You and we really enjoy products that change their texture, form and appearance after contact with water. And they're great for summer travel – they save space and don't risk spillage.
You store this make-up-removing balm in a small cup and the quantity is enough for many more uses than you might think at first glance. Without burning or itching, you can use it to gently and gently remove eye make-up (including waterproof mascara - tried and tested!) and remove make-up from the face. It is also very pleasant for refreshing and cleansing the skin in the morning before applying other care. You can rinse it off your face with water or use make-up remover pads or a moistened cloth and use it like a classic make-up remover.
By combining three great emollients, we conjured up a very pleasant "from balm to make-up remover milk" product, which with its properties caresses, pleases and visibly softens the skin.
The basis is light and cheap safflower oil, which brightens, refreshes and gives elasticity to the skin. If you don't have it, feel free to replace it with another cheap and lighter oil - this could be almond oil, hazelnut or macadamia nut oil or sunflower oil. Thick castor oil adds richness to the balm, it ensures the quick dissolution of make-up and therefore pleasant make-up removal. The last fat and a wonderful skin softener is olive squalane - it makes the balm "slippery" (we don't want to rub anything!) and leaves the skin soft and, thanks to the film it creates on it, also protected and satisfied.
Olivem 1000 is the magical ingredient that instantly turns balm into white silky milk. Olive 1000 is a natural emulsifying wax (you can also mix rich and fluffy creams with it). Because it is an emulsifier (what is it?), the oil contained in the balm binds to the water when applied to wet skin, creating a wonderfully milky and rich emulsion. In addition to a great effect, we get a particularly effective make-up removal and cleaning product.
For even more creaminess, we add oat silk, probably our most popular ingredient, and no less great pink French clay. Both powders are perfectly fine - don't expect any grit or sand that would noticeably "grind" or exfoliate the skin. Once mixed with water, they become soft. Clay will provide cleansing abilities and oat silk will provide healing ones. If you're looking for a substitute, stick to the ultra-fine range, especially when it comes to clays - kaolin and its color variants will be great, but not bentonite or Moroccan rhassoul, they're too harsh.
The last key ingredient is cetyl alcohol. Thanks to cetyl alcohol, the balm will be a balm - it will keep the mixture in a solid state, bind all the ingredients together, and at the same time provide a pleasant dense softness and guarantee the speed of dissolution when the balm is massaged into the skin.
What about shelf life and preservation? Since the product is an oil, there is theoretically no need to use a preservative - provided you scoop the balm with dry hands or a spoon and no water gets into the cup. Personally, I always add a preservative to these balms, because I often use them directly in the shower or bath, and not always with completely dry hands. So choose for yourself depending on the method of removing make-up, you know best. But what we definitely recommend adding is a drop of vitamin E, an antioxidant that prevents premature rancidity of oils and extends shelf life.
We kept the balm without fragrances and essential oils – not only does it smell slightly nutty thanks to the flakes and fats, which is really very pleasant, but since we also use the balm to remove eye make-up, we prefer to choose the gentlest option.
What does it take?
We heat up
- 9.45 grams of safflower oil
- 3 grams of squalane
- 3 grams of castor oil
- 3 grams of Olive 1000
- 3.9 grams of cetyl alcohol
- 4 grams of pink clay (kaolin)
- 3 grams oat silk
Add when cooling
- 0.5 grams of preservative (Leucidal / Cosgard / Naticide)
- 0.1 gram of vitamin E
How to do it?
Prepare a water bath (pour about 3 cm of water into the pot and heat it on a low heat). Weigh out all the ingredients except the preservative and vitamin E into a heat-resistant bowl and place them in a water bath. Stir here and there so that everything dissolves evenly.
In about a quarter to half an hour, the mixture will be liquid. Remove the bowl from the water bath and mix its contents well with a spatula. Add preservative and vitamin E and pour into selected container. Then quickly put the product in the fridge and let it harden in the fridge. Once everything is solid, take it out of the fridge and you can start using it.
What to put it in?
You will make 30 grams of the product with these proportions - so reach for at least a 30 ml cup, for example this aluminum one.
How to use it?
Massage a small amount of the product into damp skin. The balm turns into milk and begins to dissolve make-up and impurities. If you use the product as a make-up remover, wipe it off with a moistened cosmetic cloth or tampon. If you use it as a cleanser, just rinse it off with water.
You can also try massaging the balm into dry skin, leave it on for a while and only then "turn" it into a cleansing milk with wet hands.
Try both variations and see which one works better for you! :)
