The cleansing clay balm will gently and delicately cleanse your skin every day. One of the ways to cleanse your skin is to use cleansing balms. Balms in particular combine the effectiveness of oils, which help remove even waterproof makeup, with the degreasing and cleansing effects of clays.
Thanks to the fact that the cleansing clay balm does not contain water, its production is really simple and, in addition, it does not require a preservative as long as you make sure that no water gets into the product, for example when scooping out the balm with wet hands.
About this recipe
The recipe was prepared by the Handymade team — we thank the wonderful Ivana Jačalová for preparing this blog post.
This is a water-free cleansing balm for the skin. To make it, we basically need a blend of oils and clay supplemented with a fatty alcohol, which will help to solidify the product and thus make it easier to apply to the skin. What is more, you can experiment with homemade recipes — the individual ingredients can be swapped or varied, thanks to which you can prepare a product tailored exactly to your needs.
Beware of water: any water in the product can cause its rapid microbial spoilage, so avoid applying this product with damp hands.
Main benefits
- Gentle everyday cleansing
The balm will gently and delicately cleanse your skin every day.
- Removes even waterproof makeup
It combines the effectiveness of oils, which help remove even waterproof makeup.
- Degreasing and cleansing effects of clays
Clays are excellent at degreasing the skin and ridding it of impurities, because they are able to bind substances and grease.
- Nourishment for the skin
Clays are rich in minerals and thus help to nourish the skin; avocado oil adds vitamins and minerals.
- Simple to make, with no preservative
The balm does not contain water — production is really simple and it does not require a preservative.
Product properties
Key ingredients in the recipe
Below we will introduce the individual ingredients used to make the cleansing clay balm. You will thus learn not only more about the role of each ingredient in the formula, but also about possible substitutions or variations, thanks to which you can prepare a product tailored exactly to your needs.
MCT Caprylis – neutral oil
A popular neutral oil for almost all kinds of cosmetics is MCT caprylis. This oil has high stability and resistance to oxidation, so products containing it stay fresh for longer. At the same time, it is colourless and odourless, allowing the other components of the product to stand out.
MCT caprylis can be replaced with vegetable oils of your own choice. You can freely choose an oil that is your favourite, or even an oil with a stronger colour or scent, if you do not mind that these properties may affect the final colour and scent of the product.
Avocado oil
Another popular facial and culinary oil is avocado oil. This oil is rich in vitamins and minerals and thus provides the skin with excellent nourishment and care. However, avocado oil is not the only oil you can use to make the cleansing clay balm. You can easily replace this oil with another vegetable oil, similarly to MCT caprylis.
If you want to make a larger amount of cleansing clay balm and price is the deciding factor for you, you can also reach for cheaper oils, including refined ones – the product is rinsable, and therefore it will not remain on the skin for a long time, so it does not need to contain the most luxurious oils.
Cetearyl alcohol
To thicken and solidify the final product, cetearyl alcohol was chosen for the cleansing clay balm. This fatty alcohol in its appearance and behaviour is very similar to waxes, but it burdens the skin much less and does not create such a strong greasy film on it as waxes do.
Cetearyl alcohol combines well with oil-soluble ingredients. By changing its amount, you can adjust the final firmness of the balm – if you want a firmer balm, increase the content of cetearyl alcohol by 1-2 %, and vice versa. A substitute for cetearyl alcohol is cetyl alcohol.
Olivem 1000
The emulsifier and at the same time the second structuring component of the cleansing clay balm is Olivem 1000. Although the product does not contain water, you will certainly appreciate Olivem 1000 as an ingredient that gives the product firmness. For this reason, it is the second ingredient whose proportion you can slightly increase if you want a firmer balm, and vice versa.
At the same time, after massaging the cleansing clay balm into damp skin, Olivem 1000 enables the emulsification of the oils with water and thus a more effective cleansing of the skin. An alternative to Olivem 1000 is other emulsifiers, such as Beautyderm K10, but when replacing Olivem 1000, you must expect a slight change in the viscosity/firmness of the final product.
Cosmetic clay
You too will appreciate the effective cleansing and degreasing effects of clays thanks to our facial cleansing balm containing blue-green French clay. Clays are excellent at degreasing the skin and ridding it of impurities, because they are able to bind substances and grease. In addition, clays are rich in minerals and thus help to nourish the skin.
Do not omit clay from the product, as the final product would no longer have such strong cleansing properties without it. However, you can replace the blue-green clay with another clay of your choice. Try, for example, pink French clay or choose yellow illite. Be careful, however, with bentonite, which, after combining with water when applied to the skin, may behave somewhat differently from other clays, because it readily binds water. Therefore, after applying bentonite to damp skin, lumps may form and the product will be harder to apply.
Tocopheryl acetate
To prolong the freshness of the oils, an antioxidant was added to the product, specifically vitamin E, tocopheryl acetate. Unlike tocopherol, tocopheryl acetate is more heat-resistant, so do not interchange these two substances, since we must add vitamin E to a product that is still relatively hot.
On the other hand, it is also possible to omit tocopheryl acetate. You can do so especially if you plan to use up the product quickly (within a matter of weeks). If you want to use the product for a longer period, it is advisable to consider adding tocopheryl acetate, which will help to delay significant oxidation of the oils used. Alternatively, replace the avocado oil with MCT caprylis, which has a significantly higher resistance to oxidation than common vegetable oils.
Essential oil, rosemary
Who does not like cosmetics with a pleasant scent? That is why we added rosemary essential oil to the product, which has a pleasant herbal fragrance and combines antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, making it a great addition to the cleansing clay balm.
If you have another favourite essential oil, feel free to choose it instead of rosemary essential oil. However, respect the dosage for the given type of product, which is stated, for example, in IFRA standards. An alternative to essential oils are fragrance oils, which offer an even wider palette of scents than essential oils. Alternatively, you can leave out the fragrance completely and replace the essential oil with a vegetable oil.
Formulation (100 g)
A recipe for 100 g of cleansing clay balm. The ingredients are divided into two phases (A – B) and each one is linked to a product in our range.
Shop the ingredients for this recipe
Untick what you already have- Olivem 1000, 50 guses 7.5 gin stock€7.34
| Phase / ingredient | Content in % | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Phase A | ||
| MCT Caprylis neutral oil | 45,00 | 45,00 g |
| Avocado oil | 18,00 | 18,00 g |
| Cetearyl alcohol | 9,50 | 9,50 g |
| Olivem 1000 | 7,50 | 7,50 g |
| Cosmetic clay, French, blue-green | 19,00 | 19,00 g |
| Phase B | ||
| Tocopheryl acetate | 0,20 | 0,20 g |
| Essential oil, rosemary | 0,80 | 0,80 g |
| Packaging | ||
| Aluminium jar with lid | — | 1 pc |
How to make it
- Disinfection
Disinfect all tools, containers and packaging, for example by spraying them with ethanol.
- Weighing out phase A
Into a heat-resistant container, weigh out the ingredients of phase A. Ideally, add the clay last, into the oils, so that this powder does not unnecessarily get into the air and irritate the respiratory tract.
Phase A - Water bath
Cover the mixture with aluminium foil and place it in a water bath. Heat until all the cetearyl alcohol and Olivem 1000 have melted. Do not exceed a temperature of 70 °C.
max 70 °C - Stirring in phase B
Stir the mixture well and remove it from the water bath. When you notice that the mixture is slowly starting to thicken, thoroughly stir in the ingredients of phase B (tocopheryl acetate and essential oil); see tips and tricks.
Phase Babove 40 °C - Filling into the container
Before it solidifies, fill the product into the chosen container. Then leave it to set and the cleansing clay balm is ready to use.
Tips and tricks
In the following lines, we bring you several tips and tricks to make it easier to prepare the cleansing clay balm.
Since the production of the cleansing clay balm is really simple, it is enough if you heat the mixture long enough so that all the ingredients bind together well, while at the same time being careful that no water from the water bath gets into the mixture. Any water in the product can cause its rapid microbial spoilage, so avoid applying this product with damp hands.
Important: Because phase A starts to solidify after being removed from the water bath, it is necessary to add the ingredients of phase B before the temperature drops completely below 40 °C. If you waited until the temperature fully dropped, the mixture would solidify and it would not be possible to stir further ingredients into it. For this reason, tocopheryl acetate was chosen, as it has a higher heat resistance than tocopherol. Therefore, do not substitute tocopheryl acetate with tocopherol.
How to use it
Gently massage the balm into skin moistened with water and then rinse thoroughly. You can remove any excess greasiness, for example, with micellar water or with other water-based degreasing facial cleansers (foaming or powder facial cleanser).
Thanks to the fact that the product does not contain water, it does not require a preservative — during use, however, make sure that no water gets into the product, for example when scooping out the balm with wet hands.
Experiment sensibly — a word of warning
As mentioned, you can experiment with homemade recipes to achieve the desired properties. However, the final result can be influenced by many factors, such as humidity, temperature, quality of the ingredients or their storage.
Before using any ingredient to make a cosmetic product, familiarise yourself with its properties, recommended dosage, storage conditions and safe handling. Each ingredient may have the potential to trigger an allergic reaction in sensitive individuals, so before using the product, we recommend finding out whether you are allergic to any of the ingredients or to the overall product, for example by means of a skin test.
If you have very sensitive or very acne-prone skin, or have other skin and health issues, we recommend that you consult a medical professional before applying a new product to your skin, whether it is a homemade cosmetic product, a pure ingredient or a commercially available product.
Frequently asked questions about the recipe
Practical questions about the recipe — why the balm does not need a preservative, how to use the balm, and possible substitutes for the clay, the oils and the emulsifier.
Why does the balm not need a preservative?
The cleansing clay balm does not contain water, and so it does not require a preservative — as long as you make sure that no water gets into the product, for example when scooping out the balm with wet hands. Any water in the product can cause its rapid microbial spoilage.
How is the cleansing clay balm used?
Gently massage the balm into skin moistened with water and then rinse thoroughly. You can remove any excess greasiness, for example, with micellar water or with other water-based degreasing facial cleansers (foaming or powder facial cleanser).
Can I replace the blue-green clay with another clay?
Yes — you can replace it with another clay of your choice, for example pink French clay or yellow illite. Be careful, however, with bentonite: after combining with water it readily binds water, and so after application to damp skin lumps may form and the product will be harder to apply. Do not omit clay from the product — the final product would no longer have such strong cleansing properties.
Can I use other oils?
Yes, both MCT caprylis and avocado oil can be replaced with vegetable oils of your own choice. For a larger amount of balm you can also reach for cheaper oils, including refined ones — the product is rinsable, and therefore it will not remain on the skin for a long time.
Why does the recipe use tocopheryl acetate and not tocopherol?
Unlike tocopherol, tocopheryl acetate is more heat-resistant — we must add vitamin E to a product that is still relatively hot, so do not interchange these two substances. Tocopheryl acetate can also be omitted if you plan to use up the product quickly (within a matter of weeks).
How do I change the firmness of the balm?
By changing the amount of cetearyl alcohol — if you want a firmer balm, increase its content by 1-2 %, and vice versa. The second structuring component is Olivem 1000, whose proportion you can also increase slightly if you want a firmer balm, and vice versa.
French clays, oils, cetearyl alcohol and Olivem 1000 — you will find all the ingredients from this recipe in the range of cosmetic clays and oils at Handymade.sk.
