My Top Five Favorite Masks to Make At Home

To learn more about a specific remedy or mask, click on the links by the numbers to take you a whole post discussing the benefits and drawbacks of the natural remedies.

1. Activated Charcoal Mask

• Activated charcoal powder; or capsule pills you can break open and it has the powder inside
• Aloe Vera Gel you need the %100 Aloe Vera with no extra preservatives.

Simply mix the two products together until you make a completely black paste that is thick enough to sit on your face without sliding off.  Wait 30 or so minutes until it is completely dry, then simply rinse off.  After rinsing apply your choice of moisturizer or simply reapply just the aloe vera gel.

2. Garlic and Honey Mask

What you need:

• Fresh bulb of garlic- 2 cloves
• Raw honey- 1 Tablespoon ** optional

Extract 2 cloves of fresh garlic from a bulb and peel them. Crush the garlic cloves into a pulp, and then squeeze the juice out.   Now you don’t have to use the honey but I find your less likely to get burned with it. Apply the garlic juice on your face concentrate on the problem spots, go easy on the clear areas but still apply to keep the skin cleared. Garlic juice and honey mix on the clear areas may help prevent future breakouts. Leave the application on for about 5 minutes, and then wash it off.  Do not leave it on overnight  or more than 10 minutes because the acid contained in the garlic juice is so strong they can burn your skin. With honey you can leave on up to fifteen minutes. The sulfuric acid in the garlic can cause a chemical burn, be very careful when using this treatment.

3. Yogurt

What you need:

• Organic yogurt
• Honey **optional

Simply go to the grocery store, or health food store and find the most natural, organic yogurt available. When you read the labels you want the one with the least amount of ingredients and with no sugar.  If you want to add in the honey the make a 3/4 yogurt to 1/4 honey ratio. Then apply all over the face like a mask and let dry for ten to fifteen minutes, rinse off with water. Do this one or two times a week and many people see a big difference within a week .Yogurt contains nutrients like zinc, vitamin B that is required for healthy epithelial tissues.

4.ASPIRIN MASK

What you need:

• uncoated aspirin
• water

An aspirin mask can be applied once a week. Don’t overuse this remedy or you’ll end up with dry, irritated skin. This homemade remedy requires crushing an aspirin and adding just enough water to make a thick paste.

Cover your acne with the paste and then after about 10-15 minutes, you can rinse it off. The mask will begin to peel and flake in about 5-10 minutes and that indicates it is time to rinse.

Be sure to rinse your face thoroughly with warm water. If you have a gentle cleanser available that you typically use, you can use it to rinse off the mask, otherwise use warm water. Gently rub your face so the tiny grains of aspirin will help clean your skin and reach into the pores to help end acne. A final rinse of warm water should remove all the paste. Pat skin dry to avoid further irritation. Again if feeling over dry please add-on an oil-free moisturizing lotion.

5. Zinc Oxide, or diaper rash cream Mask

What you need:

• Diaper rash cream- Desitin or off brand is fine just as long as it has 40% zinc.

Using  diaper rash cream as a mask, just apply evenly all over their faces (avoid around the eye area, thick creams can clogs the thinner skin and cause other skin problems such as milia) wait twenty minutes or so and rinse off. It reduces the amount of oil the skin naturally produces and the amount of breakouts that make it to the surface of your skin.