Homemade Face Paint

I began looking for face paint recipes as a way to make some fun, for free, with household products.  Then I learned that The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics performed this test and 10 out of 10 children's face paints tested contained LEAD!  6 out of 10 also contained nickel, chromium, cobalt or a combination thereof.  Wow!  Another shocking reminder that cosmetics are NOT regulated in the U.S.A. 

Now I really had to make my own face paint!  There are quite a few recipes online.  We checked some out and then made our own version - as usual.  The colors turned out very bold and bright.

 

You can find what you need in your pantry: 1 cup shortening, 1/2 cup cornstarch, food coloring gels

 

Put cornstarch in a bowl and press out lumps.  Add the shortening and mix WELL.  You want a good, blended paste.  When it is nice and smooth, add 2-3 Tbs of water depending on the consistency you prefer.  Do not add the water until your paste is smooth or it may end up lumpy (my second, hurried batch was.)

 

Divide evenly into muffin tins and add a 'good squirt' of food coloring gel.  Yeah, real specific, ha ha.  See pic.  I just tried a bit, mixed and added more if necessary.

 

My handy helper had lots of fun getting involved.  He also kept tasting it!  He really thought I was making us a treat.  Add paint brushes, strip your child, and have fun!

 

We did this inside on a cold spring evening.  We put a mirror in the living room and started painting.  I started with a plan for LM to be a clown, but he wanted to paint his own face - and ours.  We let him be creative too!

 

My husband is never one to bother with details like paint brushes.  He dug in with his fingers.  Little Man had so much fun painting himself.

 

Some finished products:

:

It was a really fun family activity.  The paint goes on very smoothly.  I read on some cheer leading sites that similar recipes will dry/last given time and air.  My toddler has never been able to keep face paint on.  He can't resist touching it or accidentally rubbing against something.  Not that we'll ever be using anything but homemade again!

 

Soon after playing, it was bath time for the little guy.  It all washed right off of us without any marks/stains left behind.  Our clothes also seem unstained though we got very little on them to begin with.  (Miracle!)

Craft time: 15 minutes with a toddler helper (but that's part of the play!)
Play time: 30 minutes
Cost: FREE
Age: 24 mth

My only caveat: if you paint your child's head (as my husband did) their hair may be greasy for a couple of days and look like it has gel in it.  We had a hard time fully removing all of the shortening from his hair, but all of the color washed right out.  Not a big deal, but you may not want family photos scheduled.