Yogurt and Oatmeal Facial (No, it's not a parfait!)

The Recipe:

Another about.com find! This one's written by Julyne Derrick. It's really simple—only three ingredients. A tablespoon of oatmeal to a tablespoon of natural yogurt and a few drops of honey are all that is needed for this (great smelling) face mask.

 My Recipe Suggestions:

 I grabbed my yogurt right out of the fridge and let me tell you, it was C-O-L-D! Next time I’d let it warm to room temperature before mixing it in. The recipe also calls for the oats to be ground finely, which I didn’t have the capabilities to do. The whole oats made for a more difficult application, but it’s doable with some patience.

How to Use:

Simply apply and wait! If you didn’t get to grind the oatmeal (like me), applying the actual oat part can be difficult because it likes to fall off. Be patient and try to get the oats to stick. Once it starts drying, they’ll stay put.

After the Mask:

As with my previous oatmeal face masks, I took off the larger pieces before rinsing my face to avoid clogging the sink. The mask was definitely dried and crisp after 15 minutes, but it felt good on and my skin definitely feels happier than it did before. It feels less oily and more tightened.

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

        1 Tbsp Oatmeal approx. $0.01

        1 Tbsp Yogurt – approx. $0.09

Ease: This was too easy. Definitely a quick one to whip up when you don’t have a lot of time (or dishes).

Effectiveness: Oatmeal seems to be a winning ingredient across the board! I’d use this one again.

Stress Relief: It was nice just to sit still and let this one dry. It’s one that you don’t want to move your face a lot with it on, so it almost forced me to chill for a while.

Your Turn:

It’s time for you to get in there and try one of these facials out! Pick one that I’ve tried here (or one of your own that you’d like to recommend for me to try!) and post your review here. I’d love to hear from you!

Ode to Honey Bees: Homemade Face Mask

Photo from http://amazinghoneybee.com/contact_us

Honey bees are a vital part of the ecosystem. Without them, pollination doesn’t occur, plants don’t grow and things collapse from there on up the food chain. Not to mention that without honey bees we wouldn’t have any honey!

Check out this article from AOL news about honey bees (and other declining creatures) in the recent years past. 

Honey is a fantastic natural skin care product because it is a humectant, which means it helps your skin retain moisture so it is soft, supple, and oh-so touchable. As an ode to the honey bees and all they do for us, this post’s face mask is honey-heavy.

The Recipe:

This recipe, in fact, it is so honey-heavy you might say that it is only honey! That’s right!

I got the recipe (if you can call it that?) from natural home remedies for life, which has a plethora of other face mask recipes you can try too!

My Recipe Suggestions:

I microwaved my honey because I didn’t want to play the hot water trick. It only took about ten seconds to get it quite hot (I let it cool a bit before applying it so it wouldn’t burn).

How to Use:

I applied with my fingers, which worked well but definitely resulted in sticky hands and random drips. A quick application that felt great as the honey calmed my skin with warmth and my senses with sweet scents. Watch for drips while you wait out the 15 minutes after applying!

After the Mask:

I expected a battle to get the sticky honey off at the end of this. However, I was pleasantly surprised when warm water did the trick without much work at all. My skin feels a little better to me, but doesn't feel better to the touch. This definitely made my skin appear more red for about 30 minutes after removal.

Cost: 1 oz honey approx. $0.20

Ease: This was so quick to make! One ingredient, ten seconds to microwave, apply and remove. Simple.

Effectiveness: Felt great while it was going on and there was a bit of pleasant tightening while the 15 minutes passed. Afterward, my skin felt good to me, but appeared more red than usual for about 30 minutes post-removal. This is a good quick-fix for a day when you want just a little extra something special for your skin, but isn’t a deep cleanse and isn't something you should do just before your date arrives to pick you up!

Honey Bee Ode: Sweet but not entirely effective. Maybe I'll leave saving the honey bees up to the experts.

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.