Custom DIY Foundation Powder (Just 6 Ingredients!)

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You know how life throws you lemons, yet it’s what you do with them that matters? Well, DIY foundation powder is my lemonade! We caught the lemons for the first time many years ago in the form of eight months of unemployment for my husband. Lo and behold, during that time, I ran out of my beloved mineral foundation powder. Eep! What was a natural girl to do?

Seriously. I recall a quick moment of dread because our income went from comfortable to zero in literally an instant (read more here). Therefore, spending over $25 for a jar of natural foundation powder seemed downright crazy. Instead, I turned to my mindset practices and took a deep breath and asked myself, “how do I solve this problem?” Just like that, a light bulb popped in my head and flashed “DIY.”

[This post contains affiliate links to make it easy to purchase items mentioned. Your pricing stays the same. See my full disclosure here.]

DIY Foundation Powder That Works

Thanks to Pinterest and now TikTok, Do-It-Yourself is certainly gaining popularity in the health and beauty worlds, so I was able to find lots of DIY foundation powder recipes. But did they work?

Seeing that most of the recipes contained spices straight from the pantry, I was skeptical. After several months of testing, trialing and mixing, a blend was conceived that I think you will love!

The natural ingredients include…

• Bentonite clay –  This wonderful, healing clay absorbs excess oil from your skin and gives the DIY foundation powder a nice matte finish. I share more about bentonite clay and its uses in my Homemade Tooth Powder Recipe.

• Arrowroot powder – If you are an allergen-friendly baker like me, you most likely have arrowroot powder in your pantry. If not, don’t panic, you can use corn starch too. However, be sure to use a non-GMOgmo corn starch.

NOTE: In most baking recipes, you can substitute tapioca flour (or starch) for arrowroot powder, however in this DIY foundation powder recipe, only arrowroot powder is recommended.

• Pantry spices – This is where the magic happens and you get to make your own CUSTOM color! A little fair-trade cocoa powder for warmth, nutmeg for depth, ginger for golden tones. It’s SO fun! These simple ingredients also give your face a nice warm scent. I remember thinking I smelled like a fresh-baked cookie the first time I used it. And who doesn’t want to smell like a cookie!? 🙂

NOTE:  Some people react to cinnamon. If you are sensitive to cinnamon on skin, please OMIT this ingredient. The DIY foundation powder recipe will work fine without it. If you are unsure if you react, simply test it by putting the finished powder (or just cinnamon) on the inside of your wrist for a few minutes to ensure no reaction occurs.

• Essential oils – Just five drops of lavender essential oil in this recipe helps the powder bind and stay on your skin, yet allows it to still be in loose powder form.

Essential Oil Caution

If you read my post about homemade tooth powder, you know that I’m very cautious about where to buy essential oils. When purchasing oils, be sure to verify the source, methods of farming and distillation process. Since I’m all about keeping the toxins out, the last thing I want to add to my beauty products is concentrated toxins. Even the big brands are not exactly what they say they are due to deceptive marketing practices.

A high-quality source that I recommend is Stillpoint Aromatics. These oils are organic, biodynamically farmed, and NOT mass-produced. Visit their site to read their story. You will see exactly why the purist in me enjoys supporting this transparent business.

What Happens If My Face Gets Wet?

Nothing happens when your face gets wet. Yay!

Maybe it’s just me, but this was the first question that popped into my head when I whipped up my very first batch of DIY foundation powder using bentonite clay. I had horrible visions swirling in my head of walking around town after a little rain where I looked like an artistic rendering of the famous painting by Edvard Munch, The Scream. Ha ha! Luckily, this doesn’t happen! I promise.

I’ve been wearing this foundation powder for about 6 years enduring vigorous weather conditions like rain, snow and wind with no smears or smudges. My friend who is a certified Yogi was skeptical so she gave this recipe a thorough test during several intense, yoga classes. This powder withstood the sweat!

The bottom line… This DIY foundation powder stands up to rigorous exercise and various weather conditions. Woot, woot!

Custom Foundation Powder for Different Seasons

It can be quite FUN whipping up a custom batch of DIY foundation powder! It’s like being an artist, mixing your own color combination that’s unique to your skin tone.

One of my favorite benefits of custom foundation powder is that you can easily change the recipe once the seasons change. Yep, you don’t have to go out and buy a brand new foundation for Summer anymore! This is a huge money saver too. You simply use your existing powder–no need to make a new batch unless you run out.

TO DEEPEN: To slightly deepen the shade for that summer tan, add a little bit more of the warming cocoa powder and nutmeg to your existing make-up jar or buy a glass cosmetic jar here.

TO LIGHTEN: In winter, if you still have some of your summer/fall blend leftover and you want the foundation a little lighter again, simply add more arrowroot (or cornstarch). Easy-peasy, right?

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! I’ve been using it for more than 6 years (learn about my holistic wellness journey here). The DIY Foundation Powder is versatile, inexpensive, non-toxic, easy-to-make and FUN! 

Once you try it, I would love to hear about your experience below!

Peace and Love,

♥Jennifer