We may be a little too early for the Halloween next year but we might as well be. Whether it is the sticky matt, non transferable lipstick or stay-on foundations or waterproof mascara, or all the artificial color pigments sticking to your face long after Halloween is done and over with, we are here to help you get rid of it ALL. But NOT my asking you to douse your face with more chemicals that commercial makeup removing products use. We take the course of natural ingredients that can help achieve the same, if better, results.
1.Milk
One problem we are often faced with, while removing stubborn makeup is, the loss of moisture. But the good fats and proteins found in milk help your skin stay hydrated even as you remove makeup. It also potentially retains moisture.
How to to remove makeup using milk
Add a tbsp of almond oil or olive oil to a bowl of milk. Apply it all over your face using cotton. Then wash it off with lukewarm water. You can also remove your eye makeup by dipping the cotton in some milk and wiping your eye makeup clean.
2. Baking Soda and Honey
The combine is a great exfoliating agent for the stiffest makeup. Baking soda has antibacterial and antifungal properties as well apart from helping reduce skin pores, to keep dirt and oil out. Honey, which is an effective humectant, on the other hand helps moisturize the skin.
How to remove makeup using honey and baking soda
Add about half a teaspoon of honey to a clean washcloth along with half teaspoon baking soda. Take a clean washcloth and make it properly wet. Dip it in the honey and baking soda mix. Splash some water on your face and then wipe it with the wet cloth drenched in honey and baking soda.
3. Coconut oil
Here is the master of all moisturizing oils. Coconut oil has great penetrative quality due to lower molecular weight. It is nourishing and moisturizing at the same time. It is great for removing sticky eye makeup including waterproof mascara.
How to use coconut oil for removing makeup
Take about the same amount as you would use for cooking in a bowl. Smear it over your eyes and face. Use just enough to be able to glide your fingers with. Move your fingers in circular motion for a few rounds. Take a wet washcloth or wet cotton pads and wipe it away using lukewarm water.
4. Cucumber
No makeup remover goes without using this as an ingredient. They are cooling and anti-inflammatory.
How to use cucumber to remove makeup?
Blend and mash cucumber and extract the cucumber juice. Make sure it is watery and no lumps are taken in.
Separately, heat 2 tbsp of coconut oil with 1 tbsp of castor oil. Let it heat up for 2 minutes before letting it cool off.
Add cucumber juice to the oil mix. You can also add a few drops of lavender oil for a nice refreshing fragrance. Dip cotton pads in the mix and rub your face and eyes gently with it. Wash your face off with water.
5. Natural cleansers
When all of the above seem too much to do, you are likely to reach out for the face wash sitting on your bathroom cabinet. But dermatologists do not recommend using face wash for removing stubborn makeup. You can always use natural cleansers instead that are equally effective in helping you scuff of the most stubborn bits of makeup.
For example, Shankara’s Hydrating Cleanser comes with the ultra-soothing goodness of chamomile, the pleasant essence of lavender, antibacterial game of neem, and calendula combine in this luxurious hydrating cleanser that leaves skin feeling soft and supple but never greasy. The cleanser is gentle, soothing and non irritating for dry skin.
Protects Skin’s Acid Mantle
Unlike commercially sold chemical-loaded makeup removing products that destroy the skin’s acid mantle, this hydrating cleanser actually protects the natural acid mantle. It gently yet effectively removes make-up while regaining skin’s moisture.
(Read More: 10 Tops To Pick The Right Cleanser For Your Face)
Some General makeup Removing Tips You Can Use
1.Go slow
We get it that after a long day of work or after partying hard on the weekends, it can be a pain to spend time in front of the mirror trying to get rid of all the makeup. But letting all the goop sit on your skin for more than a day can lead to skin and eye irritation, infections and dryness. You need to let the skin breathe. So this might take you a few minutes before you can wash off the makeup removing mixers and cleansers we have mentioned above but it is well worth your time. This sitting time also helps loosen the stiff chemicals layering your skin in the form of makeup. When you eventually wipe it off, it is likely to come out easily without vigorous rubbing that damages the delicate skin.
2. Take care of your eyes
The skin around our eyes is the most delicate skin in our body which can get damaged pretty easily by rubbing and scratching it too hard. Also, sticky goop in the form of eye liner and waterproof mascaras gather around the areas of the eyelid. So while you need to be gentle around the area and not have eyelashes falling off, you still need a very gentle and more importantly a natural cleansing agent like Shankara Hydrating Cleanser to get rid of the makeup from the sensitive zone.
3. Tie your hair
Make sure you have a clear forehead to wipe all the makeup all the way up to the hairline where makeup deposits can go unnoticed with hair on the loose. These deposits sitting for too long can clog your skin pores and result in acne.
4. Cotton pads over cotton balls
It is preferable to use cotton pads over cotton balls because the balls tend to shed. They leave behind fibres which can make the job of cleaning makeup slightly uncomfortable.
5. Moisturize after removing makeup
Put some eye cream or lip balm and some mellow moisturizer on your face after a round of makeup removal. The process of removing makeup dries up your skin, especially the areas around the eyes.Frequent use of makeup without relenting and letting the skin breathe, can cause premature skin aging, can make the skin look dull, wrinkly over time, especially around the eyes.
Shankara’s Eye Cream comes loaded with the natural goodness of over 45 herbal extracts including rose distillate, glycerin, unrefined shea butter, grapeseed oil, andiroba oil, rosehip seed oil, hazelnut oil, jojoba oil, microalgae extract, vegetable wax, castor oil, aspen bark extract, cucumber extract, olive derived squalane, Vitamin E Tocopherol; foraha oil, carrot seed essential oil, pomegranate seed oil, borage oil, kukui nut oil, raspberry seed oil, rice protein, yerba mate extract, ashwagandha, gooseberry, gotu kola and calamus root, among others.
A perfect complement to Shankara’s Hydrating cleanser for your facial skin is their Daily Repair Serum and Moisturizing Mask to bring your skin back to its naturally glowing, well-moisturized, nourished and supple state.
The Shankara Moisturizing Mask comes with the richness of soothing honey, oat flour, and avocado oil form the base for this hydrating, nourishing, moisturizing mask that leaves skin satiny smooth. Fatigued skin is rejuvenated while the rich oils target dryness in mature skin for a younger, dewy glow. The usage gently stimulates circulation, and has a warming quality to it.
