Honey Calendula Face Wash DIY Recipe

If you’re looking for a gentle, all natural face wash that nourishes your skin while keeping your beauty routine clean and minimalist, you’re going to love this homemade honey calendula face wash. Combining the healing power of calendula flowers with the soothing, antibacterial properties of raw honey, this simple recipe is a perfect addition to any skincare routine—especially for those with sensitive or dry skin.

Calendula has been used for centuries to calm inflammation and promote skin repair, while honey naturally draws moisture into the skin and helps fight off blemish-causing bacteria.

Together, they create a luxurious, skin-loving natural face wash that’s free of synthetic additives, harsh ingredients, artificial fragrance, or questionable preservatives.

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Why You’ll Love This Calendula Face Wash

If you’re looking for a gentle, natural cleanser that leaves your skin soft, calm, and glowing, this honey and calendula face wash might become your new favorite. Combining the healing, anti-inflammatory power of calendula with the antibacterial, humectant properties of raw honey, this duo works together to cleanse without stripping, hydrate without clogging, and restore balance to stressed or breakout-prone skin.

Who Should Use a Calendula Face Wash?

One of the best things about calendula is its versatility. It’s generally safe for:

• Dry skin – for its hydrating and barrier-supporting qualities
• Oily skin – thanks to its cleansing, antibacterial properties
• Sensitive skin – due to its anti-inflammatory and non-irritating nature
• Acne-prone skin – for its healing and blemish-calming effects
• Mature skin – because of its antioxidants and collagen-boosting benefits

Calendula is also gentle enough for teens, those with hormonal breakouts, and anyone looking to clean their skin without relying on harsh surfactants or synthetic ingredients.

7 Benefits of Honey for Your Skin

Honey has been used in skincare rituals for centuries—and for good reason. This golden, sticky substance isn’t just a natural sweetener; it’s a powerhouse ingredient packed with skin-loving properties. Whether you’re dealing with dry patches, breakouts, or dullness, raw honey can be a soothing, healing addition to your skincare routine.

Let’s explore the key benefits of honey for your skin and why it deserves a permanent spot on your bathroom shelf—right next to your DIY face masks and natural oils.

1. Deeply Moisturizes and Softens Skin

One of honey’s most notable properties is its ability to act as a humectant. That means it draws moisture from the air into your skin and helps lock it in. This makes it especially helpful for dry or dehydrated skin types.

When applied topically, honey creates a protective barrier without clogging pores, leaving your skin feeling supple and nourished. It’s gentle enough for sensitive skin and can be used as a natural alternative to commercial moisturizers or serums that often contain alcohol or synthetic fragrances.

2. Helps Fight Acne and Breakouts

Honey has natural antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, which make it an effective (and non-drying) way to manage acne. It can help prevent bacterial build-up in pores while soothing inflamed skin.

3. Soothes Irritation and Calms Inflammation

If you’re dealing with redness, sensitivity, or flare-ups from conditions like eczema or rosacea, honey can help calm things down. Its anti-inflammatory compounds reduce swelling, ease discomfort, and promote more even skin tone.

Because it’s so gentle, honey is often used as a soothing remedy for sunburns, windburns, and post-exfoliation irritation. It helps cool the skin and supports healing without the sting that can come from harsher treatments.

DIY Tip: Mix honey with aloe vera gel for a calming mask or post-sun treatment. See my aloe vera face mask.

4. Naturally Exfoliates for a Brighter Complexion

Raw honey contains natural enzymes that gently exfoliate the skin by loosening dead skin cells. Unlike abrasive scrubs, honey offers a more subtle way to improve skin texture without damaging the barrier.

With regular use, you may notice smoother skin, smaller-looking pores, and a healthy glow—all without the dryness or flakiness that chemical exfoliants sometimes cause.

DIY Tip: Combine honey with a pinch of ground oats or almond meal for a nourishing, gentle exfoliator you can use once or twice a week. Try my Oatmeal scrub with lavender oil and Honey.

5. Promotes Skin Healing and Regeneration

Honey’s wound-healing properties have been well documented, especially in clinical settings for treating minor burns and cuts. Those same benefits apply to your skin during breakouts or irritation.

6. Protects with Antioxidants

Honey is rich in antioxidants such as flavonoids and phenolic compounds. These help combat oxidative stress caused by free radicals—molecules that contribute to aging, sun damage, and environmental stress.

Adding honey to your skincare routine can help defend your skin from everyday stressors while supporting elasticity and a youthful appearance.

7. Evens Skin Tone and Fades Dark Spots

Over time, regular use of honey may help even out your complexion and fade dark spots or hyperpigmentation. This is largely due to its gentle exfoliating properties combined with skin-healing benefits.

While honey won’t bleach the skin, its ability to promote cell turnover and soothe inflammation can gradually lead to a more even, radiant appearance.

Choosing the Right Honey for Skincare

Not all honey is created equal—especially when it comes to skincare. Look for these types for the best results:

• Raw honey: Unprocessed and unpasteurized, raw honey retains all its enzymes, antioxidants, and nutrients.
• Manuka honey: Known for its potent antibacterial and healing properties, manuka is a top choice for acne-prone or sensitive skin.
• Local organic honey: Supports small-scale beekeepers and typically has fewer additives or contaminants.

Avoid processed supermarket honey, which is often heated or diluted with syrups, reducing its skin benefits.

Benefits of Calendula for our Skin

Calendula is one of those herbs that is incredibly versatile and has so many varied benefits. Regardless of your skin type, you’ll likely benefit from Calendula.

1. Soothes Sensitive or Reactive Skin

Calendula is incredibly calming, making it ideal for people with sensitive, reactive, or easily irritated skin. Its anti-inflammatory compounds help reduce redness, stinging, and inflammation without overwhelming your skin barrier.

People with conditions like eczema, dermatitis, or rosacea often find calendula-based products gentler than most commercial options. If your skin tends to flare up with traditional cleansers or exfoliants, a calendula face wash may be the calming reset it needs.

2. Gently Cleanses Without Stripping

Many commercial cleansers can leave your skin feeling dry, tight, or “squeaky”—a sign that your natural oils have been stripped. Calendula, especially when paired with nourishing oils or hydrosols, helps maintain the skin’s natural moisture barrier while still removing dirt, sweat, and impurities.

This makes calendula an excellent choice for both dry and combination skin types. It’s gentle enough for daily use and doesn’t disrupt the delicate microbiome that helps keep your skin healthy.

3. Reduces Acne and Prevents Breakouts

Calendula has natural antibacterial and antifungal properties that help cleanse the skin of acne-causing bacteria. Its anti-inflammatory action can also calm angry blemishes, reduce swelling, and support faster healing of post-acne marks.

Unlike many harsh acne treatments that rely on alcohol or drying agents, calendula works with your skin’s natural rhythms. It helps to clear pores and reduce breakouts without leaving your skin raw or irritated.

Bonus: calendula can be combined with other acne-fighting herbs like chamomile, tea tree, or witch hazel for a synergistic effect.

4. Promotes Wound Healing and Fades Scars

Calendula stimulates blood flow to the skin and promotes the production of collagen, which supports faster wound healing and skin regeneration. This makes it especially helpful for healing minor cuts, acne scars, and other blemishes.

If you have pigmentation from past breakouts or damage from picking at blemishes (we’ve all been there), calendula may help fade those marks over time while encouraging smoother, healthier skin.

5. Hydrates and Softens Skin

Despite being a cleansing herb, calendula doesn’t dry out your skin—in fact, it does the opposite. It contains polysaccharides and mucilage that bind moisture to the skin, leaving it feeling soft, hydrated, and supple after use.

This makes it a great option if you’re looking for a cleanser that won’t disrupt your skin’s balance. It’s especially beneficial during colder months when skin tends to dry out more quickly.

6. Packed with Antioxidants

Calendula is rich in antioxidants like flavonoids and carotenoids, which protect the skin from oxidative stress and environmental damage. These antioxidants help neutralize free radicals caused by sun exposure, pollution, and daily stressors—things that contribute to premature aging, fine lines, and uneven skin tone.

Over time, using calendula as part of your skincare routine may help brighten your complexion and maintain that fresh-faced, youthful glow.

7. Helps Calm Skin Conditions like Eczema and Psoriasis

Calendula’s powerful anti-inflammatory and healing properties make it useful in treating chronic skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. While it’s not a cure, it can help reduce flare-ups, soothe itching, and support the skin’s repair process.

When used in a gentle cleanser, calendula can help prepare the skin to better absorb moisturizers, balms, or treatments applied afterward.

8. Balances Oily or Combination Skin

Although calendula is gentle and hydrating, it also helps regulate oil production without clogging pores. For those with oily or combination skin, it offers a balanced approach to cleansing—removing excess oil while leaving your skin soft and nourished.

Calendula also pairs well with other balancing herbs like lavender, yarrow, or rose for a customized skincare blend.

Supplies and Ingredients to Make Honey Calendula Face Cleanser

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this honey calendula face cleanser:

Dried Calendula flowers – from your own garden or buy some like these.

Carrier oil (jojoba, argan, etc) – I used Jojoba since it is closest to our skin’s natural oil

Honey – raw unfiltered to get all of the benefits. Farmers Market honey is best, but this one will work if you cannot get to your farmers market.

Castille Soap – unscented. This is the one I use

Essential Oil – this is optional. You could leave it out but I highly recommend including one that’s good for your skin type. Frankincense, Lavender, Tea Tree, Helichrysum are all great choices to level up your face wash.

Step by Step Directions for how to make honey calendula face cleanser

First, make the Calendula infused oil

The first step is to make an infused oil with the Calendula. You’ll need 1 cups worth (8 oz).

To do this, add dried calendula flowers into a jar. Cover the flowers with carrier oil. Let sit for about 6 weeks, shaking frequently. Then strain.

Once your infused Calendula oil is ready, you can make your face wash.

Next, make the face wash

You’ll need the infused Calendula oil you made in the previous step, raw, unfiltered honey, unscented Castile soap. and essential oil.

If you are using essential oil, add it now to the Calendula infused oil. Use about 10 – 15 drops. Use more or less depending on your needs, your skin type, and your preference for how strong you like it.

Next, combine the honey, infused Calendula oil, and castile soap together. Stir for a bit, then cover jar and shake until all the honey is mixed thoroughly.

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