With the cusp of summer upon us, it’s a great time to give your skin a nourishing, healthy boost with a handmade face mask.
While shop-bought face masks can be great, I’ve never had one that smelled as good as one I made at home myself.
As well as clearing and moisturising your skin, homemade masks are usually more economical.
While we’re not at the ‘staining our legs with teabags for lack of tights’ stage, DIY beauty is making a comeback in these cost-of-living-crisis times.
Here are a few recipes to try at home. Try to source organic ingredients if you can, and do a small skin test before applying on your whole face.
Try out a moisturising avocado oat mask. Photo: Kimia Zarifi/unsplash
Moisturising avocado oat mask
½ Avocado mashed
½ cup oats or oat bran
1 heaped tablespoon of honey
Mash and stir all the ingredients together, apply it to your face and wash off after 15 minutes. This will keep for three days in a sealed container in the fridge.
Yogurt Mask for dealing with pigmentation
1 heaped tablespoon of natural yogurt
1 heaped tablespoon of honey
1 heaped tablespoon of turmeric powder
Mix all the ingredients together and apply to the face. Leave on for up to 15 minutes then wash off.
Make sure to do a small skin test before applying on your whole face. Photo: Engin Akyurt/unsplash
For acne prone skin
2 tablespoons of Aloe Vera gel
2 drops of tea tree essential oil
1 egg white
Whip the egg white, add Aloe Vera and teatree oil. Apply gently with clean fingertips. Remove after 10 minutes.
This week Taryn is talking about face masks and details recipes to try at home. Photo: Katherine Hanlon/unsplash
Remove redness DIY SheetMask
½ cup strongly brewed green tea, cooled.
½ teaspoon of rosehip oil
You can make your own sheet mask using an old cotton pillowcase that you cut up, or by using strips of paper towel. Add the rosehip oil to the tea and soak the sheet or paper towel in the mixture. Apply for 10 minutes then rinse your face with water. Repeat twice a week for best effect.
Anti-aging mask
1 Banana
1 Heaped tablespoon of honey
1 teaspoon of rosewater
Mash the banana well then stir in the other ingredients. Leave on the face and neck for up to 30 minutes then remove and rinse with water.
The brightening potato mask can be used daily. Photo: Peter Schad/unsplash
Brightening Potato mask
1 Potato
1 Carrot
1 teaspoon of rosewater
Wash the carrot and potato well and finely grate them. Add rosewater to the mixture and stir well. Apply to the face and neck for up to 30 minutes then rinse off. Can be used daily.
Skin renewing mask
1 slice of ripe papaya
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Mash the papaya and add the lemon juice. Apply to the face and neck and allow the mixture to dry out. Remove after 20 minutes and rinse off your skin.
Exfoliating mask
2 tablespoons baking soda
1 tablespoon of honey
Juice of half a lemon
Mix ingredients together, leave on your face for 5 – 15 minutes and wash off with warm water.
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