DIY activated charcoal mascara

Every woman wants to look her best, and make-up helps. Over time, though, lashes can become sparser, duller and less lively. A homemade mascara can bring back their shine. It works much like the one you buy, but it is natural and treats your lashes kindly.

Ingredients

You need 0.25 g of Olivem 1000, 0.1 g of carnauba wax, 0.05 g of beeswax, 0.5 g of olive oil, 0.4 g of castor oil, 0.5 g of activated charcoal, 2.6 g of distilled water, 0.5 g of acacia gum, 0.05 g of vitamin E, 0.01 g of essential oil or flavour and 0.03 g of Cosgard preservative.

Oil phase

Before you start, wash and disinfect all tools and containers thoroughly so the mascara keeps longer. Weigh the Olivem 1000, a plant-based emulsifier that gives a stable emulsion that does not separate. Add carnauba wax, the hardest and highest melting of all waxes, for glossy, fuller lashes. Beeswax thickens the texture and helps it grip the lashes.

Then add olive oil to nourish and strengthen the lashes and castor oil, long loved for lash care. For colour, add activated charcoal ground into a very fine powder in advance.

Water phase

Pour the distilled water into a separate beaker and add the acacia gum. It binds the mix, makes the mascara longer wearing and helps it dry faster. Heat both phases in a water bath to 70 degrees, stirring, especially the water phase so the gum dissolves well. The temperature difference between the phases should not exceed 5 degrees when you combine them.

Combine the phases, blend thoroughly with a mixer and let the emulsion cool below 38 degrees. Add vitamin E, the essential oil or flavour and the preservative. Fill a cosmetic mascara tube. Another version is in our article on DIY natural mascara.

FAQ

What does carnauba wax do?

It gives the lashes a glossy shine and more volume.

What temperature should the phases reach?

70 degrees, with no more than 5 degrees between them.

When is the preservative added?

After the emulsion has cooled below 38 degrees.