I did make some eyeliner the other day and I'm pretty happy with it. You only need a two ingredients: activated charcoal and an oil (I used jojoba), but we'll get to that.
I looked up my old eyeliner and it got at 5 out of 10 on EWG's toxicity scale. Many of the ingredients are in the 0-2 rage and considered fairly benign. However, there are a couple ingredients that are way up there, the first of which being parabens. Typically "paraben" is the ending to an ingredient, such as PROPYLPARABEN or BUTYLPARABEN.
What are parabens and why should I care!? They are the preservative in your cosmetics, they prevent bacterial growth and increase the shelf life of products. They are found in a variety of products including lotions, deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, bandages, and makeup. Additionally, they can be found in foods like jellies, salad dressings, mustard, mayo, processed veggies, soft drinks, and frozen dairy products.
As mentioned previously, the danger with cosmetics is that they are unregulated (unlike food), and they bypass the liver and go straight into your blood stream (also unlike food). Parabens are cause for concern because they're xenoestrogens, meaning they fit into specially shaped estrogen receptors located in your cells. Once a paraben molecule has fit into the estrogen receptor, other glands and neurotransmitters begin passing messages and making adjustments based on the presence of that 'estrogen.' And as you may be aware, high levels of estrogen have been linked to breast cancer. Another study indicated that not only do parabens increase the growth of existing cancer, they also can cause healthy cells to become cancerous. Seeing as breast cancer runs in the family, I will be tossing all my paraben-filled products.
On to the non toxic side of things.
I hit up my usual spots for finding makeup recipes, (pinterest and google) and really only found one recipe, which is a first. Pretty much every natural cosmetic enthusiast out there suggests using activated charcoal and some sort of oil, usually coconut. I thought I would try adding some beeswax to mine to see if I could give it some extra staying power but what I ended up with was black lip gloss. I may try again with different ratios but for now what I have going works pretty well.
Most recipes suggest using activated charcoal capsules, I happen to have a giant tub of it at my house because my family likes to mix it in with water etc. to use as a digestive aid. You should be able to pick up charcoal capsules at any store where they sell vitamin supplements.
What you'll need:
- about 1 teaspoon of activated charcoal, or 2-4 capsules (just a guess, I did not measure a thing)
- several drops of oil ( jojoba, coconut, olive, whatever you have lying around)
- a small container (I used a pill case I found at Walgreens)
- an angle tip brush (for application)
Begin by placing your charcoal either in a bowl or directly into your container. Add your oil a few drops at a time until it makes a smooth paste. If you use coconut oil, be sure to melt it first. Once it's all mixed it you can use it, that's it!
It goes on pretty easily. I noticed that the first day it was a bit grainy, and didn't go on completely evenly. After a day it seemed to be much smoother and hasn't been a problem since. Because this is just oil and charcoal it is most definitely not smudge proof, so you should be careful not to rub your eyes. Over all I'd give it a B+ for it's ability, and A+ for being non toxic.
