Four simple ingredients make this the best homemade honey face wash. The soothing ingredients will leave your skin clean and glowing, without the harsh chemicals. I’ll show you how to make an easy honey face cleanser and how to use it in your everyday skincare routine.
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What Readers Say
“I made this about 8 weeks ago and I absolutely love it. I have older skin prone to blemishes on occasion and I find this cleanser has really jazzed up my skin a lot. I use it twice a day. It rinses well and cleanses well.”
NIKKI
The best part about making your own face wash with honey is that you don’t have to worry about toxic chemicals. And the cost savings of making your own cleanser is quite significant!
A few concerning ingredients found in commercial face wash
- Fragrance: may contain up to 3,000 different chemicals to make a single fragrance, including phthalates to make the scent last longer, which producers don’t have to disclose due to trade secret laws.
- Parabens: Used to extend the shelf-life of face wash, but with reproductive health concerns.
- Sulfates: Used to create suds in face wash, but also strips the skin of natural oils, which could even cause the skin to overproduce oils and breakout.
Ingredients Needed to Make a Natural Cleanser With Honey
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup liquid castile soap
- 3 tablespoons distilled water (this is the safest type of water to use, found at any grocery store)
- 2 tablespoons nourishing oil (I use jojoba, other options include: sweet almond, avocado, and olive oil)
These powerhouse ingredients come together to create the best DIY face wash.
Ingredient Spotlight
Raw Honey: Due to the lack of pasteurization (heating), raw honey is naturally rich in antibacterial and probiotic properties. Honey is gentle for sensitive skin, but tough enough to remove dirt and other impurities. Learn more about the benefits of washing your face with honey. If you can’t find raw honey, use what you can find; just make sure it’s pure honey. Some folks swear by using raw manuka honey for skincare uses, which you’re welcome to use.
Castile Soap: A concentrated vegetable-based soap. I use castile soap for everything from homemade laundry detergent to body wash and foaming hand soap. Use either Baby Mild Castile Soap or Tea Tree Castile Soap for facial cleansing. A 32-ounce bottle of liquid castile soap costs about $17, and one bottle will make about 10 homemade face washes. Explore other natural ways to use castile soap.
Distilled Water: Added to dilute the concentrated soap. Distilled water has all impurities removed, so it’s the safest water to use when making body and cleaning products.
Nourishing Skin Oil: Since oil dissolves oil, it’s only natural to add a nourishing oil to DIY face wash recipes. Jojoba or sweet almond oil work best for all skin types. Avocado oil and olive oil are also options, but can be heavier on the skin.
How to Add Essential Oils
Essential oils may irritate sensitive skin, so I’ve skipped using essential oils in this DIY honey face wash.
If you prefer a scented face cleanser, add an essential oil that is soothing and less likely to irritate the skin, like lavender, and only use a few drops.
I avoid citrus oils, like lemon essential oil and orange essential oils, when making body products, as they can cause irritation with sunlight exposure.
How to safely use essential oils to create your own products.
How to Make: Instructions & Video
To make this homemade honey face wash recipe, you’ll need a soap dispenser (like this). You’ll find this at any home store, like Target or Walmart, in the bath section.
Step 1: Combine all Ingredients
In a soap dispenser, add the water first (to prevent bubbles) then the liquid castile soap, honey, and oil. Shake the ingredients together until the honey is fully dissolved.
Step 2: Use Immeadiately or Store For Later
The cleanser is ready to use immeadiately after making. You may use it right away, or store in a cool place (like a bathroom cabinet) for later use.
Storage Tips
Store the soap in a cool place for up to 1 month. It’s important to use distilled water, as tap water will quickly grow mold and bacteria within a few days.
How to Use
First, shake the bottle before use (separation is normal).
Next…
- Wet your hands with water.
- Add a squirt of face wash to the palm of your hand.
- Rub your hands together to create suds with the soap.
- Use your palms to massage the soap over your entire face and down your neck. I usually spend about 30-60 seconds massaging my face with the cleanser. As you massage the skin, you’ll loosen dead skin cells, dirt, oils, and makeup.
- Wet a clean washcloth with warm water.
- Use the washcloth to rinse the face wash from the skin, rinsing the washcloth and repeating as needed. This will remove makeup, dead skin cells, etc. and should leave the skin with a glowing complexion.
After Cleansing Your Face…
Use a spritz of toner (I love rosewater), any serums you may like (I use this A+ serum for hormonal breakouts), and a moisturizer (the best 8 natural face moisturizers).
Is this cleanser safe for all skin types?
- My Personal Experience: I have sensitive skin that is more on the oily side and acne-prone. I have seen a noticeable difference in the appearance of my skin when using this face wash and honey in my skincare routine.
- Will it Work for Others? Since sharing this recipe, over 7 years ago, many people have made and used this cleanser with great success. Everyone’s skin is different and finding what works for you, even if it works for someone else, takes patience and exploration. The great thing about this recipe is that it costs very little to make and you can use the ingredients (like castile soap and oil) to make other products as well (like natural cleaners and moisturizer).
- Dry Skin Types: If you have dry skin, the castile soap in this natural face wash may be drying for your skin, which could cause the skin to produce excess oil and breakout. This is true of other soap cleansers as well. In this case, I love this aloe vera and honey face cleanser made without soap. If you want suds, which you’ll only get from soap, you could also reduce the amount of castile soap in this recipe.
4 More Ways to Cleanse Your Face & Body With Honey
Beyond this cleanser, here are my favorite ways to use honey in my skincare routine.
- Sugar Scrubs: Combine honey and sugar to make this soothing and exfoliating body scrub.
- Straight Up Honey: Use 100% honey, straight from the bottle, as a face wash. No extra ingredients needed.
- Honey & Aloe Facial Cleanser: For an ultra-gentle cleanser, without soap, combine aloe and honey. Great for very sensitive skin or dry skin.
- Acne Soothing Face Mask: Combine clay, honey, and aloe to make this soothing, pimple-fighting face mask.
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DIY Homemade Honey Face Wash
Equipment
- soap dispenser 8-ounces or larger
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup liquid castile soap unscented preferably
- 1/3 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons distilled water
- 2 tablespoons skin-nourishing oil I use jojoba, Other options include: sweet almond, avocado, olive.
Instructions
- In a soap dispenser, add the water first (to prevent bubbles) then the liquid castile soap, honey, and oil.
- Shake the ingredients together until the honey is fully dissolved.
To Use:
- Wet your hands with water.
- Add a squirt of face wash to the palm of your hand.
- Rub your hands together to create suds with the soap.
- Use your palms to massage the soap over your entire face and down your neck. I usually spend about 30-60 seconds massaging my face with the cleanser. As you massage the skin, you'll loosen dead skin cells, dirt, oils, and makeup.
- Wet a clean washcloth with warm water. Use the washcloth to rinse the face wash from the skin, rinsing the washcloth and repeating as needed.
- After cleansing, use a spritz of facial toner (I love rosewater), any serums you may use (I use this A+ serum for hormonal breakouts), and a moisturizer (the best 8 natural face moisturizers).
Video
Notes
Natural Body-Care Simplified
Learn how to make your own body and beauty products with simple ingredients.
FAQs
SKINCARE
Free Natural Skincare Starter Guide
How to create your own natural skincare with essential skincare swaps that nourish the skin and give you a healthy glow without toxins.
Hi,
I love your site!! I’m fairly new this. I was wondering instead of using distilled water or boiled water if you could use a hydrosol such as rose water instead. I’m not sure if those are considered distilled or not
Hey Karen, I’m so glad you’re enjoying Live Simply! While I haven’t tried adding a hydrosol to this recipe, I think it would be a great replacement to the distilled or boiled water! Great idea.
Could glycerin be added to this? I am using this as both face wash and body wash. I am hoping that glycerin would make this lather better and go farther. Also, would more water be ok? Or do you think that would dilute it too much?
Can vitamin E oil be used as a nourishing oil in place of argan or jojoba?
Thanks!
Hey Annie, Glycerin can be added to this recipe–1-2 tablespoons will do the job. More water is definitely okay–you could probably add 1/4 cup more water without issue, although that will make it more watery with less suds.
I don’t recommend substituting the nourishing oil with vitamin E, but it can be added.
Can i substitute water for aloe vera juice? will it lather the same?
Hey Alex, Yes, I believe it will :).
Lovely! I’ve wanted to try making a face wash that is soft but that can also moisturize my skin (I have dry skin) and this seems like the perfect thing! Regretly in my country I can’t seem to find castile soap, so I was wondering if I could use vegetable glycerin instead? I already use it in my toothpaste and is wonderful and soft, but I don’t know how it would work with honey for a face wash.
Thanks for the reply!
Love your blog!
Dear Kristin,
Thank you for all the information and sharing.
I wonder if solid castile soap – grated – could be used. Should this be the case, which is quanty, and how much water is needed to dissolve it?
Thank you once more!
Cristina
I made this with almond oil and Tea Tree castile soap. This lathers up so nicely and my skin feels amazing.
Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you, Gunnhildur! I’m so glad you like it!
Hi! Can I add aloe Vera to this face wash and to the milk&honey body wash?
Hey Mona, Yes, absolutely! I love the idea of adding aloe. Make sure the aloe vera gel or juice is shelf-stable.
Hi Kristin, I’m new here and am also very interested in natural home-made remedies (as I believe natural is always better and as a student, every buck saved from another expensive beauty product is always appreciated!).
I’m definitely not meaning to come across as rude, but I am usually very cautious with things I put on my face. So was just wondering your past experiences in this beauty field, or if you have done any work in this line before…(just to qualm my doubts hehehe).
Also, I was recommended by my beautician that my next concern should be combating dry skin. She says that there’s a difference between moisturising and hydrating and that I should be focusing on the latter. Would this honey facial cleanser be good for that?
Sorry for the long post, and thanks!
Sarah
Hey Sarah, No worries. I completely understand the doubts–not rude at all :).
I don’t have any cosmetic background as far as formal training, just years and years of frustration with store-bought products, professionals recommending products/expensive treatments, and troubled skin. After making the switch to homemade cleaners, I learned that we over-complicate products in the Western World, looking for chemical formulas made by companies to nourish our skin versus just basic naturally-derived ingredients generations past have used for thousands of years. So that’s my background. After getting rid of the fancy products and switching to a real food diet, the change was reflected in my skin’s appearance. There are many researched-based natural products. I use those ingredients when formulating a beauty product for my own use. And if it’s good and works for me, I share it on the blog. Hope that helps :).
Honey has been used since ancient times to hydrate and moisturize the skin, as well as fight bacteria. Honey is also packed with vitamin C, which may help to relieve dry skin.
Thank you for this!! I’ve used Bob’s Red Mill baking soda on my face for years..but I was always oily! Something had to change, so I googled for a diy facial cleanser for oily skin and your site popped up. I immediately made it using raw honey in its solid state (all I had, just combined it with the water and shook forever, 😉 til it dissolved) along with baby Castile soap and meadowfoam oil. I also added lavender, frankincense, myrhh, carrot and geranium essential oils, 2 drops each. All good for aging, oily skin! No, this does NOT smell pleasant, carrot and geranium eos stink lol! But…I am in love!! I have never, ever been able to go an entire day in hot, humid weather without having to wash several times a day due to the shine on my face! This is a keeper and I love being able to customize it with different essential oils. Thank you, thank you!!!
You’re very welcome, Trisha! I’m so glad the face wash is working so well for your skin. The addition of carrot and geranium are great!!
Quick question – I made this using Dr Bonner “baby” Castile soap. I also boiled water & mixed everything up while the water was still warm, but not hot. My daughter (9yr) used this in the shower and said how bad it smelled. I washed my face with it, then, and definitely noticed a yucky smell. Is this normal? I’ve never used Castile soap before, is that the smell? Or was it the warm water? Can you suggest an E.O. that would be safe to add, to smell better but not irritate young skin/eyes?
Thanks so much!
Hey Erin, A bad odor isn’t good. I’m sorry you had to experience that. Another reader commented that her soap didn’t have a very pleasant smell either. Truthfully, I’m not really sure what the culprit may be…possibly the honey, since honey can vary in taste/smell/color. I would add lavender to the soap.
ok, I’ll try the lavender. (I tasted the honey, and it’s definitely funny tasting – but I’m used to the regular honey, not raw. So maybe that actually is the reason for the smell…) Thank you!
You’re welcome, Erin! I hope the lavender helps. Lavender is a very safe and fragrant essential oil.
I was just going to make a small batch to try it out. Would it be ok to use regular “100% pure honey” (I assume it’s pasteurized) instead of raw honey, or does that essentially take out all the “good stuff”?
Hey Amy, Raw honey does contain lots of beneficial properties, but pure honey will also work in this recipe.
IN your recipe for honey facial wash, only 3TB of water is used, i don’t want to sound stupid but how do you get a full bottle
Hey Pat, The other ingredients make up the majority of the recipe: 1/3 cup castile soap (which is liquid like water) and 1/3 cup honey. The water just helps dilute the main ingredients.
I’m excited to try this thanks for sharing.
I just use honey on it’s own, and I wash my face every morning and night, but those honey work for those with oily skin and whiteheads? I’ve been washing my face with honey for a couple of weeks now, but haven’t noticed much difference, hmm.. maybe it just takes some time. Where can I find Raw Honey? The one I’m using is Organic Honey.
Hey Deina, I’ve tried honey on its own but it never worked well for me (oily, acne-prone skin). Maybe try diluting the honey? Similar to this face wash. Raw honey is usually found locally from farmers, markets, and health food stores. It’s not pasteurized so it retains all the beneficial properties.
Dear Kristin,
Thanks for posting this and am looking forward to trying it. I am from europe, and do not understand the abbreviations..does TB mean tablespoon?
Merci!
Ani
Hi Anisah, You’re welcome :). TB = Tablespoons and tsp = teaspoons. Enjoy!
I loved this DIY. Super easy, and my face really does feel so very clean afterwards. I put a few squirts on my wash cloth and use it to cleanse. My skin is acne prone, only as of just this past year. Switching to all-natural skin care (lotion, shampoo, etc) has NOT agreed with my skin unfortunately. They say there’s a transition period for just about everything, but when it comes to my face I’m not sure how long I can hold out! Do you think there is a transition period for this face wash? My breakouts have been way worse since I started using it. There is a new one every day!
My skin and my body in general are not sensitive to anything.
Thanks!
Sarah
Hey Sarah, I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the recipe, but I would definitely recommend trying something different if the break-outs continue after a few weeks. Maybe try just castile soap? I just wrote a post that explains my journey with natural skincare products that may be helpful: https://livesimply.me/2015/05/17/diy-2-ingredient-makeup-remover-without-coconut-oil/.
I Really want to try this, but have a couple questions. I’ve read using honey on your face can lighten facial hair, and I really don’t want my eyebrows any lighter than they already are. I’m hoping with the mixture of ingredients, thats less likely, should I be concerned about this? Second, I have early 40’s, very oily and acne prone skin. What type of oil could I use to reduce the chance of breakouts? I haven’t yet tried the OCM due to that concern. This sounds like a better option. Thanks!
Hey Jill, I haven’t experienced any issues with my eyebrows–I have blonde hair and light brown brows. This may be an issue if the honey is left on or near the brows for an extended period of time. I have very oily, acne-prone skin and like jojoba or argan oil best for both cleansing and moisturizing the skin.
The raw honey I found at the Publix is solid. Did your raw honey start off solid? I could try to melt it and mix it up, but I’m fearful it will creat a mixture that won’t go through the pump. Thanks for the help!
Hey Shannon, Raw honey can come in a solid state (I actually have some in my pantry for baking). For this recipe you’ll need liquid honey. I’m not sure if the solid honey will blend with the castile soap.
For the oil can I just use black castor and how many drops would you recommend?
I love this recipe, will definitely have to give it a go! Can this be used as a daily facial cleanser? If not, do you have a recipe or any suggestions for a daily facial cleanser? Preferably something that isn’t pure oil. Thanks for all your great recipes! 🙂
Hey Caidy, Thank you! Yes, this recipe may be used as a daily facial cleanser. It’s gentle, but tough on dirt and make-up!
should you refrigerate this product or will it freeze the soap?
Hey Matt, The ingredients are shelf-stable, so no refrigeration is needed. 🙂