Five Food Face Masks

Here’s a round-up of five really good face masks you can make with things from your kitchen cupboards - no need for fancy ingredients here. The recipes that follow are fairly common combinations of foods and work just as well with vegan alternatives so do switch your honey for agave and dairy yoghurt for an almond or soy alternative.

Ready, set, self-care!

Chamomile, Oatmeal and Honey

Brew a pot of chamomile tea and allow it to cool. In a bowl put two tablespoons of oatmeal (if you have a pestle and mortar to roughly grind the oats, even better) and 2 tablespoons of honey or agave nectar, and make a paste. When the tea leaves are cool, add them to your paste and mix. 

Wash the face with warm water and then apply the paste to your damp skin. Allow the mask to dry for about 7 minutes before washing off with room temper cold water. The mask helps to gently exfoliate and contains moisture retaining ingredients that also calm redness and invigorate skin.

Avocado with honey

Scoop our half and avocado and mash into a bowl with a fork or spoon, a slightly under-ripe one works best. Add a teaspoon of honey or agave nectar and mix thoroughly until you have a paste-like mixture. Apply it to cleansed skin in a circular motion leaving a thick layer on for 10-15 minutes before rinsing off with warm water.

Avocados are mega for both inside and outside the body, they contain a whole bunch of nutrients including iron, potassium, calcium, sodium, copper, magnesium, as well as vitamins A, E, B and K so this recipe is an amazing treat for tired skin.

Banana and cinnamon

Mash a ripe banana into a bowl and whip into a soft sludge texture. Add a sprinkle of baking powder and a half teaspoon of cinnamon and mix until blended. Apply to clean skin and leave for 7-10 minutes. Tip: if your banana is a little too squishy and you think it’ll slide off, add a little flour to stiffen the consistency. 

Banana is great for acne-prone skin as they’re high in Vitamin A, which promotes cell-turnover. In conjunction with cinnamon, which is actually an anti-bacterial - a little known fact - together they reduce bacteria and dirt in pores.

Green tea with honey

Take a tablespoon of loose leaf green tea, or open a tea bag and mix with a tablespoon of honey or agave nectar. Leave it for 10 minutes to allow some of the green tea goodness to be absorbed by the honey and then apply to a clean face, gently rubbing into the skin. Leave on for 10-15 minutes before rinsing off with warm water. 

This mask improves the appearance of redness, prevents clogging of pores and adds flow, and helps to keep cells plump and healthy through the antioxidants delivered by the green tea.

Strawberries and yoghurt

Wash and cut the stalks from 4 average sized strawberries, or enough flesh to cover your face well, then use a fork to mash them into a bowl. Once you have a pulpy texture, add in one tablespoon of preferred yoghurt and mix well. Apply to cleansed skin and leave on for 10-15 minutes. 

Strawberries are rich in salicylic acid which is used commonly for treating oily skin. The yoghurt helps to even out skin tone and acts as an anti-inflammatory. If you use both of these ingredients straight out the fridge, the cool temperature is also great for reducing any inflammation.