Homemade Natural Makeup Recipes

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I get a lot of questions about natural makeup options, and this was definitely one of the tougher things for me to find natural alternatives for. In college, I practically collected makeup, and had endless tubes, compacts, and brushes that never even got half used.

Natural Makeup

While there are some good natural alternatives that you can buy (see list below), the cheapest, easiest and most natural way is to just make your own, and you might have all of the ingredients in your kitchen already!

Natural Skin Care

What you do to your skin before you use makeup is just as important as the makeup you use and there are some great natural options for skin care.

I absolutely love the oil cleansing method, which leaves skin very soft and smooth by using natural oils to balance the skin. I typically use the oil cleansing method at night and wash my face with raw honey if needed in the morning. You can also use a natural sugar scrub (equal parts sugar and natural oil) or natural microdermabrasion (baking soda) to make skin look younger.

With proper skin care, the skin will be naturally healthy and you won’t even need to wear makeup most of the time. Most days, I skip the makeup altogether, but  when I do wear it, these are the recipes I use:

Natural Foundation

Homemade Option: At the recommendation of a friend who had used cocoa powder for natural bronzer, I started experimenting with natural foundation options, and came up with a recipe similar to a mineral make-up.

I start with a base of arrowroot powder and zinc oxide (can also use cornstarch, but arrowroot works better) and then slowly add in cocoa powder and finely ground cinnamon powder until you get a shade close to your skin tone. You can then store in a jar or old powder container and use a brush to apply. It took me a few tries of mixing to get the color correct for my skin tone, but most days, a quick brush of this is all I need. I later discovered that adding gold mica powder gave it an even smoother texture and made skin radiant.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons zinc oxide (Can use arrowroot powder instead if desired, but it will not offer quite as much coverage)
  • 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon gold mica dust
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp of desired natural clay powder (optional) I used a pinch of White cosmetic clay, Fuller’s Earth Clay and french green clay
  • up to 1 teaspoon finely ground cocoa powder to get desired color
  • Optional: 1 teaspoon of translucent mica powder can help for really oily skin

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients to get desired color and coverage.
  2. Zinc oxide will give coverage and matte finish.
  3. Colored mica powders, natural clays and cocoa powder will give color. Start slowly and add as needed, testing on inner-arm as you go to find your shade.
  4. Store in a small glass jar with a lid.

Note: If you prefer, just arrowroot powder (or white cosmetic clay), cocoa powder, and (optional) cinnamon powder can be used. This will create a great and completely natural/edible foundation but it will not stay as long as a powder containing zinc oxide and mica. I personally feel safe using zinc oxide on my skin (non nano and uncoated) but if you don’t, just stick to the arrowroot version.

There is a lot of variation in this recipe… creating homemade makeup is more of an art than a science and your exact color and base combinations will depend on the amount of coverage and color you want. Zinc oxide as a base will create a makeup very similar to store bought mineral makeups and adding mica powder will give skin a natural “glow.”

If you don’t have or aren’t comfortable with those ingredients, a simple mix of arrowroot and a small amount of cocoa powder and cinnamon will work really well but won’t offer as much coverage.

If you prefer a liquid foundation, check out this tutorial.

Pre-made Options: If making makeup isn’t your thing but you still want some natural options, there are a few good choices. No commercial choice is as natural as the homemade options, but they are a tremendous improvement over any conventional options! Jane Iredale is the best brand I’ve found and they offer some great options for mineral powder, liquid foundation, pressed powder and more.

Natural Bronzer/Blush

Simplest Homemade Option: Similar to above, natural bronzer and blush can be easily made with a base of arrowroot and by adding more cocoa powder and cinnamon to get a darker shade. I’ve also tried powdering dried beet root (in the dehydrator) or dried hibiscus flowers to add a pink tone which works well as long as you can very finely powder them. Store in a shaker make-up container or an old compact.

Boutique Homemade Option: For a slightly more customizable and longer lasting homemade option, use zinc oxide powder (non nano and uncoated) as a base and add cocoa powder and a red or pink hued mica powder to get the desired color.

Commercial Options: For natural blush, I love Aubrey Organic Silken Blush or Jane Iredale blushes.

Natural Eye Liner and Shadow

Homemade Options:Always be careful when using any products, even natural ones, near the eyes. I mix up several colors of eye shadow using cocoa powder (brown shades) Spirulina (green shades) and arrowroot (light shades). My favorite is just cocoa powder with a tiny bit of arrowroot mixed in for smoothness.

For eye-liner, I either use a tiny bit of cocoa powder mixed with coconut oil, or a tiny dab or activated charcoal and whipped shea butter. Be careful not to get either one in the eye. I store the eye shadow in an old powdered eye shadow container and apply with my finger or a very slightly damp brush.

To make a smoother eyeliner, I mix equal parts of coconut oil and shea butter (about 1/2 ounce of each) and add about 1/2 tsp of activated charcoal to make a black eyeliner that is thicker. You can also do this with cocoa powder for a brown hue.

Commercial Options: Jane Iredale offers a few options for natural eye-liner.

Natural Mascara

Homemade Option: I don’t wear mascara most days, but when I want a natural option, it is an easy one to make. In a small bowl, I just mix a few drops of Aloe Vera Gel from Mountain Rose Herbs, a couple drops of Vitamin E oil, and a pinch of activated charcoal (not very precise… I know). I mix it up as I use it, though you could also make and store in an old mascara container or in a small jar and just clean the mascara wand between uses. I brush it on with a clean mascara brush, or even a used Bass Toothbrush from OraWellness.

Boutique homemade option: If you want to take the time to make a fancier recipe, my homemade mascara uses black mineral powder for amazing thickness and length.

Commercial Options: The two natural ones I’ve tried and love are Organic Wear and Jane Iredale.

Natural Makeup Remover

Skip the need for buying an extra product (probably full of less than ideal ingredients) and try one of these simple natural makeup removers you probably already have around the house.

Supplements for Skin Care

I’m firmly convinced that what you put into your body is just as important, if not more so, than what you put on it when it comes to skin health. I used to have terrible acne and since changing my diet (removing dairy) and supplements, I don’t break out at all and my past scars have healed. The supplements that seemed to have made the biggest difference in skin health for me are:

  • Fermented Cod Liver Oil– for the Vitamins A, D and K, Omega-3s and Antioxidants, all which are great for the skin.
  • Gelatin – Which is a pre-cursor for collagen and has made my hair, skin and nails noticeably stronger and smoother (great for cellulite too).
  • Magnesium– An anti-inflammatory and lacking in many people’s diets. Topical Magnesium Oil seems to be the most effective for skin health.

Ever made any your own makeup? What is the toughest thing to find natural versions of for you? Let me know below! 

These DIY natural makeup recipes can be made at home to avoid the chemicals in conventional beauty products.

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

410 responses to “Homemade Natural Makeup Recipes”

  1. Winter Avatar

    Lol if you put baby oil or Alo Vera Spray on before the bronzer your skin will be silky and the bronzer wont go on chunky.

  2. Yaro Severn Avatar
    Yaro Severn

    Any idea how much sun protection this provides, with the zinc oxide?

  3. Cassie Creley Avatar
    Cassie Creley

    Can you recommend a good substitute for cinnamon? I’m allergic so I wouldn’t be able to use it. I think cocoa alone wouldn’t work with my pale skin tone.
    Thank you for any tips! I’m trying to make more of my own skincare products because I’m very sensitive to chemicals due to asthma and fibromyalgia, and I’m very excited to try this!

  4. Laura Avatar

    Is the powder foundation also an option for dry shampoo? I noticed that your recipe for dry shampoo was just arrowroot powder and essential oils. Would the zinc oxide not be ideal to transfer over to the dry shampoo? Just wondering if I can use my already made powder foundation recipe for 2 uses.

  5. Amanda Olsen Avatar
    Amanda Olsen

    I made a batch of mineral makeup powder using the list of ingredients and after a couple days of using my face is very dry and skin is peeling. I have overly dry skin to begin with, which the rosehip seed oil moisturizer and oil cleansing was helping with, so I’m trying to figure out what ingredients in the powder makeup are the culprit in the over drying. Possibly the zinc oxide? Mica? Clay’s? Any help? I really dont want to give up on natural makeup.

  6. Mofokeng Avatar
    Mofokeng

    Hey

    I would like to know know how much grams of each ingredient to make 4kg of makeup face , since I am a soap maker I also want to make makeup so please I am using grams help me because I don’t know aunce measurements

  7. Sara Avatar

    What are your thoughts on iron oxide on skin? Is it safe in your opinion? I have a tinted natural moisturizer that uses iron oxide as the ‘tint’.

  8. Stella Avatar
    Stella

    Holy cow, I love your site. I’m trying to move our family in a more waste-free direction and the bathroom is one of our trouble areas. SO MUCH PLASTIC. Thank you for your recipes and ideas – I’m looking forward to trying these makeup recipes.

  9. Denise Avatar
    Denise

    Hi Katie,

    I saw a recipe somewhere “just” using red cabbage, or spinach, but that was all. Do you know if this works as well, or do you need a base to make it stay like 8 hours etc? How does that work? I took your advice on the mascara and bought Physicians Formula, because “making” mascara was a total mess for me. It was from another recipe too and didn’t dry at all:( Wish I’d found you first;) Denise

  10. Maaria Avatar
    Maaria

    Hi there,
    Thanks for all the tips. I just wanted to tell you that baking soda is an absolute no for exfoliation. It’s extremely abrasive.

  11. Felicia Avatar
    Felicia

    I have dark skin tone, how can I make a darker foundation. I made your recipe, but its a little lighter for my complexion.

  12. Crystal Avatar

    Hi, thanks so much for this makeup recipe! I’ve been making this for a while now and I absolutely love it. I have always kind of wondered about the zinc oxide powder though. I believe in the previous version of this recipe you mentioned wearing a face mask while creating the makeup, as to not inhale the zinc oxide. However, I’ve always been concerned about this issue while actually applying the makeup to the face — it seems as if the zinc oxide would inevitably get inhaled during this. I’m wondering if you have any thoughts or information regarding this and if it is safe? Any info would be much appreciated, thank you!

  13. Noola Avatar

    Hi! I’m really intrigue to read about your great homemade make-up! I was wondering what mica powder is and whether is safe to use but I guess I can trust you! I wanted to know whether you tried making blue shampoo for blondes with blue mica powder? Thank you so much!

  14. Shelly Larson Avatar
    Shelly Larson

    The link that you have posted for the translucent mica powder has been out of stock for a really long time (the foundation recipe). I think I found the same thing, and I wanted to post the link to what I found to ask you if it’s the right one, but I don’t want to accidentally violate anything to do with your affiliate links. I put in “Mica Powder” into the Amazon search and it’s the “Making Cosmetics” brand, correct? The packaging must have been updated. I do have really oily skin and this is the first time I’m going to try to make my own foundation, so anything that helps with oil control is a must for me! Thank you so much for all the time you put into these! I have been in the process of transitioning all my household cleaners and body care products to all natural with your DIY recipes and saving tons of money, but I didn’t know what I was going to do about makeup until now. 🙂

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