While I’m out camping and renovating for the next 5 weeks, I’ve asked my friend Sarah to do a guest post.  I love Sarah’s blog Pretty Simple Ideas.  She has the best beauty DIY’s and tips on living your best life, all while keeping it simple.  Head on over to her blog, I know you’ll feel right at home.  

I’ve been admiring all her homemade beauty concoctions and was thrilled when she agreed to make some for this blog.  Now enough introductions, here’s Sarah.

First things first, I love many store bought face masks out there. But there is just something so fun about whipping up face masks in your kitchen, especially with friends. Not only is it fun, but smart, too. Making your own homemade mini face masks can save money and allows you to customize it to best suit your skin care needs.

The three masks I’m bringing you today are also extra fun because you can paint them on your skin. Enjoy!

Turmeric Mask

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar. (If you have very sensitive skin replace this with witch hazel or even milk)

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Simply mix together and “paint” on your skin using a soft facial brush. If the honey is thick, you can always put into the microwave for a few seconds before mixing and painting on your skin. Be careful though – turmeric will stain clothes, counters, etc…although thankfully, not your skin.

2. Leave on for 20 minutes or until completely dry.
3. Rinse thoroughly!

“Thoroughly” is a bit of an understatement. First, rinse as many times as you can with just water, and perhaps then a cloth.  You will still be orange even after several times but do not worry. Keep rinsing a few times and then bring out the soap.

Eventually you will no longer be orange – I promise!

4. Follow up with a light moisturizer like this DIY Face lotion for sensitive skin.

Benefits of Turmeric Mask

Turmeric is antibacterial, anti-aging (bye bye wrinkles!), reduces facial hair, improves skin elasticity, lightens dark spots, controls oil and clears acne.  As for the other ingredients, honey is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and can reduce scars. Apple Cider Vinegar – or ACV – restores balance to your skin and can clear acne.

If turmeric sounds awesome – which it is – you might also like this Turmeric milk recipe to give your health a boost!

DIY Charcoal Mask to Deep Clean Your Pores

What you Will Need:

• 1 charcoal capsule
• 1 teaspoon aloe vera juice

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Mix the two ingredients together. Feel free to ad more aloe vera if you’d like a more liquid consistency, or even another charcoal capsule. It is not an exact science.

2. Simply paint it on with a clean makeup brush, or something similar.

3. Wash off with water after it completely dries on your skin.

WARNING/BENEFITS: Remember how I said this will deep clean your pores? Well, be prepared for it to go in so deep and show you every pore on your face as you run from the mirror screaming. Yes, you will literally see every pore on your face about time this mask dries…but take heart because then you know it’s working! It’s getting in there and like a magnet pulling the gunk out.

Seaweed Mask 

What you will need:

1. I seaweed capsule or Fucus Vesiculosus

2. 1 tsp Aloe Vera

3. 1 tsp Bentonite Clay*

I usually purchase from Amazon or a natural health store.

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Mix all the ingredients together.

2. “Paint” on your face and allow to dry.

3. Follow up with good moisturizer.

Benefits

Fucus Vesiculosus (Yes, it’s a real name!) is a type of seaweed that can clear acne and act as a detoxifier for our skin. Say hello to pure clear skin after this mask. Also, Bentonite clay on its own is a great mask to unclog pores and then shrink them! It also controls the production of oil.

BONUS:

Make sure to play around with these masks and the amount of each ingredient to find out what works best for your skin. You also have the option to add essential oils like rose for wrinkles, tea tree for acne, or orange, lemon or lime for oil control. Add 1-2 drops per mini face mask.

I hope you add these mini face masks to your self-care routine. After this, head to read Kristen’s post This Week I Took Care of Myself to keep the love going.

Sarah Althouse writes at Pretty Simple Ideas about DIY, Green Beauty & Faith. Check her out for more Pretty Simple Inspiration.

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.