Herbal Apothecary: Facial Cleanser

Remember my homemade face scrub? I've been using it for over a month now, and (once I got used to it) I love it. There's a bit of trick to getting just the right amount on your fingertips, and massaging it gently at first, so it doesn't just slip off your hand in a big glob. It also helps to start with a dry face, so the scrub can get a grip on your skin. There is a bit of finesse involved, but the results are really worth it. I haven't had any of my occasional PMS-induced chin breakouts since I started using it, and it's not at all drying, which makes it great for winter. It's a winner!

Turns out that Tiegan wasn't a huge fan, though. I can understand that – as I mentioned, there's a learning curve, and a 10-year old is likely to be more easily frustrated by it. Also, a 10-year old's gorgeous skin barely needs and exfoliation anyway, so I started looking for a less scrubby alternative for her.

After some internet research, I decided on this DIY cleanser from The Living Green Solution. I have been reading a lot about using honey in skin products (good enough for Cleopatra, right?), and it looks like lots of people do fine with straight-up honey as their face "soap." I'll try that myself someday, but it's hard to imagine a kid with long, easily tangled hair doing well with pure honey in the shower. I knew I wanted something with very little soap (because it's harsh), and again, 10-year old skin just doesn't need much. So this recipe looks promising.

Only three ingredients here: 2 parts rose water, 1 part lavender castile soap, and 2 parts honey. 

We measured our parts by the teaspoonful, because this is a trial-size bottle. After measuring into the Pyrex cup, Tiegan stirred it carefully. The only trick to this is to go slow with the stirring, or you'll get the castile all foamed up. It takes a little while to incorporate the honey, so be patient.

It smells great, and we'll see tonight how well it works. I plan to give it a try myself tomorrow morning, and we'll report back with both kid and adult opinions.

UPDATE: USER REVIEWS

Tiegan used and liked this cleanser. It left her skin smooth and soft, and not at all dry. She really loves the scent, which is floral, but not too overwhelming. 

I gave this a try for a couple days, and it also worked well for me. Now that I'm used to a soap-free scrub, though, I found even its 20 percent castile content to be more than is necessary on the face. It's quite a thin mixture, too. I think next time I would try changing the ratios to lower the soap and water content, which would make it more gentle and (possibly) a bit thicker. Maybe something like 3 parts honey, 1 part rosewater, and 1 part castile soap.