I sent some Norwex products to a friend and she sent back her thoughts on one of her favorites:
When Suzanne sent me some Norwex samples to try, I was most excited to try the Makeup Removal cloths. She claimed that these cloths would remove makeup with just water, which might have been the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard. As someone who has spent a small fortune trying to find a face wash that removes dirt and makeup without a bunch of harsh chemicals that dry out my skin or leave an oil slick, I couldn’t imagine a cloth actually doing the work itself.
Since my face has cleared up quite a bit and I no longer have to dedicate my skincare routine to fighting acne, my makeup removal routine pre-microfiber was Dr. Bronner’s castile soap. It’s vegetable-based and one of the purest soaps available with no chemicals, and can be used to do anything; body wash, shampoo, laundry, dishes, you name it. As a face wash, however, Dr. Bronner’s is a little harsh.
My eye makeup remover has always been grapeseed oil. If you wear waterproof mascara, you know it requires little short of chemical warfare to remove. The best thing you can use to remove eye makeup is grapeseed oil, or olive or coconut oil if you prefer. Store brand eye makeup remover is basically a glorified cooking oil with a few chemicals added in for color or scent, so it’s a total scam. Don’t waste your money. I say the same for wrinkle creams because grapeseed oil is such a great skin tightener, but I know everyone’s skin is different and you may prefer something else.
Anyway. When I finally gave the Norwex makeup removal cloth a try, I was skeptical. I knew they probably wouldn’t remove waterproof mascara – and they didn’t – but after wiping down my whole face with the cloth, I put some astringent on a cotton ball and swiped it over my face to see how much makeup and dirt was left. THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT. The cloth did the job and removed all the foundation, blush, and dirt. Amazing.
It’s been several months and I still use the Norwex makeup removal cloths every day, and have stopped using Dr. Bronner’s soap on my face. I still use grapeseed oil to moisturize and remove my eye makeup, but I do that after wiping my face with the cloth because I don’t want the fibers to get clogged with oil (use a cotton ball to remove it instead). My skin has never looked or felt better. It never gets too dry or too oily, and I am actually wearing a lot less foundation and concealer than before because my skin doesn’t even need it. And trust me, it’s been years since I’ve done that. I love makeup.
A few of my friends have noticed a change in my skin and have asked what I’ve been doing differently. I direct them right to the Norwex Makeup Removal cloths because in my opinion, there is nothing else you need. As someone who has tried every brand from Neutrogena to Clearasil to Proactiv, I’d say I know a thing or two about what works and what doesn’t. It’s microfiber all the way for me.
When do I need to replace my Norwex makeup remover cloths? Is there a suggested number of uses? Thanks
They have a two year warranty. I find that most people replace them after 2 – 3 years.
Hi, can we use makeup removal too with the cloth? Im not comfortable to use only with water coz my skin easily get breakout
It’s not recommended, but I do have clients that like to use cleanser with their makeup removal or body cloths, more the body pack.
Hi. I’ve been using these clothes and it seems almost every time I wake up in the morning after ive used it my eyes are super red! Not sure why? I only use them once and then wash.
Hi Holly. Try using more water with them. The makeup removal clothes can be drying if they’re not basically dripping wet when used.
I just ordered the makeup removal set because I have had friends who have loved it so much! But i do wonder how often I should be cleaning it? If i wear powder foundation and powder blush, do I need to clean the cloth with soap after every use? And if so, what kind of soap should I be using?
Hi Hannah, you can rinse well with hot water and use approx 3 nights before laundering. If you want to go longer in between laundering, keep a little bit of dish soap in the bathroom (a green brand!). After using, add a small drop of the dish soap to the cloth, rub it in, then rinse well and hang to dry!
I love my make up cloths!
The only issue I find is that my mascara does not fully come off, even after I launder with Norwex laundry detergent and only washing with other Norwex rags. There are still some black areas where my mascara was. The only way I can get this off is sprinkling a little norwex detergent on the cloth and then scrubbing together in the sink. Sometimes, this is a hassle to do every few days… and also probably a waste of the laundry detergent as it is so concentrated. Any other tricks??
This is one of the main complaints about this cloth, Chantell. It unfortunately shows makeup stains! I personally love using the Norwex Body Cloths to remove make-up from my face (and they DON’T stain!). Some people will keep a container of dish soap in the bathroom, and clean the cloth out with just a small drop of soap, after each use. That’s still a bit of a hassle, I know! Sadly, staining is simply a regular occurrence for this product. You can do a deep clean every once in a while, instead of scrubbing, to help lift the stains. https://healthyhomecleaning.com/stinky-norwex-cloths/
I am 51 and have very oily skin. I have used stridex for years and years as a face wash and to remove my makeup and o from my face. I recently started using the Norwex body cloth in place of the stridex and it works really well? Except…my face seems EXTRA oily only a short time after washing my face with the cloth. I want to keep using the cloths as it’ll save me a lot of money and is better for my skin. But I can’t handle the extra oilyness. Anyone else have this problem? Will I have to go back to using my Stridex?
Hi Karen. If you try wringing out the body pack more, it will exfoliate and remove more oil. I think that will help. If you’re already doing that, it’s possible you are drawing too much oil out and your face is reacting, so try using the cloth more wet. I hope that helps!
Hi Deja
When you used the cloth first time, did your skin purged for couple of days then went back to normal?
Hi. Yes; many people find that their skin breaks out a bit while the cloth draws the oil to the surface, and then it clears up. Thanks for stopping by!
Is it ok to reuse it after just rinsing if the makeup is still on it.
Hi Karen, I think it’s ok to reuse even if the makeup is still on it, especially if it’s just a bit of mascara… I do it all the time! If it’s foundation though, I think I would give your cloth a bit more of a hand-wash with soap to clean it out.
I just got mine and love them so far, I also use the body pack on my face every few days for some extra exfoliation, my question is do you use a new one everyday? I can’t seem to easily get the makeup off mine, I’ve tried rubbing it together under water but it doesn’t seem to work, how do you clean it before uses?
Becky, I don’t use a new one every day, and on the days that I’ve worn makeup, I usually hand wash my Norwex face cloth with a bit of hand soap and then rinse it REALLY well. I don’t find just the water & rubbing washes out the foundation or mascara very well.
Every morning I would wake up with white-heads in the creases of my nose and nothing I tried stopped them popping up every morning. They weren’t a whole pimple, just the heads, and they were easily removed but left my nose red for the morning.
I received my Norwex order one day, washed my face with just the wet make-up remover cloth that night before bed (even though I wasn’t wearing make-up) and woke up the next morning spot-free. How simple! I guess it removes the oils and dirt without irritating my skin to produce lots of oil overnight. I’ve also noticed my face doesn’t feel tight and dry after washing, that feeling that only a handful of moisturising cream will fix. I only apply a touch of cream now, more from habit than anything else.
Gill, I LOVE hearing stories like yours!!! Thanks so much for sharing your experience with the Norwex Makeup Removal Cloths!
How often do the makeup cloth need to be washed. How do you take care of it after removing makeup daily? I just used mine for the first time and didn’t know if I should wash it after using it or if the soap would be bad for it. I couldn’t just rinse it clean.
It really depends on what kind of makeup your washing off; just a bit of mascara?… I wouldn’t worry about it too much. If you are seeing blush and foundation products though, you will need to use soap and a scrub to clean them before hanging dry, or, you can throw your cloth in the washing machine. If you choose to handwash with a bit of soap, just make sure to REALLY rinse the soap out – this will prevent stinky cloth issues!
What kind of soap should you use? I use sensitive skin detergent in the laundry, would that work?
Hi Corrie, Norwex officially recommends using the Ultra Power Plus detergent to launder their microfiber cloths. However, many users find they have no negative side effects to the product using other brands of laundry soap. Your detergent should be find on your Make Up Remover cloths (especially if it’s for sensitive skin). I would recommend you give the Ultra Power Plus a try though, for yourself, since you have sensitive skin. Many people with sensitive skin find it does not bother them (fragrance free, among other ingredients, that help that!). It’s super cost efficient too. Check out the review on it for more info! https://healthyhomecleaning.com/norwex-laundry-detergent/