How to Make Kajal

Every woman and girl love make-up and they use so many varieties of cosmetics to improve their appearance. Kajal is one such product which is applied around the eyes to make them more prominent. Different brands of ready-made kajal are available in the market, but one can not be sure what kind of ingredients were used to make them. Studies found that most commercial versions of kajal contain chemicals which are harmful to the eyes.

This instructable will guide you on how to make your own kajal at home using the traditional ingredients which are safer and even good for your eyes..

The main ingredients I have used here are :

Castor Oil

This is a vegetable oil made by pressing dried castor beans. The oil is yellowish in color and its derivatives are used in the manufacturing of soaps, lubricants, pharmaceuticals and perfumes. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties and keeps the eyes cool.

Sandalwood Powder

Sandalwood powder with other ingredients are used to make face mask which helps in keeping the skin soft and remove sun burns. You can make kajal without sandalwood powder also but this will help in formation of more soot.

A small piece of cotton cloth as wick

Here I have used a roll of bandage strip because it is pure cotton and also it is sterile.

We will make a wick using a small length of cotton bandage strip soaked in sandal wood powder + castor oil paste, burn it with castor oil, collect the soot and make a paste using few drops of castor oil.

• An oil burning lamp as shown in the picture. You can use a clay lamp or make do with anything available
• A metal container with a flat bottom. This will be half filled with water and placed over the lamp to collect soot
• Some arrangement to hold the container above the lamp. Here I have used a set of tumblers
• A small plastic or metal container with lid to mix and store kajal

• Take a teaspoon of sandalwood powder in a plate
• Make a small dip in the middle and add enough castor oil
• Mix well to make a paste

• Cut approximately 12" long strip from the bandage roll
• Soak the cloth in the sandalwood + castor oil paste
• Roll the strip to form a wick as shown in the picture

• Place the wick in the lamp as shown
• Add about 20 ml of castor oil in the lamp

• Add about one or two drops of castor oil at the bottom of the flat bottomed container
• Spread the oil evenly covering the entire bottom surface of the container
• Fill half of the container with water. This will help in absorbing the heat and prevent overheating the container.
• Place the container over the lamp with suitable arrangement so that there is enough gap between the lamp and container

• Light the wick. It is already soaked in oil, so it will burn properly and the soot will be deposited at the bottom of the container.
• Keep an eye on the water level in the container. Add some water if necessary
• Sometimes the soot may get deposited at the sides of the container. Using a small metal skewer, adjust the wick so that it burns inside the bottom area of the container

The lamp may burn for more than one hour, so be patient

• After an hour or so, the wick would have burned all the oil in the lamp and started to flame out
• Wait for the flame to completely die out
• Using a waste cloth, lift the container and empty the hot water in another bowl. Make sure you are not disturbing the soot at the bottom
• Place the container upside down and wait for it to cool down

You can see the soot collected at the bottom of the container in the last two pictures

Once the container is cooled down, you can collect the soot. Using a knife scrap down the soot on a clean paper. You can collect it from the bottom and sides also by scraping it down with the knife.

• Transfer the collected soot to a small plastic or metal container
• Add two to three drops of castor oil and mix well. You can use a reverse side of a match stick for this.
• Add more oil in drops as required. Each drop should be added after complete mixing.
• Take care that you are not adding too much oil which will make the kajal smudgy. Less oil will make a thicker paste and will be difficult to apply.
• Close the lid and store it with your cosmetics.

Any smudges on your hands can be washed away with soap

Many girls apply kajal with their fingers around their eyes. You can also use the reverse side of a match stick or an eye liner brush if you do not want to get your fingers smudged.

In our place, kajal is applied on the forehead and some times on the cheek of babies irrespective of male or female to ward off evil eye.