7 Makeup Removers You Have At Home You Didn’t Know

Makeup is part of the daily beauty routine of most Brazilian women. Put it on in the morning, take it off before going to bed. Simple. To make it even simpler, cosmetic companies launch new makeup removers every year for different areas of the face and skin types.

But a recurring situation is the woman sleeping outside the house, not taking the makeup remover and trying to remove the makeup with soap and water, which in addition to hampering the process can be harmful to the skin of the face. “Even worse when soap and water are used with the help of toilet paper in an attempt to remove eyeliner or mascara, damaging the skin and running the risk of taking makeup into the eyes”, warns dermatologist Alessandra Lombardi.

Another alternative that should not be considered is to perform incorrect skin hygiene, using only moistened tissues, or only facial soap, in short, neglecting cleaning and toning or hydration of the skin.

Another very condemned habit is sleeping with makeup on. “Pores need to breathe, even with all the technology: mineral products; base with protector; bb cream, your skin should not be ‘stuffy’ for more than 12 hours. The ideal is not to sleep with any product on your face”, advises the doctor.

The function of the makeup remover goes beyond helping to remove the apparent makeup. According to Alessandra, a good product removes impurities that are not visible to the naked eye. “It is essential to invest in a product that really cleanses the skin, these makeup remnants damage the face, worsening skin problems such as acne. Just as important as using good quality makeup is knowing how to remove that makeup,” she warns.

7 homemade make-up remover options

Although they are not recommended by dermatologists, there are substances that you have at home that can help you remove makeup in an extreme situation in which you really need to remove your makeup, but you don’t have the specific product.

There are seven improvised solutions: olive oil, baby oil, moisturizer, milk with almond oil, intimate soap, baby shampoo and conditioner. They can serve as a quick fix from time to time, but according to the expert, none of them really removes makeup like a professional product, developed after years of studies and tests.

1. Olive oil: Dip a cotton swab in olive oil and apply to the eye area. It will facilitate the removal of makeup by preventing the drying of your skin by sequential washes. Rinse with warm water and if there is still residue, repeat the process.
2. baby oil: Just like olive oil, because it is oily, the product helps to remove makeup, especially in the eye area. Apply with a cotton pad and wash your face afterwards. For makeup artist and eyebrow designer at the Torriton Taunay Luci Caldas salon in an improvised situation, baby oil would certainly be the best option. “Products made for baby’s special skin are non-abrasive and will not cause irritation. The oil as a base property has the power to remove all makeup, including waterproof products”, guarantees Luci.
3. Face/body moisturizer: Moisturizer applied using a cotton pad can make it easier to remove heavy eye makeup and eyelashes. As it has no makeup remover properties, the face must be washed afterwards and the moisturizer cannot be used too often for this purpose.
4. Milk with almond oil: This ingredient so used in cosmetics can be a great helper for makeup removal. Soak a cotton ball in milk, add drops of almond oil and apply it all over your face, then rinse with lukewarm water.
5. Intimate soap: Intimate soap has a more suitable pH for cleaning the skin of the face than common soaps. While the common ones are alkaline, with a pH between 6 and 9, the intimate ones have an average pH of 4.4. It cleanses the face without dehydrating the skin, but it has no makeup-washing components, so it can be used in conjunction with one of the above ingredients to maximize its cleansing potential.
6. baby shampoo: Johnson shampoos are widely used by women as a makeup remover. They are pH balanced, alcohol and soap free, and they replace facial soap because they have a light, neutral formula that doesn’t burn the eyes. But it’s not a make-up remover in itself. Just like intimate soap, even if used several times, baby shampoo does not remove makeup residue invisible to the naked eye. Therefore, it also acts only as an adjuvant with the other indicated ingredients.
7. Conditioner: Makeup artist Luci Caldas remembers that conditioners are also widely used in fashion shows when there is a lot of makeup change. “In improvised cases, it’s an excellent option”, she says.

It is worth mentioning that none of these solutions should be used in place of makeup remover. They help to remove makeup in atypical situations in which it is not possible to have access to a makeup remover, but are not able to clean the skin properly. If in doubt, consult a dermatologist.

Cotton test: find out if your makeup remover is really good

Want to know if a makeup remover is really good? Do the cotton toner test. After applying make-up remover, washing and drying, apply a toner on your face – preferably without alcohol – and if the cotton comes out clean, the product is good.

This test was popularized by the Leite de Cologne advertisement in which the cotton with the product removes impurities from an apparently clean face.

Although it works for deep skin cleansing, cologne is not recommended by dermatologists. Dr. Alessandra Lombardi disapproves of the use of products with alcohol, such as cologne and rose milk, even for those with oily skin. “Alcohol dries out the skin, which causes long-term aging. In the short term, it harms the skin which, in turn, tries to compensate by producing more oil”, she exemplifies.

Beauty blogger Karen Bachini, of “What’s Up, Beauty?” did the cotton test with Johnson&Johnson baby shampoo. Check the result:

3 important steps: Cleanse, tone, hydrate

To have a really clean skin, it is necessary to follow the basic steps every day: remove all excess makeup with makeup remover, wash your face with neutral soap to remove impurities from the skin, apply a toner to balance the skin’s pH and finally a specific face moisturizer.

According to Alessandra, this basic routine combined with a proper diet are the great secrets of perfect skin. The doctor reminds you that each skin is different and not always a product that works for your best friend will work for you, so it’s important to visit your dermatologist before choosing soaps, creams and even sunscreen.