DIY: Facial Mask

The OJ + baking soda facial mask made its rounds on the intrawebs several months ago, and it just sounded too good to be true. How could two ingredients really work like all those people claimed it had? I'm an organic food lover and try to opt for natural remedies if I can, that is unless I have to track down a random root or herb that I can't even pronounce much less know where to find. I at least wanted to see if the little mask lived up to all the hype.

My sweet friend Hannah volunteered to try it out and let me document the process. I believe the original source for this mask came from Beauty Bets. (If someone knows otherwise, please do tell.)

     

Step-by-Step

1. Squeeze 1 tablespoon of juice from an orange into a small bowl. (Hannah's cute floral bowl came from Target, in case you're wondering.)

2. Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda. (It will start to fizz.)

3. Mix together until it looks pasty. (It was surprisingly thin when we did this; we expected it to be thicker.)

4. Hannah used a clean makeup brush to apply a thin layer all over her face.

5. You're supposed to leave it 20 minutes, but  I think we ended up somewhere around 15.

6. After 20 15 minutes, gently scrub with fingertips to exfoliate.

7. Rinse with warm water and washcloth as needed.

Me: What does it feel like?

Hannah: Umm, kinda runny. Burns a bit...

~5 minutes later~

Hannah: Wow-really tingling over here.

Me: Uh oh..surely that's normal, right?

Hannah: I hope so...

{crickets}

(Quick search on the Internet to confirm that tingling is normal.)

~1 minute later~

(Affirmative. Tingling is normal.)

~5 minutes later~

Me: Still tingling?

Hannah: Yup!

Me: Want to wash it off now?

Hannah: Yes please.

Hannah's skin was red for several minutes after removing the mask. Apparently this too is normal. But look at the results??

Ok, clearly Hannah is one hot mama, and the mask had nothing to do with that. But she said her skin felt super soft afterwards. I ended up doing it myself a couple days later and felt like my skin was tighter afterwards. I have huge pores, so they certainly didn't "disappear" like others who had tried it said.

I'll definitely use it again if nothing else for the convenience and the cost. Expensive face creams are not in this teacher's budget. Speaking of...This mask is use at your own risk. Please do not send me nasty emails or attempt to bring legal action against me if you break out in an allergic reaction based on our recommendations. (Sounds silly, but I still have to say it.)

I found this great post with more natural face masks with different homemade recipes depending on your skin type. Ok, anyone have a mask (homemade or store purchased) that you love? 

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