Perk Up Winter Skin: Try An At-Home Facial Today!

Laurie Hartt — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 00:04:00 +0000

Although I do love winter, I don’t love the yucky skin it brings. Even when it seems moist outside from all the rain and snow, the cooler temperatures and harsh weather bring irritated, dry, grubby skin.

So what to do?

One of the easiest ways to give your skin a boost is an at-home facial!

Here are the basic steps.

Step 1: Cleanse. Make sure you get all the dirt and makeup off, but don’t scrub or it could irritate your skin.

Step 2: Steam. This helps open your pores, increases circulation, and makes your skin even softer. An easy way to do this is to add hot water and an herbal tea bag to a bowl, drape a towel over your head, and lean over the steam. Stay at least a foot away from the bowl to avoid scalding or irritating your skin. Do this for up to five minutes.

Step 3: Apply a mask. Below I’ve listed some of my favorite masks you can make at home. Most of these you can make using ingredients you have lying around in your fridge or pantry.

For Dry Skin

Avocado and Olive Oil Facial Mask

1/2 avocado

1 tablespoon olive oil

Mash the avocado and the olive oil together in a bowl. Apply to your face and wait for 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

For Irritated or Sunburned Skin

Soothing Mask

1 part plain yogurt, chilled

1/2 part old fashioned oatmeal

(optional) 2 drops essential oil – jasmine

Stir ingredients together. Add jasmine essential oil. Apply to area and leave on for 10 minutes. Wash off with warm water and pat dry.

For Acne Prone Skin

Deep Cleaning Cat Litter Facial Mask

4 tablespoons of cat (kitty) litter

Juice from 1 small lemon

warm water

In a bowl squeeze the lemon juice over the kitty litter. Add water a bit at a time and stir until you have made a paste. Apply the facial evenly to your face and neck. Leave on for 15 minutes and wash off with warm water. (Sounds weird, I know, but hey — why not?)

For Oily Skin

Strawberry Lemon Mask

1 tsp lemon juice

2 egg whites

3 tsp honey

1 cup strawberries

Blend with a blender ingredients well. Apply to freshly cleaned face and leave on for 10 minutes. Wash off with warm water and pat dry.

(Recipes from www.wittyliving.com)

For Dull Skin

Cucumber Mint Facial Mask

2 large cucumbers (chopped)

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves (chopped very finely)

2 tbsp. plain unflavored yogurt

1tbsp. lemon juice

Peel the cucumbers and blend or pulse until smoothly pureed. Strain the puree through a paper towel to get rid of all excess water. Pulse cucumber and rest of ingredients together until smooth. Microwave for 1 minute, apply to clean skin, and leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water to reveal fresh skin!

(Recipe from Self Beauty & Style)

To Exfoliate

Brown Sugar & Milk Scrub

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup of Milk

Apply to skin and scrub gently. Let it sit on the skin for 5-10. Rise with warm water and pat dry.

Step 5: Tone. This helps clear the skin of any soap or mask residue. Make sure not to use an alcohol-based toner because that will dry out the skin (kinda defeating the purpose!). Witch hazel and aloe vera are great toners.

Step 6: Moisturize. This is really important in keeping your skin fresh and supple. My personal favorite? Alba Botanical Aloe & Green Tea Oil-Free Moisturizer. Smells like the islands and isn’t greasy or heavy.

(Steps taken from: http://www.scenterofthemind.com/facials.html)

So what do you think? Will you be trying any of these at home? Post your own favorite masks below — I’d love to try them all!

The post Perk Up Winter Skin: Try An At-Home Facial Today! appeared first on Lulus.com Fashion Blog.

Lulus.com Fashion Blog » Fun facial ideas

Perk Up Winter Skin: Try An At-Home Facial Today!