Green Options › How To's › Homemade Face Masks And Skin Care

Homemade Face Masks And Skin Care

We all need stuff to clean ourselves.  And sure, there are plenty of eco-products you can buy off the shelves, ranging from soaps and body wash to natural skin care.  But if you're feeling crafty or if you really want to know exactly what your products are made of...trying making your own!

 

Recipes for Homemade Skin Care

There are a lot of great natural personal care products out there available on the shelves of your local health foods store, but sometimes it's nice to make your own stuff.

 

What are you making?

Ingredients

Directions

 

Homemade Face Masks

Yogurt and Honey Homemade Face Mask
  • Natural yogurt
  • Honey
  • Optional: lemon or lime juice

 

  1. Mix 1 tsp natural yogurt at room temp (plain or vanilla) with 1 tsp warm honey.
  2. For dry skin, add an extra teaspoon of honey.  For oily skin, try a few drops of lemon or lime juice.
  3. Apply to face.
  4. Leave on for 15 minutes.
  5. Wash face thoroughly.
Oily Skin Homemade Face Mask with Corn and Almond Meals
  • 3 tablespoons of corn meal and almond meal
  • 10 drops lavender
  • 5 drops bergamot
  • 3 drops of clary sage
  • Rosewater or orange flower water

Mix 3 tablespoons of white corn meal and almond meal (freshly ground raw almonds work best), add the essential oils.


Add just enough rosewater or orange flower water to make a wet paste. Using circular motions gently massage the mixture onto your face, avoiding the soft tissues under the eyes. Leave the mixture on for 5 to 15 minutes, then rinse off with warm water. Finish the treatment by splashing cold water on the your face to close your pores.

Banana and Honey Homemade Face Mask for Oily Skin
  • 1 very ripe banana
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Optional: orange or lemon juice

This homemade face mask is a great way to use up over ripe bananas (other than banana bread!) and you can keep the bananas in the freezer.

 

Mix your room temp banana in with the honey (add your citrus juice for kicks, if you like). Apply to your face.  Leave on for 15 minutes.  Wash with a warm wash cloth.

Avocado and Honey Moisturizing Homemade Mask
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 3 tbsp honey

To make this homemade face mask, mix the mashed avocado in with the warm honey.

 

Apply to your face. Leave on for 15 minutes. Wash with a warm wash cloth.

 

Great mask for dry skin! (And if you have extra, it can even be a moisturizing hair mask)

 

Homemade Face Scrubs And Cleansers

Facial Scrub With Orange Peel And Almond Paste
  • Orange peel
  • Almond paste
  • Barley meal (or oatmeal)
  • Green papaya
  1. Mix 1/2 tsp ground or zested orange peel, 1/2 tsp almond paste, 1/2 tsp barley meal (you could also use ground oatmeal), and 1 tsp green papaya paste (for a creamier variation, try avocado).
  2. Apply a small amount to you skin.
  3. Scrub gently.
  4. Use once a month for soft, silky skin!
Oatmeal Face Scrub
  • 2 Tbsp. ground oats
  • 2 tsp. brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. aloe vera
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice

Grind your oatmeal into a fine powder using a clean coffee grinder or blender.  Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until you have a smooth paste.  Massage onto damp skin.  Rinse with warm water.

 

Doubles as a great body exfoliating scrub!


Homemade Face Cream And Lotion

Dry Skin Moisturizing Cream
  •  4 fl. oz. almond oil
  •  3 fl. oz. rosewater
  •  1/2 oz. beeswax
  •  10 drops rose
  •  5 drops lavender
  •  4 drops bergamot
  •  8 drops patchouli
  •  8 drops sandalwood
Melt the wax and the almond oil in a double boiler. Decrease the heat and add the rosewater gradually in a thin stream while vigorously beating the mixture. As soon as the water is incorporated remove from heat. When the mixture cools and turns creamy, add the essential oils.
Face Moisturizer/ Cleanser for dry skin
  • 1 small container, preferably water-tight. Screw-on-tops work best (try an old hair gel tub)
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 5-10 drop Lavender Essential Oil
  • 5-10 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil

 

You can experiment with how much  of each essential oil you use to adjust the scent. Just don't use too much! Essential oils are like coconut oil: less it better.
 

1) Warm coconut oil until it melts. I usually soak my jar or tub of it in hot water for 10min.

 

2) Pour into container

 

3)  Add essential oils.

 

4) Close and shake to mix. Done!

 

5) Apply a small amount to your face. Too much oil on your skin is never good. (If you apply too much by accident, rub it off on the back of your (clean) hands and moisturize them!)

 

These essential oils are safe for use on most skin (in fact lavender is proven to promote healthy skin growth), and they're both mild anti-septics. That means if you get zits, or if you have mild acne, it can help keep your skin clear and heal any blemishes. The coconut oil moisturizes all day without feeling heavy or oily. Just don't apply too much - less is better in this case. Coconut oil lasts for a long time, and the essential oils smell good. The scent fades in 5-10 min, so they don't act like a perfume. If you try this recipe and don't like it, you can cook with the coconut oil or use it as an all-purpose moisturizer.

 

Homemade Face Mists

Normal Skin

Toning Facial Mist
  • Distilled water
  • 6 drops lavender
  • 1 drop clary sage
  • 1 drop chamomile
  • 4 drops lemon

Add the essential oils to 2 fluid ounces of distilled water.


Pour into a spray mister bottle. Essential oils and water will separate, so shake the bottle vigorously before spritzing this refreshing blend onto clean skin.

Sunburn Mist
  • Distilled water
  • 9 drops of lavender
  • 2 drops of peppermint
  • 1 drop of spearmint

Add the oils to 2 fluid ounces of distilled water.


Mist lightly over sunburned skin.

 

**Applying Pure Lavender Essential Oil to a mild burn, such as a burn from the stove or spilled coffee, is a great way to heal the burn.

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Green Options › How To's › Homemade Face Masks And Skin Care