“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” - Hippocrates
Homemade facial masks, packs and scrubs have long been used to feed and revitalize the skin. In times past homemade cosmetics were fiddly to make, but today with a blender, they can be whipped up in no time at all. Especially these recipes as we have kept our promise of only providing you with remedies that contain common ingredients that you would normally have in your home.
Homemade facial masks don't have to be fancy, with tons of ingredients. Just placing mashed papaya on your face will leave the skin beautifully soft, as will just plain honey. Plain yogurt left on the face and washed off after 15 minutes also does the trick.
Fresh strawberries have always been a favorite of those who look after their skin the natural way. Simply mash together enough ripe strawberries to cover the face and neck, yes don't forget the neck!, and leave the eye area clear. Leave on for 20 minutes and then splash off with tepid water, followed by cold to tighten the pores.
If you have a particularly sensitive skin, then we recommend that you do a patch test first, before applying the mask, scrub or face pack to the whole face.
Fruit, Vegetables, Herbs & Nuts:
Dairy:
Oils:
Miscellaneous:
Another tip is that many face masks can be based on a homemade mayonnaise made from the following:
It is the malic acid in the apple cider vinegar that makes this an excellent ingredient for the skin. When using cold pressed vegetable oils you can choose from a number of oils, although olive oil has long been a favorite and is easily available. However, you can also use sweet almond oil, avocado oil, or peach kernel oil.
Place the egg yolk and and vinegar in a blender and blitz for a minute. Then with the blender running slowly add your oil in a steady stream. You can add a number of goodies to this basic skin food mask depending on your skin type and condition.
You will see that some of these natural remedies for different skin types use almond oil. This is an oil that you may not have in your pantries, however, you can make your own almond oil with the following recipe:
Homemade Almond Oil Recipe
Grind 1 oz. (25 g) of almond kernels in a coffee grinder. Mix with 1 pint (1/2 liter)bottled water. Leave to steep for 1 hour. Drip through coffee filter paper. Add 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and a few drops of Friar's Balsam*. Store in tightly sealed, dark colored bottles until needed.
* Friar's Balsam may not be in everyone's pantries. I do keep it in mine as it is excellent not just for chapped lips, small cuts and abrasions, but it is also good for bad coughs. I live in a cold climate where I get bronchitis from time to time irritated by my wood fire. Friar's Balsam is the only thing that brings me relief.
No matter what type of skin you have using a facial mask should be part of your beauty routine.
As a general rule egg yolk, honey, cream, powdered whole cream milk, avocado, and mashed banana all have enriching, soothing effects on the skin. Refining, stimulating, tightening substances include lemon juice, cucumber juice, egg white, tomato pulp or juice and strawberry pulp or juice.
Therefore, for a dry skin, you need to feed your skin with things like banana and avocado pear. Include a capsule of Vitamin E in the recipe for extra feeding. Dry skin also reponds well to yogurt and fruit masks, especially ripe peaches and apricots. One particularly good facial for dry skin is to mash a half of an avocado pear together with 2 tablespoons of organic honey, and an egg yolk.
Oily skins need just as much loving care. But here, instead of feeding, you need to use fruits that have astringent qualities. Mint, strawberries, oatmeal, tomatoes and strawberries all work well for oily skins, helping mop up any excess surface oils and refining the pores.
Aging skins have help with fennel. It has had a long reputation for softening wrinkles. Use it by chopping bruised fennel leaves and combining it with a little natural yogurt. Other herbs and vegetables that will help iron out those wrinkles are comfrey, cucumber, cowslip flowers, and honeysuckle bark which needs to be simmered in a little water or olive oil in a double boiler before using.
If you have an oily skin, you may well have pimples or even acne. No one likes to have pimples, or acne, but these often go hand in hand with an oily skin. One of the best ways of getting rid of pimples overnight is to dab lemon juice directly on the pimple.
Facials for oily skin help dry out the skin as well as purify it.
Binding agents for oily skin facial care should be:
Don't use honey or egg yolk. Adding a teaspoon of lemon juice to your recipes is useful because it works as an astringent. So does adding 1/2 a teaspoon apple cider vinegar.
A fantastic homemade facial mask for oily skin is parsley honey. Take 3 1/2 ounces (100g) parsley and 2 teaspoons thick honey. Wash and remove the stalks from the parsley and chop finely. Pound the parsley in a mortar until it is moist. Add this to the honey. Keep mixture in a jar in the fridge. When needed spread evenly over the skin. Let the facial sit on your face for 20-30 minutes before sponging off with warm water.
Here are some more facial mask recipes for an oily skin!
© Benis Arapovic | Dreamstime.com
Put all ingredients into a blender until mixed to a thick cream. Spread over skin. Lie down and leave for 15 minutes. Remove with tepid water. Pat dry and apply a gentle moisturizer.
Peel the cucumber and extract the juice. Add the lemon juice. Whip the egg white until stiff and add the cucumber mixture. Place on face for 20 minutes and rinse.
Lightly whisk the egg white and fold in the lemon juice. Spread over dry skin, avoiding eye area, and leave on the face for 20 minutes. Rinse off well with tepid water.
Boil or microwave the oatmeal and water to form a thick porridge. Cool to body temperature and add the lemon juice. Stir well and apply to face. Leave for 15 minutes and then rinse off with tepid water.
Dry skin needs a lot of feeding and nourishment. If not, it tends to wrinkle a lot quicker. So you really need to take special care of this skin type. One of the easiest ways of combating dry skin is to add a teaspoon or two of olive oil or almond oil to your bath water.
Good homemade facial masks for dry skin include:
Best binders:
Best Fruit for Dry Skins:
However, with the following face packs and masks your skin will feel lovely and soft, and plump once more.
Blend half a cup of the oil with the remaining ingredients. Whip until thick. Pour in the rest of the oil into the mixture in a steady stream beating all the time. Use mixture on the face when needed, and place in the fridge afterwards until the next time.
Soak the apricots in the milk overnight. Remove from the liquid and mash well. Add the oil, honey and cider vinegar and apply. Leave for 20 minutes and rinse.
Whisk up the egg white and then, with an old eye dropper, add 4 drops of olive oil. Spread over clean, dry skin and leave for 20 minutes. Rinse off with tepid or warm water.
Mash the finely grated apple together with the cream. Add the honey and the oatmeal and apply for 20 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.
Beat all the ingredients together until you have a really smooth cream. Apply liberally over your face. Leave for 30 minutes. Remove with tepid water and cotton wool.
Beat the egg yolk into the oil, then blend in the honey. Apply for 20 minutes and then rinse.
Place the avocado pear in the blender and pulse until mashed. Add the honey. Blitz again. Then finally add the egg. Blend to a smooth cream. Pat on the face, leave for 20 minutes and then remove with warm milk on cotton wool.
Mix together, apply to face and leave for 20 minutes to soothe the skin. Rinse off with tepid water.
Mix well together, smooth over the face and massage gently. Leave for 20 minute and then rinse off with warm water.
When you get to a certain age, unfortunately the inevitable happens. The skin looses its firmness, sags start to appear, crows feet and laughter lines deepen, and wrinkles appear overnight. Here are some remedies for those who have a mature skin.
There are some simple methods of ironing out those wrinkles and lines. Cucumber juice is one of them. Just apply straight on the face and allow to dry before rinsing.
Finely grate potato and mix with enough cream to make a paste. Smooth over face and leave for 20 minutes. Wash off with milk or water.
Beat together thoroughly until well blended. Apply to clean skin and allow to dry for at least 20 minutes before removing as usual. Although this tightens the skin beautifully the effect only lasts a few hours.This home facial is also good for tightening the neck and throat, areas that are so often forgotten about.
In a blender grind the oatmeal to a fine powder. Add all the other ingredients and blend to a thick cream. Leave on the face for 20 minutes before rinsing off with warm water, milk or cream on cotton wool.
Finely chop ivy leaves, cover with boiling water, simmer for 10 minutes. Mix into a thick mash and allow to cool. When still warm, apply to face and leave for 15 minutes. Wash off with warm water and then splash the face with cold water and gently pat dry.
Of course with home facials you can also pamper yourself with some wonderful steam facials. Steam encourages the pores to open up and push out the dirt and impurities that would otherwise build up and cause blemishes. There are some wonderful herbs that can be used here for the different skin types.
How to Use Herbs for a Steam Facial:
Pour boiling water over the herbs, lean over the bowl and cover the bowl and your head with a bath towel thereby trapping the steam and allowing it to do its thing. Allow the steam facial to work for 10 minutes before blotting your face dry and then applying a homemade moisturizing cream.
Although each of these recipes contains gentle ingredients, and these face masks are tried and tested, it is always wise to try a patch of skin first as a test, particularly if you have a sensitive skin or have a history of allergies.
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