The Mask

Now there are a number of face masks on the market.

From sheet masks like The Contourist from Temple Spa and the Advanced Genifique Sheet Mask from Lancome to tubes you can buy in Boots or Superdrug.

They all have their USP's (that's Unique Selling Point for those that want to know), but I wanted to try out some of the homemade ones that can be made from things in the kitchen cupboard or fridge.

Egg white

This is supposed to help tighten pores and rejuvenate the skin. I tried this one using tissue paper on top to make a sort of, peel off mask, but the tissue just went soggy and it never really dried, so the peel off thing meant that I was left with little bits of tissue hanging around on my face, (not very attractive I can tell you).

If you want to give this a go, just separate the yolk from the white of an egg, whisk the white lightly and paint on to your face using a brush. Then using kitchen towel or toilet tissue apply a layer over the egg wash on your face and then paint again with the egg white. Leave to dry and then peel. Voila!

You may want to wash your face with some warm water afterwards just to make sure you got all the egg off your face :P

Cinnamon Mask

Cinnamon and honey face mask, anti-wrinkle and helps fight acne and pimples.

I think possibly this might work on someone whose skin isn't as sensitive as mine. I found that the cinnamon did give a nice exfoliation effect, but I think it was the cinnamon that started to irritate my skin after only 5 minutes so ended up washing it off earlier than planned.

To try this at home, put two tablespoons of honey and a teaspoon of cinnamon in a small bowl and beat together until it is completely mixed. Using a brush apply to your face and leave for 15-20 minutes, then wash off with some warm water and you should be left with a glowing complexion.

Baking Soda

Baking soda or bicarbonate of soda (as we brits call it).

Bi-carb is great for lots of reasons, it is a natural antibiotic, it has mild antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, helps absorb oils, and loosens and removes dead skin cells.

This actually worked wonders for my skin. I used it mainly on my T-zone as my cheeks can be a little dry. It reduced the redness of the acne and helped with the swelling and the pain. It did tingle a little bit but not like the cinnamon mask.

You'll need to adjust this recipe depending on if you want to do your whole face or just your t-zone.

I found that 1 tablespoon of Bi-carb with 1 1/2 teaspoons of water made a nice consistency for the mask. It wasn't too runny and tended to stay where I put it.

I would leave it on for about 15 minutes about once a day and then rinse it off with a little warm water using circular motions to help with the exfoliation effect.

Doing this mask once a day was only while my skin was still breaking out, as bi-carb is extremely drying on the skin. Once I felt that there were no new acne bumps trying to break out I switched to using Vicks Vapo Rub as a topical treatment overnight.

If you have any suggestions for further face masks please leave a comment, and I'll try it out at my earliest convience :)

#FaceMasks #Eggwhite #Cinnamon #Honey #TempleSpa #Lancome