridge.
Me; Not my face mask, right?
Husband: Um ...
Luckily in that scenario, all the ingredients were 100% edible. I was told it made a delicious sandwich filling.)


Back to the face wash, which couldn't be simpler. In a soap dispenser (I bought mine at Fred Meyer but I'm sure they're available at any Target / Walgreens  /WalMart-type store), add your water first. This prevents bubbles. 


Add honey.  


Add nourishing oil. (I used sweet almond.) 

Shake everything up and you're good to go.

A few things to note: like the hand wash I made a few weeks ago, the difference between typical store-bought face wash I'm used to and this one is the lack of suds. In fact, when I first started applying this face wash to my face, it felt like I wasn't putting anything on my face at all, except a little sticky honey. This face wash isn't foamy. It doesn't "soap up" the way most face washes do. It just subtly goes on my face. But I know it's doing its job because I've been using it for a few weeks and my skin looks clean and feels soft. I still had my same monthly hormonal breakout around my chin and forehead, but overall my skin has looked clear and bright . Plus there's something that just mentally feels better about putting fewer products/ ingredients on my skin. I have a difficult time justifying putting products on myself when I don't know what the heck is in them, even after reading the ingredient labels ( I mean, what IS all that stuff?). I'd so much rather just slather myself with honey and almond oil, which I know are beneficial ingredients. 

There are times when it seems like there must be a catch to doing things so simply. It can't be as easy as just eating real food, can it? It can't be possible to stop buying expensive face cleansers and make my own with a few easy ingredients, can it? But I'm discovering that sometimes it really is that simple. It really does only require a few basic ingredients. As long as the results are there, I'm going to continue with this simple DIY lifestyle.