Homemade Natural Makeup Recipes

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Wellness Mama » Blog » Beauty » Homemade Natural Makeup Recipes

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.

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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. Mary-Beth Avatar
    Mary-Beth

    I really love the natural make-ups I’m having problems with all the sparkles in all my makeup…. but I’m having trouble getting the coco and arrowroot mixes to stay on my eyelids…. any ideas?

  2. Suzanne Nelson Avatar
    Suzanne Nelson

    anyone have a recipe for foundation for post-menopausal skin? im very dry and am begining to use natural everything.
    looking for shampoo face and body cleanser and make-up…

    Thank you
    Suzanne

  3. Mindy Avatar

    I’m worried about using microfiber because I read it’s made using plastics and is not biodegradable. Can you give me your thoughts?

    1. Emily Campbell Avatar
      Emily Campbell

      Not sure if you’ll see this since it’s been so long, but hopefully this will help anyone with questions!

      Though microfiber is made of polyester, cotton actually requires a TON of water to produce and in the long run could potentially be worse for the environment.

      In addition to the life of a Norwex cloth (I’ve had my body cloths for about 4 years now and they are still working amazingly well. I know of someone else who has had her cloths for over a decade!), Norwex also has a microfiber recycling program where they partner with a company that processes 20 million tons of waste each year–and then turns it into energy!

  4. Colleen Avatar

    Hi Katie!
    Thank you so much for your amazing website! You are such a blessing to my family and I…I’ve been slowly switching over everything in our home to the natural way and your site has helped me tremendously! It’s a bit overwhelming, so I thank you so much for sharing your knowledge…it really makes it easier for me. I Have dry skin and want to try making the liquid foundation…I saw that you said use the powder recipe and add lotion to it. Can you recommend a lotion recipe please? Thank you!

  5. Michelle Avatar
    Michelle

    Hi Katie,
    First I’d like to say, “Thank You!!!!” for all your wonderful information. You are a blessing!
    And I do have a question on the homemade foundation makeup. I love the Arrowroot, however I was wondering if you had ever experimented with Diatomaceous Earth as a base for mineral makeup? I like the claim of manufactured ‘mineral makeups’ saying they improve the health of your skin and was hoping to do the same with homemade makeup. What do you think?

  6. Amber Avatar

    I have had eye issues for three days since using the recipe for the eye liner. I used activated charcoal, USDA organic coconut oil and cocoa butter. As Katie says, be careful around your eyes. I have had extremely red and painful eyes since applying the eye liner. I do not know if I had gotten it in my eyes or what.

    I do love the lip balm, lotion bars, hair spray, whipped body butter, natural hair color, etc from Katie. Just wanted to give you a heads-up about the eye make up if you have sensitivities like I do. I am disappointed because I really wanted it to work but I will take Katie’s suggestion for the natural eye makeup for purchase rather than trying to make my own again!

  7. Taylor Avatar

    Hello,
    I just attempted the homemade foundation and homemade bronzer. I’m tired of spending mass amounts of money for only a months worth of foundation, and I was hoping to find something that was nicer on my skin.
    But I noticed that the foundation was too powdery and the cinnamon still comes out grainy, almost like a face scrub… I have finely grained cinnamon powder that I used. I also used corn starch instead of arrowroot since that’s what I had around the house at the moment..
    Does the arrowroot powder hold nicer than the corn starch? And how did you get the cinnamon to act nicely when mixing? I will switch to coco powder next time I go to the grocery store. But I like the tanned glow that cinnamon gives off.

    1. kim Avatar

      I just mixed the powders with a homemade lotion made from Shea Butter, Coconut oil, Vit E and some other stuff that I can’t remember right now. It is wonderful. Best I’ve ever used. Gives my skin a sunkissed look instead of makeup. YOu can use any homemade lotion recipe.

  8. Claire Avatar

    HI!! In your opinion is arrowroot powder better or rice powder better at absorbing oils?? Thank you please reply as i am ready to quit talc base powder and start the DIY life style…

  9. Nabi Avatar

    Hi! Great information here – thanks! Your blog makes me so happy.

    I’m having a hard time making lipstick out of beet powder b/c it looks grainy and uneven on my lips. Thoughts?

    Also, I made lipstick out of non toxic crayola crayons, but not feeling completely comfortable with the safety. Thoughts? The color looked great and I used it as a blush too, but can’t figure out how they make their crayons and not sure if it makes sense to put on skin. Would love to hear your feedback!

  10. Katy Avatar

    Hi Katie,

    I tried the powder/foundation recipe and the color looks nice, but I can’t seem to make it stay on my face, it’s very grainy and falls off:( I also mixed in some oils to pack it into a compact to try to get it to be like regular powder, but it didn’t really work, it just clumped up around the oil and didn’t really make the consistency I was going for, which wouldn’t be a big deal if I could somehow get it to stay on my face… I also mixed it with some more oil to use as cover-up to use for under my eyes, but the mixture just turned dark and clumped up and I couldn’t get it to spread or stay on my skin. A little bummed:( Any tips? Thanks.

  11. Chana Avatar

    Been looking for this long time ago. Thanks for sharing:)
    I just wish you can be more specific with the recipes:(
    (The amounts of each ingredient )

  12. Bonnie Lachance Avatar
    Bonnie Lachance

    I have never made my own makeup but i do make my own mud mask using cocoa poweder,baking soda, olive oil,a few drops of honey and a dash of vanilla and milk just to make it a muddy consitancy it smells good and leaves skin feeling refreshed love your ideas

  13. Emily Avatar

    I found that the foundation (recipe followed exactly, with slight variations on organic cocoa powder to adjust for my skin tone) really irritated my skin! More so than my store-bought physicians-formula!
    I got massively red, lots of stinging! I thought maybe it was just my skin adjusting or allergies, but my test patches were completely fine, and I’ve never been allergic to any of the ingredients before.

    I broke out too, 🙁 Sorry but back to store bought for me.

  14. Cassandra Avatar

    Hello I am looking where to find activated charcoal? I have been searching but I can only find it in capsules.

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