Did you know that 100% of the face paints tested by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics contained lead, a neurotoxin? (The Centers for Disease Control say there is no safe level of lead for children.) Fortunately it’s really easy to create face paint using supplies you likely already have at home!
This is something that I have gotten pretty good at since my daughter loves to have her face painted… we probably do it at least once a week! The recipe I use is below, and I like it because it’s really easy and you only need to make a little bit at a time.
Safe & Natural Face Paint Recipe
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp water to make paste
- 1/2 tsp Diaper rash cream (we recommend California Baby and Burt’s Bees)
- Colorful foods to make desired shades (or food coloring, see below)
Mix the first three ingredients together to make a thick white paste. Then, take a little bit of the base and mix with different foods to create your desired colors. We’ve had a lot of success with blackberries (pretty rose color), avocado (green) and hummus (orangey-brown). And have also heard that coffee/tea (browns, black), corn (yellowish color) and cherries (red) work well too. If you aren’t able to achieve the colors you want with food, or are just short on time or produce, you can always use food coloring. It’s not natural, but it’s still much, much safer than the store bought versions!
Check out our Green Halloween webcast to see some of the colors we’ve made and to get some additional ideas to create a more eco friendly Halloween. I talk about green Halloween costumes, like our make-your-own Mermaid Costume and Superhero Costume Kits, costume swaps, recycled ‘jack-o-lanterns’, and demonstrate the face paint recipe above.
Like this recipe, or have another you’d like to share? Leave us a comment and let us know!
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Awesome! Thanks for a great idea!
I made this for my little witch this Halloween. We only had Balmex on hand and we tried it with food coloring (the Wilton brand) . However, I tested it on her arm and it started to stain her arm. Glad I tested it before I put it all over her face. So then we decided to use avocado. It was not as dark as the food coloring one but she said it was the perfect witch color. It was also a bit lumpy so it made her face look kinda creepy. She loved it. We drew on some spooky eyebrows (her idea) and she was a scary witch. The great thing was it washed off easy and she did not have green skin afterwards.
Hi Robin – thanks so much for letting us know about the Wilton food coloring! Avocado really is amazing, and perfect for witches.
So glad that you had fun!