Safe, Natural Makeup or Facepaint for Halloween
With Halloween almost here, you may be wondering whether it's possible to buy or make your own safe
, natural face paint. Well, the answer to both questions is "yes", but I recommend the latter option. Make your own and save some money. Better yet, if your kids are old enough, let them help you make it. Before you start though, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
1. Natural dyes and the substances you use to make them can stain, just like chemical dyes and commercial food coloring. Some substances, such as blueberries and tea, can leave a stain that will last for a long time. All dyes will stain clothes as well as kids, so dress them in something like an old sweatshirt or t-shirt.
2. Even natural dyes and pigments can cause allergic reactions and rashes in some people. If it's not something your child has eaten before with no problem, it might be a good idea to try a patch test with a little of the substance on an inconspicuous spot before slathering them with the stuff. I wouldn't use face paint of any kind on children under two.
3. Be prepared to make a mess and keep in mind that anything that the little trick or treater touches with their painted parts is going to get stained.
4. Even though all of the paints are made from food-grade stuff, that doesn't mean that the kids should eat it in large quantities. Especially if you're using coconut oil or another fat, big helpings could lead to stomach upset or a bad case of the runs and that's no fun on Halloween.
5. If you purchase natural dyes, make sure that they're food-grade and, preferably, organic.
You'll need a base for your face paint. My favorite is coconut oil, which is solid at room temperature, but easily "smushed" into a paste with the addition of a little corn starch or arrowroot powder. My second favorite base is vegan shortening. I use a quarter cup of the base, two tablespoons of corn starch or arrowroot powder and a few drops of either natural food coloring or my own version of food colorings. For powdered food colorings such as cocoa, I add the powder to the base with the corn starch and then add a little water if it's too thick.
For blue, use blueberries. Just put a cup of blueberries into a strainer and smash them with a potato masher or wooden spoon. To two tablespoons of the coconut oil/corn starch powder, add about ten drops of blueberry juice - more or less - until you get the shade of blue you want.
For pink or red, use beet juice.
For yellow, use turmeric. Be very careful to start with a small amount, because it can be irritating. It's the substance that gives curry powder its yellow color.
For brown, use organic chocolate syrup or cocoa. If you mix it with a little beet juice, cocoa makes realistic looking "blood" for vampire's fangs.
For green, use chlorella or spirulina powder, which is available at health food stores.
For purple, use organic grape juice.
For orange, use a little turmeric mixed with canned pumpkin puree.
I haven't found anything that really makes black dye, but you can get very dark brown with the cocoa and beet juice.
If you don't want to make your own dyes, use the coconut oil base or any bland natural base like vegan shortening, for instance, and add the natural dye to it, drop by drop. You can get natural dyes at most health food stores, but do read the labels.
Safe, Natural Makeup or Facepaint for Halloween
By: Lill Hawkins
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