DIY Face Paint for a Healthier Halloween

Halloween is almost upon us! My family can hardly wait for the holiday fun, and to choose their costumes. In anticipation of the big day, I tried a recipe for nontoxic DIY face paint, to avoid the worrisome toxicants that are often found in conventional paints, such as lead, nickel, cobalt, and chromium. I was happy to find that the recipe was easy, fast, and effective - overall, a great alternative to conventional varieties. Also, it's a great Halloween activity that the entire family can participate in!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 TBSP cornstarch
1/4 TBSP all purpose flour
2 TBSP Honey
1/2 TBSP Water
Natural food coloring (seek nontoxic products on Amazon, or use household food items that can act as natural dyes)

For the first step, mix the cornstarch and flour in a bowl. Add the honey and water to your mixture. It should create a thick, gluey substance that resembles a paste. If the paint is too thin, add more cornstarch and flour. If too thick, add extra water.

Divide the mixture into separate bowls, and add your coloring. I used turmeric for yellow, and paprika for red. Both colors were rich and dark.

For blue and green, I used a natural food dye that I purchased on Amazon. For ivory, no food coloring is needed!

The paint is a bit more thick and gooey than conventional face paints, but the colors came out beautifully and stayed on for hours! My favorite colors were the red and yellow; it excited me to make them with spices, and they were easier to fully wash off than the colors made with food dyes.

Although the paint dries fairly well, the honey component makes the paint a little sticky to the touch. So, while my paint didn't smudge (in that way, it worked even better than some conventional face paints I have used), avoid touching the paint once it is applied.

Since substances can be absorbed through the skin, this recipe isn't suitable for people with gluten allergies. It would be a great experiment to try with gluten-free flours!