Archives for February 2015

Now that the weather is warm and summer is officially here, we’re all looking for ways to get that great summer glow. Here is a simple and inexpensive way to make a fantastic homemade mask from things you might already have in your kitchen. This is by far one of my favorite at-home beauty recipes. This mask has nourishing and anti-aging properties you’ll love–and it contains natural ingredients that have been used by women for decades.

– 1 smashed banana

– 1/2 cup plain unflavored oatmeal

– ¼ cup of honey

– 3 tablespoons of milk

You’ll also want to use a medium sized mixing bowl, a blender or food processor, and a small stirring spoon. All of these ingredients can be purchased at your local grocery store.

To make your mask, first smash up the peeled banana in your mixing bowl. Next, grind your oatmeal into a really fine powder in a blender or food processor. This step is very important, and unfortunately I learned this the hard way! I initially just poured the unblended oatmeal into the mixture and when I put it on my face, I had large chunks of oatmeal hanging off my face and dripping on the floor– and my whole staff laughing at me. While it may be more amusing, it’s not the best way to get the nourishing benefits of the oatmeal, so make sure you blend it to a fine powder first. You’ll also want to make sure that you use unflavored oatmeal in your mask since flavored oatmeal can have all different types of ingredients that may not be good for your skin.

After your oatmeal is blended into a fine powder, pour it into the mixing bowl with your smashed banana. Next, pour your 1/4 cup of honey and 3 tablespoons of milk into the bowl. Mix all the ingredients until you have a thick creamy banana scented mask.

If you feel your mask is too thick, you can always add more milk. If your mask is too runny, add in more oats. Sometimes it helps to heat your mask for 10-15 seconds in the microwave.

To apply the mask, first clean your face with water and your daily facial cleanser. Then you can use your hands to apply a handful of the mask in a thick, even layer.

You can leave your mask on for up to an hour, but if you don’t have that much time 20-30 minutes is okay. You just want to give the mask enough time to nourish your skin and help reduce the appearance of fine lines. I like to put on this mask when I’m getting ready to watch a show, so I can leave it on and forget about it.

After you are done using the mask, you’ll want to rinse it off with warm water until it is completely gone. Then you can pat your face dry and apply your favorite moisturizer. You’ll notice after using this mask how soft and smooth your skin is! This is a great mask that will reduce and prevent the signs of aging while helping to exfoliate the dead layer of skin on your face as well. This mask can be used as often as you like–any time you want to get that extra glow to your skin.

I hope you enjoyed making this simple, inexpensive treat for your skin. Do you have any other great do-it-yourself beauty tips? We’d love to hear about them!

Julie