Homemade Mascara

I've tried my hand at making a number of cosmetics (see my "Homemade Beauty" link, above) but I'd never tried making mascara.  It seemed daunting given how visibly wrong things can go if you don't get it right, but I gave it a try.  The results were fairly good after some trial and error with proportion of ingredients, but no where near as long-lasting or reliable as commercial formulations.

Here's how the adventure unfolded:

I poked around quite a bit online to find a recipe that is simple, safe for my eyes and wouldn't make me look like a raccoon within a matter of hours (or minutes!).

You already know my philosophy about my makeup: if I can't eat it, it has no business sitting on my face all day.  Not that I've made a habit of wearing food on my face.  Well, not as an adult, anyway.  My point is simply that if it's safe to eat, it's probably safe for your face.

That said, you wouldn't stick a banana in your eye.  Well, maybe YOU would, but I wouldn't.  So when it comes to eye makeup, I take into account the especially delicate nature of the eye.  Whatever goes into my eye shadow, mascara, concealer or eye liner must be safe for my eyes, just in case it ends up in one.

Ancient Egyptians wore kohl liner around their eyes (sometimes made with lead sulfide).  Around 1890, burnt match sticks were used to darken eyelashes.  In 1915, T.L. Williams came up with a way for his sister, Maybel, to darken her lashes, and the company Maybelline was born.  That formula was a combination of coal dust and petroleum jelly.   Until the 1950s, mascara was sold in cake form and had evolved into a combination of wax and colorant.  Helena Rubenstein created the wand and tube delivery method in the late 1950s.

Since then, mascara has become much more complicated in order to have certain helpful attributes (waterproof, smudge-proof, lengthening, curling, different colors, and so on) and the list of ingredients is now typically tongue twisting.

We need to get back to basics, but without the match sticks, coal dust and petroleum products.
Mascara is traditionally black or dark brown.  This brought to mind activated charcoal.  It's certainly dark enough, and it's been used through the ages as an antidote for poisoning because it's highly absorbent.  It pulls the toxins from the body as it passes straight through.  So, it's safe for ingestion. But can it be used around your eyes?  Actually, yes!  Prepared properly in a moist poultice or strained into eye drops, it's used to treat eye ailments. That said, as with anything, you don't want to put it directly into your eye.

So we've got our colorant: activated charcoal.  Now for the grease.


What natural oils are safe to use around your eyes?  Almond oil has been used as a treatment for under-eye circles.  Vitamin E oil has been used to reduce wrinkles around eyes.  Some claim that castor oil can help you grow more luxurious eyebrows and eyelashes.  Still others use grapeseed oil and olive oil as eye makeup removers.  So you have a few to choose from.  In this example, I used castor oil.

I decided to include water in my recipe because water ends up drying on the lashes, leading to less smudging.


Directions

1. Empty a capsule of activated charcoal into a small nalgene container, then add two drops of water and a drop of oil, blending well with a cotton swab.  
2. Continue to add water and oil in the aforementioned proportions until it reaches the consistency of store bought mascara.
3. Apply to lashes with a clean mascara wand (I reused the wand from my store bought tube after thoroughly washing it in warm soapy water).  
4. When done, wash the wand well in warm soapy water and screw the top tightly on the jar.  If your mascara dries out a bit, add a bit of water and blend with a cotton swab.

You may need to experiment with the amount of water versus oil to minimize smudging, depending on what oil you're using.  To begin, you might err on the side of more water than oil.

In future, I'll also experiment with adding a bit of wax, as this should further lessen smudging (I'll keep you posted here on that). Or, I'll just save myself the grief and go back to buying an all natural brand, such as Physicians Formula Organic Mascara.

Homemade Blush

I ran out of my last container of store-bought blush today.  Since I already wear homemade lip gloss and facial powder, I figured I'd go ahead and try my hand at homemade blush.

It could not have been any easier.

I put some of my beet root powder in a cute little BPA-free Nalgene container from Container Store, so it's handy in my makeup bag.  Whenever I need blush, I just take a squirt of my facial moisturizer in the palm of my hand, shake some beet root powder into it, mix it really thoroughly with one finger until it's no longer grainy, then smooth it on my cheek bones.  I can make it as light or dark as I like.  Or, I can mix a bit in the palm of my hand with corn starch (my preferred facial powder) and apply it with a regular blush brush.

Looks great and costs pennies.

10 Ways to Reuse and Reduce

The Three R's: REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

I've written many times before about recycling (you can see my many posts here), but I think not enough attention is paid to the topics of reduce and reuse.  So expect more posts from me on these two topics.

To kick things off, let me give you some ideas on ways you can reuse and reduce:

REUSE

1. If you've got things you don't need or want, you can pass them along to other people who might be able to use them instead.  Do not underestimate others' abilities to reuse things you think are worthless.  You can sell things through eBay, craigslist or yard sales (see my tutorial on yard sales here).  Or you can give them away through Freecycle, Goodwill or any number of other local programs.  Subscribing to your local freecycle email list can also be a great source of entertainment.  It's pretty funny to see what some people list.  For example, one request was recently posted to my local group for a male peacock to join a female peacock someone had living wild in their backyard.
2. Source or buy items used via the vehicles I mentioned above, or via pawn shops, antique shops, second hand stores or flea markets (what an awful name for something so fun).    For instance, my husband mentioned to me the other day that he saw a whole lot of great garden tools at a second hand store near us.  Why buy brand new tools when you can buy gently used ones cheaper?  They're going to get dirty and dinged up by you anyway!

REDUCE

1. Use cloth instead of paper towels.  In my house, we use cheap bar towels I picked up in bulk at Costco.  I have one bunch of them dedicated to cleaning my house.  I have another bunch dedicated to my kitchen.  I also cut up old bath towels and use them for cleaning.
2. Choose cast iron.  Did your Teflon pans get scratched and you need to buy new ones?  Cast iron cookware is healthier, cheaper and far more durable, and it's easier to care for than you imagine.
3. Make your own household cleaners.  The end product is cheaper and reduces the world's production of plastic in the process.  See my recipes and tips here.
4. Cook.  This seems like a simple idea but it's one people forget about.  If you enjoy store bought hummus, lemonade, muffins, pizza, ice cream, steak marinade, you can make your own, often healthier, versions, and save the world some plastic, paper or glass.  You can save time by preparing more than you need and freezing some for another day.  See my recipes here.
5. Make your own makeup and reuse those old containers.  It's really not hard. As an added benefit, you know exactly what you're putting on your skin.  See my recipes here.  Check back, as I plan to write about a few more very soon.
6. Save water in your garden. You can reduce the amount of water you need to effectively hydrate your lawn and flower beds by a) watering at night and b) scheduling your sprinkler heads to run through several five-minute cycles instead of just one long one (helps the water sink in better so you have less running down the street).
7. Compost.  This qualifies as both Reuse and Reduce.  Reuse kitchen and garden scraps and reduce the amount of fertilizer you need to buy for your garden.  See my postings on composting here.
8. Use your freezer and learn how to properly store things in it to save leftovers and reduce spoilage - it also enables you to take advantage of good prices on your favorite organic foods.  See my tutorial here.

Non-Toxic Deodorants - Do They Work?

Yes, but not for long.  Most don't reduce perspiration and don't kill the bacteria that is the main reason we wear deodorant or antiperspirant, so they are a short-term solution.

I'm not going to go into the many reasons why some people fear using aluminum-based antiperspirants.  You can read more about those concerns here and elsewhere.  Let's just assume that if you're reading this blog, you're inclined to believe that the all natural route is the best route.  So, you bathe daily and clean your clothing after every use - but what do you do if you really don't want to wear that industrial-strength deodorant or antiperspirant?  What are some effective and natural solutions?

Some people swear by a dusting of baking soda or cornstarch to handle perspiration.  Others like a particular brand of all natural deodorant to handle minor odor.  But the key to really managing odor is to kill the bacteria on a regular basis.  A quick swab of rubbing alcohol, witch hazel or white vinegar under each arm morning (after showering and before deodorant) and night will do the trick.  (You can also use white vinegar in your laundry to eliminate body odor from clothing.)

Note: one reader strongly recommended this brand:

Homemade All Natural Beeswax Lip Balm

My 5 year old's classmates are crazy about Chapstick.  They think it's cool to bring it to school and keep it in their pockets, sometimes letting each other try the many unique flavors they find (I can't type this without shuddering).  So he naturally requested his own.

After extracting a promise (several times) that he would not share it and would not try anyone else's, I relented and bought a tube.  Then I noticed this...

"Lift for Drug Facts"

Curious about that, I lifted the label.  The adhesive ripped a layer of the label off and I wasn't able to read it.   So, I just cut to the chase and visited one of my favorite websites, Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep, a cosmetic safety database.  According to their evaluation of this product,  it ranks 8 out of 10 on the scale of concerns (10 is highest concern).  The high score is driven by its fragrance and an ingredient called methylparaben.  Parabens are endocrine disruptors and methylparaben, in particular, has been linked to breast cancer.  The Chapstick also contains artificial colors and saccharin. 

Right, so he's not getting any Chapstick.  Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm scored quite well but he didn't like the peppermint taste, so I decided to make my own.  Here's how I did it.

Beeswax Lip Balm

Clean out a Burt's Bees Lip Balm tube, wash it thoroughly and set it out to air dry.  Grate 2 teaspoons of all natural pure beeswax (it typically comes in bar form, or as "pearls").  Melt it in a small Pyrex dish in the microwave.  Do this in 30 second increments and take it out as soon as it is melted - you don't want it to burn.  To the melted beeswax, add 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 teaspoon of castor oil.  Mix thoroughly, allow to cool for a minute, then pour into the dry lip balm tube.  Place the tube in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.  (Note: you could easily add an all natural flavor extract (vanilla, lemon, etc) to create a unique taste.)

He loved the taste and texture, and I love the fact that it's really and truly safe for him.

I later decorated the tube with his name in script.  He loved that, too!

How to Make All Natural Lip Gloss

A few weeks ago, I wrote about running out of facial powder and substituting organic corn starch - with great success.  I'm comfortable now that I'll never go back to buying commercial facial powder.  Inspired by this success, I decided to try my hand at creating other beauty products.  My criteria: they must be all natural, easy and quick to make, smell great, feel soothing, and be edible.  Yes, edible - that's my measure of safety, particularly for lip gloss.

Over the next few weeks, I will experiment with making a few different items, and I'll share my recipes here with you.  I hope you enjoy the health, savings, beauty and fragrance of these as much as I do!  Also note: they make great little gifts for the holidays!

Pink Lip Gloss

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons grated pure beeswax
8 teaspoons castor oil
4 drops vanilla extract
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon organic beet juice powder (be careful where you put this - it is a strong dye)
 -- you will also need a container to put it in - I bought a small Nalgene jar  (they are BPA free) at The Container Store for $0.99.

Directions:
1. Melt the beeswax and castor oil together in a small Pyrex dish in the microwave.  45 seconds ought to do it.  Mix well.  Add the vanilla, honey and beet juice powder.  Add more beet juice powder if the shade is not as dark a as you'd like.  Let it sit in the Pyrex dish until it cools enough so it won't melt your Nalgene jar.  Don't wait until it's fully set up to move it to the jar.
2. Pour it into your jar.  Let it sit 20 minutes before covering it.

The Many Uses for Corn Starch

I ran out of facial powder this morning.  I've used Prescriptives for years as it's one of the only ones that doesn't irritate my skin.  But there is just no way I am going to drive 30 minutes and navigate mall parking with a cranky toddler to buy some anytime soon, I'm not going to pay for shipping and I've wanted to try something more natural anyway.

So I grabbed the box of corn starch from my toddler's room (when he was a baby, I used to apply it to the deep chubby creases around his neck and under his arms to reduce irritation).  A little dab here and there and the shine was gone, which is really the only reason I use facial powder.

As I researched whether or not to do this, I came across Hodgson Mill's website.  It has a page chock full of tips on other uses for corn starch (recipes, too!), including, among many others:

• as an underarm deodorant - just wipe your underarm first with rubbing alcohol to kill bacteria, then apply corn starch
• to patch plaster walls
• to shine your car
• to clean your silver
• to make powdered sugar
• to make finger paint or "play clay"
  
• to remove grease stains
• as a facial cleanser
• to thicken gravy
• to make homemade baking powder
  
• to soothe sunburn
  

I'll still use foundation and under-eye concealer for dressy occasions (ok, well the concealer is mandatory until my toddler starts consistently sleeping through the night!), but I'll ditch the department store powder and head to the grocery store instead.

Bonus: a box of corn starch costs about a buck, which is a savings of about $30 versus what I used to pay - maybe more since the box is so big.

Score!