There are plenty of good reasons to put food on your face. Foods like yogurt can enhance the natural, beneficial bacteria on your skin, while fruits and vegetables provide essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. People have been using face masks for skincare for ages, long before luxury skincare brands existed. As we learn more about the skin’s microbiome and its ability to absorb nutrients, these traditional remedies are becoming more appealing.
The great thing about homemade face masks is that you can tailor the ingredients to suit your skin type and preferences. One mask I particularly enjoy suits my slightly oily skin, which occasionally breaks out due to hormones.
Matcha, a special green tea, is made by shading the leaves toward the end of their growth to boost chlorophyll levels, resulting in a mild, vibrant green tea. The leaves are dried and ground into a fine powder. When making matcha tea, the leaves aren’t removed but are whisked in for a rich, antioxidant-filled drink.
Matcha isn’t just delicious on its own; it can be added to recipes for flavor and color, like homemade marshmallows or lattes. It’s great for your skin too, thanks to its beneficial compounds, especially epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which helps reduce inflammation and even out skin tone. The antioxidants may also help with acne and boost skin elasticity.
This mask is incredibly easy to make and leaves your skin feeling silky smooth. I use several face masks regularly, and this one is a favorite. It only requires two ingredients and can be prepared in advance, as both are shelf-stable. I mix matcha into honey for a perfect consistency and added benefits, creating a smooth, nourishing, and moisturizing mask that I use about once a week. Although the directions here are for one use, I often mix several tablespoons of matcha into a jar of honey and store it in my bathroom for regular use.
Ingredients:
– Honey
– Matcha
Instructions:
1. Mix honey and matcha to form a paste. You might need to adjust the amount depending on the honey’s consistency.
2. Apply the mixture to your face and neck in circular motions.
3. Leave it on for 10-15 minutes and then remove it with a warm, wet washcloth.
For a variation rich in probiotics, you can mix matcha with plain yogurt instead of honey. A simpler version involves mixing matcha with a few drops of water, and for dry skin, try using an oil of your choice like olive, coconut, or castor oil.
Have you ever made a face mask? What ingredients did you use?
