DIY Homemade Natural Essential Oil Wipes
These DIY homemade natural essential oil wipes are easy to make. They can be personalized for various uses by using different essential oils. Use on unbroken, intact skin, such as your hands, arms, legs, etc. These are not intended to be used on your face. They’re very cleansing and will evaporate nicely. Your skin will feel clean, soft, moisturized, and smell great. Use them for cleaning-up messes and disinfecting surfaces. I like to accordion fold wipes into a baggie to have them on hand and for traveling. It’s so convenient and easy.
Ingredients:
- 1 roll of good quality, heavy duty paper towels (I use Bounty). Or use soft cloth for reusable wipes – wash after use.
- Rubbermaid #6 or #8 round container, zip-top baggie, or another airtight container.
- 1 3/4 cups distilled water or boiled water (cooled down). Wipes made with tap water will only last about 1 week
- 1 Tablespoon of Witch Hazel Toner (I use Thayers Lavender Witch Hazel w/Aloe Vera)
- Witch hazel with aloe vera helps the wipes last longer. It is an alcohol-free, non-drying toner. It’s soothing, gentle and moisturizes. The aloe vera is naturally antibacterial and anti-odor
- 2 Tablespoons of liquid castile soap or other liquid soap base (I use Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap – Lavender)
- Dr. Bonner’s castile soap is an organic, non-foaming, 100% biodegradable natural soap without harsh chemicals or detergents
- 1 Tablespoon of Jojoba, Olive, or Almond Oil (I use Jojoba)
- Essential Oils – about 30 to 60 drops total. Adjust to your liking.
- Fine Print: Keep in mind that essential oils are potent so don’t overdue it. One drop goes a long way. It’s smart to test on a small patch of skin first to make sure it works for you. It is unsafe to ingest essential oils. Do not listen to MLM sales reps on this.
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- Option 1: Lavender, Lemon*, Eucalyptus, Geranium (smells and feels great)
- Option 2: Lemongrass, Citronella, Rosemary, Geranium, Peppermint, Tea Tree Oil, and/or Cedar are good options for bug repellent
- Option 3: Omit essential oils
- Option 4: Invent your own recipe
- Optional Ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon of pure aloe vera – check the ingredients
- 2 Capsules of Vitamin E
- More Fine Print:
- Essential oils are potent and very concentrated. One drop goes a long way. Do not go overboard.
- Do your own research to make sure the essential oils and carrier/base oils are safe for you. For example, people with nut allergies should avoid almond oil, peanut oil, etc. Be especially careful if you are pregnant, diabetic, epileptic, or have cancer, heart disease, or other medical conditions. Consult reliable sources (see number 7).
- Only use on unbroken, intact skin. Not recommended on your face.
- * Citrus oils (lemon, lime, orange, bergamot, grapefruit, etc.) have photo-toxic properties. Limit use to indoors or wait 6-12 hours before exposing your skin to sunlight.
- Do not use on babies or children. Keep away from pets.
- Do not take essential oils internally unless you are under personal supervision of a qualified, trained and licensed aromatherapist.
- Some sellers, especially those based on multilevel marketing models (MLM), have minimal training, if any, and often make recommendations that are contrary to the aromatherapy code of ethics and standards of safe practice. This goes for online information also. Buyer beware.
How to Make DIY Homemade Natural Essential Oil Wipes
- Cut the roll of paper towels in half using a sharp knife
- If using a baggie, airtight box or old wipe container, accordion fold the wipes into the container.
If using a round container, stand the wipes up in the container with the cardboard roll still inside the roll for now. - For smaller batches, I keep on hand a mix of all the liquid ingredients, except for the essential oils, to use as needed. First, I pour out the desired amount of liquid needed to moisten the number of wipes being made. Next, I add essential oils to the liquid depending on use. Last, I pour the mixture into a baggie containing the paper towels.
- Mix up the water, witch hazel, castile soap, and optional ingredients. Stir.
- Add essential oils if desired and stir
- Pour over paper towels in container and let absorb
- Flip the container over to make sure wipes are well soaked.
- If using Rubbermaid container, pull the cardboard roll out from the inside. This should also pull the innermost wipe out and start them for you. Depending on the brand of paper towels you use, you might have to experiment with the amount of liquid to get the right amount. Close the lid.
- Good luck! This is the recipe that works for me. Feel free to adjust to suit your own needs, but do your research first. It is not guaranteed and has not been tested on others so use caution.
