How your facewash can double as micellar water

A kinder way to makeup removal

Legend has it that the idea of micellar water was born in the 1990s in France. Fed up with the harshness of Parisian water, a French company came up with the idea of micellar water to avoid the dry, stretchy skin feel after wash. The idea was that women wouldn’t have to use tap water to remove makeup at the end of the day. Just wiping with micellar water would be enough.

But here is a secret – every cleaning product is “micellar water”

Micelles are everywhere. In your facewashes, in your shampoos and your shower gels. Micelles are the reason why these products work. They are tiny structures of surfactants that work to remove all the dirt and oil from your face. Or your body. They also remove makeup.

So how are micellar waters different from the other products?

Well, most significantly, they have a ridiculously low amount of surfactant compared to a face wash or a body wash. Surfactants spontaneously form micelles even at very low concentrations. So typically, companies add just enough surfactant to form micelles in water. So, all it really is, is very diluted face wash. Well, at least in essence.

What does all this mean? It means that the bottle of micellar water is just water. More than 95% of it. You get more “bang to the buck” with a face wash simply because it has a lot more surfactant. A typical face wash gets a lot more done for the same amount of money.

So why are they better than face washes?

For exactly the same reasons that I mentioned above. These products do not have unnecessarily high amounts of surfactants that most face washes do. We just don’t need so much of surfactants to cleanse our faces. Unless you work in a coal mine.

Think about it. Make up is tough. Especially waterproof makeup. It has oils and pigments that are difficult to remove with just water. If a micellar water can remove makeup, it can remove anything that is commonly found on your face.

Moreover, most surfactants are harsh. Lesser you use the better off you are. And by design, micellar waters have little surfactant making them one of the mildest products out there.

So long story short, you should be using micellar waters to cleanse your face and not a regular face wash.

So, what’s the problem then?

There are a couple of nagging issues though.

It’s a lot of water to be shipped around. Since most of the formulation is water, we are practically shipping bottles and bottles of water all over the place. Not so great for the environment.

And then there are the pads that are used to remove makeup. People use them once or twice and then throw them away. Not good either.

Also, most micellar water products tend to be as expensive as a face wash. Why pay the same money for a diluted product?

So, how do you solve this?

Make your own at home.

Like I mentioned before, you can dilute a face wash and still get the same efficacy as a micellar water. And this is exactly what I would do. Just pour some into your hand or a cup and add water. Don’t worry about measurements, you’ll figure it out in a try or two. I would also replace the cotton pad with any piece of cotton cloth that you can reuse at home.

This way, not only do you save on the number of products you purchase, you are also being gentler on the planet.