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
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 :).