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
and compacts of makeup that never even got half used.
While there are some good natural alternatives that you c
an 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.
Personally, I’m a microfiber convert, and only use
microfiber products with
natural silver fibers (antibacterial) for washing my face and for
make-up removal. This is truly the most natural option you can use,
since you don’t even need soap (and microfiber is great for baby too… no
chemicals to irritate skin!).
For deeper cleansing and moisturizing, I’ve also use the
oil cleansing method, which leaves skin very soft and smooth. 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, though lighter, and smoother…
I start with a base of
arrowroot powder
(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.
If you want to make it a more solid base so that only a little sticks
to the brush, use a few drops of essential oil or vodka to mix with the
powder and push down in a compact. This will make it hard like a
regular compact.
I’ve thought about adding this combination to some homemade lotion to make a liquid foundation but haven’t tried it yet.
Commercial 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 option, but they are a
tremendous improvement over any conventional options!
Dr. Haushcka Translucent Foundation is the most natural liquid foundation I’ve found and my skin reacted well to it. I also loved
Nvey Eco Liquid Foundation. I’ve also used
Nvey Creme Foundation which is thicker and is mainly great as a concealer or under-eye cover.
For powdered foundation, my favorite one I’ve tried is
Aubrey Organics Silken Earth which doesn’t have titanium dioxide like many of the mineral make-ups and which has almost completely natural ingredients.
Natural Bronzer/Blush
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.
Commercial Options: For natural blush, I love
Aubrey Organic Silken Blush or
Nvey Eco Powdered Blush.
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 on a slightly damp
brush. 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
cocoa 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:
Nvey Eco Powdered Eyeliner is the best I’ve used so far and is almost completely natural.
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.
Commercial Options: The two natural ones I’ve tried and love are
Nvey Eco Mascara and
Organic Wear Natural.
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 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.
I’ve also switched to using
microfiber for cleaning my skin, which leaves many of the natural oils in my skin and has made skin care a breeze.
Natural lip gloss and lipstick recipes coming soon
Ever made any makeup? What is the toughest thing to find natural versions of for you? Let me know below!
http://wellnessmama.com/4948/homemade-makeup-recipes/