Coconut Aloe Cleansing Balm

Coconut Aloe Cleansing Balm: a deep cleaning oil cleanser made with virgin coconut and aloe.

Oil cleansers began captivating American consumers a few years back. It’s only natural for cleansing balms to have come next. These solidified version of the beloved oil cleanser relies on the same ratios of moisturizing and cleansing oil, but offer a semi-solid texture that many users find more satisfying and familiar than cleansing oil.

Our Coconut Aloe Cleansing Balm recipe uses a deep cleansing blend of castor oil, coconut oil, aloe vera, and shea butter. This balm is semi-solid at room temperature and melts almost immediately when it comes in contact with the skin. Unlike a typical moisturizing balm, our coconut aloe cleansing balm contains no wax at all. It has a smooth, slippery texture that glides along the skin with ease.

You can customize this formulation by substituting any of the oils or butters besides castor oil. Castor oil must be included for the cleansing balm to work properly. When swapping out the other ingredients, keep texture in mind. Using ingredients that are naturally solid at room temperature will help keep the balm from being too soft or even melting into a liquid.

About the Ingredients

Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

Right now, virgin coconut oil is easily one of the hottest ingredients in the natural beauty world. Used for everything from hair conditioner to makeup remover, natural beauty enthusiasts can’t seem to get enough of this versatile ingredient. In regards to cleansing the skin, virgin coconut makes a great choice due to its unique combination of moisturizing and astringent properties. It also smells incredibly good!

Aloe Vera Butter

The cooling, soothing feeling of aloe vera makes a wonderful addition to our cleansing balm recipe. Our aloe vera butter combines an oil soluble aloe extract with richly moisturizing coconut oil to create a totally unique and incredibly beneficial skin care ingredient.

Organic Shea Butter

Shea Butter is another classic skin care ingredient that enjoys enduring popularity in the natural beauty world. This all natural butter provides an abundance of moisture and conditioning benefits to both skin and hair. Our refined shea butter offers all of the well-loved benefits of shea with a mellow color and aroma that works well with essential oil blends.

Organic Castor Oil

Castor oil plays a very important role in oil cleansers and cleansing balms. This oil is highly comedogenic, meaning that it can actually blocks pores. This would be detrimental in a moisturizer or skin cream, but in an oil cleanser castor oil works to dissolve excess sebum and carry it away from the skin when it is rinsed.

Andean Mint Essential Oil

Andean Mint Essential Oil is an extra potent heirloom herb responsibly harvested from the mountains of Peru. The fresh, cool aroma and tingling chill of Andean Mint makes this cleansing balm recipe extra refreshing!

Lemon Balm (Melissa) Essential Oil

Also known as lemon balm essential oil, Melissa essential oil is often used in skin care formulations to balance moisture and tame oily skin. We added a handful of drops of Melissa oil to our cleansing balm to make it extra friendly to oily and combination skin types.

Palmarosa Essential Oil

Palmarosa Essential Oil has a sweet tart aroma reminiscent of citrus. From the same family as lemongrass and citronella, palmarosa shares some properties with these related oils but also many differences. In skin care, palmarosa is often used to provide balancing qualities. It makes an excellent choice for oily and combination skin type formulations.

Makes four 2-ounce (60 ml) Jars

Ingredients

120 grams Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
60 grams Aloe Vera Butter
40 grams Organic Shea Butter
20 grams Organic Castor Oil
1.25 ml Andean Mint Essential Oil
1.25 ml Lemon Balm (Melissa) Essential Oil
1.25 ml Palmarosa Essential Oil

Directions

Combine coconut oil, aloe butter, shea butter, and castor oil in double boiler and heat until fully melted.
Remove from heat and let cool 3-5 minutes.
Add essential oils and mix slowly until fully blended.
Transfer to jars and let cool until fully hardened.

Usage & Packaging

We packaged our cleansing balm in our 2-ounce Flat PET Jars. They would also look great in Flint Glass or White Dome Jars.
To use, massage a generous dab of balm onto the face and rub into skin for 3-5 minutes. Moisten washcloth with hot water and steam skin to remove oil. Repeat until oil has been completely removed. Follow with toner and moisturizer as needed.

Shelf Life & Stability: Please note that the formulations featured here on The Natural Beauty Workshop have not been challenge tested for stability or shelf life, and may not be suitable for commercial use as-is. For more information on shelf life, stability, and working with preservatives, check out the following article from our Information Library.

Looking for more inspiring facial care formulations? Check out our recipes for Cucumber Neroli Facial Spray and Oatmeal and Chamomile Foaming Cleanser