DIY Eye Makeup Remover (Natural Recipe & Simple Oil Options)
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This DIY eye makeup remover recipe is gentle, simple to make, and works even on mascara and eyeliner. After trying several formulas, I developed one that removes makeup well without stinging or leaving a heavy oily residue. It's truly the best eye makeup remover that I've ever used.
In addition to that, I’m also sharing simple oil alternatives and the formulas I tested that didn’t work well and why.
Many store-bought removers contain fragrance, preservatives, and other ingredients some people prefer to avoid. If that's you, you'll love the simplicity of this formula, in addition to loving how well it works.
Why This DIY Eye Makeup Remover Works
This formula is a simple one, but it works extremely well, and here's why.
- oil dissolves eye makeup, including waterproof mascara. It also reduces the stinging that plain witch hazel can cause.
- witch hazel helps cut the greasy feel and residue from the oil
- vitamin E is optional for extra nourishment
Homemade Eye Makeup Remover
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons witch hazel
- 2 tablespoons oil of choice
- 2 tablespoons water
- small glass jar with lid like this one or this one
- organic cotton rounds or 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 can place some of the mixture on clean fingers, and then wipe eyes gently until all of the makeup is loosened.
- Rinse your eyes with warm water.
- Follow with water-based facial cleanser and your regular skincare routine.
Notes
- To clean up stray eye makeup on face that might remain after using this remover, put a small amount on fingers or dip cotton swab in the mixture to clean up those marks.
- When washing your face after using the remover, you will likely want to wash your eye area as well to remove any residue.
- When using this remover for waterproof mascara, you will likely need to lightly massage it in a little bit more than you will for regular mascara.
- SHELF LIFE: The witch hazel in this product will help a bit with bacterial growth, but you should only make enough to use within 3-4 days and store this in the fridge. If it smells off, discard. You need a broad spectrum preservative in this to keep it for a longer period of time.
- I prefer using disposable cotton balls or rounds because eye makeup is difficult to wash off of washable pads.
This works so well that a natural-minded professional friend of mine—who is very particular about ingredients and demands performance from her products—told me this is the best eye makeup remover she has ever used. I always appreciate hearing that feedback, especially from someone like this.
How to Use This Eye Makeup Remover
- Shake well before using.
- Moisten cotton round or makeup pad with the mixture, or alternatively place some of the mixture on clean fingers, and wipe eyes gently until the makeup is loosened.
- Rinse eye area and entire face with warm water.
- Follow with water-based cleanser on face and eye area. If using a facial oil cleanser, you could do that first and then follow with a water-based cleanser for the double-cleansing method.
Simple Oils That Remove Eye Makeup
Some DIY makeup remover “recipes” online are simply a single ingredient, usually an oil, since oils dissolve makeup easily. Common examples include coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, or jojoba oil for that purpose.
While I like facial oil cleansing because it removes makeup well, oils leave behind residue on eyelashes when used as an eye makeup remover. Even after washing once or twice, some oil can remain and cause the next day's makeup to run or smudge.
Note that coconut oil can be too heavy for some skin types and may contribute to clogged pores for some people.
Castor oil is sometimes recommended in DIY makeup remover recipes or eyelash blends because it’s very conditioning and is thought to help with hair growth. However, its heavy texture can make it harder to remove from lashes and the delicate eye area. Some people prefer to blend a small amount with lighter oils, but I still find it too difficult to remove and prefer lighter oils for this application.
Homemade Eye Makeup Remover Recipes I Tried
While developing this formula, I tried a variety of options. Here are the results:
- Witch hazel and oil: removed makeup but stung
- Water, vitamin E, and oil: too oily and separated too much
- Water, castile soap, and oil: stung and didn’t remove makeup well
- Olive oil and almond oil: effective but much too greasy
- Water and soap: stung and underperformed
Finally, after testing these options, I found that the above balanced oil-based remover with witch hazel was the perfect combination.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use coconut oil to remove eye makeup?
Yes, you can, but it can clog pores for some people. It also will leave an oily residue that can be hard to remove completely.
Does this remove waterproof mascara?
Yes, it works really well for waterproof mascara. You might need to massage your eyes a bit longer to get it off, but it will work.
Will this sting?
The oil in the remover is a buffer for the stinging. If you experience any stinging at all, it should be very mild. Of course if you have any kind of reaction to this formula, stop using it immediately.
How long does homemade eye makeup remover last?
Due to the water in this formula, you should only make enough for 3-4 days. The vitamin E might help it last a bit longer as will storing it in the fridge. If you want to make a larger batch, you'll need to add a broad spectrum preservative.
Is homemade eye makeup remover cheaper?
Yes and this DIY version costs much less per ounce than store-bought eye makeup removers.
Prefer to Buy Instead?
If you’d rather not make your own eye makeup remover, here are a few brands I trust that have safer ingredients:
- Poofy Organic's Remover – Code WNM gets 10% off your first order.
- Rowe Casa's Remover – Code WNM gets 20% off your first order.
However, DIY options are far less expensive and allow you to control exactly what ingredients you’re using.
More Natural Beauty Recipes
Here are some more great homemade beauty products that are simple to make. I love all of these, and I think you will too.
- Homemade Jojoba Face Wash
- Homemade Foaming Soap
- Homemade Shea Butter Lotion
- 2 Ingredient Homemade Hairspray
- Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Rinse
What do you use to remove your eye makeup?
Photo Credits: Naomi Huzovicova
Just something I have learned about mascara boo boo’s. People, please leave it alone until it dries. This usually only take a few minutes but will save you heartache in the end. I know this sounds hard to do, but once it is dry gently use a cotton swab to remove the boo boo and it won’t disturb the rest of your makeup. Crazy, right? Read this somewhere awhile back and believe me this is the greatest tip I’ve ever found! Hope this helps alot. Now for me to just try the eye makeup remover recipe to get it off for the night. =)
Great tip! I did this myself just the other day!
Thanks for the eye makeup remover info and recipe. I will try it.
You are so welcome! Hope it works well for you!
Thank you for this post and for all that initial trial and error. I have tried your recipe and found that it worked fantastically and it is easy to make and literally takes about a minute to make. I don’t actually use eye makeup that often, so I’ve made a smaller batch and even then, I have kept it longer than 3 days in the fridge. it seems to be fine and it hasn’t gone bad on me yet. I think it’s been a little less than a week since I’ve made it. I think it just requires a bit of common sense on the readers’ part to figure out if the concoction has gone bad or not.
Just a note: I used jojoba oil and it solidifies in the fridge. So I just have to take it out of the fridge for it to warm up a bit before using it.
Hi there and thank you–good tip on storing in the fridge. Just keep in mind that bacteria can start to grow without being obvious but refrigeration does slow that growth down.
Hi, you are using an image I created on Pinterest to lead people to this post, you don’t site the image or link to the website it’s from Marvelous Maskara, please remove this pin since it does not belong to you, thank you.
Hello there. I haven’t done that — someone else is doing that and I don’t know how they did it. If you try to pin from my post you will see that that image doesn’t come up. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks!
I’ve used Un-Petroleum Jelly (available on Amazon or in natural health food stores) for many, many years. It removes eye make-up wonderfully well (remove with a sheet of toilet tissue) and it doesn’t sting the eyes at all. You’re welcome!
What about glycerin? Is that a safe ingredient to use around your eyes? Maybe mixed with water and jojoba oil, it might be another option. But I might be saying something really ignorant. Please let me know if you have any info. Thanks!
I have actually heard of people using glycerin around the eyes for natural beauty reasons so I think it’s not a problem. You are so welcome!
Olive oil or castor oil work perfectly. Many other products simply damage the eyelashes. It happened to me and I managed to restore them only with the help of (edited by blog owner) a lash serum. But it took time and I wouldn’t want it to happen with others.
Hi Anna – are you connected to the company that you shared? I just ask b/c castor oil is terrible to get out of eyelashes typically and I have never had issues w/ other removers causing that problem. Thanks!
If the blogger named a major brand product, more than once, then why would the blogger remove the brand name of the lash serum, that maybe some of us would be interested in checking out. Possibly the blogger has a vested interest in the brand name product they mentioned and doesn’t want other brands to move in on her territory?.
The blogger did it b/c in recent months there have been a bunch of commenters dropping brand names in the comment area and the pattern is becoming suspicious. Companies pay people to drop comments directing blog readers to their sites and this one looked the same as others. I don’t mind honest referrals but I don’t want my blog to be a place for self-promotion or paid promotion of other products to occur.
The main purpose of this post was to present a DIY option and I assure you that my commission on witch hazel is pretty minimal. If the reader wants to come back and tell me that she is just an honest reader she is welcome to do so. So far she has not.
Additionally, she offered a product that was completely different than those mentioned in the post. Hers was a lash serum that doesn’t compete with what I mentioned so I’m not protecting my “vested interest” by removing that name.
Hope that helps.
Hi
I have a very simple make up remover i use a small teacup of water (filtered), i than add a pinch of MSM powder to the water i use a rounded kitchenknife and scoop the msm on it heaped, so that’s my pinch. I stirr it and in another small glas bottle with a dropper i add some almond oil . I add some of the msms mixture on a cotton pad and squeze out the excess water and than add to the cotton pad 4 drups of almond oil . That’s it , the msm mixture i make every other day and ofcourse the almond oil stays well for quite some time. It works great even on hard to remove eye make-up which i personally would not recommend but accidently bought one time
Do I get this , right? Make up remover that I need to cncoct twice weekly? So disappointed. Facing reality of still having to buy a remover.
Hello Heidi.
I never had that info in the post until I started getting more aware of the possibility of contamination. It’s a real problem with many DIYs that people often ignore. It’s up to you. You can make it and use it for longer, or whatever you like. I’m trying to provide a real option for people but I don’t want to recommend something unsafe.
I used this myself for years and never had any issues.
I hope that helps. There are some great safer options listed in the post if you still wish to purchase one. Thanks for reading :).
I wear full eye make up every day, and have really sensitive eyes, so I cant use most makeup removers you find at the drug store. I now use the Made from Earth Green Tea Cleanser to remove my eye makeup and this takes it off really well without making my eyes water. No eye irritation what so ever, and I also use it as my night face cleanser. Its a creamy liquid, so it works for removing eye makeup as well.