Gentle Rose & Oat Facial Cleanser
- thereformedproduct
- Feb 16
- 4 min read
Calling all the sensitive skin people! Most mainstream cleansers, even for sensitive skin, cause me redness, irritation, or they just don't cleanse very well, leading to breakouts. This powdered face wash is perfect for gently cleansing the skin without causing irritation. Plus it's super easy to make and customize to your liking.
I really love this stuff. My skin always feel so soft after using it and NOT RED - which is a plus. During this time of the year my skin is definitely more normal/dry so cleansers cause me lots of issues. I have stopped "washing" my face in the morning and instead opt for a simple oil cleansing if I need to apply makeup/go somewhere. This allows my skin to hold on to moisture better and does not disturb my skin barrier. I typically only use face wash after removing my makeup or after a workout when I've gotten super sweaty. If you are acne prone or struggling with oily skin you may need to cleanse more often - it all depends on your skin type and the environment you live. When I lived in Florida for a few years I was oily, ALL THE TIME. So I cleansed twice a day religiously. I recommend trying different routines out and also recognizing that your routine for a typical day in July 🥵, might not be ideal for a standard January snow day.
I do recommend wearing a mask to mix this to avoid inhaling the SCI as it is a super finely ground product. For this recipe, all you do is weigh everything into a glass jar/bowl and stir gently. I used a jar with a lid, so I tightened the lid and shook vigorously. I also added a few drops (10 to 20 total) of rosehip oil/ rose essential oil to help keep the powder from getting into the air when the container is opened. Some will use an herb/coffee grinder to finely grind all these ingredients (definitely use a mask for this step as well). All of the materials I used in this are fine enough, for me. Plus I enjoy the teeny tiny exfoliating feeling this gives. But I would not consider this an exfoliator.
Ingredients (& possible customizations)
Kaolin clay makes up most of this face wash. It is very gentle and great for all skin types. A really good general use clay. I recommend keeping this, but if you have very oily/acne prone skin you may want to up the sea clay content in this recipe and lower the kaolin.
As an eczema sufferer, colloidal oatmeal is one my favorite ingredients. It's soothing, moisturizing, and it wonderful on itchy, irritated skin. The kind I use states it is a gluten free product - obviously if you have allergies to oats/gluten you should use your best judgement in using items that work for you. You might also try rice powder or you could use more of the powdered coconut milk (talked about below).
Sodium cocoyl isethionate (SCI) is a very fine, light weight powdered surfactant. It is gentle for most skin types and derived from coconut oil - so it is considered fairly natural. This is the only surfactant in the recipe and will provide a gentle, light foam to cleanse the skin.
Sea clay (which is not the same thing as French Green Clay) is usually taken from marine areas. You may also see it referred to as Dead Sea Clay if it is sourced from that region. But it can be found in any coastal area. It is great for oily skin, deep cleansing and purifying. If you struggle with acne you might want to reduce the kaolin amount and up the percentage of this.
Powdered coconut milk is great for moisturizing skin and I've found it to be beneficial for my dry/eczema prone skin.
Rose petal powder is said to be calming and softening to the skin. I enjoy the scent, personally. But you could substitute with calendula, chamomile, or anything similar - as long as you are not allergic. You could also increase this if you are eliminating the colloidal oatmeal.
My recommendations for this recipe is to keep the SCI at 15% and to keep your total clay amount to around 40% - 60% (since the main purpose is cleansing) and then the rest of it you can play around with. This recipe makes a 4oz batch, but you should have a container bigger than that due to the difference between weight/volume. I used an 8oz glass jar which gave it plenty of room when I shook it up after adding the oil drops.
Kaolin white clay | 50% | 56.60 grams |
Colloidal oatmeal | 20% | 22.68 grams |
SCI | 15% | 17.01 grams |
Sea clay | 5% | 5.67 grams |
Powdered coconut milk | 5% | 5.67 grams |
Rose petal powder | 5% | 5.67 grams |
I also keep a little bamboo scoop in mine so I don't dip my fingers in it. As this is a preservative free item, do not allow water to get inside of the container. I would not store this in my shower, however I keep it on a stand in my bathroom and I just scoop some out when I'm ready to use it and then make sure the lid is tight. I have also seen this type of product packaged in a shaker style container, which is genius and if I had any, I would have done that. Enjoy!!
