Powdered skin-care products are becoming more and more popular. Ecological values and the trend of avoiding chemicals is guiding people to innovate new, wild ideas. Many of us want to use beauty products without any other, useless ingredient except those that are good for skin. Preservatives and ingredients improving the texture of the product do not help the skin. On the contrary, they can be very harmful to skin’s natural function. That’s why a new emerging innovation, powder cosmetics, is becoming more and more popular together with beauty bars and anhydrous balms.
Powdered skin-care products are not a new invention
There is nothing new under the sun, the old saying is valid again. Powdered skin-care products are actually a very old form of cosmetics. The oldest cosmetic powder we know is clay. The use of clay in skin care is very natural to humans and no one can really say when and where humans started to use it. Even animals can use clay for skin care. Clay protects and heals skin damage. It is very mineral-rich and nourishing. As early as 6,000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians made basic facial soap from alkaline clay and olive oil.
Cosmetic powders have been manufactured thousands of years ago, especially in Japan. Japanese beauties believed in rice powder and powdered safflower. Carbon was also widely used as a make-up around the world.
What products can be made from powders?
You can make almost any cosmetics in powder form. The idea behind powdered skin-care products are to combine a liquid or an oil or both if necessary. Honey can also be combined with cosmetic powders. As a powder you can prepare at least
- peeling mask
- face masks
- face and skin cleansing products
- bath products
- face powders and talc (aka talcum powder)
- deodorant
Benefits of Powdered skin-care products
- Powdered skin-care products is a very ecological option. That is why especially cosmetics manufacturers have developed powder products. Powders do not need a preservative. Preservatives are one of the most allergenic ingredients in cosmetics. If the preservative can be omitted, the product will be considerably more ecological.
- Powder cosmetics do not need emulsifiers or thickeners. The powder gives you a different skin feel by choosing different types of ingredients for the product.
- Powder cosmetics are very light. It is easy to transport and store. Powder cosmetics do not require temperature-controlled transport.
- Powder cosmetics can be stored more comfortably. Frost does not harm or spoil the product. Storage in a very dry place, protected from light is enough. Although there are no preservatives in the product, you can safely keep the jar at room temperature after opening.
How to make powdered cosmetics?
For powder cosmetics, you need a really powerful grinder. You can forget both the blender and the mixer. They cannot make fine powder from small seeds. The best tool for grinding is an electric coffee grinder.
And then just grind…
.. whatever you like to grind. Only the sky is the limit. By now, you will discover the variety of raw materials available. You can also use raw materials that you would not even dream of in conventional cosmetics. My personal favourites are:
- Beans such as mung beans, adzuki beans, chick peas
- Cereals (grains) as oats
- Seeds and nuts such as sunflower seeds, almonds, quinoa
- Dry flowers such as marigold, rose, chamomile, viola
- Dried herbs such as rosemary, Alchemilla, raspberry leaf, burr, Mallow
- Dried roots such as marshmallow roots
- Seaweeds
So, you really have a lot of opportunities to grind different ingredients into your products. By combining different powders, you can create your own personalized cosmetics.
You can also combine ready-made powders such as various cosmetic clays, magnesium powders, salt, activated carbon and more with your own products.
You will also need oils and fluids to apply the powders on the skin
The final cosmetic product is ready for use only when you actually will use it and mix liquid with the powder. You can combine the prepared powder mixtures with the desired liquid. There are many alternatives just like powders. Below please find some liquids you can use, just as an example. There are so many possibilities other than listed here.
- Oils suitable for the face, such as sunflower oil
- Water
- Aloe Vera juice
- Yogurt
- Honey
- Vegetable milks such as almond milk
- Green tea
By combining different liquids in the powder, you will always get a new cosmetic product. You can change the liquids as you wish. By adding honey, you’ll get moisture on your skin, herbal milks nourish your skin, aloe vera moisturizes and heals minor skin damage. You can add a few drops of your favourite oil to the powder and add, say, green tea to achieve a pleasant composition. There are many options.
Here are some powdered cosmetics for you as an example
First, we are going to do a powdered cleansing product. For this, we need only few simple ingredients. This powder cleanser is very gentle and suitable for everyone’s skin.
You will need the following ingredients in a powdered face cleanser
- 10 teaspoons oats flakes, choose as fresh as possible, preferably non-steamed oats.
- 1 teaspoon of chamomile
- ¼ teaspoon of very fine sea salt
Grind all ingredients in the coffee grinder to a fine powder. Pack the product in a glass jar with a lid. Store in a dry place in order to protect from light. The product will remain good for about a year.
Use powdered face cleansing powder as follows:
- Apply cleansing oil to the face and massage gently for 1-2 minutes.
- Apply 1 teaspoon of face cleansing powder to your hand and mix with a little (about 1-2 teaspoons) of water.
- Mix the powder and water in your hand. Apply the paste to your skin.
- You will notice that the oil emulsifies into the paste. Gently massage the entire face so that all the oil is emulsified.
- Finally, wash your face with water
- You do not need any facial cream. Your skin will remain beautifully brightened and moisturized. This is the very best facial wash.
Powdered deodorant
Many people are interested in organic deodorant. Often, organic deodorants use baking soda that irritates the skin. I do not use any baking soda in this powder deodorant. Organic deodorants prevent the appearance of odour. They do not prevent sweating. Sweating is a natural function of the body that should not be prevented. Please bear in mind that almost all non-organic spay deodorants do contain aluminium powder to prevent sweating. I think this is not healthy at all. And at the other end, there is always a medical reason for abnormally increased sweating, a condition called hyperhidrosis that we cannot influence by using cosmetics products. A doctor’s visit should take place.
The product contains both kaolin and magnesium carbonate. Magnesium carbonate is really dusty so you should not use it without kaolin.
Recipe for powder deodorant preventing body odour
- 1 dl magnesium carbonate powder, available at stores selling diy-cosmetics accessories
- 1 tablespoon kaolin clay powder
- 1 teaspoon dried nettle
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried lavender
To make a powder deodorant:
- Grind nettle, lavender and sage to as fine dust as possible. Nettle’s stinging wires will burn even if the plant is dried. If the plant is not grinded small enough, the stinging wires will still survive. Therefore, it is particularly important that the powder is dusty. Nettle is one of the best deodorant herbs. Therefore, it is worth using it in deodorants.
- Carefully combine and mix all the powders and pack in a container with a lid
- Apply the powder deodorant with a powder puff to the armpits after a shower. Do not use any lotions underneath
- Always wash carefully the powder deodorant away from your skin in the evening. What is left on the skin begins to irritate sooner or later.
Powdered cosmetics gives a whole new perspective
When getting new ideas how to make powder cosmetics you can develop your own products. There are countless possibilities to design, create and make completely chemical-free cosmetics. Everything you do will be absolutely unique, designed and prepared by you!
Powder cosmetics is here to stay. It is an ecological alternative to conventional cosmetics. Dry, non-liquid products also make greener packaging possible. There will be no need for massive amounts of plastic bottles, cans other plastic packages in the future. Decomposing paper and cardboard will be back!
Have you already made powdered cosmetics yourself? Tell us about your experiences in the comment box!