Making face masks and astringents is a great ways of making your face feel wonderful and clean.
When using herbs for these homemade cosmetics, use the powdered form and pass it through a sieve to make sure all large particles are remove.
Following are several recipes. Make sure you are not allergic to any of the ingredients. Try different ones until you find the right combination for you and your skin type.
Directions for each mask: With a blender, mix all the ingredients well. Make only enough to use for one mask. About 1 Tbsp. for each is enough for one mask. Apply to clean face and leave for about 10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and use moisturizer afterwards. Any leftover masks store in refrigerator.
Mint Face Mask, equal parts each
- Spearmint
- Oil such as almond oil, grape seed oil, apricot kernel oil or olive oil
- Raw honey
- Add a couple of drops of lavender oil, or patchouli oil, or chamomile oil
Yogurt Facial Mask
- ¼ c. plain yogurt
- ½ tsp. honey
- ½ tsp. green clay, or white clay
- 3 drops of lavender essential oil
- 1 Tbsp. Finely chopped cucumber
- 1 Tbsp. Yogurt
- 1 Tbsp. Finely chopped parsley or calendula powder
Almond face Mask, equal parts each
- Almond meal
- Calendula powder
- Chamomile powder
Herbs good for oily skin include:
- Lady mantel
- yarrow
Healing herbs for the skin:
- Fennel
- House leek
- Marshmallow
- Comfrey
Cleansing Herbs:
- Chamomile
- Fennel
- Lady’s mantle
- Lovage
- Nettle
- Parsley
- Plantain
Herbs for Acne:
- Burdock
- Clover
- Horsetail
- Lavender
- Southernwood
Chamomile is a great skin cleaning herb, and rosemary will increase circulation. Elder flower, horsetail, and spearmint will tighten the skin at the same time it will stimulate the skin.
Astringents can be made from any of the herbs listed below by adding dried herbs to apple cider vinegar and allowing steeping for two weeks. Strain and dilute 2 Tbsp. vinegar in a pint of water.
Vinegars will help both dry and oily skin and will tighten skin pores. It establishes a natural acid balance and softens the skin. Use unfiltered apple cider vinegar. Add about 1 cup of fresh leaves and stems for each pint of vinegar and allow steeping for two or three weeks. Shake every day and strain and re-bottle in glass bottle with cork or plastic lid. Save your vinegar bottles. Use this in a diluted form for astringents and facial steams.
Astringents are used for cleansing and a refreshing feeling.
Astringents herbs:
- Bay
- Chamomile
- Comfrey leaf
- Elderflower flowers
- Frankincense
- Lemon
- Mint
- Myrrh
- Nasturtium
- Raspberry
- Rose
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Witch hazel
- yarrow
Astringents for oily skin:
- Sage
- Yarrow
- Plantain
- Lemon balm
- Lemon grass
- Rose
- Witch hazel
- Lavender
Astringents for normal to dry skin:
- Chamomile
- Comfrey
- Elderflower
- Fennel
Herbs to help stimulate the face:
- Bee balm
- Calendula
- Elderberry flowers
- Lavender
- Lemon verbena
- Mint
- Nettle
- Plantain
- Raspberry
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Savory
Sage astringent recipe:
- 3 Tbsp. dried sage, powdered
- 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tbsp. witch hazel liquid
- ¼ tsp. borax powder
- 1/8 c. glycerin
Finely minced sage and added to apple cider vinegar and allow steeping for two weeks. Stain. Dissolve borax in the witch hazel. Stir into apple cider vinegar and mix in glycerin and add to a glass bottle with tight lid. Shake before use.
Change the herbs in the above recipe to match your skin type. If your skin is oily, or dry will dictate what herbs to put in the above recipe.
Always check to make sure you are not allergic to any of the herbs before adding them to your face. Mix small amount of crushed herbs with water and put on the underarm and cover with bandage and keep in place for 24 hours. If no reaction occurs from the herbs you properly are not allergic.