Face Mask Recipes
You can use basic ingredients found around the house to make your own simple, hydrating masks. If you have oily or acne-prone skin, mud or clay-based masks are great for balancing out your skin. Dry skin will benefit from hydrating masks made from glycerin, honey and oils. Ginseng or green tea masks are great for soothing sensitive skin.
Masks (homemade or otherwise) should stay on for 10-15 minutes, should follow with a thin layer of moisturizer.
Here are recipes we've gathered over the years arranged by skin type.
All Skin Types
Egg White Face Mask for All Skin Types
Model Shalom Harlow calls this face mask, "so moisturizing and soothing." The best part? It only has 2 ingredients.
Oatmeal and Yogurt Mask for All Skin Types
This is a great basic face mask that includes just 3 basic ingredients.
Rejuvenating Pumpkin Mask for All Skin Types
Pumpkin pulp is full of antioxidants. This recipe is adapted from one in Vogue Magazine that was created by a well-known Santa Monica facialist.
Homemade 'Cat Litter' Mask for All Skin Types
We got this recipe off a TV show years ago. The beauty expert (Diane Irons) swore cat litter is made of the same ingredients as special clays found in $100 spa facials. We tried this and loved it.
Yogurt Face Mask for All Skin Types
This refreshing face mask is made up of only 2 ingredients.
Homemade Clay Mask for All Skin Types
This clay mask will make skin super soft.
Natural skin brightener recipe from India (July 2008 Cosmopolitan Magazine) Mix a tablespoon of turmeric powder in 1 cup of plain yogurt. Leave on for 5-10 minutes, then rinse off.
Oily, Acne-Prone Skin
Banana Mask for Oily Skin This recipe requires super-ripe bananas and a bit of honey.
Aspirin Mask for Healing Pimples, Acne Crush aspirin and mix in water/oil/honey for a mask meant to dry up pimples. Makeupalley.com users swear by this mask (out of 2030 reviewers at the time of this writing, a whopping 85 percent said they would "try it again").
Strawberry Mask for Acne-Prone Skin Strawberries are a natural source of salicylic acid. Recipe from Janice Cox, author of "Natural Beauty at Home."
Simple Mask for Oily, Acne-Prone Skin
Recipe adapted from Paula Begoun's "The Beauty Bible."
Green Clay Mask for Oily Skin Types
This clay mask will help draw out excess sebum from pores.
Homemade Clay Mask for Oily or Acne-Prone Skin
Clay masks help neutralize skin. You can pick up clay from any health-food store.
Homemade Juice Mask for Oily Skin
Strawberry and lemon juice contain natural astringents.
Combination Skin
Homemade Face Mask for Combination Skin
A rose-based mask is perfect for balancing out the oily and dry areas of your skin.
Dry, Chapped Skin
Homemade Face Mask for Dry Skin
Avocados and honey are particularly moisturizing.
Homemade Milk Mask for Dry Skin
Video: Dark Chocolate Face Mask for Dry Skin
Who says chocolate is bad for your skin? The cocoa solids in chocolate are excellent for moisturizing, so this mask is the perfect remedy for dry skin. This video shows you how to make a dark chocolate face mask at home.
Natural exfoliant for all skin types Mix a tiny amount of brown sugar with olive oil in your palm. Once it turns into a paste, massage into your face. Cure chapped lips by mixing brown sugar with honey and massaging into lips. (Lena Korres, founder of Korres Natural Products, and makeup artist Jemima Kidd, in the July 2008 issue of Cosmopolitan)
Aging Skin
Homemade Face Mask for Aging Skin
Homemade Face Mask for Dry Skin
Avocados and honey are particularly moisturizing for mature skin.
Sensitive Skin
Homemade Face Mask for Sensitive Skin
This soothing mask is great for chapped, sunburned or irritated skin.
Treatment for Hands
Paraffin Wax Treatment for Hands
Treat yourself to a luxurious wax treatment like they do in posh spas around the world. Dip hands into warm wax and then peel away leaving hands soft and supple.
List of Essential Oils to Add to Your Face and Hair Masks
Click here to get a list of oils that work for all skin types.
