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DIY foaming gel cleanser for oily skin

How To Make A Gel to Foam Cleanser For Oily Skin

Make a DIY foaming gel cleanser for oily skin. This sulphate-free formula gently removes excess oil without tightness and is perfect for daily use.
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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:

  • In the medium sized beaker, mix the glycerin and the hydroxyethyl cellulose. Stir until smooth and the gum looks fully dissolved.
    5 grams Glycerine, 0.6 grams Hydroxyethyl Cellulose
    mix the glycerin and the hydroxyethyl cellulose.
  • A little at a time drizzle in the distilled water, stirring well after each deposit. Once all the water has been added, set to one side to thicken. This can take around 30mins.
    If your water hasn't thickened or to quicken the process up you can warm it up to around 65c (149f). I find placing the beaker in a pan of simmering water, or giving a gentle heat in the microwave for a few seconds stirring and repeating also works well. Once the water has reached 65c (149f) leave it to cool and thicken before moving on to the next step.
    86 grams Distilled Water
    A little at a time drizzle in the distilled water
  • Whilst the water is thickening in a separate small container, combine the glucosides together. Although they will need stirring this needs to be done gently so as not to create too many bubbles.
    4.4 grams Decyl Glucoside, 3 grams Coco Glucoside
    combine the glucosides together
  • Once the water has been thickened with the gum. We can add the glucosides to it. Once again careful stirring.
    Once the water has been thickened with the gum. We can add the glucosides to it.
  • Next add the preservative and continue with the stirring until you are sure that it's fully combined.
    1 gram Preservative
    add the 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 suitable bottle. A pump bottle is the best for this cleanser. Unfortunately we did not have one so we went with a tube container and used a slow steady pour.
    1 Pump Bottle
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