Two New Face Masks

I have developed the habit of trying out one face mask (masque) each week. My two new favorites are below. As always, know your skin and test out a little on your skin before doing the whole mask.

Baking Soda-Lemon Juice-Honey Mask

I found this mask at Style Craze. There are some great ideas on that website. This mask left my skin glowing and did not irritate. The three ingredients help to exfoliate, tone and moisturize all at once. Check out the link or look below to see my notes.

What You Need

1. 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
2. 1 teaspoon Honey (creamed is best)
3. 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

What To Do

1. Mix the three ingredients together. Wait for the fizz to die down and you will have a runny, yellow paste.
2. Spread the paste on your clean face and neck. Avoid eyes and any other sensitive areas. Lightly rub the mixture into your skin for some nice exfoliating action. Don’t be too rough.
3. Leave the mask on your face for 15 minutes.
4. Wipe off with warm water.
5. End the experience with a splash of cold water.

Notes: Use any left overs to exfoliate your hands and elbows. I have found these masks are best done before I take a shower in order to rinse off any residue that gets into my hair. Great for days when you use a coconut oil hair mask.

 

Honey-Lemon Juice-Olive Oil Mask

This is my own concoction. It is a great moisturizer, but I know olive oil can be too strong for some people. My skin is on the sensitive side due to rosacea, but this worked fine for me.

What You Need

1. 1 teaspoon Honey (creamed works best)
2. 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
3. 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

What To Do

1. Mix the three ingredients together.
2. Spread on face and neck, avoid eyes and other sensitive areas.
3. Leave on for 10 minutes.
4. Rinse off and pat dry.

 

 

Honey

I frequently pass a honey store and educational bee farm that I thought was just a personal residence and felt uncomfortable venturing inside. This past weekend I worked up my courage and gave them a ring. I am very glad I did because it turned out to be a very special and unique Pacific Northwest experience (it was raining, but that did not stop the adventure). The lady at the shop shared with us her passion for bees and honey. I did not realize that honey is flavored depending on the type of plant it visits. Of course it seems obvious to me now that honey would taste like blackberries because the bee obtains the nectar from a blackberry bush. I also learned how to make creamed honey for spreading. And I learned that most honey one would buy at the grocery store is made from bees who live off of sugar water. There is a catch here. Currently due to abnormal weather patterns and overuse of pesticides, the bees do not have access to the necessary amount of nectar producing plants. To combat this shortage many bee enthusiasts feed the bees sugar water to ensure that colonies survive. So, honey made from bees that live off sugar water does not contain the healing properties of a good, local honey, but many are finding that without the sugar water the bees would not stand a chance. We bought three bottles of honey: blackberry, fireweed and rasberry and have enjoyed all three over the weekend.

Uses For Honey

1. In teas to help relieve allergies
2. In face masks and body scrubs as a moisturizer and anti-bacterial
3. As a sweetener