Can You Remove Mascara With Water? Yes! Here's How

Shonagh Scott
by Shonagh Scott
1 Material
$5
5 Minutes
Easy

Removing your makeup at the end of the day can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you are sensitive to makeup remover products.


The good news is that you can remove your mascara with just water and a cleansing cloth.


It's a great, earth positive skincare hack as you can use this same method to remove your face makeup too, then follow up with your regular cleansing routine.


Keep in mind that this hack does not apply to waterproof mascara, for which you would need an oil based remover to get the job done.

Tools and materials:

  • Makeup cleansing cloth
Wetting lashes

1. Wet your lashes

Start by wetting your fingers in warm water and gently pinching your lashes to start softening the mascara.


Then, soak your makeup cleansing cloth in warm water, squeeze out the excess and wet your lashes again.


Rub the cloth over your eyes to remove any makeup and also on your lashes. Do this while barely applying any pressure. Just let the fibers of the cloth do the work.


2. Remove your mascara with the sandwich technique

Sandwich your lashes in between the makeup cloth that’s been folded over. That way you don’t need to rub your eyes but you can gently rub both sets of lashes.


Remember, don’t tug at your lashes but wipe them. 

Sandwich technique

3. Do a second pass on the upper lashes

To prevent “panda eyes”, wrap the cloth over your finger and blink onto the edge of your wrapped finger.


Move the cloth in a zig-zag, see saw motion to ease away any leftover mascara from in between the lashes.


This will also remove eyelash glue as well, if you were wearing false eyelashes on top of mascara.

Sandwich technique

4. Do a second pass on the bottom lashes

With your eyes open, gently slide the cloth down your lower lashes on their own to remove any excess mascara.

Sandwich technique

5. Repeat the sandwich technique

Gently place your lashes inside the cloth, between your forefinger and thumb.


Then, gently zig-zag over the mascara to remove it. To see exactly how I zig-zag, watch the video at 2:22 -2:33.

Sandwich technique

The results speak for themselves!

Eyelashes after removing mascara with water

Can you remove mascara with water?

Now that you know that you can remove mascara with just water, will you be ditching the artificial makeup removers for good? Let me know in the comments below. Do you have any other hacks for removing mascara?


Who knew it was so simple to remove mascara naturally! Check my post on How to Clean False Lashes Easily & Safely So You Can Reuse Them.


How to apply magnetic lashes

Want longer eyelashes without spending a fortune? Check out this tutorial on How to Apply Magnetic Lashes!

Suggested materials:
  • Makeup cleansing cloth

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Comments
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3 of 12 comments
  • Stephanie Stephanie on Mar 11, 2023

    Sandwiching may pull off your precious lashes

    • Shonagh Scott Shonagh Scott on Mar 12, 2023

      As long as you’re super gentle and have applied water to the mascara to soften the product first it’s absolutely fine. I’ve never had problems, much better than rubbing the eyes 🤗

  • Roberta D Treichel Roberta D Treichel on Mar 18, 2024

    I have been removing all my makeup with warm water and a microfiber cloth for well over ten years. It takes seconds compared to your multi-step process. Try it. Even cheap, Dollar Store microfiber wash cloths, work great compared to standard terry cloth wash cloths. You can get nice soft cloths in the automotive section of Walmart. They only come in limited colors like yellow and blue and are made for washing the car, but they are so nice on the face.


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