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Homemade natural face powder is the easiest makeup to make! Just three ingredients and suddenly you’ve made your own face powder for practically pennies!
A few years back, I realized that the makeup I used was full of toxic ingredients.
Perhaps not at the level of toxicity that would kill me instantly, but the ingredients were harmful enough that I didn’t want to risk anything even if I wouldn’t notice for another twenty years.
I have long since switched to natural makeup. When I go looking for a new natural product, I like to make sure it’s as close to perfectly natural as possible.
I mean isn’t that the point of making the switch in the first place; to avoid harmful ingredients?
I found a nice brand of natural makeup and I still use it for most of my makeup needs.
However, when I ran out of the natural face powder I decided I needed to look into making my own as that stuff was expensive!
I couldn’t afford to spend $30 just on one thing of face powder and even if I could, I would rather save that money to use elsewhere.
This led me to homemade natural face powder. I love making my own makeup. It’s so easy to make and costs me next to nothing.
I know that the ingredients are all natural and not harmful because I’m the one making the product!
Homemade natural face powder is one of the easiest makeups to make! Just three ingredients and suddenly you’ve made your own face powder for practically pennies!
What are the three ingredients in this face powder?
Arrowroot Powder
This is the safer version of cornstarch. Not that cornstarch is horribly unsafe but it can pose allergy issues and is often made from GMO’s, thus I prefer to use arrowroot over cornstarch but the two are interchangeable.
Arrowroot powder helps make your skin soft and silky and it is the base of this homemade natural face powder.
Cocoa Powder
Not only does cocoa powder act as the main coloring ingredient in this DIY but it’s also beneficial for your skin! Cocoa powder contains antioxidants which helps heal and repair any skin damage.
Cinnamon
This spice does provide a tiny bit of coloring but the reason I love adding cinnamon to my face powder is because it’s helpful for acne.
It’s also a natural skin plumper which I’ll admit didn’t strike me as an amazing trait but then I realized that means that it helps diminish fine lines and wrinkles!
Homemade Natural Face Powder
Light Powder
2 Tbs. arrowroot powder
1/2 tsp. cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Medium Powder
2 Tbs. arrowroot powder
1 1/2 tsp. cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Dark Powder
2 Tbs. arrowroot powder
1 Tbs. cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Directions:
Place ingredients into a bowl.
Mix well, use the back of a spoon to break up any cocoa powder clumps.
Start out with the shade closest to your skin tone but to get a perfect match you may need to add more cocoa powder or cinnamon.
Transfer to a clean jar or old compact container.
To use:
Lightly apply to a makeup brush and apply as you would normally. Go lightly however, as this is a loose powder and you do not need much.
Additionally you can add in a bit of cinnamon and/or nutmeg. These two ingredients can boost the glow and depth of the face powder. Mix all ingredients well; you do not want any clumps. Transfer to a clean jar or old compact container.
Note: Cinnamon can be a common face irritant so if you wish to use it, I recommend doing a test patch first.
Need more DIY makeup ideas? Check out my DIY natural blush!
What exact quantities did you use of each? I'm a pretty fair skinned gal, so any info you can give would be much appreciated!
Unfortunately I really don't have any exact amounts (and even if I did, it's likely to not help anyone as everyone has a different skin tone)
What I usually do is start with 1-3 tbs of arrowroot and then add in the cocoa powder at 1/8 tsp at a time. Mix in between each 1/8 tsp till it looks about right. The cinnamon and nutmeg, I add at the end and just a sprinkle of each. A sprinkle doesn't change the color much so it's easy to add more if needed without ruining a whole batch of powder.
Hope that helps!
If I click on the link in your post, do you get credit for it if I order something? Or do I need to do something when I check out? I’m on the 100% Pure website and am pretty excited about their products! And the price is comparable to what I currently spend.
No need to do anything before check out. Oddly I am not an affiliate of 100% Pure right now. (probably should change that!)
Arrowroot is so versatile!
Hi, this is such an interesting idea and I want to try it out! And when I do, I want to be able to tell my friends! So… how long can you keep a batch of this powder before… it’s considered “expired”? Thanks for the recipe.
Good question! Since this is a dry powder it should last 6-12 months. It is better to make in small batches so that you can use it up quickly so a 6 month batch would be preferred over a 12 month batch.
I was wondering if you could use dried mushrooms like reishi or even on some trees you can see that part of the bark has been transformed into a powder form. I did find some that had an interesting color. But maybe this is too extreme.. Personally I don’t use make up but find alternative solutions interesting. I am thinking of starting to use make up though. Thanks for your interesting posts. Just landed on your page today, glad I found it!
That IS an interesting idea! I’ve not really worked with reishi or thought about using bark powders… I imagine they would work so long as they didn’t irritate the skin. If you give it a try, let me know how it works!
Is this to wear over a foundation or to wear alone? I’ve been wearing Neutrogena powder foundation, and I’m trying to find something hypoallergenic I can make myself.
This is to wear over a foundation (or concealer). You could try to use it by itself but it will not provide any real coverage.
Can I use tapioca flour? Is it the same?
You can definitely try tapioca flour. I haven’t compared it to arrowroot (or cornstarch) but it might work.
How can I turn this powder into a compressed powder? With isopropyl alcohol? (Ike when your makeup palette breaks)
That is on my to try list!!! My plan is to try rubbing alcohol or vodka (just like when your makeup palette breaks)
Hi. How good is the coverage?
It’s more of a finishing powder than a foundation, so the coverage is very light.
So what do you do if your allergic to coco?
Hmm that’s tricky. I’m not sure that I can think of a fully natural ingredient to swap. I know many diy recipes probably use mica or some similar ingredient.
I think you could try carob powder is close in color
I made this about 6 months ago and it is AMAZING! I made the medium skin recipe and it looked great over the summer since my skin was a bit darker. This winter I added a bit more arrowroot powder to lighten it up a bit and it’s perfect now! I will no longer purchase face powder and use this instead. Thank you!!
Can I substitute arrowroot for xanthan gum?
I’ve not tried xanthan gum but in theory it should work?
Can you use this as a bronzer or blush?
I have a separate blush recipes which you can find on this site. You could use it for bronzer but many bronzer recipes feature a few different ingredients to give that sun kissed affect (as opposed to just darker brown).
Hello,
Where can I purchase the Arrowroot, and the coca power . And where did you also purchase the tin to carry the power in?
Thank you.
I link both arrowroot and cocoa power in my post (to amazon). You can defiantly find cocoa powder in your grocery story (baking aisle) and usually you can find arrowroot in the baking aisle (in a teeny spice jar for a crazy price).
As for the tins, what you see in the images are just mason jar lids flipped upside down. I don’t have a recommended tin for the powder although Amazon does have a large selection. Mine is just in a random jar.
This is so good! Does the cinnamon smell come out much?
It comes out a bit. I notice it when I put it on (but I probably notice the cocoa more), and sometimes as I was my face it will reactive the scent. But there’s not a lot of cinnamon in the product so it’s not very noticeable.
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Like with most cosmetics, it’s not recommended to use after 6 months…. but mine probably stays for at least that long. It’s all about trying to keep the contaminants out while using it.