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. Bella Avatar

    a while back in my health class there was a hair dresser that came in to talk about all the chemicals that go into your body because of make-up and other various daily use products. this threw me into a bit of a natural health kick. so since then i have been scouring the internet for natural makeup options because i am actually alergic to eyeliner but you site is the firs one with a large quantity of items that i can easily make my self at home good job 🙂 . but i was wondering two things which would be how would you get an eyeshadow to have a purple tint and have you figured out a diy concealer yet

    1. Marv een Avatar
      Marv een

      You could use dried ground beet root or red cabbage somehow?

    2. Kathie Johnson Avatar
      Kathie Johnson

      I was wondering about the blue hues too. Thinkin’ I’m gonna try drying some blueberries for the blue and some dark purple grapes for the purple. A coffee grinder works very well for making it into a fine powder.

      1. J Liberty Avatar
        J Liberty

        I haven’t ordered anything YET from the site, https://www.naturesgardencandles.com/cosmetic-colorants, but am going to dable in my own makeup making excursion and absolutely adore the site. Wellness Mama is absolutely a GODSEND and exactly what I have been looking for.
        I’m in my early 40’s and have numerous health issues. My complexion is dry, crepey and signs of rosacea so I’m super stoked with the comments and feedback and can’t wait to be healthy inside out again! 🙂

  2. moogie Avatar

    I love love love this! Your blog has been such a blessing to me. I have been looking for makeup without toxins and even paid heftily to buy some a few months ago. These recipes work better than the makeup I paid so much for. THANK YOU!!!
    PS I used grapeseed oil as a base for the powder & it works great.

  3. Liliana Rose Avatar
    Liliana Rose

    “With proper skin care, the skin will be naturally healthy and you won’t even need to wear makeup most of the time.” As much as I would love for this to be true, it never will be. Even on a totally clean diet with ‘perfect’ skin care, many of us are just genetically inclined toward imperfect skin. The rest of the article is wonderful, though. I love making my own makeup.

  4. Becca Avatar

    I have two questions. First, will it clog my pores to use these food items onto my skin? Second, I am a natural redhead, so I have very fair skin. Is there something I could add to the arrowroot powder that wil make it a bit darker?

    Thanks for your help! I am excited to try this out!

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      I’d try a tiny bit of cocoa powder to darken the arrowroot. They won’t clog pores any more than any conventional makeup 🙂

  5. Jill Lyman Stecher Avatar
    Jill Lyman Stecher

    have you ever added Tumeric for those with a more yellow undertone?

    1. mahar Avatar

      You have to be very careful with Turmeric as it stains and those stains are very hard to come off…think of mustard stains. As I read the article, I too was thinking of those of us with yellow undertone. There’s got to be something else like some sort of a flower powder that can give the yellow without permanently staining clothes or anything else it would come in contact with. Although I’ve used saffron for cooking never but don’t know it’s staining power.

      1. Wellness Mama Avatar
        Wellness Mama

        Calendula has a nice yellow tint but isn’t staining… it is also great for the skin!

  6. Rebecca Avatar

    Love these ideas! Any suggestions for adding some natural alternative for shimmer/glitter to the eyeshadow?

  7. Ester Avatar

    Thanks for all the great tips! I have been wanting to make my own makeup for years! Love your site! I already made the lip gloss and it came out great! I will order some lip tubes. Thanks! Ester

  8. Stefa folle Avatar
    Stefa folle

    I love your blog, love the toothpaste recipe and the load of info you have here!
    I was just desapointed w/the eye liner recipe. I just wish it would work! love the idea to use coconut oil and cocoa powder but it just doesn’t stay on, smears and comes right off.
    I like brown eye liner so I don’t think i want to give charcoal a try!

    1. Kathie Johnson Avatar
      Kathie Johnson

      Use less oil, perhaps? I’m gonna dabble with a little beeswax in there to firm it up. But then it would have to be heated to mix it of course. 😀

  9. nicole Avatar

    you said you added gelatin as a supplement, its a poweder correct? or does it come in another form….my nails are so weak I need to find something to help

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      I just mix the powder into a cup of herbal tea like peppermint… don’t taste it at all and definitely stronger hair and nails…

      1. Tela Avatar

        How much gelatin is okay to take as a supplement in one day as I have weak nails and thinning hair?

          1. Tela Avatar

            I will try that and thank you so much for your quick response! Can’t wait to try the make-up!

  10. Kendle Laycock Avatar
    Kendle Laycock

    I made the foundation using arrowroot, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and also used ginger to even out the color. I find the cinnamon part likes to come off my face and wondered would adding a couple drops of essential oil make it stick to my face better?

    While it does even out my skin tone, it doesn’t cover up the red zits or red spots. I use a cover-up or concealer but wanted to get away from that. Have you looked into making your own concealer or cover-up? I can’t find any DIY recipes online and wondered if you had been messing around with it yet?

    1. Donna Avatar

      Maybe you could try goldenseal powder. I bought it once, and I recall it staining my fingers really yellow. Just a pinch of this might give you the warmth you are needing for glow. I used turmeric for the yellow with the cocoa, and the first 3 days it tingled, but now I feel nothing. Read it is helpful for acne and inflammation, but I don’t think my skin could handle cinnamon either. When you mix the brown/yellow together you get a shocking identical color to a buff beige foundation makeup. Goldenseal also has healing properties, as well as beet powder (that’s reddish pink of course), but I have only had luck with beet powder by dehydrating them myself (skinless), and then grinding them down to a silky fine powder dust in a coffee bean grinder for about 18 minutes (don’t let the powder get hot, do it in increments). You could add a pinch of this for glow too. I add it to lanolin or shea butter for my lip stain (raw honey for lip gloss – that taste amazing btw). I discovered when making homemade makeup, gotta get some tools for success.

  11. Simchah Fastow Avatar
    Simchah Fastow

    I made the foundation and got a good color. But when I brushed it on my face, my skin started to tingle, probably from the cinnamon. For a woman of a certain age (mine), tingling can lead to hot flashes. Could you recommend something less exciting to use than cinnamon please?

  12. LoLo Avatar

    Just checked ingredients for Aubrey organics foundation. It does have iron oxides which typically include zinc and titanium oxide.. Just telling you in case anyone has an allergy to iron oxides.
    Ingredients: Silk powder, copernicia cerifera (carnauba) wax, tapioca starch*, lauroyl lysine, cinnamomum zeylanicum bark powder, aloe barbadensis leaf, oryza sativa (rice) starch, tocopherol, iron oxides, silica.
    Aubrey Organics Silken Earth Translucent Base Foundation Natural Porcelain Beige

  13. Jillian Navejas Avatar
    Jillian Navejas

    Alright, two days on the face powder (got a fairly good match on the first try – it helps to be pasty pale I guess! I just made a “blush” and its all rather amazing! I will never spend money on cosmetics again. Except for my Burts Bees and only unti Katie gives me a recipe for tinted lip balm 😉

  14. Jacque Avatar

    Wow! I am impressed with this! Since I didn’t have any arrowroot powder or cornstarch, I used ground ginger instead and it worked great. I used 1/4 tsp ginger, 3/4 tsp cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and a couple drops of Lemongrass essential oil. It blended in very well. I also used the cinnamon as a bronze/blush. 🙂 Haha, and I love the smell!

  15. Galin Avatar

    For the mascara I put one capsule of activated charcoal and a little bit of vitamin e oil into my basically empty mascara tube that I was keeping because I really liked the brush applicator and it seems to work great! I plan on wearing it all day tomorrow and through my workout to see how it holds up 🙂 If this works great tomorrow, then it is good bye crappy chemical mascara! Next up eyeliner! 

      1. Marsha Holloway Avatar
        Marsha Holloway

        How do you get your used mascara tube cleaned? I would want it to be free of the chemicals before I reused it.

        1. Donna Avatar

          You have to buy them new. Unused ones are online at makeup supply stores. Never reuse one for risk of bacteria growth.

  16. Caroline Lunger Avatar
    Caroline Lunger

    I love this! I cannot wear any makeup and it is harm because all my friends do (I’m 18) I would love to try the mascara for sure! I would LOVE to wear mascara again! Thanks 🙂 

    1. Amaris Vanegas Avatar
      Amaris Vanegas

      cool me to all my friends wear makeup and their 12-14 and my mom let me wear this stuff

  17. Megan Avatar

    I tried the foundation – arrowroot powder, cocoa powder and ground cinnamon – plus a version with essential oil. Both varieties look and smell lovely, but when applied they powder goes everywhere and doesn’t really cover. Any suggestions?

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      I’ve been trying to figure this out for another reader too. I haven’t had any trouble on my own skin… I”m wondering if it is a skin type thing or a variation in the brand of ingredients..

    2. Amanda Avatar

      I wonder if your skin is too dry? Maybe moisturizing before will help the powder ‘stick’?

    3. Charmaine Jones Avatar
      Charmaine Jones

      i found the same thing happened… and i definitely don’t have dry skin. might have to try mixing it with lotion? any ideas?

    4. Elizabeth Avatar
      Elizabeth

      I recently bought a powdered make-up at a store and they told me the trick to making it stick to your face is to apply in circles. Don’t just brush it on.

    5. Kathie Johnson Avatar
      Kathie Johnson

      I would try coconut oil before the powders. Doesn’t take much…a very tiny bit will cover your whole face. I’m gonna try it too. I’m tired of my red face. Healthy or no…it’s not pretty. lol.

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