Introduction
DIY face masks are completely natural cosmetic recipes, to be carried out comfortably at home, quickly, easily and at low cost.
Clay masks
DIY clay face masks are very simple to prepare, much more than you might think.
Many women (and also many men) make an appointment with the beautician for a clay mask, mistakenly believing that much experience is needed to carry out such a beauty treatment. In reality, the recipe for a clay mask is rather immediate: the clay is easily found in herbal medicine, perfumery or in specialized shops. The biggest obstacle, in these cases, is not so much the preparation of the mask itself, but rather the choice of the most suitable type of clay for your skin type.
For example, while sensitive skin requires delicate clays (white clay), useful for soothing and softening the skin, acne-prone skin can be improved with green clay masks. Otherwise, a dull face skin needs to be toned and revitalized: for this purpose, the pink clay DIY masks are the most appropriate.
At this point, after identifying the most suitable type of clay, you can proceed with the preparation of the DIY mask.
Below are two examples of recipes for preparing different DIY clay facial masks.
Anti-acne clay mask
As mentioned, green clay is the most suitable for acne-prone skin. However, even the red clay is able to exert a dermo-purifying action, but more delicate than the green one.
In this recipe, the creation of a do-it-yourself anti-acne mask with red clay is proposed.
Ingredients
- 30 g of red clay, about a tablespoon (anti-acne and dermo-purifying properties)
- 2 teaspoons of oatmeal (exfoliating properties)
- 3 tablespoons of rose water (astringent properties)
- 1 drop of essential rose oil (antiseptic and aromatic properties)
- 1 drop of essential oil of incense (antimicrobial, stimulating and revitalizing properties. Furthermore, the essence is used as a natural healing and immunostimulant)
- 1 drop of essential oil of bitter orange (flavoring, antiseptic and stimulating properties of the microcirculation)
Preparation
- Mix rather vigorously clay and oatmeal. Add the rose water and mix everything until you obtain a homogeneous mixture.
- Next, add the other ingredients one by one, stirring constantly.
Spread the mixture on the skin of the face, avoiding spreading the mask on the lips and around the eyes.
- Lie down and relax for 15 minutes.
- Remove the DIY mask with warm water and apply a specific acne cream.
Clay mask for dry, sensitive and tired skin
This recipe proposes the use of white clay, the most delicate of all the various types of clay.
Ingredients
- 30 g approx. of white clay
- 3 tablespoons of orange blossom water (skin toning and regenerating activity)
- 1 teaspoon of liquid jojoba wax (antioxidant, emollient, sun protective properties)
- 2 drops of chamomile essence (antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and soothing properties)
- 2 drops of orange essential oil (flavoring, tonic, antiseptic and stimulating properties of the microcirculation)
Preparation
- In a plastic or ceramic container (avoid the metal ones) add the orange blossom water to the clay, and mix well until a dense mass is obtained.
- Then, slowly add all the other ingredients, one at a time, continuing to stir.
- Spread the DIY mask on face and neck, avoiding lips and eye area.
Leave for 15 minutes.
- Rinse with warm water and, after drying the face, apply a specific tonic and / or cream for sensitive skin.
Exfoliating mask
The emollient and antioxidant action of honey can be combined with gently abrasive substances such as potato starch or oatmeal to obtain a do-it-yourself facial mask with an exfoliating action.
It is possible to add a few drops of lemon juice to strengthen the abrasive action (given by the malic acid contained in the lemon) of the face mask.
To prepare this beauty product, simply mix a tablespoon of potato starch (or oatmeal if you want a more vigorous action), 1 tablespoon of honey and a little lemon juice, in the right amount until obtain a soft and spreadable mixture.
Apply the product on cleansed and dry skin with circular movements (to favor the exfoliating action); leave on for about ten minutes. After the necessary time, gently remove with lukewarm water.
Refreshing mask
The cucumber DIY masks, also very easy to prepare, are refreshing and purifying . The cucumber is, in fact, a vegetable used since ancient times to thoroughly purify imperfect and oily skins, giving a pleasant sensation of freshness. The cucumber pulp goes perfectly with white clay and white yogurt. The DIY cucumber face mask can be enriched with mint essential oil or pieces of mint leaves.
Let's see how the two cucumber masks are prepared.
Cucumber mask and white clay
To prepare a refreshing and calming DIY mask, suitable for all skin types, proceed as follows:
- Blend the pulp of a cucumber together with about twenty mint leaves. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes before filtering everything.
- After this time, mix the filtrate with a spoon of white clay, until it forms a viscous and sticky cream of the right density.
- Apply and leave on for 10-15 minutes. Then rinse with water.
This DIY face mask is recommended for refreshing the skin after a stressful and tiring day.
Cucumber and yogurt mask
When white clay is not available, the cucumber mask can be prepared using plain yogurt instead of clay.
In this case, however, the cucumber pulp blended with the mint leaves forms a rather fluid mixture: applying it directly to the skin, this "mask" would drip because it is too liquid. To form a thick cream, it is therefore necessary to add a little white flour or - if you also want to take advantage of the exfoliating effect - oat or spelled flour.
Fruit masks
The pureed or reduced pulp fruit can soon be transformed into a great DIY mask with an energizing, toning, moisturizing, smoothing and stimulating action .
Fruits such as peaches, bananas and apricots are particularly rich in sugars and, for this reason, they are suitable for preparing DIY masks with a softening and moisturizing action .
Homemade fruit masks also boast remineralizing properties : we recall, in fact, that minerals such as zinc, selenium and potassium abound in many fruits. Not to mention, then, the concentration of vitamins (especially ascorbic acid) in fruit, especially in citrus fruits.
Anti-age mask
A do-it-yourself face mask made by combining yogurt, honey and olive oil is the ideal recipe to soften and nourish dry, chapped and mature skins, because:
- Honey softens the skin, makes it more elastic and firm: it is an active ingredient particularly suitable for preparing DIY face masks with an emollient, restorative and antioxidant action.
- Yogurt - excellent base for creating DIY face masks - tones the skin leaving a pleasantly refreshing sensation. Yogurt tends to be rather fluid, therefore it is often combined with a part of flour (or starch) that makes the compound more dense and easily spreadable.
- Olive oil, exerting anti-wrinkle, sebum-restoring, nourishing and protective properties, proves to be an excellent natural ingredient (readily available) to prepare DIY masks with anti-aging and anti-wrinkle action.
Pumpkin mask
Do-it-yourself pumpkin face masks are suitable for moisturizing, smoothing and purifying the skin in depth.
The preparation of this natural facial treatment is very simple:
- After having steamed (or baked) pumpkin and seeds, crush a part of the pulp, mixing it with a part of its seeds and a spoonful of honey.
- Apply the mixture to the face and leave on for 10-15 minutes, then rinse.
After applying this mask, the facial skin appears visibly cleaner and hydrated. Pumpkin masks are an ideal natural remedy even against sunburn.
Egg white and lemon mask
DIY face masks with egg white and lemon juice are very useful to exert a purifying and regenerating effect on the skin. The preparation method is simple:
- Separate the egg white from the yolk of an egg and - with the help of a fork - beat the egg white until it is "foamy".
- Then add the lemon juice to the beaten egg white. Continue to mount the mixture until a foam is obtained.
- Apply the mixture so obtained on the face and leave for 15 minutes. After this time, rinse well with warm water.
The egg yolk, on the other hand, is mainly used in making DIY face masks with a nourishing action, in which it is often mixed with honey, olive oil and lemon juice.
Conclusions
Those just described are just some of the countless examples of face masks you can easily prepare at home.
Depending on the type of skin and the imperfection to be restored, one can have fun (and relax) in conceiving small, completely natural and beneficial cosmetic creations for the body and mind.
The only recommendation is to use caution in adding essential oils to clay, yogurt or fruit: the essences, in fact, if used in excessive quantities, can sensitize the skin and transform DIY face masks into terrible irritating preparations.
Clearly, those who are allergic to essential oils should avoid embellishing DIY face masks with essences. At the same time, in case of allergy to any of the ingredients present in the aforementioned recipes, these products should not be added to do-it-yourself face masks (possibly, where possible, they can be replaced by ingredients with similar properties).
