This is a lovely daily face cleanser. It’s gentle, but also good for places like Danville with hard-water.
Daily Adult Face Cleanser
A gentle, pH-balanced cleanser for hard water and sensitive skin
This daily face cleanser was designed to clean without stripping. Instead of chasing big foam or harsh “squeaky clean” results, the goal is a soft, balanced cleanse that respects the skin barrier while still removing daily oil, sunscreen residue, sweat, and environmental buildup.
Because we live with hard water, this formula includes sodium citrate to help reduce the drying, tight feeling that mineral-heavy water can leave behind. The cleanser is also pH-adjusted to the skin-friendly range of about 5.3–5.6, which helps support the skin’s natural acid mantle.
This is a simple, functional formula. Every ingredient has a purpose.
Why each ingredient was chosen
Distilled water
The base of the formula. Distilled water keeps the formula clean and consistent, without adding minerals that could interfere with texture, preservation, or pH.
Aloe vera juice
Aloe adds a soothing, hydrating feel and makes the cleanser more comforting on skin than a plain water-only base.
Sodium citrate
This is the hard-water helper. Sodium citrate helps bind minerals in water, which can make cleansing feel softer and help reduce that tight, dry feeling hard water sometimes leaves behind.
Betaine
Betaine is a gentle humectant and skin-conditioning ingredient. It helps the cleanser feel less harsh and supports a soft after-feel.
Glycerin
A classic humectant that helps draw water to the skin. In a cleanser, glycerin helps prevent the skin from feeling overly stripped after rinsing.
Xanthan gum
This gives the cleanser body and a light gel texture so it is easier to apply and does not run through the fingers too quickly.
Colloidal oatmeal
Oatmeal is included for its soft, calming skin feel. At a low level, it adds comfort without making the cleanser heavy or pasty.
Decyl glucoside
A mild, plant-derived cleanser that helps remove oil and daily buildup without the harshness of stronger detergents.
Coco glucoside
Another gentle cleanser that helps improve the wash feel and supports a soft, creamy lather. Used together with decyl glucoside, it creates a balanced cleansing system.
Panthenol
Also known as provitamin B5, panthenol supports a soft, conditioned skin feel and helps the formula feel more nurturing.
Green tea extract
Green tea adds a botanical antioxidant angle and gives the cleanser a fresh, skin-supportive feel without needing fragrance or essential oils.
Geogard ECT
A broad-spectrum preservative system used to keep the water-based formula protected from microbial growth. Preservation is essential in any cleanser that contains water, aloe, botanicals, and humectants.
Citric acid solution
Used at the very end to adjust the pH into the skin-friendly range of about 5.3–5.6.
Optional upgrade
For an even more calming daily cleanser, add allantoin at 0.2%. For a 500g batch, that is 1g allantoin, subtracted from the distilled water. Allantoin is a beautiful addition for skin that is easily irritated, dry, or exposed to hard water.
Ingredient list — 500g batch
Distilled water — 310g — 62%
Aloe vera juice — 100g — 20%
Sodium citrate — 3g — 0.6%
Betaine — 10g — 2%
Glycerin — 15g — 3%
Xanthan gum — 1.5g — 0.3%
Colloidal oatmeal — 3g — 0.6%
Decyl glucoside — 25g — 5%
Coco glucoside — 20g — 4%
Panthenol — 5g — 1%
Green tea extract — 3g — 0.6%
Geogard ECT — 4.5g — 0.9%
Citric acid solution — q.s. to pH 5.3–5.6
Optional:
Allantoin — 1g — 0.2%
If adding allantoin, reduce distilled water to 309g
How to use
Massage a small amount onto damp skin, avoiding the eye area. Rinse thoroughly. Follow with moisturizer while skin is still slightly damp.
This cleanser is designed for daily use, especially for skin that needs gentle cleansing without fragrance, essential oils, or a stripped feeling.
One tiny practical note: if your green tea extract is a powder, 3g may be strong depending on the supplier. If it is a liquid extract, 3g is usually reasonable. If you want the gentlest daily cleanser possible, I’d use 1–2g green tea extract and put the difference back into water.
Difficulty: Medium-easy.
The formula itself is simple, but it needs careful pH adjustment, gentle stirring to avoid foam, and good preservation habits. The hardest parts are hydrating xanthan smoothly and adjusting pH slowly.
Yes — this is easy-to-medium.
Difficulty: Medium-easy.
The formula itself is simple, but it needs careful pH adjustment, gentle stirring to avoid foam, and good preservation habits. The hardest parts are hydrating xanthan smoothly and adjusting pH slowly.
Daily Adult Face Cleanser Recipe
500g batch | pH target 5.3–5.6
Ingredients
Distilled water — 310g
Aloe vera juice — 100g
Sodium citrate — 3g
Betaine — 10g
Glycerin — 15g
Xanthan gum — 1.5g
Colloidal oatmeal — 3g
Decyl glucoside — 25g
Coco glucoside — 20g
Panthenol — 5g
Green tea extract — 3g
Geogard ECT — 4.5g
Citric acid solution — as needed to pH 5.3–5.6
Optional calming upgrade:
Allantoin — 1g
If using allantoin, reduce distilled water to 309g
Equipment
Scale accurate to 0.1g
Sanitized beaker or mixing bowl
Mini spatula or silicone spatula
Stick blender optional, but I’d avoid it once surfactants are added
pH strips range 4–7 or pH meter
Clean bottles
Gloves
70% alcohol for sanitizing tools and bottles
Step-by-step process
1. Sanitize everything
Sanitize your work surface, tools, mixing container, and bottles. Let everything dry before starting.
This is a water-based cleanser with aloe and botanicals, so cleanliness matters.
2. Make your water phase
In your main beaker/bowl, add:
Distilled water
Aloe vera juice
Sodium citrate
Betaine
Stir until the sodium citrate and betaine are fully dissolved.
Keep the temperature gentle: room temp to 95°F is fine. You do not need much heat.
If using allantoin, add it here. Warm to about 100–110°F if needed to help dissolve it, but don’t overheat.
3. Make the xanthan slurry
In a separate small cup, mix:
Glycerin
Xanthan gum
Stir until the xanthan is fully wetted and there are no dry clumps.
This step prevents little “fish-eye” gel lumps.
4. Hydrate the gel
Add the glycerin/xanthan slurry into the water phase.
Stir gently but thoroughly.
Let it sit 15–30 minutes to hydrate.
It will thicken slowly. That’s normal.
5. Add colloidal oatmeal
Sprinkle in the colloidal oatmeal and mix until smooth.
Try not to whisk air into it. Gentle stirring is better.
6. Add surfactants slowly
Add:
Decyl glucoside
Coco glucoside
Stir slowly and gently after each addition.
Do not whisk.
Do not stick blend after surfactants are in.
You want to avoid foam.
The mixture may look cloudy or slightly creamy. That’s okay.
7. Add cool-down ingredients
Once the mixture is below 105°F, add:
Panthenol
Green tea extract
Geogard ECT
Mix gently but thoroughly for a few minutes.
Preservative must be evenly distributed.
8. Check and adjust pH
Test the pH.
Your target is:
pH 5.3–5.6
If pH is too high, add citric acid solution drop by drop.
Citric acid solution
Make a 50% solution:
5g citric acid
5g distilled water
Stir until dissolved.
Add tiny amounts to the cleanser, mix thoroughly, wait a minute, then retest.
Go slowly. Glucosides can start high, and small additions can shift pH fast.
9. Bottle
Once the pH is correct, bottle into clean containers.
Let it sit overnight. The bubbles will settle, and the texture may thicken a little more by the next day.
Finished texture
It should be a light gel cleanser: soft, slightly creamy/cloudy, not super foamy, and easy to rinse.
How many containers?
This makes about 500g, roughly 16–17 fluid ounces.
Plan for:
Two 8 oz bottles, or
Four 4 oz bottles, or
Five 100 ml bottles
Leave a little headspace in each bottle.
Notes I’d keep on the recipe
Do not use around eyes.
Do not call it tear-free.
Patch test first.
Store away from heat and direct sunlight.
Use within about 3–6 months for best freshness, especially because it contains aloe and green tea.