Shimmering Dusting Powder

This luxurious homemade dusting powder gives skin a soft & silky feel.

Use it straight from the shower or after applying body oil or whipped body butter for the smoothest skin you’ve ever had.

Plus it helps you keep cool, dry, and smelling-fresh all day – perfect year round, and especially in the heat & humidity of summer.

What’s in homemade shimmering dusting powder?

arrowroot powder (aka arrowroot flour) – Arrowroot is the base ingredient for this homemade dusting powder. It absorbs moisture, keeping you dry all day long. Plus it has a super fine silky texture that results in smooth, soft skin.

kaolin clay– Kaolin clay is a super fine, soft powder. Like most clays, it is excellent at absorbing moisture and odor. But unlike stronger clays, kaolin clay does not pull oil away from the skin, so it won’t cause dryness. Kaolin clay is even gentle enough for sensitive skin.

baking soda – Baking soda is a great deodorizer. (note: you can omit the baking soda, if you have a sensitivity to it.)

cocoa powder – Cocoa powder is used for coloring the dusting powder. Use less if you have pale skin, more if you have darker skin.

shimmering mica powder – for color and shimmer – it gives skin an incredible warm, healthy glow. Use less if you want a subtler dusting powder, use more if you want more of a bronzer.

essential oil – Not only are a essential oils are great natural way to scent the dusting powder, depending on which essential oils you use, they can also provide great therapeutic benefits. I used lavender, jasmine, and orange essential oils in my dusting powder. It has a lightly floral and slightly sweet scent that’s calming, uplifting, and energizing.

How to make homemade shimmering dusting powder using essential oils?

step 1: add 1/2 cup arrowroot powder to glass bowl

step 2: add 2 tablespoons baking soda and 2 tablespoons kaolin clay

step 3: add cocoa powder

adjust the amount of cocoa powder based on how dark you want the dusting powder. The more cocoa powder you use, the darker the dusting powder will be.

light –> use 1-2 teaspoons cocoa powder

medium –> use 1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder

dark –> use 3+ tablespoons cocoa powder

step 4: add 1/2 teaspoon of shimmering micas

I added 1/4 tsp shimmering pearl mica powder and 1/4 tsp metallic gold mica powder to mine. Depending on your skin tone and the colors you like, you can adjust your recipe. Here are a few shimmering mica colors that I think look really nice in this dusting powder:

pearl

gold

bronze

note: Be sure you use cosmetic-grade mica powder like the ones above. You don’t want to use art & crafts glitter as it can be damaging to skin.

step 5: stir to blend all ingredients well, until it’s one unified color

step 6: add 15-20 drops of essential oil, stirring well with a whisk as you add the essential oils. You don’t want the powder to clump. If you do end up with any clumps, break them up with your fingers.

I used …

5 drops jasmine essential oil

5 drops lavender essential oil

and

5 drops orange essential oil

other great essential oils to choose from are rose, ylang ylang, frankincense, sandalwood, cardamom, lemongrass, eucalyptus, and spearmint

step 7: use a funnel to pour into essential-oil-safe container made of glass, PET plastic (#1 on bottom), or HDPE plastic (#2 on bottom).

I like to use a glass spice jar with a shaker top (like this). I find that makes it really easy to shake out the dusting powder and apply it.

But Lush actually sells their shimmering dusting powder in a flip-top bottle (like this) and that’s also very easy to use. Simply flip it open and squeeze a little powder out into your hands.

Here’s the homemade dusting powder recipe one more time

1st stir dry ingredients together and mix well until everything is one unified color

1/2 cup arrowroot powder

2 tablespoons kaolin clay

2 tablespoons baking soda

1 tsp to 3+ Tbsp cocoa powder, depending on how dark you’d like the powder

1/2 teaspoon cosmetic mica powder (I used 1/4 tsp shimmering pearl mica powder and 1/4 tsp metallic gold mica powder in mine)

then add 15-20 drops of essential oil, stirring well with a whisk as you add the EOs to prevent clumps (I used 5 drops jasmine, 5 drops lavender, and 5 drops orange essential oil in mine)

note: if you live in a humid climate, you may want to add 1-2 Tbsp of uncooked rice to the powder to keep it from clumping in the bottle/jar. The rice won’t shake out, but will keep the powder clump-free.

How to use dusting powder

apply straight out of the shower to help keep you fresh all day
use after applying body oil or a whipped body butter – makes skin super soft and silky smooth
use to freshen up after you’ve gotten hot and sticky. The dusting powder will absorb the oils, sweat, and moisture, and leave your skin dry, silky smooth, and smelling a little fresher!
use when it’s hot & humid out to help prevent chafing, sweat marks, and odor

Where to get supplies?

arrowroot powder (aka arrowroot flour)

kaolin clay

baking soda (also grocery store & Costco)

cocoa powder (also grocery store)

shimmering mica powder

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