The last time I posted a picture of my lashes on Instagram many of you wanted to know what I use. I finally got my homemade natural mascara just how I want it! A lot of you asked for the recipe, so I’m sharing it now.
DIY Natural Mascara
I must admit- this was one of my most frustrating homemade recipes to figure out. I tried a lot of different combinations before I finally found one I liked. Some versions were too dry and started flaking. Others were too thin and just made a mess. It was a lot of trial and error but I’m finally happy with the results!
Why bother making your own beauty products? It’s easy to look past our eye makeup collection when it comes to cleaning up our daily routines. It may seem insignificant until you realize that mascara is right on top of mucus membranes. And I’m sure all of us have gotten at least a little eye makeup in our eyes at some point.
Ulta, Sephora, and many drugstore brands use ingredients like talc, sulfates, phthalates, and parabens. Then there are the harsh preservatives and silicones. Not something I want next to sensitive eye areas! Now that my daughters are getting older, I’m thinking about safe options for them too. The best natural mascaras feature natural and organic ingredients. I also want something hydrating and relatively clump-free.
Homemade Mascara Ingredients
I tried dozens of ingredients before I found the ones that worked in this recipe. I tested this with ingredients like shea butter, vitamin E, castor oil, and jojoba. Many natural mascaras use beeswax or carnauba wax to thicken. None of those made the cut here. Unlike most of my clean beauty recipes (like toothpaste and lotion bars), homemade mascara uses some unusual ingredients.
Here’s what I use:
- Black mineral powder (a mixture of soil based minerals-use the code “wellnessmama” for 50% off – I also drink this daily) One jar of mineral powder has enough to make 15+ batches of mascara.
- Bentonite Clay – Helps the mascara dry and harden and not smudge. Any cosmetic clay should work.
- Vegetable Glycerin– Makes the mascara smooth and helps it adhere to lashes.
- Aloe Vera– For long-wearing texture and smoothness
- Lavender Essential Oil – For scent and to help lashes grow
Coloring Your Natural Mascara
Different brands use different pigments to dye their mascara. This usually means iron oxides. You can get a very similar effect with the black mineral powder. You can use activated charcoal or black clay instead, but I prefer the texture with the mineral powder. It’s a little pricier up front, but it can do more than coat your lashes.
Don’t Want to DIY?
Don’t already have these skincare ingredients on hand? Or maybe you’re short on time. Buying natural or certified organic pre-made mascara might be a better option. For the best clean mascaras, I look for a natural looking mascara with a good EWG rating. They’ll often feature lash nourishing ingredients like sunflower seed oil and rice bran (an antioxidant).
In the past, I’ve used Physicians Formula Organic Wear Mascara. This one has a top safety rating from the EWG. While it’s still my go-to organic mascara, I still like making my own natural mascara sometimes. Here are a few more healthy pre-made options if you want to skip the DIY. Several of these you can find on Amazon.
- ILIA limitless Lash Mascara (non-toxic and cruelty-free)
- Physician’s Formula Organic Wear Mascara (for volumizing and long lashes)
- Toups & Co Organics Long Lash Mascara
How Does it Work?
I absolutely love the buildable texture and fullness of this recipe, so I still make it often. Thanks to the nourishing natural ingredients I feel good about what I’m using. To make more of a volumizing mascara or a lengthening mascara, there are a few tricks. I like to lightly dust my eyelashes with arrowroot powder or organic cornstarch first. This lash primer makes eyelashes appear longer and fuller.
If you want lashes with more curl, use an eyelash curler before using the mascara. It doesn’t work as well after because then the mascara clumps.
Is This Waterproof Mascara?
While it does dry well, this is not waterproof or water-resistant. The bentonite clay helps it to dry harder to help prevent smudges, though I can’t guarantee it’s 100% smudge-proof in all situations. I do find it to be fairly long-lasting once dry.
Natural Mascara Supplies
I also found these supplies very helpful when putting this recipe together.
- A clean mascara container. I got this one and have just reused it as needed. I tried to clean out an old mascara container and it’s a tremendous hassle. Using a small jar or lip gloss container with a mascara brush will also work.
- A medicine dropper (like for giving medicine to children). This or a similar tool helps to fill the containers.
- A small spatula.
Homemade Natural Mascara Recipe
Yield
Equipment
- Small spatula
- Medicine dropper (optional)
Materials
- ¼ tsp black mineral powder (use code wellnessmama for 50% off)
- ¼ tsp bentonite clay
- ⅛ tsp vegetable glycerine (4 drops)
- ¼ tsp aloe vera gel
- 5 drops lavender essential oil
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a very small bowl until completely smooth.
- Add more aloe vera gel if needed to get a smooth consistency.
- Carefully scoop into the medicine dropper with a spatula and slowly squirt into the mascara container or jar.
- Alternatively, you can add the ingredients directly to the mascara tube and mix them with the mascara bristles. This option takes a while to get the ingredients smooth inside the tube.
- Use as you would regular mascara.
- To remove, use a washcloth with warm water or use olive oil as a natural eye makeup remover.
Notes
- Dust lashes with arrowroot powder or organic cornstarch first to thicken and lengthen even more.
- This works with a lash curler but I’ve found it is better to curl first so they don’t clump.
Do you make your own makeup? What are your favorite DIY recipes to make? Leave a comment and let me know!
Really did not like the result. It was very clumpy and flaked off as it died.
just wondering about the essential oils being used so close to they eye, knowing how potent it is, even though it’s lavender. As a clinical aromatherapist I wouldn’t recommend using essential oils close to eyes. I’ve had people send pictures to my practice after (the purest) essential oils got into their eyes because they by accident poked their eye with their mascara brush. Please…..you don’t want that to happen with essential oils on it….
I love this recipe and the consistency is wonderful. Unfortunately though, it smudges very time I blink and gives me horrible black circles under my eyes. ? I don’t think it should be any drier than I have made it.
Any tips?
Is there a dark brown mineral powder. Black is too harsh for my coloring.
What can I use instead of Aloe Vera as I am allergic, and can any mineral makeup powder work, I’m wanting to use a brown instead of black? Thanks ?
Hi there! Any feedback on using this mascara consistently in toasty weather? Most of the time the dense humid heat in Florida summer about melts your face itself and can cause mascara to transfer in a hot second! Hope to know before investing in the ingredients to give it a shot 🙂
Thank you kindly!
Hi Katie Im wondering if substituting the aloe gel with aloe juice would work ok? Not sure if that will ruin the consistency or not.. If necessary I could buy the gel when I order the rest of the ingredients.
Thanks so much for all your hard work and for the amazing content you share!
How frequently should you be replacing this mascara without a preservative? Do you keep in the fridge?
I was excited to try this. I find I have the same issue as many others. It is dry and clumps. It won’t stick to my eye lashes. Do you offer any advice for what may be going wrong?
How long does one bottle of black mineral powder last you? I am looking at the link you gave to it and it looks like it is pretty expensive.
Hi, I made your mascara recipe. I am having one slight problem. It doesn’t seem like enough of the mascara is getting on the brush when I dip it into the tube. At least it’s not coming off the brush onto my eyelashes. I’m not sure if it’s too thick, too thin are what the problem might be. Any suggestions???
Any advice for how to make brown mascara? I have so much trouble finding healthy brown mascara!
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I’m always looking forward to see what your amazing blog has to offer!
Hi, I was so excited when I found this recipe that had no wax. I used coconut charcoal and green clay instead of the suggested. Alas, the mascara is very clumpy and flaky. Quite impossible to apply to eyelashes without covering my face with little black dots. I think most of it gets on my face in clumps instead of adhering to the lashes. Any ideas of how to improve this?
Thank you for this recipe 🙂
Doesn’t smudge easily? The last time I made homemade mascara it was a disaster…. Kept coming off and making me look like death. Lol!
Do you happen to know if the black powder can be sourced without child labor. This is a problem with some mica and I wasn’t sure about this particular type.
Hi, I love your posts! I have oily skin and was wondering if this mascara is run or water proof?
Thank you for all your shares.
This formula recipe would not stick to my eyelashes! Did this happen because of the essential oil?
You really shouldn’t use essential oils around your eyes. It’s not safe.
Yes! Yes! YAAAAAASSSS!!! The clay changes EVERYTHING! I have kaolin, and it worked beautifully! These crazy recipes all over the internet with oils (jojoba, coconut, castor, etc) sound like they should be awesome… until you actually use them, and they never dry. The just smear everywhere when you open your eyes wide… or sneeze… or rub the corner. Just perpetually wet. I had almost given up… then I saw your post. THANK YOOOOOOU!!!
And for the record, this works too as a liquid liner. I just added a little more glycerin to help it glide better, but no smudging, no budging. I even curled my lashes AFTER applying liner, and it stayed put. That’s always the true test for me.
I cannot thank you enough!!! <3
The only thing I would add is that because this has aloe and glycerin, which are water based, I'd suggest adding a preservative of some kind. I have had success with Optiphen, which though not a true-blue natural ingredient, the 2 ingredients are considered "nature identical," making it the best broad-spectrum preservative system I've found.
This is awfully dangerous. Aloe and glycerin are water soluble and without a preservative it’s an infection waiting to happen. Also, bentonite is too harsh. Horrible recipe. Please do proper research before sharing.