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
- Mix all ingredients to get desired color and coverage.
- Zinc oxide will give coverage and matte finish.
- 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.
- 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!
Love this idea! I just wonder…does the eyeliner really stay on? If it does, I’m sold. (Then I’m heading to the kitchen.)
It stays great on me… and the thicker one stays even better.
There is a recipe for making kohl eyeliner out of almonds in the Herb Quarterly. This Youtube video pretty much sums it up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vjzcN_8FMg
Liquid eyeliner is my favorite on the rare occasion that I actually wear it, so this will definitely be something I’ll keep in mind.
Thanks for all the great tips! I’ve played around with cocoa powder as a bronzer though I’ve never thought about using it as a foundation as well! Should definitely try that. I have a
whole bunch of mineral makeup raw material at home but I often find
that iron oxides are kind of tedious to use since they require a lot of
grinding before they can be used and also it’s quite difficult to find
the perfect shade by mixing yellow, blue and red. Eyeshadow and blush,
however, are super easy to make with mineral ingredients if using micas,
since they don’t need any grinding, you just mix it up with a base (I’m
sure arrowroot would be great for this as well!)
What are micas? Where do you get them? I want to do a very pale porcelain foundation and some white eye shadow for some acting I’m doing. Any suggestions on how to get the right tints and with what?
Love this!! I had never thought to make my own (edible) makeup until recently, and this is just the push I need. Can’t wait to mix them up and give ’em a try. Thanks 🙂
This is great, thanks for sharing.
I just made some! I actually love it. My daughter and her friend tried it, too. I like that the cornstarch (fresh out of arrowroot) absorbed any shine! Thanks! I can’t wait to try the other tips.
Just saw this from a friend on fb. Love it! all great stuff, and I love how you plugged for Norwex, I am a consultant myself 🙂 Keep up the great tips! I’m excited to try the microdermabrasion!
so.. will I smell like a chocolate bar if I make this and put it on my face?
Haha.. a little bit for a few minutes. 🙂
I am desperately waiting to see if you can pursue the liquid foundation.
Anxiously waiting.
Hey Shelly, I mixed the mixture in with coconut butter and made it the same color as my regular foundation. It works wonderful! Better than commercial foundation. You do smell like chocolate for a while.
Can you tell what the dry ingredients are?
The powder foundation works great, I had to fudge the recipe a bit to get the right tone and I also followed another persons suggestion of adding turmeric. I also added cinnamon and powdered beet root. I then mixed it with melted cocoa butter, I found the perfect ratio is around 1:1 to achieve a nice thick consistency. It is lightweight and you don’t need much for coverage, the plus side is, it smells really nice and looks natural. The only slight draw back is the texture is slightly grainy but for healthy make up, I’ll take it!! Thanks for sharing your recipe! Love it!!
That sounds yummy. I mean people wear purfume with vanilla. So why not cocoa. !!!!
just add lotion {oil free}
lmao
Haven’t tried making makeup yet…am interested but more so in a liquid tinted moisturizer or light foundation. My skin is healthy and looks nice for the most part after several months of oil cleansing, but my cheeks tend toward redness, so if I’m in a situation where I want to look my best, I like to tone that down a bit. I use Ecco Bella mascara, and Almay liquid eyeliner…though I like the idea of homemade, I don’t think I want to give up the ease of applying a liquid eyeliner with the accompanying brush.
I’ve never tried it but I bet that you could use similar methods with tinted moisturizer by adding the cocoa powder and cinnamon to your favorite moisturizer.
I just mixed the dry ingredients with my coconut butter and it’s perfect!! I had to use probably around 1/2 cup of CB but it is now better than my Loriel foundation. Works perfectly!!
I tried a recipe using shea butter, coco butter, jojoba oil, and almond oil, coco powder and cinnamon and its extremely moisturizing and fair in tone. I probably could have added more coco or cinnamon but mental notes for the next batch. I really enjoy my liquid version if not just for the long lasting daily moisturizing effects.
Maybe I’ll add some tea tree too for acne control too. What do you guys think?
What is your recipe with these ingredients? Amounts of each?
How much coco powder, cornstarch and ground cinnamon in measurements did you use?
I just tossed everything together and mixed it until it became the consistency that I wanted. THen I matched it with my regular makeup.
Hi Kim I have been trying to join but it is not allowing me to. Kazz
So you just totally skipped the cocoa and wax stuff?can i get your recipe too?
Have you considered mineral make up? I make it I have blush in neutral tones and foundation. Also eye shadows. All are made with ingredients clearly listed. Just brush and go and the eye shadows double as an eyeliner just wet and use your angle brush to eyeliner. More use for your money!
Warm Regards
Heather B
I would like more information about your natural mineral make up please.
Wow…I’ve never thought about making my own makeup. Thanks for all the tips!
Love the mascara and have started making almost all of my makeup. But don’t have a recipe for eye pencil…..anybody have recipes for this????
for eye pencil just use the powder and apply it with a small flat/narrow eyebrow brush (wet the tip a little before dipping it in the powder).
Hi. Can I use this for eyebrows?
Thanks.
For eyepencil, you can you use a natural black colouring pencil and dip in hot water for 3-5 mins and then it will soften and work as an eyeliner
Thank you so much for these very helpful ideas! Having 3 little girls under the age of 7 (one of which has been going through cancer treatment for 4 yrs now) who are always wanting to play with make up, I will be making quite a bit of our own now. There was however, one item listed in the article that concerned me, and that was the magnesium oil. An overdose of magnesium is very difficult to recognize and come back from, especially with kiddos. You basically just get really sleepy, fall asleep and never wake up. Unfortunately not many people are aware of this. It is one reason why epsom salt baths can be dangerous as well. I myself would have never known this but, having been in touch with many doctors, pharmacists, scientists, etc in a few different countries, this was one of the things that was brought to my attention.
I don’t use Epsom salts in my bath bombs or bath salts I use Sea Salt. And Essential oils. My pediatrician said my 1yr old could bath in Epsom. I am really upset now! I have glycerin, kaolin clay, and Stearicite acid, I have no idea why I bought them, what can I make with them?
Kaolin clay is in all the makeup recipes – cream blush, foundation, concealer
Glycerine I use in my face foaming cleanser
1/4 cup dr.bronners soap
1/4 cup water
2 tsp vegetable glycerine
2 tsp carrier oil ( olive, jojoba, Almond ect)
2 tsp aloe gel
Blend everything except the soap or it’ll b a big mess. Add essential oils for event n benefits. Good ones are lavender, tea tree, frankensence. Just 5 drops is good. Then add the soap on set to.stir more just long enough to mix n let it settle if it foamed a bit. Then put in glass foaming dispenser
I also saw someone mentioned to use glycerine instead of the veg wax in the homemade creamy makeup tutorials.
Not sure about the acid though I’ve never used it
Wow, my experience with Epsom salts has always been great. I used to put some in my kid’s bath all of the time. It helped calm them down for bed. They are both teenagers now & are fine! I used to rub pure lavender oil on their backs; sometimes now they still ask for a lavender oil back rub! I usually don’t mention to the doctor anything natural that I use b/c they always discourage it.