You don't need to visit a spa for an expensive acne treatment. Many of the same ingredients spas use are available in your local supermarket. Each of these masks targets a skin problem related to acne, from excess oil to redness to scarring. Try rotating them throughout the course of a week.
Choose the Right Mask
Step 1
Create a mask schedule and list of recipes. Your skin might be oily one day and dry two days later. Having a repertoire of masks that fight specific problems will help more than applying the same mask time and time again.
Step 2
Combine ½ cup strawberries, 1 beaten egg white and 2 tsp. honey to fight breakouts. According to Janice Cox in "Natural Beauty at Home," strawberries and honey make an ideal combination for fighting acne. The strawberries contain natural salicylic acid, a drying ingredient that helps zap zits. Honey helps fight the bacteria that, when trapped in your pores, can lead to pimples and blackheads.
Step 3
Make a mask of a beaten white of an egg to reduce blemish-based redness. According to Planet Green writer Lynda Fassa, egg whites reduce redness and inflammation and lead to fewer breakouts overall.
Step 4
Mix together 1/2 cup of mashed papaya with 2 tbsp. honey for a mask that will diminish the look of acne scars. Sharon Ronen, founder of Skin Haven Spa Studio & Wellspa, tells Marie Claire magazine that the mask can help lighten sun spots or uneven pigmentation, like that caused by acne scars.
Step 5
Combine 2 tbsp. plain yogurt and a handful of chopped or ground oatmeal for mask that will sop up excess oil. According to Good Housekeeping, this combination can cleanse and tone your skin, when mixed into a paste. The magazine's recipe adds dried lavender for an aromatherapy effect, but consider this ingredient optional, as it has no acne-fighting effect on your skin.
Apply the Mask
Step 1
Mix the recipe's ingredients in a blender or food processor. If the recipe has just one ingredient, such as the egg white mask, skip this step.
Step 2
Pat the mixture onto your face. Avoid getting the mask too close to your eyes.
Step 3
Let the mixture dry on your face. In most cases, this takes from 10 to 20 minutes. You should feel the mask tightening as it dries.
Step 4
Rinse with cool or lukewarm water to remove the mask.
Step 5
Let your face air dry for best results.
Tips and Warnings
- Plan ahead, and add mask ingredients to your weekly grocery list. That way, when you want to do a mask, you don't have to worry about a trip to the store.
Things You'll Need
- Blender
- Strawberries
- Eggs
- Honey
- Papaya
- Plain yogurt
- Oatmeal
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