Natural Fresh Fruit Face Masks

There are so many natural fruits and vegetables which are good for the condition of the skin. The fruit and vegetables listed below can all be used in a face mask to help improve the appearance of your skin whether you have oily skin or dry skin. I found this comprehensive list in a book called Bodycraft: Health & Beauty the Natural Wayby Nerys Purchon.

Apple pulp: slightly acidic; good for delicate skin
Apricots, mashed: moisturising, soothing, cleansing
Asparagus: stimulating; dries up spots
Avocado: deeply penetrating and full of vitamins
Banana, mashed: nourishing
Carrot pulp: antiseptic; heals spots and sores
Celery juice: acts as a toner for tired or aging skin
Cucumber: cooling, soothing, bleaching, healing
Fig pulp: emollient and cleansing
Lemon juice: diluted for oily skin and freckles
Lettuce juice: soothes sore, rough skin; helps to clear spots
Orange juice: hydrating for older skin
Pear pulp: soothing and cooling on sunburnt skin
Pineapple pulp: an astringent was for oily skin
Potato, raw: helps clear blemishes and eczema
Strawberries, mashed: slightly acidic, cleansing and luxurious
Tomatoes, mashed: good for oily skin
Turnip, mashed: deep cleansing
Watermelon juice: good for rough skin and deep cleansing

If you fancy it, you can even combine several of the fruits and vegetables listed above and you can even add some finely ground rolled oats.

Spread the mask over your face and neck avoiding the eye area. Leave the mask on for 15-20 minutes. I’d advise you lay down while the mask is on to enhance the relaxation experience but also to ensure the mask doesn’t run down your face. You can add some agar agar (vegetable gelatine) to thicken the mask up to stop this from happening. Wash the mask off in lukewarm water and then splash your face with cool water to close the pores.

Skills Update

It has been quite a while since I've written anything on here. I have been very busy seeing clients, going on training courses and moving house.

Two weeks ago, I attended a one day course in Holistic Aromatherapy Facials which built on the knowledge I already have on Aromatherapy and facial massage. The course took place in Newport and was run by TEACH Therapy.

The course covered all aspects of a facial – cleansing, toning, exfoliating, moisturising, face masks, and facial massage. It was a very enjoyable day and I got to have 3 facials in one day! My skin felt great after.

I especially enjoyed learning about and using natural face masks. Some of the ones available to us were avocado, egg white, egg yolk, cucumber, strawberries and oatmeal. They were quite messy to apply but they were very good for the skin. Some of them were quite runny once they had been liquidised especially the cucumber. On the BBC2 Grow Your Own Drugs programme , James Wong showed how to make a natural face mask from papaya and kiwi. He used vegetable gelatine (agar agar) to thicken the mask up to stop it running everywhere and I can see why it’s needed. I’m not sure whether I will use this type of face mask in my facial routine yet (although I do like the oatmeal). I think I might use the natural clays such as fuller’s earth, kaolin, calamine, and magnesium sulphate adding essential oils to them to help with specific skin types and conditions.

I am hoping to start offering Holistic Aromatherapy Facials sometime in April. I will keep you posted.