Top 5 DIY Face Masks for You and Your Friends
If your wellness methodology depends on a diet of fresh, natural, wholesome foods, then why not use food to nourish and heal your skin, too?
When it comes to taking great care of your complexion, you don’t have to break the bank on super-trendy skincare products and med spa treatments—all you really need is a few simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
The next time you and your friends plan a relaxing, at-home spa night, try out a few of these DIY face masks. You might just be astonished at the results.
DIY Face Masks Vs. Store Bought: Is One Better Than the Other?
Before we get into our curated collection of nourishing, rejuvenating DIY face masks, it's helpful to touch on how homemade masks differ from their store-bought counterparts. Is one better than the other? What can you expect from homemade skincare? Is it really safe to put food on your skin?
We totally get it. Slathering honey on your face instead of on your toast might induce a major eyebrow raise, but before you write DIY face masks off as some trendy nonsense, just know this: Most dermatologists actually endorse food-based skincare.
Because you have full control over the ingredients you select—and they're just about as close to nature as you can get—feeding your face with nourishing foods can be just as effective, if not more, than store-bought skincare. And, because you have total control over which ingredients you include, you never have to follow DIY recipes to the letter. Instead, you can feed your face with only the ingredients you know it needs and none of the chemical-based junk it doesn't.
Speaking of chemicals, store-bought skincare products are loaded with them—and most times, they don't do anything for the health of your skin. Instead, they can be drying, irritating, and sometimes, even inflammatory (we'll pass, thanks). And, because there's usually a laundry list of ingredients, it's often hard to discern what exactly your skin might be sensitive to.
As far as safety goes, putting food on your face is just as safe as putting it in your mouth—that is, as long as you refrain from using ingredients that might trigger allergies (if you have them).
You can expect a smoother, brighter, renewed complexion after applying your homemade skincare. Though, if you're looking for significant tightening or lifting, you'll need to look elsewhere. Only store-bought masks contain ingredients that can substantially lift and tighten skin, but often, the drawback there is an extensive, chemical-laden list of ingredients.
Bottom line? As long as you pay attention to your ingredients, there's very little damage you can do with DIY, food-based skincare. So, if you and your ladies are ready to channel your inner Cleopatra (who reportedly bathed in milk, no less), go ahead and give our collection of DIY face masks a whirl!
Exfoliating Brown Sugar Honey Mask
If you struggle with uneven skin tone or rough texture, this exfoliating, soothing, DIY face mask is a perfect at-home solution. When gently massaged into your skin, this smoothing blend of nourishing ingredients reveals a radiant, refreshed complexion that glows for days. Here’s what you need to whip it up:
¼ cup raw honey
¼ milk
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Here’s how to make it: Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until fully combined. Apply the mixture to your face and gently massage into your skin for several seconds. Allow the mask to sit for 10 minutes before rinsing your face with lukewarm water. Gently pat your face dry and apply a gentle moisturizer, if desired.
Why it’s great for your face: When you massage this mask into your skin, you stimulate your lymphatic system, which works to draw out impurities from deep within the skin. Brown sugar acts as a gentle, natural exfoliant, sloughing away dead skin cells and rough, uneven texture.
Both raw honey and milk are potent skin-soothing ingredients that contain a very special substance: lactic acid. This gentle exfoliant acts as a natural skin resurfacing agent by stimulating increased cell turnover and sloughing away dead, dull skin. Olive oil is a natural anti-inflammatory, which works to calm your freshly exfoliated skin and deliver a dewy, hydrated complexion.
Blemish-Busting Spinach Mask
Whether you struggle with acne-prone skin or hormone acne wreaking havoc on your face, this refreshing mask is a perfect skin-soothing solution. Say ciao to irritated, inflamed skin, and get ready to reveal a radiant, smooth complexion that even Aunt Flow can’t touch. Here’s what you need to prepare this DIY face mask:
½ cup chopped, fresh spinach
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons raw honey
Here’s how to make it: Toss all ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth. Apply the mixture to your face and leave it on for 10 minutes. Even if you’re tempted to let it sit longer, don’t do it! Spinach and lemon can be drying if left on the skin too long, so after 10 minutes are up, rinse the mask off with lukewarm water. Gently pat your face dry and apply a gentle moisturizer to lock in hydration.
Why it’s great for your face: Spinach is a natural anti-inflammatory, which works to calm inflamed, irritated, blemish-prone skin. It also contains substantial vitamin K, a potent skin-curative antioxidant, that is well known to reduce swelling and encourage rapid healing. Raw honey soothes irritated skin while eradicating acne-causing bacteria with its potent, natural antibacterial and antifungal properties.
Soothing Turmeric Mask
If you have combination skin, this mixture might just be your holy grail of DIY face masks for evening it out. There is one caveat, though: Turmeric is a highly pigmented spice, which means there’s always a possibility that it will leave behind a slightly orange pigment on your skin.
But, when combined with the right ingredients (honey is one of them), turmeric is far less likely to temporarily pigment your skin. Fortunately, this mask features honey, so you shouldn’t need to worry about a pumpkin-like glow; but we do recommend applying the mask with gloves, just so you don’t stain your fingernails or botch your mani. Here’s what you need to whip it up:
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon aloe vera
1 tablespoon organic Greek yogurt
Here’s how to make it: Toss all ingredients in a small bowl and mix until fully combined. Apply the mask to your face and allow the mixture to work its wonders for 10 minutes. Immediately rinse off the mask using lukewarm water, and if you notice a slightly orange pigment, grab a washcloth, drench it in warm water, and gently wipe your face until all traces of color are gone.
One thing to note: Trying to scrub away any leftover pigment will undoubtedly irritate your delicate facial tissue, so try to be as gentle as possible.
Why it’s great for your face: Turmeric is one of the most potent anti-inflammatory substances known to man, so it’s great for calming irritated or inflamed skin. Aloe vera and honey are natural antiseptics, which work wonders for keeping your skin clear, while Greek yogurt gives your complexion a potent hydration boost.
Brightening Citrus Mask
If you’re dealing with dark spots or uneven skin tone, this super-simple facial treatment is one of the quickest, easiest, and most effective DIY face masks you can whip up at home. Get ready to reveal smooth, glowing, even skin that might just have you fielding questions about who you’re amazing facialist is!
Here’s what you need to make it:
1 slice of lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons raw honey
Here's how to make it: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Apply the mask to your face and allow it to sit for 15 to 30 minutes. Rinse your face with warm water and gently pat dry. Since lemon juice is acidic, you’ll also want to follow up your mask application with your favorite moisturizer.
Why it’s great for your face: Honey is a natural anti-inflammatory and antiseptic, so it calms and soothes the skin while balancing its natural bacterial content. Lemon juice contains citric acid and vitamin C—two natural exfoliants — which work wonders for fading dark spots and tightening pores.
Vitamin C is also a powerful antioxidant, which works to fight free-radical formation, repair signs of sun damage, and even boost collagen production. And finally, cinnamon, a natural anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial, works to soothe the skin while wiping out blemish-inducing bacteria.
Calming Pumpkin Mask
Looking for soothing, hydrating DIY face masks? We might be well beyond the season of everything pumpkin spice, but there’s no wrong time of year for supple, smooth skin. Fortunately, this calming pumpkin face mask delivers a soft, radiant complexion in just 15 minutes. Here’s what you need to whip it up:
1 tablespoon canned or fresh, cooked pumpkin
1 teaspoon raw honey
1 teaspoon vitamin E oil
How to make it: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until completely smooth. Apply the mixture to your face and allow it to sit for 15 minutes. Gently rinse off the mask with warm water, pat your skin dry, and apply a gentle moisturizer to lock in hydration.
Why it’s great for your face: Pumpkin is chock full of alpha hydroxy acid, which helps boost skin cell turnover to reveal a smooth, healthy, glowing complexion. It also contains substantial amounts of vitamins A and C, two powerful, skin-nourishing antioxidants that help boost collagen production and soften dry, rough skin.
Raw honey is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory, which allows it to balance the natural bacteria on your skin. Vitamin E, one of the most renowned skin-health-boosting ingredients, quenches and softens dry skin while helping to reduce the appearance of minor scars.
Just as you take care of your body by nourishing it with wholesome, natural foods, you can take care of your skin the same way. Food is incredible medicine, both for your body and your skin, and surprisingly, food-based skincare often delivers comparable results to much more pricey treatments. So, the next time you need a complexion boost, try giving your skin the medicine it really needs: healing, restorative, nutritive foods.
