Make Your Own Spa-Worthy Face Masks at Home

Schools are officially shut from now because of the coronavirus outbreak, we’re all being super cautious, staying at home, and from today we’ve helping our children with their education. 

Don’t panic - One of our clients, a headteacher reassures us - don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Do what you can, try to make it fun, take longer breaks and in the long run, kids will catch up. 

Why not be creative with beauty. Get in the kitchen with the kids and make a spa-worthy homemade face mask. 

Use it as a maths lesson (weights and measures) or a science lesson (humble ingredients like yoghurt boasts exfoliating properties while honey is brilliant at busting spot-causing bacteria and cacao powder is a great glow-booster) You’ll find the ingredients are secretly hiding in your kitchen cupboard to whip up during the day and then use as  a break, some downtime.

Hydrate and Nourish

What You Need: 

- 1/2 Avocado.

- 1 tablespoon of honey.

- A handful of oats 

How It Works:

Honey is an excellent humectant, which means it helps skin retain moisture without feeling oily. It's a wonder ingredient. Massaged on to affected areas, it helps with the appearance of scars and increases both healing and tissue regeneration.

Mixing it with oats - oats have healing and moisturising properties. They're brilliant at nourishing, calming and soothing skin, too. And thanks to the ultra-nourishing oils, the addition of mashed avocado will banish any roughness, leaving your skin silky smooth. 

You can add a teaspoon of milk, adding milk, which contains lactic acid, will gently exfoliate the skin whilst brightening without irritation,  

Use the day you make it, leaving it on for 15 minutes is ample

Improve Uneven Skin Texture and Tone

What You Need:

- 1 tablespoon of natural, plain yogurt.

- 1 tablespoon of honey.

- 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder.

How It Works:

Just like milk, yogurt is filled to the brim with lactic acid which makes a visible difference to skin by lifting away rough and lacklustre surface cells to uncover much newer, brighter ones. Thanks to moisture magnet honey, skin feels soft and elastic, turmeric is useful for combating pigmentation. 

Dull and lacklustre complexion? Get a Glow

This mask will give you a glow and it’s for sensitive skin. 

What You Need:

- 1 tablespoon of cacao powder.

- 1/4 papaya.

- A squeeze of Aloe Vera gel.

How It Works:

Aloe Vera is filled to bursting with vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12 which means its radiance-boosting, skin-soothing and hydrating properties are pretty much unrivalled. Teamed with papaya - which is packed with exfoliating enzymes it will dissolve dead skin cells. The added cacao powder works wonders. When layered over clean skin, it has the ability to brighten and boost circulation for a plump and pillowy look and feel. 

Simply pop all three ingredients into a bowl, stir, leave on for ten minutes and tissue off.

Fight Acne and Blemishes

Looking for something a little more natural to try on spots and acne. Give this wonder a whirl.

What You Need: 

- 1 tablespoon of manuka honey.

- 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder.

- 1/2 teaspoon of Dead Sea salt. 

How It Works:

Both the healing and bacteria-zapping properties of manuka honey are pretty impressive, while turmeric is brilliant at bringing down redness. Turmeric is a great option for spots as it’s anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial. Incorporating Dead Sea salt will also help to clean, reduce inflammation and infection. 

Just mix them together, use a clean brush to apply to your face (paying extra attention to your T-Zone), and let it work it's magic for 10-15 minutes before rinsing off with warm water

Minimise Enlarged Pores

What You Need: 

- 1 egg white.

- 1 tablespoon of honey.

- A little squeeze of lemon juice.

How It Works:

Both the egg white and lemon juice have clever astringent properties which will tighten the skin and make enlarged pores much less obvious. The addition of honey is important, as it'll boost your skin's moisture levels, provide suppleness and take away that uncomfortable, tight feeling. 

Combat Oily Skin

This is a great remedy for de-congested skin

What You Need:

- Half an avocado.

- 1/4 cucumber, blended.

How It Works:

A super-cooling mask that will leave the skin feeling clean and fresh. Cucumber mainly contains water which will hydrate but it also contains vitamin C and this will reduce any break out activity.  As for the avocado? It cleverly regulates oil production, it's rich in Oleic Acid which helps reduce inflammation, all whilst working on fine lines 

Ditch the dull

What You Need:

- A handful of ground almonds.

- 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

How It Works:

The fatty acid content from the almonds are able to penetrate the skin, leaving it soft and supple, while the vitamin E from the olive oil acts like a coat of armour against free radicals which can lead to dullness, dehydration and fine lines. If you’re a matcha green tea lover, and you really want to amp up the protection. Add a teaspoon of Matcha Green Tea Powder,  High in antioxidants it'll neutralise pesky free radicals and, help prevent the breakdown of collagen. 

Leave it on for 10 minutes, but before rinsing it off, gently massage the paste into your skin to really dislodge everyday grime, make-up, dead cells and oil. 

Always Do A Patch Test First

It pays to do a quick patch test, like the side of the neck or behind the ear to see how your skin will react.

Use the Mask on The Day You Make It

Ingredients exposed to air and bacteria will very quickly go off and could easily irritate the skin. Make your mask with fresh ingredients and use it within an hour of mixing.