Hello, my name is Sarah Hartshorne, and I am addicted to face masks. I use them least three times a week because, when I have a mask on, I can pretend to be a glamorous, put together woman who never eats in bed or wakes up with jam on her face.
But face masks can be expensive, and eventually they do stop giving you samples at Sephora, so I’m excited to branch out and try some making some on my own. Hopefully, these DIY face mask recipes will make me feel like a glamorous, put-together woman who has more than just sheet masks, wine, and jam in her fridge.
Before you apply any of these masks to your skin, make sure to wash your face first. After removing the mask, apply your usual moisturizer to help seal in the active ingredients.
6 DIY Face Mask Recipes for Glowing Skin
1. Egg White Face Mask
Egg whites face mask benefits include reducing pores, softening fine lines and wrinkles, improving skin tone, and helping with acne. However, it’s best not used in conjunction with a retinol.
Ingredients:
- 1 egg white
- 1 Tbsp. of honey
- Optional: 1/2 tablespoon sweet almond oil (for dry skin), apple cider vinegar (for combination/oily/acne prone skin), turmeric (for red, irritated skin)
Instructions:
- Separate the egg white. Put the yolk in a container, vow to cook with it, forget about it, throw out a week later.
- Whisk in honey and other ingredients until mixture is smooth and foamy.
- Apply and leave on for 10-15 minutes.
- Rinse and moisturize.
Results: This egg white mask might be my favorite. My skin was visibly firmer and I actually had glowing skin. It was easy to make, easy to put on, and aside from a little stickiness in my hairline, easy to rinse. [Editor’s note: Phrasing.]
2. Coffee Grounds Face Mask
Turns out there are more benefits to coffee than just staving off our caffeine headache. A coffee face mask may reduce puffiness, fine lines, hyperpigmentation, and could even erase dark circles because of caffeine’s ability to constrict blood vessels. In other words, a coffee face mask is great after a late night of partying or Netflix binging.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp. coffee grounds
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. honey
- Optional: apple cider vinegar
Instructions:
- Mix ingredients together.
- Apply and leave on skin for 10-15 minutes.
- Rinse and moisturize.
Results: Personally, the coffee mask made me super red and irritated. Also, the coffee got everywhere and stained my sink and bathtub, making it was more trouble than it was worth.
3. Coconut Oil Face Mask
Coconut oil is more than just a Lizzo album, it’s also the food and beauty world’s wunderkind. A coconut oil face mask supposedly has anti-fungal, moisturizing, collagen stimulating, acne reducing benefits. I do a coconut oil mask every Sunday, and use the leftover as a body scrub. It’s not only easier to clean up than the coffee, it also tastes better. Don’t be afraid to make too much, you can use this on your whole body!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Instructions:
- Put Coconut Oil by Lizzo on repeat.
- Mix together ingredients, adjust as needed to achieve the consistency you want.
- Apply and leave on for 5 minutes
- Rinse and moisturize.
- Use remaining scrub to exfoliate body, taking care to massage any cellulite or dry spots.
Results: This coconut oil face mask makes me soft and dewy from head to toe. Not only is it great for your skin, it’s a good way to learn how to appreciate your badass body even more. Take extra time to massage and appreciate the parts of yourself you don’t like. Rub it on your car, your apartment, your annoying neighbor. It makes everything better!
4. Oatmeal Face Mask
Oatmeal is supposedly very calming, good for reducing redness and irritation, and making you feel like a hippie goddess. Best accompanied by patchouli incense and a kale smoothie.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
- 1/4 cup very warm water (not boiling)
- 1 Tbsp. yogurt
Instructions:
- Pour warm water over oatmeal and stir. Add yogurt.
- Apply and leave for 10 minutes.
- Rinse and moisturize.
Results: It was really tricky to get the DIY oatmeal face mask to stay on my face and it kept sliding off. It also kind of irritated my skin, making this a Pinterest fail.
5. Baking Soda Mask
If you have oily skin and acne, face masks that combine baking soda with an acid (like lemon juice), may help. I don’t have oily skin, so in order to not dry out my skin, I added some olive oil (magical coconut oil works too). That said, this mask was definitely the most fun to make. I felt like a scientist when I added the lemon juice to the baking soda and the combination puffed up like a soufflé.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp. Baking Soda
- 2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
- Optional: 1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil (or Olive Oil or Walnut Oil)
Instructions:
- Combine baking soda and lemon juice.
- Stir until the mixture resembles a gross, yellow, quicksand-like paste.
- Apply and leave on 15 minutes.
- Rinse and moisturize.
Results: I was pleasantly surprised at how small my pores now are, and how smooth and tight my skin feels. Also, I had a pimple when I put the mask on, and it is straight up gone now. Despite some initial hesitation, I found this baking soda mask actually soothed my skin and reduced redness. The only downside was that it felt like I was scraping my skin off when I rinsed my face which to be fair I guess I was.
6. French Green Clay Face Mask
It’s said that the benefits of a gentle French green clay mask (or a charcoal mask) are that it removes impurities, reduces pores and shine, brightens skin, and may even be good for reducing acne breakouts. It’s also perfect for low-level masochists who love a little painful tingling.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp. French Green Clay
- 1 tsp. Honey (I used Manuka)
- 2 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions:
- Combine ingredients with a plastic or wooden spoon. Don’t use metal as it neutralizes the bentonite in the clay.
- Apply to skin and leave on for 10-15 minutes.
- Rinse and moisturize.
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Results: The French green clay mask hurts so good, it felt like it was making me a better person. My skin felt brighter, tighter, and my under eye area was way less puffy, so this is great mask to replace sleep with in a pinch. May not help with the resulting hallucinations, though.
Since "retiring" from modeling, she's performed standup all over NYC and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She was featured in the female orgasm episode of the Netflix show "Explained" and HBO's Vice. She was also recently retweeted by JK Rowling, so she can die now, right?
Follow her on Twitter at @sarahhartshorne
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