This Oatmeal Cleansing Facial Scrub has been a go-to for me for many years. It’s both gentle and smoothing on my skin, and it’s perfect for traveling.
I’ve been using this simple Oatmeal Cleansing Scrub for years, and I love the results! In it’s simplest form, it’s just 1 ingredient. But you can also add different extras for more benefits which you’ll find below.
It’s a very gentle scrub that leaves your skin smooth and soft. It’s also very easy to make, and you can store it for months. This makes a great natural treatment to take traveling because it’s dry, and doesn’t need to be refrigerated like other fresh treatments. I always take this oatmeal scrub for everyday use, and a container of baking soda for my weekly Baking Soda Exfoliation.
This recipe was first published this scrub in 2013, and I’ve been using it ever since. I figured that because it’s more than stood the test of time I needed to give this one an update with all new photos! Everything else is completely the same.
Oatmeal Scrub Variations:
- Add a drizzle of honey to the oat/water paste described below.
- Or you can add 1 Tablespoon of plain yogurt to the ground oats.
I love either one of these variations and use both often. I find the honey very soothing to my sensitive skin, and the yogurts works wonders on smoothing and softening my skin!
How to make this Oatmeal Cleansing Facial:
You can use a blender or food processor to make this scrub, or you can buy oat flour for the most gentle cleansing scrub. Place 1 cup oatmeal in a mini food processor and pulse until fine with some small pieces of oats. This recipe makes enough for about 16 treatments.
How to use this facial treatment:
Take 1-2 Teaspoons for your face or 1 Tablespoon for your face and neck area. Mix the ground oatmeal with just enough water to form a paste. At this point, you can add an optional small drizzle (less than 1 Teaspoon) of honey for it’s extra moisturizing and antibacterial properties.
Using your fingers, gently massage the oatmeal mixture into your face and neck area using your ring finger lightly on the skin around the eye area. Rinse and moisturize for the day/night.
This oatmeal cleanser is a great everyday option instead of soap. My face has been soap free for 5 years now, (make that over 12 years now without soap!) and my skin just keeps getting healthier. If you’re going to be using this oatmeal cleanser more than twice a week, make sure the oats are ground really fine, or buy oat flour.
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Oatmeal Cleansing Facial Scrub
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 16 treatments 1x
Description
A shelf stable, travel friendly, homemade facial treatment!
Ingredients
1 cup oatmeal, or 1 cup oat flour
Optional:
A drizzle of honey added to the oat/water paste
Or a tablespoon of plain yogurt to be mixed with the ground oats
Instructions
If you’re using the oatmeal, process in a blender or food processor until it’s finely powdered with a few small pieces.
To use, mix together 1 Tablespoon of the ground oats with just enough water to make a paste.
Gently massage the oatmeal mixture into your face and neck area. Let the facial treatment rest on your face if you added either the honey or the yogurt to let the benefits sink in.
Rinse and moisturize for the day/night.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Category: DIY
- Method: Food Processor
Keywords: DIY facial treatment, Oatmeal facia mask, Oatmeal facial treatment
Does the oatmeal gets soft over a period of time?
★★★★★
I’m not 100% sure what you mean, it does get softer with time after you add the liquid to it because it continues to take on hydration. But it shouldn’t get softer with time in the storage jar, if that happens, you would need to throw it out and find a different container that is better sealed. I hope this helps and please let me know if you have any more questions!
Hi Kari so do I cook the oats
No you don’t need to cook the oats, you just mixed the powdered oats with water, I like to do this in the palm of my hand before using it as a cleansing scrub!
Can i use oats and baking soda mix everyday my skin is combination
Baking soda is on the harsh side and can disturb the ph of your skin, so most skin experts don’t recommend frequent use. I personally use it every few weeks at the moment because I really enjoy using my Oil Cleansing Method and this Oatmeal Cleansing Scrub. I hope this helps, and you can also consult a professional for more information about baking soda.
hello kari, i really love your post! i just want to try this oat as my daily facial wash.
just need a clarify, this oat + water is used to replace facial wash and just use it like usually? (like apply this on our face for 1-2 minutes and then rinse it?)
what is the final texture, is it form a paste or more light? and can we use this twice a day everyday?
thank you Kari, i’m new and gonna explore your blog afterwards 😉
The texture here is more like a paste, but you can thin it out if desired. I use it a cleanser by lightly scrubbing it around my face, then rinsing it off. Because it is a bit of a scrub, I personally wouldn’t use it 2x a day because my face is easily irritated. I love using my facial oil cleansing method as my daily cleansing with treatments like this oatmeal one to mix things up. I hope this helps, and be sure and let me know if you have any more questions. Also I hope you enjoy the blog!
https://getinspiredeveryday.com/lifestyle/facial-oil-cleansing-method/
How many times do you exfoliate your face with this oatmeal scrub? I have extremely sensitive skin so would exfoliating once every week with this scrub would be too much for my face?
Over time I’ve found myself moving more toward my Pineapple Facial which exfoliates without being abrasive. I do still use this oatmeal scrub when I’m traveling, but usually not more than 2x per month, not because it aggravates my skin, I’m just like the pineapple the best right now. I hope this helps, pineapple is a great exfoliator for sensitive skin, and be sure and let me know if you have anymore questions!
This is new to me, can you explain how yo do it?
Take 1-2 Teaspoons for your face or 1 Tablespoon for your face and neck area. Mix the ground oatmeal with just enough water to form a paste. At this point, you can add an optional small drizzle (less than 1 Teaspoon) of honey for it’s extra moisturizing and antibacterial properties.
Using your fingers, gently massage the oatmeal mixture into your face and neck area using your ring finger lightly on the skin around the eye area. Rinse and moisturize for the day/night.
I hope this explains things well, but if not, let me know if you have anymore questions!
I have a dark and it feels good using the oatmeal
Awesome, I’m so glad your enjoying this scrub!
My skintype is combination skin and I’m feeling very oily after a week use of oatmeal instead of facewash. is it normal ?
It is very normal for your skin to go through changes anytime you change up your routine, but even more so if you stop using soap. My personal experience was that my skin evened out over time, but the best thing I found to help with the transition is Oil Cleansing. It seems counter intuitive to use oil to cleanse oily skin, but I’ve found it to be the best thing ever. I’ll leave you a link below to read more about it. I sure hope this helps you out!
https://getinspiredeveryday.com/lifestyle/facial-oil-cleansing-method/
Thanks so much. I plan to use it right away. I have already shared this with several friends. I have dark patches under my chin from removing hairs with a tweezer. Will any of your cleanser help even the skin tone there?
My DIY Homemade Pineapple Facial is the best facial I know of for evening out skin tones. Pineapple is known for evening out skin tones but also because it’s a very effective exfoliator without being abrasive. I sure hope this helps!
Hay
Iam 18, can i use this everyday without honey?
Plz reply fast!
You can usually use plain ground oatmeal as a skin cleanser daily, but it would depend on your individual skin type. I personally find my skin prefers if I mix it up a bit with different treatments.