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DIY sensitive skin cleanser

How To Make A Cooling Gel Wash For Sensitive Skin

Make a homemade cleanser for sensitive skin with this gentle, fragrance-free cooling gel wash. Cleanses softly without stripping or irritation.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Course: DIY Skincare
Cuisine: N/A
Difficulty Level: Easy
Yield (adjustable): 100 grams (approx)
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Ingredients:

Equipment:

Instructions:

  • Pour the glycerin into a medium sized beaker/container. Add the xanthan gum and stir until the gum has dissolved and you have a slurry. Clear gum is harder to dissolve than soft xanthan gum, so it may stay a bit gritty.
    cleanser for sensitive skin step1
  • In a separate small beaker add the aloe vera powder and a tablespoon off the distilled water. Mix until the aloe vera powder has fully dissolved. Then set to one side.
    add the aloe vera powder
  • Grab the beaker with the gum slurry and drizzle a little of the distilled water into it, then give it a good stir. Continue adding small amounts of water then stirring, until all the water has been used up.
    drizzle a little of the distilled water into it, then give it a good stir
  • Add the aloe vera to the gel and stir until combined. Leave to stand for 5 to 10 minutes until fully hydrated.
    Add the aloe vera to the gel and stir until combined
  • Once the gel is fully hydrated, its time to add the cucumber glycerin extract and give it a good stir.
    add the cucumber glycerin extract
  • We can now add our decyl glucoside, followed by the preservative. Once the decyl glucoside has been added the gel needs to be stirred gently so as not to get too many foaming bubbles.
    add preservative
  • Now its time to check the pH of the cleanser. Dilute a small sample of the cleanser (1 part cleanser to 9 parts distilled water). Dip a pH strip into the diluted sample and check it reads pH 5.0–5.5.
    check the pH of the cleanser
  • If the pH is too high, add a couple of drops of a 10% citric acid solution to the main batch of cleanser and stir gently until fully combined. I found mine was around 5.5 to 6 so I added around 4 drops just to be sure it was closer to 5 rather than 6. Test again and repeat if needed until the pH is 5.0–5.5.
    If the pH is too high, add a couple of drops of a 10% citric acid solution
  • Once the cleanser is at a suitable pH level, transfer the cleanser to a flip cap or pump type bottle.
    transfer the cleanser to a bottle
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