The summer can be both great and tough on your skin; while the early summer rays give us a sun kissed and healthy glow, we face the end of August with dry and brittle faces. It’s the time for fun and exploration, so who has the time to read detailed beauty reviews and spend money on fancy products? Everything you need for a healthy and hydrated summer glow is in your kitchen – and you can eat whatever leftovers you have afterward.
To keep the summer theme flowing, I’ve found the best DIY facial masks that are recommended by skin care specialists, with seasonal ingredients you can easily find in the grocery shop. Here is an article on DIY hair masks, by the way, that are just as simple.
For Oily Skin: Oats and Apple Cider Vinegar
If you’ve never tried apple cider vinegar on your skin before, you’re in for a treat. It leaves your skin feeling soft and pleasant, but beware of adding too much of it if your skin is sensitive; you’d want only a tad to know that it’s working. The vinegar is known for regulating your skin’s pH due to its high levels of acid – which is perfect for oily skin, but a bit rough on sensitive types. The oats are going to remove any excess oil on your face and give it a lovely, hydrated feeling.
This is what you need: One tablespoon of ground oats, half a teaspoon apple cider vinegar, and half a teaspoon of lemon juice. Combine everything in a bowl until the mixture is slightly thick, and apply on your face. Let it sit for around ten minutes and wash it off with a facial cloth if you have one – or just use your fingertips to wash it off with circular motions.
You want the oats to work as a gentle exfoliator as you rinse it off; the soft scrub improves your blood circulation and gives a fresh look, but without over scrubbing it. The problem with oily skin is that it needs exfoliation but tends to break out if it’s too much of the good stuff – and if you’re struggling with acne, you should avoid exfoliating it too much as it might cause irritation.
For Tired Skin: Berry Boost
Pour a full bowl of summer all over your face and let it bring you back to life. This mask is seriously rejuvenating and delicious enough to whip up even though your skin is glowing and full of life already. It doesn’t matter; a layer of this berry mixture is good for us at any time.
Bursting with vitamin C and other age-fighting antioxidants, you’re going to smell delicious and have an exfoliated and plump look for the rest of the day. Indulge in the energizing aromas, pour yourself a cup of wild berry tea, and read up on the latest in Style Democracy while you wait – this mask just won’t be the same when it’s not summer.
To be honest, I’ve never been the firmest believer in vitamins being able to do much for my skin, and I prefer taking my vitamins by swallowing them – but these berries seem to be working wonders nonetheless. Plus, it’s a perfect face mask to cool down your skin after a day in the sun as the yogurt is a magical treatment for sun burned skin.
This is how you do it: Mix five blueberries, five raspberries, five blackberries, and one tablespoon of plain yogurt in a bowl, stirring until it is a thick and juicy mixture. Leave it on for between five and ten minutes and rinse it off with lukewarm water.
For Aging Skin: Healing Honey and Milk
Honey is known for its healing benefits and ability to reduce the appearance of fine lines. Even the ancient Egyptians used it to heal wounds and treat their skin to a hydrating and plumping mask; you can also use it to treat acne as its healing effects work just as well for this as it does for fine lines and wrinkles.
The milk will add to the moisturizing feeling, as will the creamy banana or avocado. I prefer to use a banana as I love the smell of it, but feel free to choose what you like – it will make you silky soft nonetheless. It is soothing, moisturizing, and the sweetest mask you’re going to treat your face to in a while.
This is what you need: Mix one tablespoon of raw honey, a quarter of a cup of whole milk, and half a cup of avocado or banana – whatever you have handy. Apply it to your face and neck and let it work its magic for about twenty minutes before you rinse it all off with lukewarm water as usual.
For Sensitive Skin: Honey and Aloe Vera
Any skin type can be sensitive, really, and it doesn’t matter if you’re dry and delicate, oily and sensitive or aging and sensitive. We’re usually a combination of different skin types, and although your skin may feel oily now, it could be dry in a few months. Whenever your skin is irritated or just generally sensitive, apply a generous layer of this calming face mask. The honey has healing benefits, as we talked about above, while the aloe is able to soothe inflammation and calm redness and irritation.
This is what you need: Mix two tablespoons of raw honey and one tablespoon of aloe vera gel in a bowl, apply it all over your face and leave to work for about twenty minutes.
The great thing about this mask is that you can add whatever ingredient you have handy to suit your skin type. If it is a bit sunburned, you can add a tablespoon of yogurt to the mix; if you want to combat acne, you can squeeze in some green tea extract.
For Acne Prone Skin: Green Tea and Lemon
I love a cup of green tea with lemon – and little did I know that my skin loves it too. Both green tea and lemon are serious antioxidant boosts; did you know that lemon actually enhances the effects of green tea and our body’s ability to absorb the antioxidants? Never having a cup of green tea without lemon again, that’s for sure.
Anyway, the brew will work wonders for your acne prone skin, as well, so have a ball of cotton ready when you’re about to finish your cup. The lemon works as a natural antibacterial and is able to bleach away the appearance of scars.
This is how you do it: For a quarter of a cup of green tea, squeeze the juice of half a lemon. Mix well and pat it onto your face with a cotton ball, leaving it to work for ten minutes or more, before rinsing off with lukewarm water.
You can keep it on overnight if you want to, but I suggest you try to have it on for around ten minutes the first time. You don’t want to go to bed with this mask on and wake up the following morning, only to realize that the lemon was too harsh on your skin. If the first few applications are successful, feel free to leave it on for the night – your skin will be so soft and bright when you wake up.
For Dry Skin: White Rice and Coconut Milk
Have you tried the Chinese risk mask from The Body Shop? This will work the same way, but you can cook it up at home so it’s way less expensive and just as effective. The blend is going to remove all those dead skin cells and everything else you’d like to rid yourself of before a trip to the beach; plus, coconut milk is a hydrating ingredient to put on your face, while the starch from the white rice will soothe irritated and dried out beach bodies skin. To treat inflammation in your skin and detoxify it, remember to add a bit of ginger.
Prepare to reveal layers of smooth, radiant summer skin. You can apply this mask wherever you need it the most, by the way, so rub it all over your elbows, feet, neck, or anywhere else your skin is drier than usual.
This is what you need: Mix half a cup of white rice and half a cup of thick coconut milk in a blender, together with one tablespoon of ground ginger. Rub it in with circular motions on your face and body for a couple of minutes and leave it on for around five minutes. The ginger might smell a bit sharp, but it should be bearable with the soft scents of rice and coconut. Wash it all off in the shower and step out to discover youself as soft and hydrated as ever.
Luckily, skin care doesn’t have to be super complicated at all. I love to explore new products and indulge in something expensive once in awhile, but I’ve found that these masks work just as well as many of the fancy ones out there. Plus, it’s a lot more fun to make them yourself, and you get the chance to add your favorite essential oils to the mask.
Let them work while you sit in the garden, watching the vibrant life and enjoying the sun; in a few months, you’re going to miss it so much.
Ann-Marie x
To be inspired every day, follow Face to Curls on: Bloglovin’ | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter and Pinterest
*
