NON TOXIC Facepaint
Your Skin: It Absorbs! … Your skin is the largest organ of your body and since it is porous, it absorbs whatever you put on it. Consider this when doing dress up face paints. The “all natural’ doesn’t mean toxic free. We read ingredients and OH BOY toxins galore. Here’s a great recipe for making your own. They are NOT as thick as the store bought toxic laden paints. Keep that in mind as you consider painting your children.
HOW TO MAKE FACE PAINT WITH NATURAL INGREDIENTS
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch (preferably
nom -GMO) or arrowroot powder - 1/4 teaspoon refined white
flour plus extra for dusting the face so that it is not ooey gooey OR for a gluten-free option 1/2 teaspoon kaolin white clay - 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2
teaspoon water - Natural food coloring
- Activated charcoal if
black face paint is desired (see notes for howto make white base makeup)
Method:
- Mix kaolin clay/flour and cornstarch/arrowroot together in a small bowl
- Add honey and water
- Divide mixture into several cups, then add a few drops of food coloring to each cup until it has reached the color intensity you desire
- Paint on your design using a generous amount of paint. It
sets better if painted on thickly. - Optional: Let it set for about 20-30 minutes, then take a makeup brush and dust a little cornstarch/arrowroot powder over your face to create a matte finish. As mentioned
above this is optional – we didn’t do it – but I did test it to make sure it would prevent smearing in little ones who are likely to touch their faces.
A few notes
These paints are more like a thick gloss than watercolors.
My “blue” from India Tree was really more of a green. I could never get a true blue out of it. Also,
Some colors (like yellow and pink) will not show up well without white base makeup. To whip up your own, mix non-toxic lotion with a little non-nano zinc oxide, or buy some organic diaper cream at the store that contains non-nano zinc. (Wondering what the heck non-nano zinc is? This article may help). Wait until the mixture dries before applying other paints.
And finally, here’s a little color chart you might find helpful:
Yellow + Blue = Green
Blue + Red = Purple
Red + Yellow = Orange
Pink = Just a couple drops of red.