After spending all of this time at home, and trying to adapt to the new normal of online classes or work (or both!), managing your time between the computer and your kids or pets, and avoiding going crazy, it's a safe bet you've been stressing out more than normal. We get it... so are we, and so is everyone else. The thing about extra stress is that your skin is bound to break out or answer to it, especially since many of us have changed up our eating habits more than we'd like to admit (thanks, UberEats, and all of the banana bread recipes flooding our Instagram!). So today, we thought we'd round up 5 of our favorite DIY, at-home face masks and body scrubs that you can do to solve any skincare woes you might have, with ingredients you'll likely find in your fridge or pantry!
1. Smoothing Lib Scrub:
This scrub is ideal for those of you with dryer pouts or chapped lips, which is very common, and chances are it's happened to everyone at times. This scrub will get rid of any dry, chapped skin and give you instantly smooth lips as a result.
All you have to do is combine 1 teaspoon of coconut oil, 1 teaspoon of raw honey, 2 tablespoons of raw sugar, and a dash of lemon juice (optional) in a small bowl. Mix well and apply the resulting mixture with a new toothbrush in a gentle circular motion. You can also use your fingers to spread it around your lips and scrub them softly if you don't have an extra toothbrush to spare. Rinse the scrub off and follow up with your favorite lip balm.
2. Calming + Depuffing Cucumber Eye Mask:
With all the extra stress you've got, the best thing you can do is find small ways to make conscious practices for self-care. One of the parts of the face that commonly go ignored when it comes to skincare or selfcare are your eyes. Think about it, they've been strained on screens non-stop since the stay-at-home orders started: from your work computer, to your phone screen, to your TV. If you've been overwhelmed with emotions and crying more than usual (which is totally OK and common), you might be experiencing puffier eyes, especially in the morning.
We've got you covered with a super easy cucumber eye mask that will soothe your eyes: take a cold cucumber and grate it over a paper towel on top of a plate. Once you've finished grating, wrap the pieces like a burrito and compress it. Rest your head back and apply onto closed eyes for an instant soothing effect. We recommend leaving them on for a few minutes, and while you're at it, why not try a mindfulness or meditation app to help you relax even more? Don't knock it til you try it!
3. Anti-Aging Cocoa Face Mask:
You know, it's never too early to start with the anti-aging benefits! Especially since at the moment, we're experiencing more stress than normal, so we have to try and avoid getting wrinkles while we can! This mask has amazing antioxidant benefits as well as a moisturizing effect that will leave you with a glowing, restored and more youthful appearance. Did you know that hydration is the key to effective anti-aging?
This mask smells chocolatey and good enough to eat, but don't!-It has raw egg in it! To make it, combine 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon of sour cream, 1 tablespoon of honey, and one egg white. Apply to the face using a skincare brush or your fingers and let it dry before rinsing. The effectiveness of this mask is due to its amazing and powerful ingredients: sour cream is a form of lactic acid that hydrates as it gently exfoliates, the honey is an excellent moisturizer that also boosts hydration while the protein in the egg white tightens and firms skin for that anti-aging glow!
4. Soothing + Clarifying Oat Face Mask:
One of the best ingredients to use in homemade skin care masks are oats. This is because they work very well for sensitive and dry skin due to its soothing and calming properties while adding an extra layer of hydration and deep cleaning. This mask uses oats combined with another powerful ingredient, apple cider vinegar, which removes excess oil and buildup in skin.
To make it, combine 3 teaspoons of ground oats (if you have rolled or steel cut oats just put them in a food processor for a few seconds) and ¼ teaspoon of apple cider in a bowl until you get a smooth paste-like mixture. Then add ¼ tablespoon of lemon juice and ½ tablespoon of brown sugar and stir until the mixture is evenly combined. Apply to your freshly cleansed skin and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, since this will allow the ingredients to penetrate the skin and work their deep cleansing properties. Then rub in circular motions to exfoliate and increase blood-flow. Rinse off with warm water and pat (never rub!) dry with a towel.
5. Detoxifying Ginger + Rice Body Scrub:
This body scrub is a game changer! Inspired by Asian skincare, the mix of the two ingredients provide a deep cleaning and exfoliating scrub that removes dead skin cells in a pinch! The result? Smooth, glowing skin. This exfoliating scrub is an excellent one to add to your self-tanning routine, check out one of our latest blog posts where we talk about the importance of exfoliating skin before tanning here.
To make it, mix together ½ cup of ground rice (just grind in a blender or food processor), ½ cup of coconut milk, ¼ cup of brown sugar, and 1½ tablespoons of ground ginger until you get a paste-like mixture. Use your hands to rub the mixture in a circular motion all over your arms, legs, back, and entire body. After a few minutes, the scrub will polish the entire body. Rinse off and enjoy your smooth and radiant skin! It works wonders because the coconut milk hydrates your skin while the ginger not only detoxifies your skin but it also prevents it from inflaming. The rice is a key ingredient because the grains work well as an exfoliant to remove all of the dead skin while it also helps soothe any damaged or irritated skin patches you might have.
So, there you have it. 5 easy, DIY skincare that you can do at home, with ingredients you probably already have! No excuses for not practicing some relaxing, at home self-care!
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