Free Pattern/Tutorial: Reusable Makeup Remover Pads

A week's worth of makeup remover pads...

Confession: I've used disposable facial cleansing cloths for decades. The first ones were dry versions that had to be wet down to do their job; subsequent ones have been conveniently pre-moistened. But they are all single use, throw away items.

For years, I've been cutting each one in half to reduce what I use, but I knew it wasn't the best solution. That said, until now, no available options were "the best solution".

About a year and a half ago, I came across Garnier's Micellar Reusable Eco Pads and was tempted to give them a try. (In fact, had I been able to find them locally, I likely would have tried them.) While trying to hunt them down without lining Jeff Bezos' pockets, a closer look at the reviews for the product revealed that I likely would have found them not "the best solution".

Among the comments is the fact that the pad is larger than what people are used to using. (Probably in comparison to a circular cotton pad?) The wipes that I normally use are about 3" x 5" after cutting so the size likely wouldn't concern me so much. But I do get that for those who are trying to wean themselves off the common cotton "rounds", a smaller one might be easier to handle.

The observation that made my mind up against this pad was that while it's made up of two layers of cloth, it's only sewn together around the edges. It will therefore roll around when you wipe your face with it.

That would be a totally annoying deal breaker for me, so it was clear: I had to make my own. And knowing what to avoid made it a worthwhile project to develop for myself rather than just following someone else's tutorial (of which there are many).

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Years ago, I examined a dollar store cloth (which I did not buy) that professed to remove makeup with just water. Based on that, I decided that microfiber would be my choice. It's absorbent, soft, suitably thick and yes, cleans up well with just water. (The pink one that you see below is 80% polyester and 20% polyamide.)

I don't think a combination of cotton and flannel would produce the same result, although the purists among you might say that microfibers contain microplastics, undoubtedly leading to a discussion that'll have us going down a veritable rabbit hole. (Are we eliminating a disposable problem by creating a new problem with our reusable solution?)

A basic microfiber towel will work well for this project...

Let's just say that you can make these out of whatever you please, although you may want to test your preferred materials to see if they will absorb to your expectations. (If you use micellar water, for example, you don't want it to roll off your fabric's surface onto the floor or into your sink.)

Whatever you choose, you may already have what you need around the house or in your scrap pile.

Towel folded into quarters...

After considering the weight of this cloth, I wanted the pads to be four layers thick, so I folded it in half and then folded each half in half again.

Then it was time to see if I could get seven pads out of this. I had made myself a template, which you can download here.

Template drawn...

It's just a circle with an extension coming down to a rounded point, a teardrop shape of sorts. (It reminds me of a hot air balloon.) I figured it would be easy to hold.

I cut it out and then made a duplicate. (TIP: Use cardstock for this.)

Having two templates allows you to work out how many items
your fabric can accommodate...

With two templates, I was able to position them in sequence to establish that I had enough fabric to make seven of these. (Actually, I probably could have made eight had I been more disciplined.)

Fold, pin, trace and cut...

That done, my next task was to cut away the serged edge from the towel. Then I refolded it so that the plain side was out, since I had to trace around the template and it would be easier to see this way.

If you're going to do this with microfiber, prepare to be overwhelmed by the tiny little bits that will cling to everything! (TIP: Shake these out over the garbage can after you cut them. The microfiber scraps themselves or a silicone scrubbie works well to clean up any bits on your table. Oh, and you'll have to clean the sewing machine afterwards too!)

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Once I had everything cut out, I "reshuffled" each pile so that the patterned side was on top again. Then I trimmed away a teeny tiny bit of the two inner layers so that I wouldn't have thick edges to contend with during the sewing part.

Trim down the inner two layers...

To sew, start at the pointy end and make a straight line all the way down the middle. This line of stitching will prevent the layers from separating during use. 

Sew down the middle to "quilt" the pad and prevent layers from separating...

At the edge, switch over to a zigzag stitch and sew all the way around the perimeter.

One done!

Repeat for all the others.

Before long, I had a set of very affordable reusable makeup remover pads. (Upon closer examination, however, I later had to resew parts of the edges that weren't totally held together.)

Of course, the final step was to wash them.

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I'm sure you're curious about the verdict: as in, how did they fare in actual use? I am sold on them. Like I figured, the shape is just right. Moistened with micellar water, the pointy end of the pad allows me to get rid of eye makeup and the round end — soaked with plain water — takes off the rest of my war paint.

These have been in my rotation every other day since mid-November, and I will switch over permanently when my supply of disposables is gone. (I haven't yet decided if might still use them whenever I travel.)

In terms of care, I wash each one with plain hand soap right after using it. (I have a sweater dryer across my tub where I place my hand washed items for easy drying overnight.) If you're not into that, they can be put into a mesh bag and tossed into the washing machine with your regular laundry, although you may want to let them air dry.

By the way, for the sake of completeness, here is my first attempt at this project. I used a small "face cloth" sized towel and folded it into thirds. I then marked off four rectangular shaped areas and sewed an "X" in the middle of each.

Attempt #1...

After sewing one up and testing it out, I came up with the idea for the teardrop shape.

Once the pink ones passed the usability test, I went back to this first attempt to recut the other pieces. Obviously, there was a bit more wasted material redoing it this way, but when one decides to adopt a new regimen, one better be totally comfortable with it or it won't stick. Handling the smaller pad was greatly preferred over the larger rectangular one.

In the end, this is only a small contribution to being more eco friendly, but every little bit helps.

Come back in a couple of weeks and you'll see what I made as a storage solution.

'Til next...