Skin Care: Facial Masks

At the end of a long, hard day, what could be better than pampering your wonderful skin with all the nutrients it needs? Facial masks are an excellent tool in nourishing and beautifying your skin. These masks can be purchased commercially but there’s no need; you can make a mask using items from your own kitchen. Natural ingredients like honey, avocado, cucumber, and even cocoa are heaven for your skin.

There are different kinds of facial masks for different purposes; cleansing, smoothing or refreshing. The kind of mask you want to use depends on your skin type.

If you have dry skin you might want to try:
• An egg yolk mixed with olive oil and warmed honey
• ¼ whole carrot blended into carrot sauce mixed with one egg yolk
• ½ avocado mashed and one egg yolk


For oily skin some good choices are:
• Dissolve a teaspoon of baking yeast in a small amount of warm milk, wait until foamy, and then apply. This one is best done in the bath tub.
• Puree flesh of a tomato and mix with some potato flour to make a paste.
• Egg whites beaten with a few drops of lemon juice. This is also great for getting rid of blackheads.
• Cucumber. It will whiten your skin and can also be used in sliced form on the eyes to help decrease puffiness and dark circles.

For oily skin with blemish problems:
Start with ¼ apple, ¼ pear, ¼ cucumber, 4g pearl powder, 6g flour. Blend or mash all the fruit together to form a sauce-like mixture, add flour and pearl powder and mix well.

A great mask to moisturize and soften, even sensitive skin, is a mixture of oatmeal and honey (3 teaspoons of each).

And for those lucky individuals who have normal skin (or for anyone who wants to use it) try the chocolate face mask! This decadent mask is an excellent moisturizer and will leave your skin baby soft. You will need:

1/3 cup cocoa powder
3 tbsp. heavy cream
2 tsp. cottage cheese
¼ cup honey
3 tsp. oatmeal

Mix all ingredients together and smooth onto face. Relax for ten minutes, and then wash off with warm water. Deliciously refreshing!

A wonderfully versatile mask which can accommodate any skin type is a mixture of honey, egg (egg white if you have oily skin and egg yolk for dry skin) and a little bit of olive oil. Mix together and apply with your fingertips. While applying, massage your face softly. Apply as many thin layers, one after another, as you like.

In all cases, spread the mixture on your face and allow it to dry. Rinse thoroughly with cool water.

As a general rule, don’t apply masks more often than twice a week, and try to vary ingredients. It is also a good idea to test the mask first. Apply a small amount behind your ear, wait 20 minutes, then wash off. If, after 24 hours, the skin behind your ear is normal, then it is safe to go ahead and use the mask.

Facial masks are most commonly used by women, but guys can get in on the fun too!