Face masks are the perfect beauty treatment that anybody looking to get their glow on can do in the comfort of their own home. While branded commercial masks are amazing in their own right, a skin nourishing face mask is just a few ingredients away, with the added bonus of extra potency from fresh ingredients!
Before you mask:
To ensure that your mask works, whether homemade or store-bought, here are a few simple rules to get the most out of skin nourishing ingredients:
1. Start with a clean face. Wash and tone so that your skin and pores are thoroughly prepped to absorb what’s coming next. Dirt, makeup, oil and grime won’t allow as much nutrients to be absorbed into your skin.
2. Don’t forget your décolletage. When it comes to face masking, don’t forget your neck and chest area. Your neck is known as your ‘second face’ and ages similarly. These areas should be cared for and treated the same way you would for your face.
3. Don’t box yourself into 1 skin type. While your skin has a general disposition, know that your skin can and does change. On most days you could be have oily skin, on other days it could be sensitive or dry.
With that said, homemade facemasks can work for any skin type, it’s about targeting a particular skin concern at a given time.
4. Make time to mask. Face masking is a time for self-care and it’s all the more enjoyable when you treat it as such. As you will spend 10-30 minutes masking, make this beauty ritual worthwhile as the mask sits on your face working its magic. Tie your hair up and do some yoga, pop on your favorite guided meditation, sip your green juice and look outside your window, journal, or even just sit and enjoy a moment of silence. Multi-tasking while masking is your time, so do whatever you want to make it a beauty treatment you look forward to.
All of the below face mask recipes can be made with ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen. You’ll find the same ingredients used in various recipes, but if you’re lacking any, you can easily find them in your health foods store to add to your arsenal.
Simply whisk all the ingredients together and apply with either your hands or a brush (an old foundation brush works well), et viola! An easy, all-natural at-home mini face spa.
Oily Skin:
• Skin Clarifying Facemask:
Let your glowing complexion shine through underneath red congested skin with this soothing and pore cleansing face mask. Aloe Vera soothes red and irritated skin while the avocado acts as the perfect moisturizer (oily skin needs moisture too). The lemon juice brings everything together while providing gentle exfoliation and brightening from its high vitamin C
o 1 tablespoon aloe vera
o ½ avocado, mashed
o 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Green Goddess Mattifying Mask:
Go from oily to dewy with this mattifying face mask. The apple cider vinegar works perfectly with the bentonite clay to absorb oil, decongest pores and clarify your skin, while the spirulina alkalizes and provides deep nourishment thanks to its high chlorophyll content.
o 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
o 1 tablespoon bentonite clay
o ¼ teaspoon spirulina powder
• Deep Moisture Face Mask:
Replenish precious moisture with the help of avocados which are chock full of skin-plumping essential fatty acids. This mask addresses flakey skin with the humectant and skin smoothening properties of honey. The ground oatmeal adds an extra soothing benefit, especially if you have dry, red and flakey skin.
o ½ avocado, mashed
o 1 teaspoon honey
o 2 tablespoons oat powder (blend oatmeal or run in a food processor)
• Skin-Soothing Facemask
Give sensitized skin a healing dose of nutrition. This mask is especially beneficial for sun-damaged skin, as the oats, yogurt, aloe vera and honey all work synergistically to soothe redness, fight bacteria, and replenish lost moisture.
o 2 tablespoons oat powder
o 1 tablespoon organic yogurt
o 1 tablespoon Aloe Vera
o 1 teaspoon honey
Combination Skin
• Balancing Facemask
Bring some harmony back into your complexion with the help of skin-clearing bentonite clay, antibacterial honey, and oil-balancing olive oil.
o 1 tablespoon Bentonite clay
o 1 teaspoon honey mixed with 1 teaspoon of water
o 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Brightening sugar mask
We especially love this facemask as it doubles as an exfoliator when you wash it off. The sugar acts as a humectant and exfoliator, while the coconut oil adds another layer of moisture and anti-bacterial properties. The lemon juice gives a gentle dimension of exfoliation as the vitamin C brightens and exfoliates the skin.
o 2 tablespoons sugar (quickly pulse it in a food processor for smaller granules as it’s gentler on the skin)
o 1 tablespoon lemon juice
o ½ teaspoon coconut oil
Follow up your face mask with more all-natural nutrition for your skin with our antioxidant rich Skin Bright Vitamin C Serum. It helps to restore a youthful glow and speeds up new cell regeneration & accelerates the production of collagen and elastin.
