Foundation is one of the most basic components of everyone's makeup regime, hence the name I'm sure. Being one of the products that covers the most surface are of skin I want to make sure I'm not absorbing anything super bad for me. One of the things that originally got me interested in this project was reading a post about "natural" beauty products that can actually contain some toxic stuff. Mineral makeup was on that list, claiming that it can contain lead and other heavy metals. A reminder that "natural" does not mean "non-toxic." Henna hair dye is another product that people mistake as less toxic than other brands and it turns out it is the opposite. Henna hair dye also contains toxic minerals and you might be better off using the chemical-laden commercial brands, but I digress.
I don't wear much makeup. My only everyday product is blush, it just makes your whole face look good with hardly any product. Next most used product is my day to day loose powder. I'm reasonably young and have decent skin so I don't find cream foundations necessary. I bought a jar of physician's formula organic wear powder a while back because it was at my local ross. I've been pretty happy with it. Decent coverage, light feel, it met my need pretty well. Skindeep gives it a 4 on the hazardous scale. It has a low to moderate overall risk, and a moderate cancer risk. Oddly enough, the most toxic product in there is grapefruit extract because of its "multiple, additive exposures." Other toxic ingredients include titanium dioxide and mica. Now that I've made my own powder I threw my old stuff in the trash.
For my recipe you will only need 4-6 ingredients, depending on your skin needs.
The base for this foundation is bentonite clay. Bentonite clay is aged volcanic ash, the name comes from the largest known deposit is in Fort Benton, Wyoming. The brand I bought is Aztec healing clay. I picked up a large jar of it at my local health food store for around $7. Bentonite has a lot of benefits for your body inside and out. For the skin, bentonite can help heal and prevent acne. It reduces irritation from cuts, burns, and bug bites, and can be quite calming for itchiness due to eczema, psoriasis, and chicken pox. It can be mixed with water to make a detoxifying mask, or used in place of baby powder to dry and sooth irritated skin. I did claim this foundation is food-grade, so yes, bentonite clay may be taken internally. It contains many trace minerals that are important for your teeth, and is great at alkalizing the body. It can help relieve acid reflux, nausea and vomiting, constipation, among other things. Bentonite is unique in that it has a strong negative charge, so it acts as a magnet of sorts for the positively charged toxins. Bentonite also helps get oxygen to cells as it pulls excess hydrogen and allows the cells to replace it with oxygen instead. Over all, pretty great stuff. For the full scoop, you can read more here:
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4702462561673774586#editor/target=post;postID=4437586705578043095
http://blogs.naturalnews.com/bentonite-clay-an-excellent-internal-and-external-detox-agent/
The next ingredient you will need is cocoa powder. This is to help tint it to the right color for your skin, so the darker your skin the more you will need to add. Cocoa has some good skin benefits too. It is full of antioxidant so when eaten or put on the skin it can help reverse cell damage. This may lead to anti aging properties. It can absorb UV light, protecting your skin from from sun damage. It can also help hydrate the skin, and contrary to popular belief, improves complexion by increasing blood flow to the skin. Chocolate is amazing. <3
Turmeric is another ingredient used for coloring. The yellow pigment will help you achieve a natural skin tone. This is another ingredient that has great benefits for you inside and out. Turmeric has antiseptic properties and has been used in traditional medicine to heal wounds. On the skin it can help heal acne and blemishes and prevent them from reoccurring. If you have oil prone skin, turmeric can help regulate the production of sebum (the skin's natural oil). It can reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, and other signs of aging. It's an effective treatment for hair loss and dandruff. On the inside it can help kill harmful bacteria, like h. pylori. It has been linked to breast cancer prevention. It can help control diabetes by moderating insulin levels, and prevent cardio vascular disease. Again, another amazing food that we should all be eating and rubbing all over our skin. For more on the amazing benefits check these links out:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=78
http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/turmeric-history-how-to-use-benefits/
[note: turmeric can be replaced with ginger for color, not sure what the skin benefits are though. You obviously have a computer, look it up.]
The final ingredient you need is beet root powder. You can make it yourself with dried beets and a food processor, or you can do it the lazy way like me and order it off amazon. I picked up a 4-oz back from denver spice for $3, $6 after shipping and handling.(
http://www.amazon.com/Beet-Root-Powder-4oz-Natural-Coloring/dp/B009UGG388/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1395463489&sr=8-6&keywords=beet+root+powder) This stuff is a must to get the natural pink tones in your foundation. Beet powder or juice can also be used as an all natural food dye. On the skin or in the body, beets give you iron, B vitamins, and vitamin C. Beets are really good for you. They help prevent the cancer mutation in cells, slow tumor growth, and contain Boron which is essential to the production of human sex hormones. I'm starting to feel lazy so you can read the full scoop on how amazing beets are here:
http://www.naturesgardencandles.com/blog/category/beet-root-powder/
Optional ingredients for this recipe include corn starch and green clay. Corn starch can be used if you have extra oily skin and need a little or absorbency, or if you made your mix too dark and need to lighten it up a bit. Green clay can be added if you have a lot of blemishes or redness that needs neutralizing (green is the opposite of red).
What you'll need:
Bentonite clay
Cocoa powder
Turmeric (or ginger)
Beet root powder
Cornstarch (optional)
Green clay (optional)
essential oil (optional if you want to make it compact)
a non-metal bowl
a non-metal storage container
a fine mesh sieve
a plastic spoon or rubber spatula
I don't have exact proportions for this recipe. Everyone's skin is different so you'll have to just add everything in small increments until it looks good. Start with a couple heaping spoonfuls of your clay. Push it through the sieve to remove any large chunks or particles. Next add cocoa powder until it is about as dark as your skin (might be hard to judge when the tone doesn't match so don't over do it, you can add more if you need it). Add the turmeric and beet powder until it matches your skin tone. Test if frequently on your hand or arm to ensure a good match. If you are adding corn starch or green clay, replace some of the bentonite clay until desired effect is reached. Voila, you have a non-toxic, food-grade foundation. If you want to make a compact you can add essential oil until the desired texture is reached and press it into a container. Otherwise. pour it in your non-metal container and use like any other face powder.
Results: I think I got my powder to match my skin pretty well. I experimented with turning it into a liquid foundation by mixing it with coconut oil. It didn't work so well. I also tried mixing it with jojoba oil, also not so great. On it's own it made my skin look a bit ashy or powdery and had moderate coverage. The best results I got were by putting a layer of my coconut oil/zinc moisturizer and putting the powder on top. The whiteness of it gave me a good base and neutralized some of my red blemishes. The powder stuck to my skin better and didn't leave a powdery finish. For concealer I just melted some coconut oil between my fingers and dipped it in the powder and applied under my eyes and over my blemishes. I think it worked pretty well. Not as great of coverage as from my commercial products but decent coverage and non toxic, I'll take it.