This may go without saying that it’s best if these ingredients are organic since you are welcoming them directly into your open pores, but what do we, have a million dollars somewhere? DO YOUR BEST! Also make these recipes vegan by substituting agave syrup for honey and almond or coconut kefir for greek yogurt.
Coconut Milk Latte
When I’m feeling like I deserve it I brew my coffee with a lil’ cinnamon and attempt to crack the coconut milk code on my milk frother, something I continue to fail at months into ownership. A spoonful of raw honey usually helps redeem the lifeless bubbles.
As a mask it’s my go-to because I always have the ingredients. Coffee grounds stimulate skin cells, honey has anti-bacterial properties, moisturizes, and its crystallized texture helps with exfoliation, cinnamon works as an astringent, and coconut milk has a cooling effect/is rich in vitamin C. Don’t be surprised if this brings out a rosy complexion – the coffee grounds and cinnamon are helping to activate everything just beneath your skin’s surface. (For this reason this mask may not be good for sensitive skin.)
How I tailor it:
Build off a tablespoon of honey as brands and styles of honey can vary in consistency
Tablespoon of coffee grounds
One teaspoon of cinnamon
I don’t froth the coconut milk and apply little drops of it until it’s pasty, not runny
Then apply in a circular motion and leave the mask on for 15 minutes. Warm then cold water rinse.
Avocado with Olive Oil, Lime Juice and Salt
One time I was eating an avocado at work right out of its self-contained bowl and a co-worker goes, “What is that?” and I said, “Oh, I just took the pit out of an avocado and seasoned it,” and she looked at me like I’d just slapped her in front of everyone’s she ever respected. I still stand by it being a great snack!
It’s a great mask, too. It’s rich in antioxidants for when your skin is feeling drier than usual, which is why I go lighter on the lime juice and salt.
How I tailor it:
Half an avocado
Juice of a little less than 1/4 of a lime
Pinch of salt
Two teaspoons of olive oil
Mash it all together with your hands because it’s faster and you’re going to feel pretty animalistic with this one anyway. I lay down when I apply this because most of it wants to slide downward anyway, plus then you can leave it on for longer while you do some deep breathing. Warm then cold water rinse.
Dandelion Root Tea
Dandelion root tea is a delicious summer tea with a woody flavor. Dandelion root seems like one of those things that you can only get online or at a specialized store for like 15 dollars per teaspoon, but here’s another option: go outside, uproot them, dry them, roast them at 250 for a couple of hours and then grind/cut them into tea-leave size pieces. Or you can get a packet at the store. Whatever works!
Dandelion root is good for external use, too. It’s full of vitamin A, boosts collagen, hydrates skin, is a blood purifier, and even helps protect against UV rays. What can’t this plant do!
How I tailor it:
I don’t! Brew enough (6 oz.) for a facial tonic that you keep on all day or as a quick rinse.
Obviously wait for this to cool and then get some cotton balls to apply in an upward swipe motion. Warm then cold water rinse.
Tzatziki
Tzatziki on your face, huh? We live in a world where it’s been made clear there are no rules and I intended to live as such. And that’s great because tzatziki is my favorite dip that goes with pretty much everything savory. When I die bury me inside a dill leaf store!
As a mask it targets problem skin, so it’s great for hormonal and environmental-caused flare-ups. The yogurt’s lactic acid aids in dissolving dead skin cells which can help prevent breakouts along with reducing the appearance of fine lines – EVERY WOMAN’S WORST NIGHTMARE – cucumbers have a cooling effect, lemon works as an astringent and detoxifier, dill contains potassium which helps with skin irritation, and olive oil rounds everything out by locking in moisture.
How I tailor it:
Leave out the garlic
1/4 cup of yogurt, drained
Juice of half a lemon
Tablespoon of mashed cucumber
Tablespoon of dill leaves
Teaspoon of olive oil
Mix together and leave on for 10 minutes. Warm then cold water rinse.
Chocolate Oatmeal
Something crazy is there are people that PREFER savory oatmeal. Not just like, can potentially enjoy it. Are you one of those people? I am a sweet oatmeal girl, because I feel deep in my bones that’s how it was intended to be eaten.
As a mask it’s great at replenishing. The oatmeal exfoliates and soothes skin irritants, honey clears bad bacteria away, cocoa has powerful antioxidants that eradicate free radicals, bananas have potassium to hydrate skin, and coconut milk’s vitamin C helps rejuvenate skin cells.
Here’s how I tailor it:
I leave out the salt and vanilla extract
Two tablespoons of uncooked oatmeal
Tablespoon of cocoa
Tablespoon of honey
1/4 of a banana, mashed
Mix together and leave on for 15 minutes. Warm then cold water rinse.
Excellent article. I often enjoy putting my tea on my face to see if it helps or out of boredom, so very happy to see Autostraddle legitimising these and even more devil-hang-the-rules approaches to putting snackfood on your face.
what kinda tea?
Whatever’s handy. I drink mostly green and herbal teas, Lady Grey too (like Earl Grey but more citrusy because femmes are acid). I find they are all more-or-less astringent, particularly black tea, maybe like toner. I am drinking cinnamon tea at the moment (putting a cinnamon stick in a glass of hot water or boiling a cinnamon stick in a pan) and I have not yet investigated the beauty effects but I imagine they would be great.
Every couple days i do honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg at night. I love it. I can tell when it’s doing its stuff and the ritual is great.
Nutmeg!
I’m surprised people are SURPRISED that avocados are amazing as a snack. In France we often eat them as an entree (this is France, every meal is a three course meal!), just by adding some vinaigrette to it (but honestly they taste so good a pinch of salt and pepper sometimes is good enough). I’m sure we’re not alone !
Snack here in the Philippines. Cold mashed avocado with milk and sugar. Add ice and blend. Or stick it in the fridge for a bit.
Also omg at samuraijane’s snack i have to try this
Oh yeah I found avocado smoothies in Morocco as well, it was so yummy
Chloe you’re not alone!
In addition to the article itself, I love the tags at the top! =)
Thank you! <3 A similar article for hair masks would also be useful.
As someone who reads extensively about skincare I always recoil when I see sugar/salt/coffee grinds being used as a physical exfoliant. These are cheap and easy to come by, but the jagged edges of sugar or coffee grinds can cause micro tears in the skin, leaving your face vulnerable to infections and irritation and breakouts. Also, lemon juice (or any citric acids) are often recommended for lightening dark spots on the skin, but they also totally throw off the pH balance of your skin and can result in intense irritation, especially combined with sun exposure.
Sydney ive let you down! I do have tougher skin, so maybe these are juist for other tougher skins!
These are probably great for normal skin types but acne prone folks should proceed cautiously!
P.S. I’m your biggest fan I love everything you have written for Autostraddle thus far <3
I know avocado would probably be awesome on my face, I just have such a hard time looking at an avocado and not putting it in my mouth though
Wait, where can you find vegan kefir? I thought it was made from cultured milk.
They have coconut and almond kefir!
updated though!
Oh wow
I don’t know how I’ve never realized that savory oatmeal was a breakfast option
I slept in so I am now just thinking about breakfast options, and part of me wants to skip straight to lunch, but I think savory oatmeal is just what I’ve just been looking for (Except for all of the recipes I currently saw that include eggs, because I actively dislike those)
(Also once I consume some food I feel enthused about the idea of trying these masks, they look fantastic)
I have so much tea in my house. Any other tea toner recommendations? I’m thinking of trying something like chamomile tea. :)
I’m taking this article as a go-ahead for falling asleep face-first in my breakfast, just like little infant me once did in my mashed potatoes.