Making my own DIY Reusable Homemade Face Wipes for 71 Cents per Week is a game changer! These easy little wipes that only take a couple minutes to make will cut down your cosmetic budget so much that you won’t turn back!
Face wipes are just so darn convenient. They also make my wallet cry. When I realized I was spending $6 on only two weeks’ worth of wipes, I decided to make my own. Making them allows me to save money, be a little more green, and continue to use a product that I love in a more convenient way, all while making it stretch further.
The initial investment is going to be the washcloths and the jar with the lid. After that, this is so cheap to make as it’s just the two tablespoons of Clean & Clear Foaming Face Wash every 1-2 months or so, depending on how much you use face wipes.
🧼 Ingredients
Clean & Clear Foaming Face Wash – Face wash is a fairly gently soap that is just perfect for this recipe. I found it at Walmart and Target.
Washcloths – I bought a new package just for this recipe, but you can use any you have around the house
Large jar with lid – The key here is the lid. Without it, the water will evaporate and you’ll be left with fry cloths. Mine was large enough to hold a week’s worth of wipes.
👩 Instructions
Step One: Measure distilled water into a microwave safe container. Microwave for about 90 seconds (should be warm to the touch, not burning hot).
Step Two: Pour 1/2 of water into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the measured amount of foaming face wash. Whisk until bubbly.
Step Three: Using clean hands, place your washcloths in the bowl and massage them into the mixture in order to coat them. Add in the remaining water and massage the mixture into the cloths until they’re all saturated. If you see a mountain of bubbles forming, it’s totally normal.
Step Four: Grab your bowl, squeeze the cloths and flip your bowl over a sink to let the liquid drain out. Squeeze some more until you’ve removed as much of the liquid from the cloths as possible.
Step Five: Fold washcloths into quarters and place them inside your jar. Stack them so you’ll easily be able to reach in for another day after day. Then place the lid on your jar and you’re done!
That was easy, wasn’t it? No chemist skills required.
How to Use
Fast method: Gently rub the wipe over your face to cleanse. Run the cloth under water and wring it out. Use a clean wipe over your face to remove any remaining cleanser. It can really be a 15 second process if you’re in a rush.
Relaxing Method (My preferred): Gently rub the wipe over your face to cleanse. Run the cloth under the hottest water you can handle and wring it out. Gently press clean wipe over your face. Leave it on until it cools (about 20 seconds), then gently rub the wipe over your face to remove any remaining cleanser. This makes me feel like I’m at a spa and I do this when I have a few minutes to spare in the morning. This is also where using nice washcloths can really make a huge difference. The foamy action of the Clean and Clear is so luxurious! You are going to love it!!!
📌 Items to Note
The first time I did this, I used full sized washcloths and only made seven washcloths to last a week. This was an inconvenience since I prefer to wash my face twice per day. Since then, I’ve cut the washcloths in half to make 14 wipes, which is enough for two uses per day. You have to love my math skills, right? 😀
The washcloths do fray if you cut them. I’m okay with this. If you aren’t and have some sewing skills it is pretty simple to sew the edges to prevent fraying.
Laundering: At the end of the week, I place the wipes in a lingerie bag (so I’m not hunting for them later), and simply throw them in with a load of bath and kitchen towels. No extra fuss!
When I take them out of the dryer, I take a few minutes to make my own face wipes all over again. It is super simple and takes just a few minutes. Once you make them a couple times, it takes less than five minutes to do this so it’s so worth the money savings and it is better for the environment.
Storage
I keep my used face wipes in a lidded container (tupperware or glass) on the bathroom counter. The lid isn’t a necessity. I just use it to hide the mess. In fact, I never fully close the lid on the container. I just rest the lid in an offset position which leaves about an inch of open space on one side. This is to allow air to circulate, which should prevent mold. I’ve now done this a few weeks and have not had any mold issues.
Speaking of mold, it’s important to use distilled water since that also works in preventing mold. Don’t ask me why or how (beats me), but for some reason it works. If you do not use distilled water, it’s at your own risk, and you are more likely to develop issues.
If you do experience mold, soak the washcloths in a container of bleach water overnight and it will kill it. Then, wash in the washing machine on a hot cycle as usual.
Cost Breakdown
Initial Investment:
Washcloths – I bought them at Homegoods for $4 for four of them. I bought two packs so I would have one a day.
Jar – I bought it at Homegoods for $5
These items will not be purchased again and if you choose NOT to keep making wipes can be used for other purposes. I like experiments like that!
Weekly Expense:
Clean and Clear Facial Soap – I bought it at Walmart for $4.47 and I’ll get eight jars worth = $0.56
Distilled Water – I bought it at Walmart for $0.80 and I’ll get 16 cups worth. I need three cups of distilled water per jar = $0.15
TOTAL PER JAR: $0.71!!!! This is a per week after the initial investment of the jar and the washcloths!!! HELLO! I was paying $6 for two weeks worth when I purchased the pre-made mixtures from the store! This is totally worth it for the less than 5 minutes it takes me to make these!!!
Related Tutorials
DIY Dove Body Wash – I love this beauty hack! It has saved me so much money!
Homemade Fabric Softener – I was surprised how easy it was to make my own fabric softener for the laundry. It made a world of difference!
DIY Homemade Face Wipes
Equipment
- Seven Washcloths
- Large Jar with Lid
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Clean & Clear Foaming Face Wash
- 3 cups Distilled Water warmed
Instructions
- Pour the distilled water into a microwave safe container. Microwave until the water is warm to the touch
- Pour half of the warmed water into a large mixing bowl. Add the foaming face wash. Whisk until bubbly.
- Add the washcloths to the bowl of soapy want and massage them until they are saturated.
- Squeeze the washcloths to remove excess water.
- Fold the washcloths into quarters and place them in a jar and secure the lid.
Notes
Sounds like a great plan. I’m going to try this very soon!
Several years ago I bought reusable cotton rounds/pads online. 30 to a pack. They are wonderful. I use them for eye makeup remover and astringent. They came with a cotton drawstring bag for storing the used ones. Such a lifesaver. I was tired of literally throwing my money in the trash three or more times a day. They are still going strong. They could definitely be used for this as well. They sell nursing pads which are larger than what I bought but that would be another option if someone didnt want the fraying and didnt want to sew.
Awesome idea! LOVE IT. I used wash cloths and reusable nursing pads. I made one for my 13 yr old son’s bathroom (& ours)… Anything to get him to wash his face and make the task at hand simple, count us in. Thank you for sharing.
Also the cute ribbon that comes with the wash cloths (mine had polka dots) I tied around the container. Gave it a fun finished look. Thanks again!!
Love this idea. But I am thinking of buying the dollar tree baby wash clothes to use. You get the perfect size for your face and small enough to put a bunch in the jar and NO fraying and easy on the wallet.
I’m attempting to keep the liquid. It seems a waste to loose the liquid. Has anyone else attempted? I also used the leftover soap on the measuring spoon for a quick face and neck wash.
I have seen a ton of these ideas around as I am recently trying to make most of my stuff on my own rather than use a ton of harsh chemicals that are in most of the name brands. I have to say yours is my favorite idea so far I plan on trying this as soon as I get to the store to get some face cloths for it! Love your ideas thanks for sharing!!
This I a great Idea!!! Thanks for shareing!!!! As to the question of saving the liquid has anyone tried to add vinegar to act as a bacterialcide???
What a great idea, thank you.
A perfect solution to our Australian summer heat.
I’ve been looking for a recipe that uses my preferred cleanser, to make sure it actually works before I tried it, and I finally found it! Going to try these out with the dollar store baby washcloths. When I have wipes I actually remember to wash my face more and I’m tired of throwing money away.
Am wondering if anyone has tried cleansers other than foaming face wash.?
Am looking for a cheaper product to use
Well have just made up my second batch of face wipes.
They are a huge success that even when my girlfriends come to visit they head to the bathroom to grab a face wipe especially with out heat at present.
Once again thank you for this great DIY project.
I am going to try this using homemade face cloths that I crochet with cotton yarn! Thanks for the idea!
I use baby washcloths since they are very soft and gentle on my face. They’re sold in packs of five and were really inexpensive. I like the simplicity of using a facial wash diluted with water. Many of the makeup remover “recipes” have coconut oil, which hazel and other ingredients that I had to keep replenishing. I am using the Dr. Bonner’s baby soap for my wipes.
So awesome! Love that! I like the mild baby washcloth idea.
Hi I am not familiar with the cleanser you are using…are you making these to replace make up remover wipes, or like acne (stridex type) wipes?
We are! That is exactly what we are doing! So you can use any pump style cleanser you are using for the same idea. Then you aren’t spending so much money re-buying the make up remover wipes! Let me know if that helps! Ginny