DIY Face Wash: 15 Fantastic Recipes Your Face Will Love

It’s fun to try out new face washes, but they can be expensive, and most are filled with ingredients that you likely couldn’t even pronounce.

This article will walk you through 15 options for a DIY face wash that should help your skin feel its best. Ranging from two ingredients and up, you might be able to make one with ingredients that you have on hand now!

Read on to find your skin’s next favorite product.

1. Coconut and Honey Face Cleanser

This cleanser is perfect for sensitive skin! It’s gentle, easy to make, and will provide a warm glow to oil-prone skin and deep hydration to dry skin. You can apply and rinse off immediately or leave it on your face to fully soak in the goodness before rinsing.

What You’ll Need:

• 4 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons of raw honey
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 3-5 drops of lavender essential oil

How to Make It:

Start by warming the coconut oil until it’s liquid but not too hot for your skin (low heat is best—it won’t take long!). Once that’s all set, mix in the honey until they’re both incorporated, and everything is smooth. Stir in the baking soda until it’s fully dissolved, and finish by adding your lavender oil.

Coconut oil comes from fresh coconuts like these and is an oil that’s food safe and extremely hydrating.

2. Lavish Lemon Face Wash

This face wash is ideal for people with oily skin as it’s designed to pull the extra oils from your face and leave you feeling fresh and bright!

What You’ll Need:

• ¼ cup of castile soap (or your preferred soap)
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 1 tablespoon of jojoba or almond oil
• 3-6 drops of lemon essential oil

How to Make It:

Put all of the ingredients into a foaming soap container and shake until they’re combined. Use the pump to turn the liquid into foam and wash your face. Use this recipe whenever you’re feeling oily and need a reset.

Lemon is slightly acidic, so just like its bright color, it also helps brighten and tone your skin while adding a fresh lemony scent that many love.

3. Sugar and Oil Dry Skin Saver

This face wash is designed to help bring moisture to dry skin and provide a gentle exfoliation that helps remove any dry skin from the surface of your face. It’s best to use a few times a week and should be rinsed right after applying. A little goes a long way, so stick with a dime-sized amount, and it will last you forever!

What You’ll Need:

• ½ cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• ¼ cup of olive oil
• 3-5 drops of lavender essential oil
• 2-3 drops of sandalwood essential oil

How to Make It:

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, starting with the sugar and salt, then adding the olive oil and finishing with the essential oils. Make sure to store this DIY face wash in an airtight container to keep it from drying out.

These beautiful purple flowers add a nice floral scent when added to face washes by using essential oil.

4. Apple Cider Acne Fighter

This apple cider vinegar DIY face wash is perfect for acne-prone skin. It’s typically gentle enough to prevent further breakouts but tough enough to help drive away any dirt that’s clogging your pores. This can dry out your skin if you use it too often, so try saving it for tough breakouts!

What You’ll Need:

• 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 1 teaspoon of castile soap (or your preferred soap)
• 3-5 drops of tea tree oil
• 1 drop of lavender oil

How to Make It:

This face wash is easy as can be! Mix all of the ingredients together in any order and store in an air-tight container. When it’s time to use, dip in a cotton ball or a corner of a washcloth and rub it into your face (try to mainly go over the affected areas). Let it sit for 30 seconds or so, and then rinse your face with some warm water.

Fresh apples turn into apple cider vinegar which is the main ingredient in this acne-fighting DIY face wash.

5. Sugar and Spice Face Wash

This is my favorite DIY face wash to make in the fall! The spices are warm and cozy, and it’s amazing and soothing the dry skin that comes with colder weather. It’s suitable for all skin types too!

What You’ll Need:

• ½ cup of sugar
• 3 tablespoons of honey
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
• Water

How to Make It:

Start by mixing the sugar and honey together until you have a nice paste. Next, add in the cinnamon and nutmeg until they’re well incorporated. If the mixture is too thick or has lumps, add a few drops of water. Continue to add a few drops until the consistency is to your liking.

This can be used as a face wash or a face mask! If you choose to use it as a mask, just be sure to take it off within a 20-minute time frame.

Warm and cozy cinnamon is one of the key ingredients in this face mask that’s perfect for chilly days.

6. Charcoal Mask

This face mask is another one of my favorites because it works so well for my skin in particular. This works best for oily or combination skin and shouldn’t be used more than once a week.

It helps remove dirt and impurities from your pores and keeps oil at bay.

What You’ll Need:

• 2 tablespoons of activated charcoal
• ½ cup of aloe vera gel
• ½ cup of honey
• 15-20 drops of tea tree oil
• 2 tablespoons of jojoba, almond, or grapeseed oil

How to Make It:

Begin by combining the activated charcoal and aloe vera gel. Once these two ingredients are well mixed, add in the honey. Finish by adding the oil you chose and the tea tree oil drops.

Make sure to take off your makeup before using this mask, and consider setting a timer because it should only be left on for 2-3 minutes, and the time goes by fast!

Charcoal is perfect for drying out oily skin and leaving it feeling fresh and clean!

7. Soapless Face Wash

Some people’s skin is too sensitive to even use soap. If this sounds like you, this face wash might be a nice one to try out. It should cleanse and refresh your skin and is gentle enough to use daily.

What You’ll Need:

• 4 tablespoons of aloe vera gel
• 2 tablespoons of avocado oil
• 2-4 drops of frankincense oil

How to Make It:

Combine all of the ingredients together and funnel them into a dropper bottle (this makes for easy application without the mess). Use as you normally would with any face wash and rinse with warm water.

It should be gentle enough to use on your eyes but test it out by using a small amount first to see how they feel before committing.

The gel that comes from this plant, the aloe vera plant, is great for soothing skin and leaving it feeling hydrated without adding unnecessary oils.

8. An Apple a Day Wash

This DIY face wash has apple as the star ingredient, so it’s unique and smells heavenly. It’s best for dry skin, but if your skin is more on the oily side, it’s safe to use once or twice a week without building up too much extra oil.

What You’ll Need:

• ½ half of an apple, peeled
• ½ cup of plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• ½ tablespoon of honey

How to Make It:

Put all of the ingredients in a food processor (a blender will work too, but it might be a bit lumpy). Blend until smooth.

To use, massage it into your skin and let it sit for five minutes. Finish by rinsing with warm water.

An apple a day keeps the doctor—and dry skin away.

9. Clay Cleanser

This cleanser should work for any skin type. It will lightly exfoliate and remove dead skin cells as a result. It should also provide your skin with hydration, but not enough for oil to build-up.

What You’ll Need:

• 6 tablespoons of ground almonds or ground oats
• 1-2 tablespoons of clay
• 1 tablespoon of castile soap (or your preferred soap)
• 1 tablespoon of water or witch hazel

How to Make It:

Combine all of the ingredients and store in an air-tight glass jar to keep it fresh for as long as possible.

Take a pea-sized amount and mix it with a bit of water until it forms a paste. Apply to your face and immediately rinse with warm water.

All-natural clay is the star of this DIY face wash that doubles as a mask. 

10. Green Tea and Honey Face Wash

This DIY face wash is a nice option for those with sensitive skin and can even potentially help reduce the appearance of pores and minimize redness in your skin!

What You’ll Need:

• 3-4 tablespoons of honey
• 3 tablespoons of avocado oil
• 2 tablespoons of castile soap (or your preferred soap)
• ½ teaspoon of matcha powder
• 5-10 drops of your favorite essential oil (I personally like something citrusy)

How to Make It:

Begin by combining the honey and avocado oil until they’re fully mixed. Once that’s set, you can add the rest of the ingredients and continue mixing until it’s smooth. Mixing with a fork instead of a spoon works well.

Store in an air-tight container to preserve freshness, and make sure to wet your face before applying this DIY face wash.

Powdered green tea leaves make matcha powder, which is great for sensitive skin!

11. Simple Yogurt Mask

This mask is easy to make with ingredients that you probably have at home now. Yogurt is a natural cleanser, so it’s great for cleaning your skin without adding a ton of harsh ingredients.

What You’ll Need:

• 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• A few drops of your favorite essential oil (optional)

How to Make It:

Mix the ingredients until they’re well incorporated and store them in the fridge in an air-tight container.

This recipe uses a 1:1 ratio, so if you want to make a bigger batch, just use the same amount of each ingredient, but keep in mind that it’s best to use this mask within 2 weeks of making it (double-check the expiration date of the yogurt before you make this).

When it’s time to use, let it sit on your face for 2-5 minutes, and then rinse with warm water.

Yogurt isn’t just for breakfast; it’s the star ingredient in this simple face mask ideal for cleaning your skin without all the fuss. 

12. Skin-brightening Mask

This mask has anti-inflammatory benefits from the turmeric and has the potential to really brighten your skin!

What You’ll Need:

• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 tablespoon of honey

How to Make It:

Combine both of the ingredients well. Apply this mask to a clean and dry face and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Rinse off with warm water and enjoy the glow!

Turmeric is great for adding spice to food, but it’s also great at brightening your skin too!

13. Simple Vinegar Toner

This DIY face wash is the most simple one on the list! It requires two ingredients, and one of them is water!

This toner washes your face with minimal ingredients, which makes it a good choice for people with sensitive skin.

What You’ll Need:

• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups of water

How to Make It:

Mix in the apple cider vinegar with the water. Funnel into a spray bottle and spritz your face before rinsing with water.

Apple cider vinegar is a good item to always have on hand, and it’s the one ingredient other than water that makes up this lovely toner.

14. “Bowl of Oatmeal” Mask

This DIY face wash is fun because you have the ability to mix it up however you’d like, just like you can with a bowl of oatmeal!

It starts with a base, and then you can add extra ingredients to help moisturize, detoxify, or just add a fun scent!

What You’ll Need:

• 1 cup of oat flour (or one cup of oats put in the food processor)
• 2 tablespoons of almond, coconut, jojoba, or avocado oil
• Water (enough to create a paste)

How to Make It:

Either buy oat flour or make your own by adding one cup of oats to a food processor and blending until it’s fine. Once this ingredient is ready, add in the oil and mix it as well as you can. From here, add water until the mask resembles a paste.

Optional add-ins: mashed or blended banana, avocado, or blueberries and/or your favorite essential oil to add a fun scent.

Just like a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, this oatmeal mask can be customized to fit your unique skin care needs.

15. All About Sugar Scrub

This sugar scrub is great for exfoliating your face, but it can also be used after shaving your legs to give them an extra smooth feel and help scrape away any dead skin.

What You’ll Need:

• ½ cup of sugar
• ½ cup of brown sugar
• ½ cup- 1 cup of sugar in the raw
• Almond or grapeseed oil
• 15-20 drops of essential oil (warm scents work best)

How to Make It:

Mix all of the different sugars together (adding more sugar in the raw makes it more of a rough exfoliation, adding less makes it more gentle). Add in the essential oil and mix it thoroughly.

Finish by adding in your choice of oil until the scrub is the consistency that you’d like (it can range from liquid to the texture of barely wet sand).

Important note: Try your best to keep extra moisture out. Store it in an air-tight container, but use a scoop to get it out instead of wet hands. This will keep the sugar from “melting” and no longer helping with exfoliating.

Three different types of sugar make up this DIY face wash that’s designed to scrub away your worries and your dry skin too. 

Find Your New Favorite Face Wash Today

No matter which DIY face wash you choose to make from this list, it’s sure to be an easy way to try out a new skincare product by using ingredients that most people keep in their home on the regular.

Washing your face is an essential part of your daily routine, so work your way through this list of 15 face washes and find the one that makes your face feel refreshed, moisturized, and glowing!