I once asked my high school drama teacher if I could buy some of the ultra-thick stage makeup from her… she looked at me a little strange, since I wasn’t even on the cast of the current musical and was working backstage/tech.
She asked why and I confessed that it was the only makeup I’d ever found that completely covered my acne. At that age, my skin was terrible. I wish I could go back and tell my high school self that it had more to do with my school-lunch diet of hamburgers/pizza and hormones than it did with the many products I tried topically.
Out of pity, she gave me some stage makeup and I used it for the next few years to cover my acne.
A Natural Concealer?
These days, my skin is much healthier and blemishes are a rare occasion, but I still think back about how embarrassed and frustrated I was with my skin. Super-thick and oily stage makeup probably made the problem worse, but I was desperate for a solution.
I don’t wear makeup as often now, but wanted a natural concealer/highlighter that I could use for formal occasions or to hide under eye bags when little ones keep me from getting much sleep.
This concealer/highlighter is very similar to my homemade liquid foundation recipe, but has more zinc and minerals for additional coverage and less color so that it lightens and blends into skin (and how I wish I’d had this all those years ago!)
To make a homemade base lotion for the concealer, you’ll need these ingredients:
And these additional ingredients for color and coverage:
- kaolin clay, Earth Clay or Bentonite Clay
- zinc oxide powder (non nano and uncoated)
- organic cocoa powder
If you don’t want to make the base lotion and prefer a pre-made option, I recommend using a completely natural and non-comedogenic lotion as the base and adding the colors and minerals in to get the desired shade. These are the two lotions I’ve tried that worked well on my skin:
Natural Concealer Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons of argan oil or jajoba oil
- 1 teaspoon of shea butter
- 1/2 tsp emulsifying wax
- 1 tablespoon aloe gel
- 1 teaspoon witch hazel
- OR 3 tablespoons of natural pre-made lotion (in place of first 5 ingredients)
- 2 Tablespoons non-nano zinc oxide
- 1/4-1/2 tsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp clay of choice (if using)
How to Make Natural Concealer
- If making the simple version… just mix the organic lotion and powdered ingredients to get the desired color and consistency.
- For the complete DIY:
- Melt the shea butter, argan oil and emulsifying wax in a double boiler until completely melted.
- Add the aloe and witch hazel and whisk until completely incorporated and smooth.
- Turn heat off.
- Add zinc and clays (if using)
- Add cocoa powder a tiny pinch at a time until desired color is reached.You will want this to be lighter than your skin tone so it blends and lightens. If it is too dark, it will leave dark spots on the skin.
- Dip the tip of a spoon into the mixture and let cool for a few seconds. Test the color and coverage on your forehead and inner arm to make sure you’ve achieved the right tone for your skin and the amount of coverage you want.
- Spoon the mixture into the desired container and let cool.
Important Notes:
Adding more zinc oxide powder will offer more coverage and adding less will create a thinner coverage that is better for highlighting. Experiment by adding small amounts at first to find your desired coverage. I recommend finding the desired coverage first by adding zinc/clays and then adding cocoa to get the desired shade for skin. For really dark skin tones, not as much zinc will be needed and more cocoa can be added. A mineral powder in the color of your skin tone can also help match the color more easily.
Highlighting and Contouring
This concealer also works really well as a highlighting cream for highlighting and contouring. This is a method of applying makeup in a way that accentuates and brightens the face to accentuate the eyes and other features.
There are highlighting and contouring sets available on the market now, but I prefer to use this concealer for highlighting and my natural bronzer for contouring. I use a natural brush to apply the makeup and to blend.
This is the typical highlighting and contouring pattern that is used for accentuating the face. The lighter hues on the left side are where highlighting would be used and the darker ones on the left are where contouring would be used.
Want a powdered version? Check out my original homemade makeup tutorial.
Do you make your own makeup? What versions have you tried? Tell me about it below!
I too, am so happy I found your blog! It’s helping me make needed health changes and I love having a resource and place to learn about so many different topics. Makeup/cosmetics are a hot topic with me since I’ve developed some chemical sensitivities but love to dress up, wear make-up and feel glamorous!
Regarding the comment about finding a substitute for the emulsifier, do you or anyone have suggestion? Thank you!
Where did you buy the container shown in the picture?
Ive seen those squeeze tub containers at TJ MaXX, Marshalls, HomeGoods etc. They are travel squeeze tubes
I bought these on Amazon thanks to Katie’s recommendation, and they’ve been so useful! They’re easy to clean so can be used again and again. This size would be good for makeup, I use the 2 oz. size for toothpaste. https://www.amazon.com/humangear-GoToob-1-25-Assorted-Colors/dp/B0076DNUEW/
Wow I love this! I enjoy making my own beauty products. Not only is it incredibly fun, it’s also great for your skin. I will definitely try this out. Thanks for sharing darling.
XOXO
Alethea
I love your blog <3 Thanks for this amazing recipe of making natural concealer 🙂
I encourage you and your readers to find a substitute for emulsifying wax. Just because it is derived from vegetables does not make it safe after it goes through the many chemical processes required for the final product. That is like saying french fries are health foods because they were derived from a vegetable. They’re still synthetic chemicals, are not available in a certified organic form, and many of them are commonly contaminated with 1,4 dioxane.
Just something to consider.
Could I add tea tree oil to this recipe? I have acne and thought it might help.
You could certainly try it…
Do you have any followers that have darker skin colors. I would love to try your recipes I would love to hear feedback
I use a green powder from a natural skin care company that balances the red but I mainly use for the oil absorbing. It’s not cheap and I am getting ready to be a stay at home mom and would like a cheaper option but I don’t want to sacrifice the ingredients. Any ideas of what to put together to create this? It is pressed but that isn’t a requirement for me. Thanks!
You might try a base of bentonite clay or arrowroot powder and mixing in spirillina. Many say if you put it in your body you can put it on your body and I have found this to be true for many things. Just a thought. 🙂
Hi Katie, can I just say something? All I can think about when I see a new blog from you, is how much I wish you were my mom. Lol
Seriously … my mom is so unsupportive of me. I suffer from severe systemic candida, and I just think if my mom was as open and natural as you then I wouldn’t be in this situation. Or atleast I would have more help and somebody that is willing to understand that what we put in our body matters. I love your blog posts.
Jenna – I just had to reach out to send you a virtual hug. My mum and I don’t get on (loooong story) so I feel for you. I too love Katie’s posts – there’s always something interesting to read (readers comments included) and I am so grateful / thankful to her for sharing her knowledge and experiences, warts and all! Wishing you all the very best x
*Hugs* Thank you for your comment! I got teary… Lol I’m weird. yeah my mom is currently in New York with my brother and sister … didn’t even tell me she was going. I just learn what I can, and this site has been so wonderful in helping me out. The comments are like a small support team. I’m so thankful for this site, I just wish I would have found it when I got pregnant at 18 . I guess it’s never to late to change your life. I trust God has a plan for me . 🙂
Hi lovely,
I just wanted to make sure you came back to this post to read the wonderful comments that were replied to yours below. The wonderful ladies didn’t reply to your post and posted a new one instead, so I just wanted to be sure you read them. x
So sorry for late reply Jenna, been so busy at work that haven’t had time to respond!
Anyway, let me start off by saying that you’re not weird. You’re just responding to peoples kindness, and what a lot of kindness there is out there from all over the place, it’s bound to feel emotional 🙂
I too wish I’d found this site a lot earlier but do you know what? At least you’ve found it now and can start working through those recipes which are going to help you and that feels great, right? You’re taking control 🙂
I wish you every success and a happy and content life. You deserve nothing less! x
Jenna (and others who have unsupportive moms):
How sad that you and your mom don’t see eye to eye on things. I can sympathize, and I won’t elaborate except to say that I was sort of the black sheep of the family. But over the years we were able to find common ground and since I only lived a couple of blocks away, we saw each other frequently.
My mom died a couple of years ago and my siblings and I spent a lot of time with her in her final months and days. One thing that I will always remember is her saying (as I was dosing out her meds and doing other things for her), “I used to be the mama”. It was hard for her to relinquish her matriarch position and let others do for her when she was always the doer. The day before she died, she looked directly at me and said, “Are you my nurse?”
Be sure to pray for your mom, Jenna. She may not be the ideal mother, and she probably knows it. Her own parents might have been cold and unresponsive to HER needs as a child. She was only able to give what she was given herself. In my mom’s case, who was raised during the Great Depression, they weren’t coddled because survival was the name of the game and everyone had jobs to do. Not much of a childhood for her and her many siblings. She and my dad did provide very well for us, not as rich people, but with all our physical needs met.
I do know that my mom believed in Jesus and we witnessed her praying while she was nearly comatose in the hospital. That was the biggest comfort for me, because we didn’t have many deep Bible discussions. I still miss her terribly and I believe that you will have the opportunity to reunite with your mom if you try to understand from her perspective.
God bless you.
Thanks for sharing your story Bethgma.
I have tried to reconcile with my mum but it’s very difficult. I’ve tried to understand what has made her the way she is (very bitter) but have no idea what it is. She’s feigned ignorance when I’ve asked in the past.
Her mental and physical abuse has caused me (and my husband) years of suffering and trips to various therapists – thankfully the last therapist I met approx 8 years ago saved my life (I don’t say that lightly) and turned it around. My mum and I are now civil with each other. It’s a sad state of affairs but it’s the best we can do.
Jenna, I had a health nut mother growing up 4 decades ago, but even so, she was not particularly helpful when it came to my health issues. I had rosacea AND acne at age 14 that only got worse into adulthood. It wasnt until I was 18 and had saved a few hundred dollars to pay for my own doctor appointment that my mom drove me to a dermatologist! I finally got a prescription for Tetracycline which helped a bit at the time..What I didnt understand later though was how antibiotics set your body up for yeast overgrowth/ Candida. I took it for more than 25 years! Finally I read enough about the vicious cycle ( Candida aggravates or even causes gut and skin problems! ) that I stopped cold turkey at age 43. But knowing that the dying Candida is a toxin inside the body, I learned that it had be cleansed and flushed out vigorously. A person at my health food store turned me on to NOW brand Candida Clear capsules= which had herbs like Cat’s Claw, Black Walnut, Wormwood, and Caprylic Acid, but that I had to drink lots of lots of water to flush it all out. I incidentally lost maybe 10 or more pounds in the process. Nowadays coconut oil is a benefit as well. Don’t hesitate to get your hormones tested. They can be out of balance regardless of age. If so, look for natural ways to balance them, not with synthetic drugs. Just know that when moms leave their kids, its not about the kid, its usually about the moms inability to deal with the stresses of parenting or adulthood. Just because folks grow older, the maturity doesn’t naturally sprout up. It has to be learned. Some people don’t learn all that they should to deal with life. Life is overwhelming for everyone. How they deal with it is the difference. Best wishes to you. And Single parenting isn’t the end of the world. I did that too. Today I have a brilliant son studying rocket science at a prestigious university on scholarships and I am happily remarried .Stay Healthy. Everything else will fall into place
Wow. Ladies. Thank you…Susan, Maria, Jane, Bethgma, for all of the wonderful and thoughtful replies. 🙂 I get so emotional reading these lol But I find comfort knowing others have been through it too, and have ended up just fine. Your stories inspirational.
Maria- Thank you for reaching out xx or I wouldn’t have came back to see the rest of these…
Susan- You are so right about antibiotics setting us up for Candida. I didn’t know it at the time but the doctors have been content feeding me antibiotics for literally no reason. Infact had I not taken matters into my own hands I would still be on rounds of antibiotics instead of antifungals. I take many natural antifungals but I have yet to find anything tht works, I become resistant quick. I have an apt with a specialist coming up but I’m afraid he won’t know anything abut candida just like the rest. They look at me like I’m crazy. I was recently put in the ER, unable to breathe, the candida is in my lungs. I only get results with antifungals, and more recently I read “Candida Secrets” by Cynthia and it opened my eyes I must be on a strict diet only meat and veggies pretty much and my lungs and my symptoms clear. If you have a special kind of doctor your reccomend I see that’d be great. I heard of like functional medicine or something, but do these accept insurance?
Bethgma- Thank you for sharing your story. xx It made me pretty emotional … ( in a good way ). I am glad you got some closure with your mom.
I pray for my mom every night. I realize now that praying for her is the best thing I can do… because it releases me from anger. The other day I cried and prayed for her to realize some things, and it was weird how suddenly it seemed as if her eyes were open she started treating me differently for a second. ( Better for her at least bc she is always crazy )
And Thank you Jane xx 🙂 I am finally at peace with myself, that I am able to take control a little bit. I am realizing the beauty of going all natural. I love learning new things every day… I of coarse want to help and change those around me too, but I’m not sure if that will happen. I will take things slow, and start with my son. I used to think of people who wanted things all organic, and worried about what they put into their bodies, a little nutty. But now I realize that I was the crazy one. It is not right for our society to believe what they do is normal… I hope it changes soon.
xoxo
Hi all, I loved reading these comments that were so so supportive of each other. It was very heartwarming and beautiful. I wanted to add my two pennies to the discussion and praise the effects of prayer. GOD is great and wonderful!!
Role models are EVERYWHERE we turn and believe it or not, the worst people we come in contact with can be the best teachers!! Crazy? No, because they teach us how NOT to be. The wonderful thing about GOD is he knows what we need even and especially when we do not. GOD puts people in our lives to be the family we need and replace blood relatives with a better non-blood relative option. The best family is the one that WANTS to be family, not the one that HAS to be family; the especially blessed have the blood family that wants to be family. That seems rather rare in my experience.
Forgiveness is divine. You don’t have permission to offer forgiveness to someone on behalf of another—I can’t forgive someone that hurts my child; that is not my gift to give, it is my child’s gift to give or not. If someone has hurt you beyond your capability to forgive them, then that is the time to ask for GOD’S intervention to forgive for you. The power of intercession is Jesus’, but as believers, we all have the power of Jesus if we BELIEVE we do, but that is the hardest part for believers I think. Living into faith and exercising the power of Jesus in our daily lives. Remember, just because you forgive a wrong does not mean that you forget the pain or mean you continue to put yourself in the path of continued hurt.
Family can be toxic. Think of it as a malignant lump—you don’t keep it a part of your body just because it is growing in you, you get rid of it. At the same time, many don’t understand the pain they cause. Anger is an emotion that really is ok to feel, but it should not rule your life. Forgiveness is more for you than the one forgiven. When you withhold forgiveness, many are crippled by bitterness. By the way, bitterness, anger, spite, jealousy, deceit, etc. are all names of satan’s demons that we have the power to cast out—in the name of Jesus that is.
Also one other thing I felt moved to share was something that I have experienced time and again over the last several years, well two things: 1) The only person that HATES a strong woman more than a weak man, is a weak woman!! They are jealous of your strength and courage. 2) Things you are experiencing that are difficult and near impossible to deal with stem from two things; a) you are walking the walk and talking the talk that is putting you on the path drawing you closer to GOD and that means satan is losing. Therefore satan is putting more obstacles in your path hoping you will falter—don’t let him win; b) what you are experiencing is not necessarily to teach YOU something, rather those around you are learning grace from how you handle it—remember GOD never gives you more than you can handle—or so that when someone close to you suffers similar you can share your coping skills.
At the end of the day, we as parents don’t get an instruction manual with the birth of our children and chances are great that you too will make mistakes that are just as detrimental to your children one way or another down the road. Roads paved with good intentions often lead to hell, or at least that has been the saying….
Sorry to Ms. Kate for the drastic detour off topic—who knew that acne and make up was so polarizing?
Can I use beeswax instead of emulsifying wax (or are they the same? I don’t know what emulsifying wax is). Also, do I need to wait for it to cool before adding the zinc and cocoa powder? Thanks so much!
Emulsifying wax is not the same as beeswax. It works to emulsify water and oil and is necessary to this recipe. And yes, you should not heat the zinc in particular.
Katie, I am looking for a liquid foundation for oily skin. Would this recipe work or do you have another? My niece doesn’t like to use any lotion on her face. Thank you. Keep up the good work. 🙂
I have this one, but it may be too oily for her skin. I’d stick with homemade powdered foundation if it works for her
https://wellnessmama.com/27328/liquid-foundation-recipe/
Can you use a microwave instead of a double boiler?
I would recommend against it… You cannot control the temperature as well in the microwave.
May I use tallow in place of the emulsifier wax?