Lavilov would love to learn…Can I use baby shampoo to wash my face\remove make-up effectively? I have read on beauty blogs that you can basically just wash your face with baby shampoo (the tear-free ones)to remove even stubborn eye make-up…is that true?? we could save some serious money this way-:)
The Right Brain responds:
Here at the Beauty Brains we LOVE questions about saving money on beauty products!
3 types of makeup remover
There are three basic types of makeup removers: The oil based type that remove makeup based on the principle that like dissolves like (i.e., oily stuff will dissolve oily stuff.) These are typically mineral oil based. Then there’s the “oil free” type which work the same way but which are based on silicones instead of mineral oil. And finally there’s the water based type that are weak solutions of mild surfactants (detergents). And guess what, that’s exactly what a baby shampoo is! Here are a few examples to illustrate the point:
Makeup remover and baby shampoo ingredients
Lumene Sensitive Touch Gentle Eye Makeup Remover $5.99 for 3.4 fl oz ($1.76/oz)
Water, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Polysorbate 20, Methylpropanediol, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Polyaminopropyl Biguanide, Citric Acid, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Extract
Maybelline Maybelline Expert Eyes 100% Oil Free Eye Make-Up Remover $4.49 for 2.3 fl oz ($1.95/oz)
Water, Propylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Boric Acid, Sodium Trideceth Sulfate, Disodium Lauroamphodiacetate, Hexylene Glycol, Isopropyl Alcohol, Phenylethyl Alcohol, Chlorhexidine Digluconate
Walgreens Baby Shampoo $3.99 for 20 fl oz (19 cents/oz.)
Water, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Sodium Trideceth Sulfate, PEG-150 Distearate, Fragrance, Polyquaternium-10, Tetrasodium EDTA, Quaternium 15, Citric Acid, Yellow 10, Orange 4
The types of detergents used in these products are similar, and in some cases identical, to baby shampoo yet the baby poo costs a LOT less. You might have to dilute the shampoo a little bit but as long as you mix it up fresh each time you should be fine.
(And here’s another secret money saving tip: you can use baby wipes to remove makeup too.)
Image credit: aurelines.typepad.com
Have you ever washed your face with baby shampoo? Leave a comment and share your experience with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Gotta say, those lumene wipes (I’m not positive they were the same–can’t recall if they were labeled “eye makeup” or just “makeup”) irritated the heck out of my skin. I have yet to find a makeup remover towelette that doesn’t. What’s up with that?
I was about to throw away my baby’s shampoos. Good to know that I can still use them. They say that petroleum jelly can is also good for removing make-up but what do you think about that?
Petroleum jelly works the same way as mineral oil but it’s too greasy for some people.
Like many of your posts, this one left me intrigued and yet puzzled as to why it wasn’t more in depth. For example, of the different cleansing types, which is/are better at removing makeup, which is/are better at general overall cleansing, which (if any) leave residues (such as pure oil) and how would one take one’s skin type into account when selecting which type of option to go with? Someone with oily skin would have different needs than someone with really dry skin. Also, how is baby shampoo different than the “adult” sulfate-free shampoos? Could those be effectively used as cleansers too? I look forward to a response to the above.
A dermatologist told me to use baby shampoo on a washcloth to scrub my eyelids twice a day when they were irritated and I was loosing eyelashes after a trip to a tropical place. It worked. I still use it to wash the pollen off of my eyelashes during allergy season. The baby shampoo fragrance bothered me a little. The only unscented brand I could find was California Baby, which costs a lot more, but if you’re only using it for your face, one bottle will last a long time.
Sarah–It could be the preservatives or fragrances that are irritating your skin, or even the detergent. Some people are irritated by sodium lauryl sulphate. I don’t believe it’s evil, toxic or any of that bs, but it does dry out some sensitive skin. Even some unscented baby wipes contain irritating ingredients. These baby-wipe ingredients irritate my skin and eyes: phenoxyethanol, diazodinal urea (I know I misspelled that but don’t have time to look it up), ethylene brassylate, SLS, chammomile. (Yes–chammomile!! It’s a flower. Many people are allergic to flowers.) One way to find one that works for you would be to start with unscented brands with the fewest possible ingredients.
I use baby wipes to remove my make-up!
As a mom, I always have unscented baby wipes on hand, and I figured if it’s sensitive enought for baby’s bottom, its sensitive enough for my face. It works very well! Also, they are FAR cheaper than wipes maketed specifically for make-up removal.
@scientist: thanks for your well thought out comments, you certainly raised some good questions. I’m sorry that our answer to this question left you feeling dissatisfied but to be honest we were just trying to answer the basic question about whether or not you could use baby shampoo to remove makeup.
Answering the five or six other questions you raised would require considerably more research and even then I’m not sure we would come up with definitive answers. I doubt that specific studies have been done on multiple combinations of baby shampoo type surfactants for makeup removing efficacy.
If you’re so inclined you might dig around on the Society of cosmetic chemists website to see if these have been discussed in previous journal entries. If we come across any specific information will be sure to do a follow-up post.
Again thanks for taking the time to comment. We really appreciate it even if it means you don’t always agree with our answers.
I have always used baby wipes instead of makeup remover wipes. They are so much cheaper and work wonderfully.
The only thing that botthers me about telling folks its ok to use this on your eyes is that baby shampoos are terrible for your skin. If you do a test on alkaline and acidity with tester strips you will find that tear free shampoos fall at a 7 (very alkaline) because that is the level for your eyes. That is why it doesn’t burn your eyes. However, your skin is naturally around a level 4. Very acidic. If you put something that alkaline on your skin for a long period of time you may begin seeing dry, flaky and irritated skin. I am not saying that regular make-up removers are any better because I have not tested it. But folks, you may want to do a little more research before you use stuff on your skin, or your babies skin for that matter.
I wear Maybelline great lash waterproof mascara and have been using Burt’s Bee’s baby oil as a make-up remover for years. It’s non-irritating (to me) and completely removes the mascara and eye makeup.
@Meg: I’m afraid you’re a bit misinformed. A pH of 7 is NEUTRAL not “very alkaline” as you said. The scale goes from 1 to 14. Very alkaline is over 9 or so. So you should check your own research before you complain about ours. Thanks for the comment.
Many years ago, I had to consult an ophthalmologist because of cracked and bleeding eyelids caused by a variety of mascara removers that I’d been using. He recommended a warm compress and then Johnson’s No More Tears baby shampoo. I do this every evening but I do not wash my face with the shampoo. It’s been a blessing for me since I wear at least five coats of mascara every day.
One warning: being frugal (cheap), I once bought Walmart’s Equate instead of the Johnson’s brand and I ended up with bright red eyes. Not a good look.
Thanks about the info on eye makeup removers. MK has an Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover and I wondered how it worked so well and left my skin feeling nice at the same time. I know some prefer oil and was wondering what the difference in types was.
Using oil or baby shampoo to remove makeup is one of the best things you can do for your skin, because it doesn’t over strip or irritate. The major brands have billions of dollars to throw into researching these things.
Some people think they know everything.
@professorauntie–I’m inclined to think it’s the cleanser/surfactant and not the preservatives or fragrance causing me irritation, because I have never reacted to preservative or fragrance in any other product (possible exception being a sample of highly fragranced chanel foundation; my eyes itched while wearing it, but the day I used it, there was a high pollen count).
Sarah,
Yeah it could be the cleansers if they are different from what you usually use. I think almost anything could cause an allergic reaction, except maybe silicone, mineral oil, or petroleum jelly. I read somewhere that coco betaine is allergenic for a lot of people, but decyl glucoside is less likely to be allergenic. If I figure out where I read that I’ll send you a link–it was a list of ingredients that were more likely (than the average ingredient) to cause an allergic reaction.
My opthalmologist recommended I use baby shampoo to wash off eye makeup as well – not just when I was recovering from uveitis but in general.
i use baby shampoo to wash, but are all the same kind of shampoo ? thanks
Marly Harris,
Thank you so much for posting the comment about Walmart’s equate baby shampoo irritating your eye lids. My eyelids have been messed up for about a good month now and I could not figure out the cause. I changed my mascara, eye shadow, and stopped wearing makeup as often. I never thought it would be the baby shampoo since I heard baby shampoo was great for your eyelids. Thank you!! I will be throwing out the Walmart brand baby shampoo and buying J&J.