Tag: DIY face wash

No Foam Face Wash

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For educational purposes only. Content reflects personal, non-professional formulation experiments and is not instructional.
No formula or information on this site is intended for commercial use, consumer application, or third-party use.
Accessing this content means you accept all risks and full responsibility for safety, testing, legal compliance, and outcomes.
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Lab Note: My “No-Foam” Gentle Face Wash

Hello Hello! :D This recipe is very special to me. For two years, I struggled with a constant, annoying form of acne. I was doing everything “right” according to the commercials—scrubbing like crazy, using alcoholic toners, and applying aggressive creams. Nothing worked!

Then, I finally decided to give my skin a break. I stopped the aggression and started treating my skin with respect. This face wash was a huge part of that. It doesn’t make a big foam, and it doesn’t leave your skin feeling “squeaky” (which usually just means “stripped!“), but it cleans perfectly.

The “Why” behind the formula:

I wanted a very delicate ASM of only 6.5%. Most shampoos are 15%, so you can see how much gentler this is! I also used a “Trio” of surfactants to keep it balanced:

  • Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate: My primary surfactant. It’s so much softer than SLES!

  • Cocamidopropyl Betaine: Added specifically to make the first one even milder.

  • Lauryl Glucoside: A non-ionic touch to keep everything stable.

The Formula:

Phase A:

  • Water to 100

  • Glycerin 3

  • Xanthan Gum 0.5 (I add this because Sarcosinate loves to become as liquid as water! This gives it a little “body” so it doesn’t slip through your fingers.)

  • Preservative (Water-soluble!)

Phase B:

  • Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate – 10

  • Lauryl Glucoside – 2 (It’s a dense paste, so microwave it for a few seconds first! :D)

  • Lavender EO – 2 drops

  • Sage EO – 2 drops (I love these for acne-prone skin because they are so soothing.)

Phase C:

  • Cocamidopropyl Betaine – 6

  • Lactic Acid (To reach pH 5—this is the secret to making it dense!)

Notes from the Beaker:

  1. Mixing with Love: I mixed everything very slowly with a spoon. If you mix too fast, you get a beaker full of bubbles and you’ll have to wait ages for them to go away!

  2. The pH Secret: This is the most important part! You must lower the pH to 5 using Lactic or Citric acid. One drop at a time! When you hit pH 5, the Sarcosinate suddenly becomes dense and “creamy.” If you go lower than 5, it might go liquid again, so be careful! 😉

  3. The Order: I add the Betaine (Phase C) at the very end. Sometimes adding it too early makes the whole thing “melt” into a liquid mess.

  4. A Touch of Color: I added one tiny drop of blue food coloring just to make it look pretty and fun in my bathroom.

Final Verdict: This face wash doesn’t “shout,” but it works. It leaves my skin calm, hydrated, and happy. If you are tired of aggressive products, give this a try! ENJOY! 🙂

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How to formulate a Face Wash – with Recipe

LAB NOTES & SAFETY NOTICE
These are personal experiments for educational use only— not instructions and not for commercial or consumer use. By proceeding, you assume all risks related to safety, testing, and regulatory compliance.
[Full Legal Disclaimer & Safety Requirements]

DIY Face Wash - Recipe

Today I experimented on an “extra-mild” facial cleanser. My goal here was to build a balanced Surfactant Trio (Anionic, Amphoteric, and Non-Ionic) but keep the concentration low enough to respect a compromised skin barrier—especially for my skin, which tends to get acne when it’s irritated.

The ASM Calculation & My Surfactant Logic

To make sure this was as gentle as possible, I targeted a total ASM of 6.5%. Most store-bought face washes are 10–15%, so I knew this would be much softer.

  • Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate (Anionic): My primary choice for a creamy lather. It’s so much milder than SLES or SLS.

  • Cocamidopropyl Betaine (Amphoteric): I included this to “buffer” the Sarcosinate. It helps stop the cleanser from being too aggressive on the skin.

  • Lauryl Glucoside (Non-Ionic): This completes the trio. It’s great for removing oily residues without causing irritation.

The Math (Validated against my 6.5% ASM target):

  • Sarcosinate 10g: 10 * 0.29 = 2.9g

  • Betaine 6g: 6 * 0.32 = 1.92g

  • Lauryl Glucoside 3g: 3 * 0.52 = 1.56g

  • Total ASM: 6.38% (Perfect!)

My Formula: Mild Face Wash

Phase Component % / grams Function
A Distilled Water to 100 Solvent
A Glycerin 3.0 Humectant
A Xanthan Gum 0.5 Thickener / Suspension
B Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate 10.0 Primary Mild Anionic
B Lauryl Glucoside 3.0 Non-Ionic Detergent
B Lavender & Sage EOs 4 drops Soothing / Antimicrobial
C Cocamidopropyl Betaine 6.0 Amphoteric Buffer
C Preservative & Lactic Acid q.s. Safety / pH Calibration

What I Noticed During the Process

  • Gelling the Water: Sarcosinate is notoriously hard to thicken! I used 0.5% Xanthan Gum to give it enough “body” so it wouldn’t just run off my hands.

  • The “Heat” Trick: My Lauryl Glucoside was a thick paste. I had to give it a quick warm-up in a water bath to liquefy it before mixing, otherwise, I would have ended up with “fish-eyes” (lumps) in my gel.

  • The “Slow-Mix” Rule: Sips water. I stayed away from the high-speed mixers. I just used a manual stirring motion because I didn’t want to turn my beaker into a bubble bath before I even finished!

  • The pH Moment: This is the most sensitive part. I used Lactic Acid to bring the pH down to 5.0.

    • My Observation: At pH 5.5, the Sarcosinate reaches its best density. But I have to be careful—if the pH drops much lower than that, the whole structure can fail and turn back into a liquid mess, plus the betaine should never go below that pH!

Final Thoughts

For me, this face wash is the definition of “Less is More.” By getting rid of harsh alcohols and scrubs and using this low-ASM blend instead, I finally gave my skin some space to breathe.

Personal Observation: This formula was a real turning point for my skin. It really confirms my theory: cleaning the skin shouldn’t mean stripping the skin.

DIY face wash