No one does it better than Mother Nature, and skin care is no exception to that rule. Get together with some friends and have fun whipping up these quick and easy recipes for facial masks that require ingredients you probably already have in your refrigerator.For normal skin , this peach and oatmeal mask loaded with alpha-hydroxy acids that help soften wrinkles, reduce blemishes and unclog pores is just for you:
Cook one medium peach until soft, then mash. Add one tablespoon honey and enough oatmeal to thicken the mask. Apply evenly to skin and wait ten minutes. Rinse with cool water and pat dry.
For normal to oily skin , try this blend of carrots and honey:
Cook until soft, then mash 2-3 large carrots. Mix with 4 tablespoons honey. Gently apply the mask to your skin and wait ten to twelve minutes. Rinse with cool water and pat dry.
For oily skin , strawberries and honey will help reduce excess oil and refresh enlarged pores:
Mash nine strawberries into a pulp. Add three tablespoons honey. Mix well, but don’t over do it or your mask will be runny. Apply to entire face and wait three to five minutes. Rinse with warm water and pat dry.
If your skin is oily and acne prone , let this apple and honey mask spruce up your natural glow and texture:
Core and grate one medium sized apple. Blend with three to four tablespoons honey. Smooth over entire face and relax for eight to ten minutes. Rinse with cool water and pat dry.
If your skin is normal to dry and prone to bouts of acne , let this aromatic mask work to remove toxins and oils that reduce blemishes and tighten pores:
Boil five bay leaves in one cup distilled water and allow to cool. Strain the leaves, but keep the liquid. Slowly add the bay liquid to four tablespoons French clay. Mix until it is medium thick. Dab and blend onto skin and allow mask to dry for up to twenty minutes. Rinse with warm water and pat dry.
For dry skin , your mask of bananas and honey will restore vitality to over-stressed skin:
Lightly mash two medium bananas. Don’t over mash or mask will be runny. Add two tablespoons honey and lightly blend. Apply to skin and wait ten minutes. Rinse with cool water and pat dry.
Want to get crazy? Try this recipe for a banana bread mask that will moisturize, soothe, soften and cleanse your skin along with the added bonus of a whole wheat flower antioxidant:
Mix well ½ very ripe mashed banana, a pinch of nutmeg, two tablespoons ground oats (put rolled oats through a clean coffee grinder or blender until it is a fine powder.) Add two tablespoons whole wheat flour. Blend in milk or cream until mask is a smooth paste. Apply to a clean face and enjoy for five to ten minutes. Rinse well with warm water and pat dry.
Because there are no preservatives in these recipes, they should be used immediately and then discarded.
