Zero Waste Make-Up Remover

A while back I wrote a blogpost about a zero waste alternative for cotton pads. These pads can be used for anything, but I mostly use them for removing make-up from my face. Yes, I live zero waste and am all about self-love, but I do wear make-up from time to time. One doesn’t rule out the others. That’s why I am writing an addition to that post today: DIY zero waste make-up remover.

Struggles with make-up remover

When I just started using make-up, make-up remover was a big struggle for me. But really. I mean, how could I know which one was the best? Everybody swears by another thing. Tonic, oil, milk, you name it. There are an awful amount of sorts. I faced the what-the-hell-should-I-buy-this-time moments a lot. After a while I had at least made a decision. I used a plastic bottle of make-up remover from HEMA (A Dutch brand).

Zero waste DIY make-up remover

Yes, there we have the problem. Plastic! And besides that, the bottle had a gigantic list of ingredients which I had never heard of and could not even pronounce. Well, I’ve gotten sort of skeptical when it comes to this. Are those things good for my skin? I could switch to a more eco-friendly or natural (whatever that means) brand, but that was very expensive and usually still had a bunch of ingredients and plastic. But then I figured out another way! DIY! Zero waste style.

Recipe for zero waste DIY make-up remover

I got this recipe from another zero waste blog, called HetZeroWasteProject. All credits for this recipe go to them. You only need three ingredients:
– Boiled water
– Organic Castile Soap (I personally love Dr. Bronner)
– Organic extra virgin coconut oil

This is how you make it: boil a little bit of water (the amount depends on the size of your batch, so this is a little bit of a guess most of the time). Then put the boiled water in a bowl. Not immediately in a glass one! That might break! Add a little bit of rasped organic Castile soap and mix it with a small spoon. Then add a little bit of organic extra virgin oil. The more you add, the fattier the mixture becomes, so use to your preference.

All done! Put a little bit onto your zero waste cotton pads and you can take off your make-up! I can imagine that it seems weird to put soap in your make-up remover, but this soap is really special, it does not burn or anything.

What about the waste?

The old situation:
– Plastic bottles! A lot!

The new situation:
– The Dr. Bronner soap is packed in paper and luckily this is a renewable resource (trees and recycled paper). I bought 2 bars of soap back in 2015 and now, 5 years later, I think I have used only 25% of just one bar. This stuff will last long! One block cost me 5,51 euros (140 grams). The soap is also organic, fair trade and vegan! Win, win, win!
– The extra virgin coconut oil can be bought in a glass jar. I bought one at Holland&Barret for 8,99 euros. I personally always buy the largest pot, since I also use it for cooking and buying bigger saves packaging. Glass is 100% recyclable and so circular-economy proof! The lid is make out tin, also 100% recyclable!

What about the money?

If you buy one bar of soap and the coconut oil you invest 14,50 euros. As I said, both will last you years! Even if you use make-up every single day, I am convinced that this option is way cheaper than store-bought make-up remover.

I personally think this DIY zero waste make-up remover works great! I also know what all the ingredients are, it’s organic and it saves me money! Bye plastic bottles!

Yours sincerely,
Romee