Beauty And The Budget ; Homemade Natural Face Masks

The great thing about health and beauty is that they’re so interconnected they’re almost one and the same. You can’t have one without the other. Many of the foods that promote great internal health when eaten can also be applied topically to your skin and enhance the effects your body is receiving from them not only internally but externally as well. Beauty need not be expensive spa facials, or high end store bought moisturizers and cleansers when the majority of the ingredients that makes these beauty products effective usually comes from some source of mother nature, like avocados, bananas, eggs, lemons, coconuts, and essential oils. Everything else in most store purchased beauty items is chemicals to make them smell more appealing, and keep it on the shelf longer. Now that you are no longer putting chemicals in your body, let’s try and not put them on our bodies either! Especially when the best beauty products can be bought so cheaply from the nearest supermarket!


Here are four homemade, all natural face masks designed for your different skin type that will work just as well if not better than any packaged product;

Banana and Honey Face mask for Oily Skin types


What you’ll need;
• ½ a ripe banana
• 1 tbsp honey
• A few drops of fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Oatmeal (I use Scottish oats as I find their ground small enough to where it meshes better in the mask, nut any oats will do)


Directions
1. Mash the banana until creamy.
2. Add the honey, lemon and oatmeal and mix together until thick. (add more oatmeal if it’s too runny)
3. Apply to your face for 10-15 minutes.
4. Wash off with a warm washcloth.


The reason this face mask is great for oily skin is because banana helps clear your skin of grease and helps refine pores, while lemon juice is a natural exfoliator and powerful cleansing agent that cleans the skin of nasty blackheads. Honey has wonderful healing properties and oatmeal is also great for removing dirt and dead skin cells.


I have oily skin so I use this mask to help keep my skin glowing! I usually have enough for three masks so it’s best to do this on a girl’s night in and share with your friends! (if they also have oily/ acne prone skin!)

Avocado and Yogurt face Mask for Dry Skin

What you’ll need
• 1 ripe avocado
• 4 tbsp of plain yogurt


Directions
1. In a blender, mix the two ingredients together.
2. Apply to you face for 10-15 minutes.
3. Wash off with a warm wash cloth.


Avocados are rich in vitamin E which is a wonderful moisturizer for dry and aging skin. While yogurt has soothing effects, it will also hydrate and soften the dry skin.

Strawberry Butter Mask for Normal Skin


What you’ll need;
• 2 large strawberries
• 1 tbsp unsalted softened butter


Directions
1. Mash the strawberries and add the softened butter.
2. Apply to you face for 10-15 minutes.
3. Wash off with a warm wash cloth.


Butter is a great source of Vitamin A which is wonderful for sensitive, damaged or sunburned skin. Strawberries are full of alpha-hydroxy acids which clean the skin and have anti-aging effects!


And here’s one of my favorite facemasks!! This uses kitty litter (as kitty litter is actually just natural bentonite clay). This may sound a little absurd at first but I assure you it’s the same facemask you will find in all top end spas where you would have to shell out over $100 to get the same benefits.

Clay and Essential Oil Face Mask for All Skin types.
• 2 Tbsp Natural “unscented” Kitty litter
• A few drops of purified water
• A few drops of an Essential Oil (rosewood or lavender for dry skin/juniper or grapefruit for oily skin and jasmine or angelica for normal skin)

Directions;
1. Mix the clay with the water until a smooth paste is formed.
2. Stir in a few drops of the essential oils.
3. Apply to face for 10-15 minutes.
4. Wash off with warm face cloth.


The clay is highly absorbant and detoxifying which helps draw out impurities from the skin. The various essential oils will enhance the effects of the mask!!


See how inexpensive it is to do a facial at home! So save that $100 you would normally spend on a trip to the spa and instead invite some friends over and have a beauty night where you can try out some of the face masks above. It’s a lot less expensive and a lot more fun, trust me!!