One of our most-loved weekend nécessités, face masks are pretty much a weekly ritual around here. They wash away impurities from a non-stop week on the go, and prep your skin for what’s ahead. They moisturize, revitalize, and exfoliate. And they’re totally relaxing.
We can wax poetic all day about face masks, but the point is we’re obsessed. And while we have our favorite go-to brands (and types), we also love making them with fresh ingredients at home. Homemade face masks are all-natural, they give your skin a healthy boost of nutrients, and most of these recipes have been passed down for generations. Plus they’re super simple to make with the stuff you already have in your fridge, which means you don’t even have the leave the comforts of your home.
For Dry Skin
Oats are queen when it comes to dry skin types. According to beauty experts, oats have healing and moisturizing properties and work to hydrate, calm and soothe. Mix a handful of oats with half an avocado and one tablespoon of honey to get complexion perfection. The honey helps skin retain moisture, reverse the appearance of scars, and helps with tissue regeneration; while the avocado leaves your skin silky-smooth. You can also mix in milk (which contains lactic acid) to gently brighten and exfoliate sans irritation.
For Acne-Prone Skin
If you experience mild to moderate acne, a banana mask is just what the doctor ordered. Mash a banana and mix with a half teaspoon of baking soda and half teaspoon turmeric powder. Since bananas are loaded with vitamin A, they help promote skin-cell turnover, while the turmeric powder fights off any acne-causing bacteria, and the baking soda absorbs the excess oil. It’s a truly powerful concoction to banish breakouts.
For Oily Skin
We’re back at it with the oats again, but this time mixing in lemon to help battle shiny skin. Mix together half a cup cooked oatmeal (wait for it to cool though!), one egg, and one tablespoon lemon juice, and leave on skin for 20 minutes. The alpha-hydroxy acids in the lemon juice work to remove excess oil and dead skin cells, the oatmeal calms any redness and soothes the skin, while the egg holds everything together.
For Dull Skin
If you’re looking to brighten and revitalize skin, opt for this papaya mask mixture. To create it, simply blend together one tablespoon of honey, one whipped egg white, and a half-cup of mashed papaya. The enzymes in papaya are a natural exfoliator, so it works to slough off dead skin cells, the honey brightens skin, and the egg white binds the mask together.
For Sensitive Skin
If your skin is a bit more finicky, we suggest using a yogurt mask to keep it in check. Mix together one tablespoon yogurt, one teaspoon honey, and teaspoon cocoa powder for a calming mask meant for sensitive skin types. Yogurt is rich in probiotics and soothing skin proteins, the flavanols found in cocoa powder calm skin irritation, while the honey works to tighten.
