Face scrubbies are the fastest useful thing in crochet. One takes about ten minutes, uses under eight metres of yarn, and replaces a disposable cotton pad you’d otherwise throw away twice a day.
If you want to learn how to crochet face scrubbies, the pattern below is three rounds long. The interesting part isn’t the crochet — it’s the yarn, because a face scrubbie touches skin and goes in the washing machine constantly, which rules out almost everything except cotton and bamboo.
A set of ten takes under two hours and lasts a year.
From the shop · New pattern
A sweet cat-ear coaster in just 5 rounds. Beginner friendly, printable 7-page PDF for $4.99.
See the pattern →What you need to know first
- Single crochet
- The magic ring
- Joining rounds with a slip stitch
That’s all three rounds. If you’ve made a crochet coaster, this is the same shape, smaller and softer.
What you need
100% cotton or bamboo yarn, DK (3) or worsted (4) weight. Not a preference, a requirement:
- Cotton absorbs water and cleanser, survives a hot wash, and gets softer with use. The obvious choice.
- Bamboo is softer still and naturally smooth — lovely for sensitive skin, slightly more expensive, slightly harder to work with because it’s slippery.
- Not acrylic. It repels water rather than absorbing it, so it smears cleanser around rather than lifting it, and it can feel rough on skin.
Check the label says 100% — a cotton-acrylic blend behaves like its acrylic half. The Craft Yarn Council’s yarn weight system explains the weight numbers if you’re substituting.
A 3.5mm hook for DK, 4.0mm for worsted — a size smaller than the label suggests, so the fabric is dense enough to scrub gently.
A tapestry needle and scissors.
About 8 metres per scrubbie. A 50 g ball makes roughly a dozen.
From the shop · New pattern
A sweet cat-ear coaster in just 5 rounds. Beginner friendly, printable 7-page PDF for $4.99.
See the pattern →Cathrinee’s Supply Kit
Everything you need for this project
Terms
US crochet terms.
- MR = magic ring · ch = chain · sc = single crochet (UK double crochet) · inc = 2 sc into the same stitch · sl st = slip stitch
The pattern
Finished scrubbie about 8 cm across — roughly the size of a shop-bought cotton pad.
Worked in joined rounds so the edge stays neat.
R1: Make a magic ring. Ch 1, then 8 sc into the ring. Join with a sl st to the first sc. Pull the ring closed firmly. (8)
R2: Ch 1, inc in each st around. Join. (16)
R3: Ch 1, (sc, inc) x8. Join. (24)
Fasten off, leaving a 10 cm tail. Weave it into the back of the stitches in one direction, then turn and come back the other way.
That’s the whole pattern.
For a larger scrubbie (about 10 cm, good for removing makeup in one pass), add a fourth round: (2 sc, inc) x8 — (32).
Why the counts go up by 8 each round: that’s the flat circle rule for single crochet — each round adds as many stitches as the first round contains. Eight in round one means eight added every round. Start with 6 instead and you’d add 6 each time; the scrubbie would just be slightly smaller.
The textured version — better for exfoliating
A flat single crochet scrubbie is soft and good for applying cleanser or removing makeup. A textured one gently exfoliates, and it’s barely more work.
Work rounds 1 to 3 as above, then add:
R4: Ch 1, (sc, ch 1, skip 1 st) around. Join. Fasten off.
That row of small chain bumps gives just enough texture. Don’t go further than this — crochet is grippier than it looks, and anything more aggressive is too much for a face.
Make some of each. Plain for cleanser, textured for exfoliating, and it’s obvious at a glance which is which if you use two different colours.
Making a set
One scrubbie is not useful. A set is.
Make ten to twelve. Two a day, washed weekly, means you want enough to get through a week without running out.
A small bag to hold the dirty ones makes the system work — a drawstring bag that goes straight into the washing machine with the scrubbies inside. A small crochet tote worked at 15 rounds does the job.
As a gift: ten scrubbies, a small mesh bag and a care card is a genuinely good present that costs about two pounds of yarn. It’s the sort of thing people are pleased to receive and would never buy themselves.
Washing them
Machine wash hot, 60°C, with towels. Cotton handles it, and hot is what actually sanitises something that’s been on your face.
No fabric softener. It coats the fibres and kills the absorbency — the same reason it’s wrong for crochet dishcloths.
Tumble dry or air dry, either is fine.
Put them in a mesh laundry bag so they don’t disappear into sleeves and duvet covers. Small flat items vanish in a washing machine.
Replace them when they go thin or stop feeling soft — usually about a year of daily use.
Troubleshooting your crochet face scrubbies
There’s a hole in the middle. The magic ring wasn’t pulled fully closed. Pull harder, or close it from the back with the tail.
The scrubbie is ruffling at the edge. Too many stitches — count round 3, it should be exactly 24.
It’s cupping into a bowl. Too few stitches, or tension too tight. Count first; if the count is right, go up a hook size.
It feels rough on my skin. The yarn isn’t cotton, or it’s a coarse cotton. Mercerised cotton and bamboo are both smoother.
It doesn’t hold cleanser. The yarn isn’t fully cotton. Check the label.
The edges curl after washing. Normal for the first wash or two. It settles.
They come out different sizes. Count every round. On a piece this small, one extra stitch is visible.
Variations
- Two-colour: work rounds 1–2 in one colour and round 3 in another for a simple rim.
- Square scrubbies: a 20-stitch square of single crochet, 20 rows. Faster to make in batches and they stack neatly.
- Baby washcloths: make the larger 32-stitch version in bamboo — soft enough for newborn skin.
- Reusable wipes: worsted cotton, 12 cm square, in a stack of twenty.
- Scrubbie plus soap set: ten scrubbies wrapped around a bar of handmade soap.
Why these are worth making before anything bigger
If you’re new and looking for a project that isn’t practice, this is the one to start with.
It teaches the flat circle — the foundation of hats, bags, baskets and half of amigurumi — in ten minutes rather than an hour. You get to repeat it a dozen times, which is how tension actually improves. And at the end you have something you use every day, which is a much better motivator than a swatch in a drawer.
Frequently asked questions
How do you crochet face scrubbies?
Work 8 single crochets into a magic ring, double to 16 in the next round, then increase to 24 in the third. Three rounds and it’s finished, about 8 cm across.
What yarn is best for face scrubbies?
100% cotton or bamboo. Both absorb water and survive a hot wash. Acrylic repels water and can feel rough on skin.
How many face scrubbies should I make?
Ten to twelve. Using two a day and washing weekly, that’s enough to get through a week without running out.
How do you wash crochet face scrubbies?
Machine wash hot at 60°C with towels, in a mesh laundry bag so they don’t get lost. No fabric softener — it ruins the absorbency.
How long does a crochet face scrubbie take?
About ten minutes each, and under two hours for a set of ten.
How much yarn does a face scrubbie use?
About 8 metres. A 50 g ball of cotton makes roughly a dozen.
How long do crochet face scrubbies last?
About a year with daily use. Replace them when the fabric thins or stops feeling soft.
