My Favorite Cheap Skincare Hack: How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar Face Wash (Good for VanLife and Camping)

 


I used to have issues with acne and now I have more flaky skin and a consistent battle with blackheads in certain areas. This particular blend seems to help skin that has oily buildup, blackheads or flakes. I’ve been using it for years and my dad used it upon my recommendation for his skin that had a lot of buildup from being oily and not exfoliating. He came back and asked me to mix a gallon of it for him!

I put this recipe together so long ago, I don’t even remember the skincare research that went into it, but in a few paragraphs I discuss new research and link a few studies. 

 

Here is my recipe:

 

1/4 Apple Cider Vinegar

3/4 Water

In about 8 oz I use:

15 drops Tea Tree Oil

4 drops Clove Oil

 

Depending on the volume of the water/vinegar mixture, the number of drops will need to be modified. Perhaps the first time you are going to want to dilute essential oils more, in case you are sensitive to them. You can even skip them if you don’t happen to have them on hand. Essential oils are very powerful and the clove can sting my skin a little, and you’ll need to be careful around your eyes at this dilution.

 

Here is what I do with my mixture:

I use the mixture to wet a terry cloth and then in soft circular motions I wash my face with it.

 

This has been a wonderful method for vanlife and camping. It makes you feel very fresh and clean and does not require much water. In the van I often washed off my armpits with it as well to stay fresh.  In a pinch you can just use water on the cloth. That’s even cheaper! But if I do that too many days in a row I get more blackheads on my chin and beside my nose. Lately my skin has become flaky when I only use water & moisturizer after.

I’ve been doing this long before vanlife was a thought and I have to say it is so much better on my skin not to use soap! I used proactiv for years and still had acne.

The reason I wanted to share this today was I had been using plain water to wash my face and using this mixture I notice a difference in my skin after a few days. My favorite thing about this mixture is that it produces an uncommonly clean feeling.

 

 

Are These Ingredients Effective and Safe?

 

I did go ahead and look into ingredients used in my face wash, and it seems clove and tea tree oil have been studied and seem effective in helping with issues like acne and a few other skin conditions or in improving skin quality. Of course, look into it if you have a specific skin condition, and be careful not to use so much that it burns or damages skin.

Apple Cider Vinegar’s effectiveness or safety has not been fully researched and proven and I am going to keep reading up on this to see if I need to change up my skincare routine. It is working for me, but I am led to believe that, first, it must be diluted, and perhaps more diluted than my mixture. And second, it is not right for everyone’s skin, even if some people, including myself, report better skin quality after using a diluted apple cider vinegar toner.

I think it is safe to try for most people properly diluted, but if you have a specific condition, please look into whether it could worsen your skin condition.

I have also read that it can damage dry skin more easily, and strip the epidermis if skin is dry. I do moisturize a lot now, but I didn’t used to. I use a hyaluronic acid facial cream now as well, and occasionally a little bit of shea butter overnight.

 

Here are a few studies which can be referenced on some of the ingredients:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17314442/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27000386/

https://pubs.rsc.org/de/content/articlelanding/2018/fo/c8fo00843d/unauth#!divAbstract

https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?journal=Archives+of+Dermatology&title=The+antibacterial+activity+of+clove+essential+oil+against+Propionibacterium+acnes+and+its+mechanism+of+action&author=Y.+Fu&author=L.+Chen&author=Y.+Zu&volume=145&issue=1&publication_year=2009&pages=86-88&pmid=19153353&doi=10.1001/archdermatol.2008.549&

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/pde.13888 (Few Studies show efficacy of the vinegar.)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29224370/

 

 

 

 

 **I have listed Amazon Affiliate links below. I do earn commission if you buy from these links, but I invite you only to buy what will be truly useful to you and no more. Thank you very much if you choose to support my site by using the links!

 

 

 My Favorite Brand of Apple Cider Vinegar

 

Clove Oil

 

Tea Tree Oil

 

Andalou Hylauronic Acid Night Cream

 

 

 

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