I have a bad habit of rubbing my eyes. I know I shouldn’t, especially because I wear contact lenses and eye makeup, but I can’t help myself. I’ve been known to get raccoon eyes.

I took me a while to find a good zero waste mascara. I really like this one from 100% Pure sold in a metal, recyclable tube. It's nice and thick, gives good volume, but my one complaint is that it can smear pretty easily. (Read my full review on zero waste mascaras here).

At the end of the day I need a really good eye makeup remover. One this is gentle, yet gets the job done, and something I can mix up easily when I'm running low. 

I’ve seen that a lot of zero wasters like to use coconut oil as a makeup remover, but my skin is acne prone and coconut oil is a no-no.

It took a little experimenting, but I found a blend of eye makeup remover that is super easy to make, feels great and gets all my raccoon makeup off.

You just need safflower oil, witch hazel and water. I pour each ingredient into a small glass bottle using a funnel, shake it up and voila!

I bought the safflower oil in bulk from Rainbow Grocery, but you can also buy this in the oil and vinegar section of your supermarket in a glass bottle. I have not found witch hazel in bulk, unfortunately, and when I have found it, it’s sold in a plastic bottle. I recommend buying it in large plastic bottle if you have no other option (you only need a little for this recipe, so it will last a long time).

I have seen some online stores sell it in glass, it just might be more expensive and you have to deal with shipping cost and extra packaging. Too bad, really, witch hazel used to be packaged in glass bottles in the olden days. How cool does this old witch hazel bottle sold on Etsy look?!

But, I digress. Below you will find my recipe for DIY zero waste makeup remover. It's very effective, non-greasy and doesn't sting your eyes. We will also be selling reusable facial rounds soon (yay!) In the meantime, please leave us a note and let us know how this recipe works for you. 

DIY MAKEUP REMOVER

WHAT YOU NEED

• 3 tbsp water
• 3 tbsp safflower oil
• 3 tbsp witch hazel

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add ingredients to small bottle (I used a 4 oz clear glass bottle)
2. Shake.
3. Apply to a reusable facial round and remove makeup.