Natural and Chemical Alternatives to Eye Makeup Remover

Eye makeup remover is a product specifically formulated to remove stubborn eye makeup without tugging, pulling, and damaging the delicate eye area. It comes in a range of colors, prices, and sizes and is usually safe for sensitive skin and contact lens wearers. There are, however, safe and economical alternatives that remove eye makeup.

Sweet almond oil is one of my favorite substitutes for eye make up remover. You can purchase it at your local health food store, online, and even at some Wegman's grocers. Use it just like you would your own eye-make-up remover. Put a little on a cotton pad and gently swipe it over the eye area. Allow the oil to soak into the make up for a few seconds, then gently wipe off. Be sure to wash the oil off of the area. According to ehow.com, you can use sweet almond oil as a moisturizer for face and body, a cuticle softener, a massage oil, an aromatherapy oil, and in salad dressing. Pretty useful stuff at around eight dollars a bottle. If you are going to ingest sweet almond oil, make sure it is a food grade product and keep in mind that the shelf life of sweet almond oil is going to be much shorter than that of a commercial eye make up remover with preservatives in it.

If you don't like the feel of sweet almond oil, you can always try Olive Oil. Olive Oil has been used for centuries as a beauty treatment, especially to moisturize hair and skin. It feels soft and silky, but using too much could begin to feel a bit greasy. If you are going to use it as an eye makeup remover, make sure the Olive Oil has not been infused with any kind of herb or vegetable or anything else. It's best to use pure, extra virgin olive oil. Occasionally people find that Olive Oil stings their eyes, so its best to use sparingly. According to beauty-tip.blogspot.com, if your lashes feel heavily laden down with oil after using some Olive Oil to remove your eye make up, you can remove the oil with a little bit of rose water. Olive Oil is known to contain many antioxidants which are great age-fighters.

Some people have been known to use baby oil to remove their eye make up. I was never a fan of using baby oil on my baby except for putting a little bit on his head to soften the cradle cap. If I wouldn't put it on my baby, well, then I probably wouldn't put it on my eyes on a regular basis. But it could work fine in a pinch. Beautyassist.com points out that baby oil was not made for the delicate skin around the eyes and could be irritating, something very important to keep in mind when you are dealing with the skin on your face.

Julyne Derrick, on about.com, promotes good old fashioned Vaseline as a great eye make up remover. She says it doesn't sting her eyes, is easy to use, and of course, it's cheap. Some people have concerns about Vaseline because it's made from petroleum jelly, which comes from the same oil that is turned into gasoline. Keep in mind that petroleum jelly is a flammable substance. More information can be found about petroleum jelly on wikipedia.com.

I have tried everything but the Vaseline to remove my eye make up, and they all work well enough. I really like the idea of using something all natural, like sweet almond oil, on my face. But I also worry about the oil spoiling so for now I'll just keep on using my Mary Kay Oil-Free Eye Make Up Remover.