Thursday HBR ~ Loving You Series Pt. 2 by Thumper

Beauty by Julyne Derrick
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 skin.

Masks (homemade or otherwise) should stay on for 10-15 minutes, should follow with a cleansing and a thin layer of moisturizer.

Homemade Facial Scrub Recipes

The kind of the mask you want to use depends on your skin type.

Yogurt Face Mask for All Skin Types

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.

Homemade 'Cat Litter' Mask for All Skin Types

We got this recipe off a TV show years ago. The beauty expert (Diane Irons, the author of several beauty books) swore cat litter is made of the same ingredients as special clays found in $100 spa facials. We tried this and loved it.
Ingredients:

• 1 bag cat litter (must be marked '100 Percent Natural Clay')
• Water
• Drops of your favorite essential oil
  

Preparation:
Mix in a couple tablespoons of the cat litter with water and drops of oil (we find the oil helps make the experience somehow less kitty litter-ish) Apply mask to face Wash off after 15 minutes.

Oily, Acne-Prone Skin

This is a soothing face mask and great if you have bananas around the house.
Ingredients:

• 1 banana, preferably ripe (you can keep ripe bananas in the freezer. Let it thaw before using)
• 1 tbsp honey
• An orange or a lemon

Preparation:
Mix the banana and honey together.Add a few drops of juice from an orange or a lemon. Apply to face for 15 minutes before rinsing with a cool washcloth or a steaming warm washcloth.

Combination Skin

This mask, based on roses, is perfect for balancing out the oily and dry areas of your skin.
Ingredients:

• Optional: 6 fresh rose petals
• 2 tbsps rosewater
• 1 tbsp natural yogurt, room temperature (not low fat or non-fat)
• 1 tbsp runny honey (to get honey runny, you can warm it in a microwave for a few seconds).

Preparation:
Soak rose petals, and then crush them in a bowl. Add the rosewater, yogurt and honey.Mix well and apply to the skin. Leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse.

Dry, Chapped Skin

Avocados and honey are particularly moisturizing.
Ingredients:

• ½ avocado
• ¼ cup honey

Preparation:
A classic recipe for dry skin. Mash the avocado in a bowl, and then stir in honey.Apply to skin and leave for 10 minutes. Rinse face with a cool washcloth.

Face Mask for Aging Skin

Sugar is a preferred exfoliates to salt because it tends not to tear at the skin. When dead skin collects on the surface of skin, it's important to slough it away. This helps clear up clogged pores. When skin isn't exfoliated, it can appear ashy.
Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp warm water

Preparation:
Stir sugar into warm water so that it melts.Make sure granules are dissolved; otherwise they could tear your skin. Apply to the face. Gently massage around the skin.Rinse with warm water OR I like to take a warm washcloth that's steamed in the microwave. Make sure the washcloth is not too hot.

Face Mask for Sensitive Skin

This mask is great for soothing chapped, sunburned or otherwise irritated skin. Extra tip: This mask works well for other skin types as well. For oily skin, add a couple drops of lemon or lime juice. For dry skin, mix in a couple tablespoons of honey.
Ingredients:

• 1 cup natural yogurt (we like it just-out-of-the-fridge cold)
• ½ cup oatmeal (any type of basic oatmeal works here)

Preparation:
Mix the ingredients together. Apply to the skin for 10-15 minutes.Wash off mask with a washcloth steamed in the microwave (careful that it's not too hot).

Two other fun options for oatmeal face masks: Egg whites. Mix the oatmeal and an egg white. Let the mixture dry on face, and then gently wash off with a few splashes of warm water. Follow with a steaming washcloth to the face.

Pepto-Bismol. A friend of mine uses Pepto-Bismol with oatmeal for her masks. She got this tip year ago from a magazine. She suggests the active ingredient (bismuth subsalicylate) in Pepto-Bismol soothes your stomach as well as your face.

Source: about.com