DIY Face Masks

DIY Face Masks

Ahh, face masks! A widely adored part of your beauty regime that takes place around once a week. This practice is one of the more favourable steps within skincare as it is associated with relaxation. For me, it’s a killing two birds with one stone kinda thing. I love popping on a face mask whilst watching Netflix or even whilst cleaning, I get this weird satisfaction of being double efficient - with the former being the obvious choice (it’s the little things)!

For this blog, I thought it would be fun to add a little spin to the common task of face mask(ing). With the help of some generous folks lending me their faces –  – I’ve compiled 5 case studies of DIY face masks that most could make right now from their own kitchen! I’ve attempted to use common ingredients that you wouldn’t need to go out of your way to buy. This is a cost effective way to treat yourself. I personally love that all the ingredients are natural, ‘cause if they are good enough to go inside your body then they sure as heck get the green light for going on it. [Disclosure: I am not promising it’s not going to be messy!]

 

Green Tea & Sugar: Detoxifies & Revitalizes

1 Green Tea Bag

2-3 Spoonfuls of Sugar

Once the kettle was boiled, I poured the water into a mug that would just cover the teabag. I allowed this to brew for 2 minutes. As a result of the small volume, the water cooled down within 5 minutes to a temperature that was comfortable to apply on the face. Having originally placed the spoonful of sugar directly in the tea, I noticed that the particles more or less disappeared. To allow for the right consistency I kept the sugar on the spoon and allowed the sugar to absorb the tea. I then scooped the sugar directly from the spoon and spread it over the face. This one was a little sticky when on skin, but other than that it was again pretty much weightless. Side note, this one is actually quite tasty!

Verdict: When washing off, the sugar gave the skin a detoxing scrub. This exfoliator wasn’t noticeably rough but harsh enough to erase dead skin. This one in particular cleaned out pores well, with the biggest improved area being round the nose. This sugary mask is one to revitalize your face and give it the rush it needs.

 

Coffee & Oil: Exfoliating & Evening

2 Scoops of Instant Coffee
1 Drop of an Essential Oil 

 

I must admit I’ve always been intrigued to try a coffee facemask as they seemed to be all over Instagram last year. I researched and found that coffee’s caffeine properties are not exclusive to working inside your body but on your skin too, when activated. I chose to mix instant coffee with a natural oil (in this case I used Rosehip as it was the one I had to hand) in a pestle and mortar. Once grinded down to a grainy paste, placed it onto my face. I must admit, I didn’t feel too relaxed during this one as I don’t like the smell of coffee however, for those that do I’m sure you will love it! After 15 minutes I used luke-warm water to rub the mask onto my skin in circular motions. This acted as an exfoliator which I then completely washed off after 10 seconds.

Verdict: I was thrilled with the result! The coffee really deep cleaned my skin as the texture of it allowed for a harsher scrub that I was used too. This was counterbalanced with the Rosehip Oil as the oil was able to hydrate my skin simultaneously. My baby soft skin was also clearer than usual as the redness of some acne had reduced. If this is what caffeine does to skin then start me off with a shot every morning!  

 

Honey & Yogurt: Gorgeous Glow

1 Tsp of Natural Honey

½ Tsp of Natural Greek Yogurt

 

When mixing this one up, I had an annoying urge to eat it rather than apply it to my skin (willpower and all that!). I would definitely recommend having more of the honey than the yogurt as I found the yogurt to be a little too runny! This one was also a lot easier to make than the above, I simply mixed the two ingredients together using a spoon and a bowl. When applying this to my skin I was pleasantly surprised at how soft the texture was against my skin. Due to its weightless consistency and its light scent, I forgot I even had this facemask on. This one has a tick of approval for those bath and candle evenings.

Verdict: As expected, this was super easy to wash off. My face felt as though it was being washed with a creamy cleansing product. Once my face was dry it, felt significantly smoother and clean. I was doubly impressed when I looked in the mirror, my skin had a genuine glow!

 

Avocado & Oil: Skin Cleansing & Softening

¼ Avocado

2 Drops of Oil

Dash of Water

 

This one was another difficult one to mix together, and after several attempts to mash the avocado, I once again resorted to the pestle and mortar. As before, I mixed this with Rosehip Oil however I did also include a dash of water due to the thickness of the consistency. Still, even with impressive grinding, the texture remained quite lumpy and a bit off-putting for those easily grossed out so probably best to give this one a miss if avocados provoke your gag reflexes! Despite not being a lover of avocado, she admitted to there being little or no scent – great news for those that feel trapped in the vast array of floral scents when it comes to skincare. 

Verdict: This was super easy to get off and left no lingering scents, therefore a great option if you are using a face mask post shower. Once the face mask was off, it was noted that nose pores seemed to be visibly opened and thus to follow up with a toner is recommended with this mask. This one receives full marks for producing baby soft and clean skin.

 

Banana & Yogurt: Evens Skin Tone

½ Banana

1 Spoonful of Natural Greek Yogurt.

 

The banana was easy to mash, however seemed a little tacky so required more yogurt than the honey mask to mix with. Like the avocado face mask, this one was lumpy in its texture. Thanks to the yogurt component and the mushy-ness of the banana (how else can you describe the texture?) the mask felt like a moisturizer during application. 

Verdict: The mask emulsified into a smooth and creamy consistency allowing it to virtually slide on the face. There was still a light smell of banana even when rinsed off, however, skin felt smooth and refreshed. It also slightly evened out skin tone.

 

One thing I realized when conducting this experiment is that there are little or no barriers to giving your skin well-deserved TLC. I will personally be doing these face masks in future, making sure to apply them before the shower. I hope you have as much fun as I did giving these a try!