Spring: Fresh
Spring is here, the birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming. What a perfect time to feel fresh and glow with vibrance. Below I will offer you some of my favorite masks I make from my kitchen cabinents that only contain just a couple ingredients along with their benefits.
Citrus Dream
- 1/4 Cup Plain Yogurt
- 1 Tbsp Citrus Acid (Or you can squeeze 1/4 Lemon or 1/8 Orange.)
- 1 Tbsp Honey
Process: Mix all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Apply to skin evenly using a facial spatula and leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse in cool to warm water. With any reserved can be stored in the refrigerator for a week.
Benefits: This face mask is very nourishing and brightening and smells so good! Yogurt provides your skin with moisture and anti-aging properties. It also has lactic acid which removes dead skin and minimize your pores. Citric Acid brightens your skin by reducing dark spots, wrinkles, skin pigmentation. Honey is very soothing and is an antibacterial, in essence is perfect for acne and slowing down aging.
Spring Tea
- 1 Green Tea Bag (Opened and crushed in mixing bowl.)
- 2 Tsp Honey
Process: Soak Green Tea in warm water. You can either use the tea water and mix with honey or you can cut open the bag and mix the tea leaves with the honey. I’ve done it both ways, and have no preference. Apply evenly to skin, and rinse off with luke warm water.
Benefits: The Green Tea is a great detox for your face and is wonderful for anti-aging, specifically from the the Sun’s UV rays. It helps repair skin’s DNA damage and fights skin cancer. Honey moisturizes and helps with impurities on your skin. Together, a perfect duo.
Summer: Brightening
Summer is the time of year you want to glow. You’re out at the beach or in the sun and it’s hot, so putting on makeup and feel like you’re melting off your beautiful artwork isnt too satisfying. Giving yourself a nice bright glow in your complexion is perfect for that sun kissed feels you’re about to embrace.
Cool Cucumber
- 1/4 of a whole Cucumber (puree)
- 1 Egg White – whisk in with cucumber
Process: Puree fresh cucumber and egg white together in small blender. apply thin layer to skin as even as you possibly can and leave on for 15-20 minutes. Rinse with cool water.
Benefits: While the benefit of Cucumber is cooling to the touch and feels refreshing at that, it contains a fair amount of Vitamin C which sooths irritations caused by the Sun or heat. Egg whites minimize large pores and tighten skin. The combination of the two is wonderful for bare face for the summer days ahead.
Sun Kissed Tropical
- 1/2 Banana
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- 1/2 Tsp Tumeric
Process: Combine the ingredients in small mixing bowl, and mash with facial spatula until smooth enough to apply. Leave on for 10-15 min. Rinse with luke warm water.
Benefits: Banana offers an anti-bacterial which is great for blemishes and acne treatment, it is also very cool and refreshing in the heat of summer for application. Honey offers similar benefits but calms irritations and redness that can be caused by the sun. Tumeric offers much more than a nice glow of brightness including but not limited to helping with sun damage (including skin cancer) anti-aging, treating eczema, psorisis, cuts, blemishes and much more.
Fall: Exfoliation
Now that summer has come to an end, it is time to shed all the dead and damaged skin by exfoliating! I have been aiming a bit more towards face masks but keep in mind any of these recipes can be great for body masks as well. Body scrubs and exfliation is great for your whole body, and not just for your face, especially after damage from too much heat, toxins, and sun.
Apple Pie
- 1/4 Cup Plain rolled Oatmeal
- 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vienegar
- 1 Tbsp Apple Sauce
Process: Boiled or canned apple sauce is fine. I boiled a half of an apple and pureed it. In a small mixing bowl I combined the ingredients and mxed well. Apply to skin evenly and leave on for 10 min. Rinse off wiith cold water.
Benefits: Oatmeal is nourishing and an anti-oxidant from pollution, chemicals, and is gentle to rub in. Apple Cider Vinegar is an anti-bacterial and helps treat wounds, infections, opening of pores to give a deep cleanse. (So rinse off mask with Cold water). Apples have many benefits, but perfect for re-building collegen because of the Vitamin C.
Pumpkin Bake
- 2 Tbsp Pumpkin Puree (I boiled fresh pumpkin, and reserved the rest to make pumpkin bread!)
- 1 Tsp Tumeric
- 1 Tsp Honey
- 2 Tsp Baking Soda
Process: I boiled fresh pumpkin, but you can also use canned pumpkin. After boiling and peeled, I pureed and then mixed all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Apply to face evenly, and leave on for 10-15 min. Rinse in luke warm water.
Benefits: Pumpkin is rich in B3 Vitamins which is great for removing dark spots and evening your skin tone. Tumeric releives dry skin by removing dead skin cells. Honey is an antioxidant for acne, and Baking Soda is a great exfoliant to also help remove dead skin cells, cleansing your pores, and prevent any reoccuring acne.
Winter: Moisture
Winter can be very irritating and damaging to your skin. This is the time of the year when the humidity in the air drops and the water in your skin quickly evaporates leaving your skin very dry. It is important to keep your face nice and moisturized for the months ahead!
Cabbage Patch
- 1/4 Cup Cabbage (Boiled and Puree)
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- 1 Egg White
Process: I just cut a “slice” from my cabbage bunch and boiled it (Tip: you can reserve your cabbage juice and toss in house plants or garden!) Then in Small blender puree all together. Apply to skin evenly, leave on for 15 minutes, rinse in luke warm water.
Benefits: Cabbage is one of my absolute favorite ingredients to use on my face, it’s high in Vitamins such as Vitamin C, which has anti-aging benefits, and Vitamin A, which improves complexion and encourages the growth of new skin cells. Coconut oil is amazing to use to moisturize your skin, but also is an antimicrobial which protects your skin from bacteria. Egg white is another moisture rich ingredient because of the Vitamin A component, but it also tightens and minimizes your pores.
All I AVO wanted
- 2 Tbsp Avocado
- 1/2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Small Lemon Wedge
Process: Small mixing bowl add Avocado, Olive Oil and squeezed lemon wedge and mash together with fork. Apply using a facial spatula evenly on skin, leave on 10-15 min. Rinse with warm water.
Benefits: Avocado as we most know is high in fatty acids, which is an amazing moisturizer! Olive Oil is a benefit to nourish skin and make it nice and smooth because it has squalene that both moisturizes and a natural antioxident. Lemon is an astrigent, stimulant, and a hydrater! Lemon can treat dry-itchy skin and also brighten.
