Is Chocolate Bad for Your Face?

That's right! You guessed it! Today I tried a chocolate face mask.


I got the recipe for this face mask from here by Natasha Levitan.


Here's the recipe:
3.5oz Dark Chocolate
3 Tablespoons Salt
1 Cup Milk


Stir together the salt and milk until the salt is dissolved.
Melt the chocolate. Be careful not to burn it!
Combine the milk mixture with the melted chocolate with a whisk.


My recipe suggestions:
I cut the recipe by 2/3 so I used 1.2oz Dark Chocolate, 1 Tablespoon Salt, and 1/3 Cup Milk; this made more than enough for my one mask.


If your milk mixture is cold, it will cause the chocolate to harden. Hard chocolate doesn't mix well (big surprise, right?). If I were to do this again, I would warm the milk before adding it to the chocolate.

My mask ended up being very thin and watery. Perhaps adding more chocolate or less milk next time would be a good idea.

How to use:
I spread it on my face using my fingers, then waited for 15 minutes.


Be cautioned: when rinsing this mask off, make sure not to let it get in your mouth. I know it smells good, but don't be fooled. That tablespoon of salt really makes a statement.


After the mask:
There wasn't an immediate, obvious difference in how my skin felt. It seemed to be a little softer, but that was about it. The good news is, it was delightful to wear because it smelled good and felt relaxing on.


Cost: 1.2oz of Giant Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate bar appox. $0.38
             1/3 cup Milk approx. $0.06
             1 Tablespoon Salt approx. I have no idea, but the point is, not much.
Ease: Making the recipe--It isn't excessively complicated, but is slightly more involved than others I have tried. Using the mask--Prepare to get potentially messy! I had chocolate in my hair by the end of it (but wasn't complaining...who doesn't love the smell of chocolate?!)
Effectiveness: So-so. Perhaps a thicker, more chocolaty mask would have worked better.
Luxuriousness: Coating my face in dark chocolate made me feel like I was at one of those expensive spas where they give you desserts sprinkled with gold flakes.

BONUS: If you'd like to see my YouTube video about this mask, visit me here!

Blah-nana Facial Mask

If you haven't inferred it from the title, I was sorely disappointed by this banana mask for oily skin by Julyne Derrick. To be fair, I have combination skin, but I don't think that was the reason I walked away from the sink with a frown.


Here's the Recipe:
The ingredients are innocent enough. Half a banana, 1.5 teaspoons honey, a few drops of lemon or orange.

My Recipe Suggestions:
When this is combined, it creates a thick sort of liquid. Mine was somewhat chunky. I would recommend using a blender to get the banana smooth, but hey, I'm not recommending this mask at all so maybe it doesn't matter!


How to Use:
This sloppy liquidish mask can be applied to your face using your hands. There's no need to rub it in. When your face is covered, you're done. Wait for 15 minutes before washing off and patting dry.


After the Mask:
It just felt SO good to have this mask off of my face! As it dried it became sticky and I felt like a six-year old who had been sucking on watermelons for the Fourth of July. It tingled a bit, and stung a little right at the beginning, but after that it was just uncomfortable.


Sadly, even after washing it off, I was not impressed. It must have done something to the oil because my face was really dried out. As in, it was visibly dry. Thank goodness I have a wonderful face lotion that took care of that.


My face doesn't feel clean, tight, fresh, or even that much less oily (which is weird considering that this mask managed to dry out part of my face).

Cost: 1/2 banana—appox. $0.10 (depending on many factors of course)

Drops of honey—I bought a 24 oz bottle for $4.69

Drops of Lemon juice—I bought an 8 oz bottle for $1.55

Ease: Making the recipe—This would have been easier with a blender to smooth the bananas. I spent a while trying to get all the chunks out with the back of a spoon. Using the mask—easy on, easy off.

Effectiveness: Meh. Maybe someone with very oily skin would have better results, but not me.

Comfort Factor: I don't know anyone who enjoys having a sticky face. Clearly not me.

Honey, Pass the Oatmeal

My RA walked into my room not ten minutes ago and quickly noticed how bright my skin looked. When I told her I had some leftover face mask, she excitedly took it back to her room to use. I now share that recipe with you!

Here's the recipe (from an admittedly sketchy-looking website):

"Mix one cup regular oatmeal add Evian water (regular water can be used) until the oatmeal is a sticky consistency then add a few drops of honey..."

My recipe suggestions:

Evian water is completely unnecessary. Anyone notice that Evian is “naïve” backwards? Unless your tap water is undrinkable, it will work. 

Use hot water to make the oatmeal softer and more paste-like. The hot water will also make a warm mask which feels divine. No one wants to smear cold, gooey oatmeal on their face.

I used 6-8 drops of honey but more would make it smell better and make it more naturally moisturizing. 

How to use:

Smear this paste all over your face. It may fall off in large chunks, so be forewarned—you might get dirty! Be vigilant, however, until your entire face is covered. Pieces will stop falling off as the mask sets and dries.

Leave on for 15 minutes.

I pulled the larger portion of the mask off and threw it away before rinsing because I didn't want to risk having to explain to the maintenance man why our sink was clogged with oatmeal.

The model-face-wash-splash isn't going to work to get this mask off. Instead, I suggest using a washcloth and warm water to gently wipe the mask away.

Once you have patted your face dry, use a light facial moisturizer.

After the mask:

My face felt SO soft. My RA even touched it in awe at the mask's effect. My skin feels fresh, tight, and baby soft. I can tell exactly where the mask started and ended on my neck by the feel of the skin.

Cost: 1 cup Quaker Oats appox. $0.20

Drops of honey—I have no idea how to calculate this…I got a 24 oz bottle for $4.69

Ease: Making the recipe—simple. Using the mask—straightforward, but messy.

Effectiveness: Soft, bright skin!

Ridiculous factor: I felt absurd wearing this. The picture says it all.