5 All-Natural Face Masks
Get your glow back with our three-ingredient magic masks
If your post-winter skin is looking a little lacklustre, look no further than your kitchen cupboards for the ultimate quick fix beauty boosts. Our five all-natural recipes will brighten, tighten and restore you to your radiant best. Each one should be applied and left on for 8-10 minutes before gently removing with warm water and a muslin cloth.
Ingredients:
Months of central heating can take a heavy toll and leave skin feeling dry, flaky and parched. This mask is the answer. Avocados are high in potassium – also known as the youth mineral – so will give your face that much-missed healthy glow. Manuka honey is a natural humectant so will gently draw moisture to the skin while coconut oil contains hard-working triglycerides that promote collagen repair.
Ingredients:
Tropical papaya fruit is rich in antioxidants and contains the rejuvenating enzyme papain that breaks down inactive proteins and sloughs away dead cells from the surface to make skin glow. The vitamin C and citric acid in lemon juice will tackle pigmentation and dark spots, while the sugar granules will gently exfoliate the face and improve circulation when massaged into the skin.
Ingredients:
If you suffer from sensitive skin that reacts angrily to the changing seasons, oats are a larder essential. Their high saponin content makes them an ideal gentle cleanser, while the lipids and protein present in oats act as an emollient, repairing the skin’s natural barrier and easing itching and inflammation. Honey’s potent antibacterial properties will help stave off allergy triggers while yoghurt will soothe any flare-ups – nothing short of a winning combination.
Ingredients:
Puffy, swollen skin can be a sign of an unhappy gut. Drinking green tea can help to stimulate a sluggish digestive system but you can also use the leftover tealeaves in a mask to apply topically to skin that’s showing some strain. The caffeine in the leaves will reduce swelling. Mix them together with cocoa powder, which contains a heady dose of polyphenol antioxidants to protect cells from premature ageing. Bind the mixture with egg whites, which have astringent properties to naturally shrink pores and tighten the skin.
Ingredients:
If you suffer from acne and breakouts, you won’t want to overload your skin with chemical-laden treatments that can aggravate it further. Strawberries are packed with salicylic acid – a tried and tested treatment for acne as it helps to unclog pores and prevent scars from forming. Apple cider vinegar is an incredible all-round wonder product that is particularly good for troubled skin as it restores natural pH levels and minimises pores. It also contains alpha hydroxyl acid, which will help to dissolve dead skin cells. Add cinnamon to ward off bacteria and you’ll have a mask that really packs a punch.