Oatmeal & Honey Face Mask

Last week I shared the final winner in my journey for a DIY face wash. As I mentioned in that post, I had made several attempts at face wash recipes before I was happy with the coconut oil and honey wash. One of the recipes that I tried was a baking soda and oatmeal face wash. It was recommended for sensitive skin but also claimed to work for acne, so I thought it would be perfect for my skin. It did make my skin feel very soft, however it didn’t work as well as I had hoped. After a few weeks, there wasn’t a difference in my acne and it didn’t remove my eye makeup either. But I had made so much of it and I wanted to find out if I could use it for something else.

After I was completely happy with the  coconut oil and honey wash, I decided to try and use the oatmeal and baking soda mix for another purpose – to make a face mask. The reason I thought it would work well as a face mask is because oatmeal has soothing properties and also can absorb dirt and impurities from your skin. Baking soda helps to neutralize the skin’s pH balance, which makes the skin heal more effectively. Lastly, I added honey to the mask because of it’s antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. It can be used to cleanse the skin as well as heal damage caused by acne and scarring.  It can also remove dirt and oil as well as moisturize the skin! So all of the ingredients I used are natural, gentle and cleansing or healing  – a perfect mix for sensitive skin with acne!

How to make the baking soda/oatmeal scrub: Mix 1 part baking soda with 2 parts ground oatmeal (I put regular oats in the food processor until it made a powder). You can use this alone on your skin by mixing the powder with a little splash of water until it forms a paste. Rub over skin in a circular motion and then rinse clean.

For the mask, I mixed the baking soda and oatmeal blend with a little bit of honey, but it was just a bit too thick. So I added just a touch of water and it was perfect. It will look a little thin and runny, but once you apply it to your skin it sticks nicely.

How to make the oatmeal/honey face mask:

• 1 tsp baking soda/oatmeal scrub
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp water

Directions: Mix all ingredients until well blended. Slowly apply the mixture to a clean face in an upwards, circular motion. Be sure to gently apply the mixture to the skin and to not rub it into the skin. It should just lay on top of the skin. After 15-20 minutes, rinse off and pat skin dry.

My skin has never been so soft and I can’t believe how using this face mask only 1-2 times per week has kept my acne under control. It’s truly amazing! I am loving all of these  DIY beauty treatments that I’m trying. They are all so easy and inexpensive!