Natural facial masks are easy to make, and you can find most ingredients in your fridge or in your kitchen cupboards. Fresh (ideally organic) vegetables, fruit, honey and oatmeal are affordable, natural and safe ingredients for homemade beauty products.
Use a homemade face pack just like you would a store-bought one: apply on cleansed skin and leave on for at least ten minutes – even 20-30 minutes if you wish, but those with sensitive skin may want to try just ten minutes first. Remove/wash away the mask and finish with a natural skin toner and a moisturizer, such as a homemade face oil. Make a fresh mask for each home beauty treatment.
Ingredients for Homemade Facial Masks
- mashed banana: good for dry skin or sensitive skin
- mashed avocado: use your overripe or leftover avocados to make a nourishing, moisturizing face mask for dry, dehydrated or aging skin.
- mashed strawberries: astringent and ideal as a face mask for oily skin
- mashed papaya pulp: also great for oily skin
- cucumber (slices): a cooling, cleansing and refreshing face mask for all skin types, perfect in the summer
- lemon juice: good for acne or oily skin – add a few drops of lemon juice to your oily skin face mask (for example mashed strawberries or mashed papaya). Lemon is astringent, antiseptic and mildly bleaching.
- natural yogurt: rejuvenating, softening and mildly bleaching – especially good for preventing or treating discolored skin on the neck. Use only natural live yogurt! Most milk products are softening and mildly whitening to the skin.
- porridge oats or finely ground oatmeal: gently exfoliating; an ideal addition to a homemade face scrub (especially for sensitive skin)
- honey: antiseptic, antibacterial, can help to reduce inflammation and stimulate wound healing; nourishes dry skin and fights blemishes on oily or combination skin, contains antioxidants and is good for all skin types
A Natural Face Mask Recipe for Most Skin Types:
I learned this cleansing, rejuvenating and very simple face mask on my aromatherapy course. It was recommended especially for combination skin, but you can use it on most skin types. You’ll need
- oatmeal/porridge oats
- honey
- natural live yogurt
Mix equal amounts of of finely ground oatmeal (or if you don’t have any, porridge oats work just fine) and natural live yogurt. Approximately a tablespoon of each is usually enough for one facial. Add a little bit of honey – just a teaspoonful or a few drops of runny honey. Mix well and apply on cleansed face. Leave on for at least ten minutes, wash off with warm water and remove any remains of the mask with a natural skin toner, such as rose water (ideal for sensitive skin or dry skin) or orange flower water.
Even natural ingredients can sensitise the skin, so always try a new product on a small patch of skin first. If your skin is sensitive, a patch test is especially important.
