The Best Homemade Eye Makeup Remover
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Ditch the toxins that are in most store-bought eye makeup removers and make your own instead!
I tried a bunch of Homemade Eye Makeup Remover formulas, and this one worked the best. No stinging, no greasy residue, and removes even waterproof mascara with ease!
I don’t wear a bunch of makeup, but I do need something that will take off mascara and eyeliner. Store-bought eye makeup removers have some ingredients that just aren’t the best, plus they can be pricey.
There are a bunch of recipes out there on the internet touting to be great homemade eye makeup removers, but do they work and which one is the best?
Or is there an even better option?
Here’s what I found out.
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Why Make This Homemade Eye Makeup Remover
There are several great reasons to make this easy DIY beauty product.
Control Over Ingredients
I used to use a drugstore brand eye makeup remover, but I wasn’t happy once I read the list of ingredients.
Here’s the list:
Mineral Oil, Isopropyl Palmitate, Polyethylene, Ceteth-20, Trihydroxystearin, Sorbic Acid, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, Vanillin, Titanium Dioxide.
Here’s the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Rating on these ingredients. A rating of zero is the safest, and as the numbers go higher, the ingredient is most likely more problematic.
– mineral oil – (1-3)
– ceteth 20 (2)
– sorbic acid (3)
– methylparaben (4)
– titanium dioxide (1-3)
Plain Oil Just Doesn’t Work Well
I know a lot of people use plain oils for this purpose, but I’ve tried coconut, olive, and jojoba oil. It removes the makeup well, but it’s so oily.
Invariably, I would have some kind of oil residue on the next day and if I wore eye makeup, it would run more easily.
Even after washing my face with soap, I often didn’t get all of the oil residue off.
In addition, coconut oil is comedogenic (causes acne) so I really don’t like using that on my face.
Saves Money
After sharing my recipe, I outline the cost of this remover. Hint, it’s super frugal and so much cheaper than buying a remover in the store.
Toxic Ingredients In Other DIY Eye Makeup Removers
A number of DIY Eye Makeup Removers have ingredients that are no better, or are worse than many removers in the store.
For example, I’ve seen recipes using:
- Dawn Dishwashing Liquid
- Johnson and Johnson’s Baby Wash
- or other synthetic chemical-filled ingredients like that.
These are not things I want to use on my eyes. No way.
Homemade Eye Makeup Remover Formula Trials
Here’s a list of 6 Eye Makeup Remover Recipes that I tested, along with the results from each one.
Recipe #1 – 50/50 Witch Hazel & Oil
– 1/4 cup witch hazel (alcohol-free preferred)
– 1/4 cup oil (organic almond oil, jojoba oil, and organic olive oil are all decent choices)
Note (please be careful in choosing an olive oil since many are counterfeit. This olive oil has been shown in tests to be the real thing.)
This one was the first recipe I tried. My initial thought upon mixing it up was, “Isn’t this going to sting my eyes?”
The first time I tried it, it didn’t.
The second time: stinging. Not good.
Recipe #2 – Water, Vitamin E Capsules
Seems like a good recipe, but it’s basically just water and oil with a little added nutrition for your eyes. However, the water and Vitamin E don’t mix well and you basically have the same oily mess that I described above, but possibly even a bit worse.
Recipe #3 – Water, Castile Soap, & Olive Oil
– 1 cup water
– 1/4 teaspoon Castile soap
– 1 teaspoon organic olive oil
This one plain stung and didn’t work well. I had to rub at my eyes several times to get my non-waterproof mascara off. So this is a no-go for the delicate eye area.
Recipe #4 – Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Almond Oil
– 4 tablespoons EVOO
– 3 tablespoons almond oil
Again, this is all oils and was the same oily problem as above.
Recipe #5 – Water, Castille Soap, and Oil
– 1 cup water
– 1 1/2 tablespoons Castile soap
– 1/8 teaspoon oil
This one, again, didn’t really work and stung somewhat. Not good.
Recipe #6 – Water & Soap
– 1/2 cup water
– 2 teaspoons soap (I used Castile soap)
Stinging. Again. And not good results.
So what’s a gal to do when these are the results she gets?
Well, here’s what happened. I came up with a winner that works like a charm and doesn’t sting.
This Best DIY Eye Makeup Remover has:
- eye makeup removing power of oils
- added ingredients to make it less oily and easier to remove
- clean ingredients
- works even for waterproof mascara
- no stinging
This will even take off waterproof mascara, but you do have to work it in a little more and for a little longer. On a side note, I’ve heard that waterproof mascara can lead to lashes falling out, and apparently the loss is sometimes permanent. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I seem to have fewer lashes than when I was younger, and I used to use waterproof mascara all. the. time. Sigh.
Cost of this Eye Makeup Remover
Here are the approximate costs of ingredients at the time of publication of this post.
Even if you buy a more expensive oil like jojoba, you can make this synthetic chemical-free eye makeup remover for:
– Jojoba oil: about $2.25 for 1 oz
– Witch Hazel: about $1.62 for 1 oz
– Water: basically free.
Total: $3.87 for 3 oz., which is $1.29 per ounce (not including vitamin E).
And if you use olive oil instead, the EVOO from Costco costs about $.17 per ounce.
Then your total is: $1.79 for 3 oz, which is $.60 per ounce.
Compare that to one synthetic chemical-laden brand I was using, which was about $4.99 for 2 fl oz.
I’d much rather the pure stuff and it costs so much less, too!
Homemade Eye Makeup Remover
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons witch hazel
- 2 tablespoons oil of choice
- 2 tablespoons water (please use filtered water — see how to make your water safe)
- Small Glass Jar with lid like this one or this one
- Organic Cotton Rounds or organic makeup remover pads (I recommend the rounds since eye makeup will tend to be hard to wash off of the pads)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to your container / dispenser.
- Shake well before using.
- Moisten Cotton Round or Makeup Pad with the mixture, or alternatively you could place some of the mixture on clean fingers– then wipe eyes gently.
Notes
Where to Buy Non-Toxic Eye Makeup Remover
Don’t feel like making your own Eye Makeup Remover? Here are a few very clean options.
Poofy Organic’s Eye Makeup Remover
Poofy Organic’s makeup remover is a super-easy-to-use product that’s reasonably priced and is loaded with nourishing ingredients for the skin around your eyes, too.
Rowe Casa’s Eye Makeup Remover
Rowe Casa’s Eye Makeup Remover is another affordable option that works well. Code WNM gets 20% off your first order. They have a full line of wellness and home products to choose from as well.
Crunchi’s I Am the Balm
I Am the Balm from Crunchi is a lovely rich product that many enjoy for removing face and eye makeup.
For me, it’s too stiff, but many love it, so it might work well for you. Code ADVOCATE10 gets 10% off your first order.
Crunchi also has a membership program with free shipping at $125, 10% credits back and special offers. See my Crunchi Review for more information about this and other products.
More DIY Non-toxic Personal Care Products
Here are some more great homemade personal care and beauty products that are simple to make. I love all of these, and I think you will too.
– Homemade Jojoba Face Wash
– Easiest Baby Wipes
– Homemade Foaming Soap
– Homemade Shea Butter Lotion
– 2 Ingredient Homemade Hairspray
What do you use to remove your eye makeup?
Photo Credits: Naomi Huzovicova
You do know that literally everything, except for energy and subatomic particles, is a chemical? Because you keep talking about “removing chemicals”, which means you have fallen for the scare tactics hook, line, and sinker. Water is a chemical. Oxygen is a chemical. Glucose is a chemical. Salt is a chemical. You are full of chemicals because guess what? All of those are found in the body and are necessary for life.
You people hear the word “chemical” and think bad because you listen to scaremongers, but they (and now you) have no idea what you’re talking about.
Hey there “Someone” – if you had used a real email instead of the fake one, you could see my response that would then allow you to be “educated”.
Yes, I am aware that everything is made up of chemicals. Pretty much. Technically the word chemical in this case should be replaced by “synthetic chemical” and I just did that. I just have a lot to manage on my site and that was missed.
I haven’t fallen for any scare tactics. You are ignoring the obvious that many synthetic chemicals are a problem and you’re extrapolating from a typical misstatement that I don’t know what I’m talking about.
I do.
Hello. Thanks for doing the due diligence on this topic. I will definitely try this recipe out for sure! Been using Burt’s Bees makeup wipes but have been noticing diminished eye sight day after use. Yea! I did want to add that I have a Soy allergy & I have found information that tells of ALL Vitamin E in USA is in fact Soy derived sadly enough. Blessings to you for going above & beyond. ;o)
Hi there! I hope you like it! 2 thoughts about your soy situation.
1) I did find this one that’s soy free and there are more (affiliate link) https://amzn.to/3j9PicP.
2) Typically “derived” means that there’s very little of the original substance in the derived product. You would have to ask the manufacturer, but I work with Amare and they have ingredients grown in milk that has on dairy component in the final product. I know this topic pretty well due to my oldest having life threatening food allergies.
Hope that helps!
Thank you for sharing your research! My research brought your reasearch and we care for the same healthy, non-toxic, natural and minimal way of living.
I am also writing to you to suggest a way to preserve the mix without preservative and without needing to refrigerate it: I got a 4L of distilled water at our drugstore, for only $1.60.
Cheers!
Marie
Ottawa, Canada
Hello there. Thanks! You could try something like vitamin E or rosemary or some other natural preservative. I don’t currently have recommendations for amounts, however.
Thanks so much for this information!
You are so welcome!
Sounds wonderful, tomorrow I get the Jojoba and Witch Hazel and I will do what you said. Thanks a million. Gina
Hope it works well for you! If you like it, we sooo appreciate 5 star reviews. Some bloggers falsify reviews but I don’t and good reviews help us and help readers to find great things on the internet. Thanks!
I thinks this recipe is great,
Thanks so much!
Hey! Thanks so much for sharing this. I have a couple questions.
Should the witch hazel used in this recipe (the one you chose in the end) be with or without alcohol? I can imagine with alcohol would mean it mixes with the oils a little better?
Also, I’m curious if you think it would work to initially mix only the oil and witch hazel together, and then add a bit of water on my makeup remover pad only during each use? The reason I would do this is to get around the 3-4 day shelf life of it when mixed with water. I assume it’s the water that causes the reduction in shelf life, since the shelf life of jojoba oil and witch hazel are 5 and 2 years, respectively.
Thanks for your time!!
I am not a chemist but apparently witch hazel acts as an emulsifier so pure would be better. I think you could do that – sure. I can add a preservative to the formula as well. Will work on that.
Used this last night and found it really effective! Just a quick question: how much do you put on a cotton round if you’re just taking off eye makeup? I struggle to get mine off completely, especially on the bottom lashes, underside of the top lashes. For instance: Do you soak one then ring it out? Do you keep the rounds in the jar at all times and ring out or just use? Is it user dependent? It is this more a question of how to effectively take off the eye makeup (i.e. wash face first, remove makeup, wash around eyes again)?
I’m so glad you liked it! I actually put it on my (clean) fingers and gently rub in w/ my ring finger. I then use a cotton / toilet paper, rag (typically a clean rag) to dab everything off and then wash my face. I will put this in the post now. Good question!
OK it was already in the post…..just letting you know I likely won’t be adding anything new. Hope that clarifies!
Thanks, Adrienne, for sharing your excellent Best Homemade Eye Makeup Remover. I tried it and it works perfectly and was very gentle. For water, I used distilled and boiled it and allowed it to cool a bit. I did modify it a little: I used extra-virgin olive oil (because I had it on hand), I added one teaspoon of vegetable glycerin (humectant) and, as an added bit of preservation, 1/4 teaspoon of vodka.
Again, many thanks for your great ideas.
You are so welcome! So glad you liked it!!
Using distilled water might help a bit with shelf life too ^_^
That might help – great idea!
How long does this normally take? Can I do it when I wake up then leave or does it take a long time?
You mean to make it or to use it?
Hi! So how do you normally store jojoba oil and witch hazel then? Do they go in the fridge? Or only when also combined together and with water?
What if you just kept them all three seperate in the counter? And then combined when you wanted to use?
You could do that!
Those can be stored on the shelf–oil will go rancid faster than witch hazel typically. It depends on the type of oil and storage and also the type of witch hazel b/c there are different versions.
We can also make it a lot less complicated and just put a couple of drops of oil onto a moistened cotton pad, squish the pad a bit to make the oil mix with water in and proceed. No need to mix anything and worry about bacteria growth. Boom.
Yes, that can work as well but this formula cleans better without the oily residue. What you are recommending is very similar to just putting oil on your wet eye (so that’s even more simple :))–which I have found didn’t work well for me. Thanks for reading and hope that explains things a little better. Hopefully I will be able to get some good preservative info in the post at some point.
Could castor oil be added to the mixture? It helps promote hair growth and is good for keeping your lashes healthy.
I’m sure that could work, however it can be hard to get out of hair / lashes so I would try it first to see how it works for you. Maybe just a small amount will work out instead of a higher percentage. Hope that helps!
For years I have been using a combo of castor oil, apricot kernel oil and sunflower oil for washing off makeup (face and eyes) and not refrigerating it without an issue, ever. It usually takes a few weeks to use it up. I’d like to try yours but was confused about the need to use it up within such a short time and refrigerate it. I have to assume some person somewhere had a problem (hence the warning) but I can’t imagine what would make this go bad so quickly.
Hi there. No one has had an issue. I just don’t want someone to have one :).