Facemask · Eco-Chick

Browsing all posts tagged with facemask

Natural, Cheap Mango Facemask: Fruitilicious!

Starre with mango on my face (and in yummy chunks in the bowl)!

The big cosmetics companies have been slapping the “AHA” label on skin cleansers, creams and masks for a few years now, but translate that sciencey-sounding name (AHA stands for alpha-hydroxy acids) and you get simple fruit acids, which you can find in high concentrations in the skin and meat of a variety of fruits, and without the preservatives beauty products usually use.

At the recommendation of a natural facialist, I’ve been giving myself my own AHA facials with mangoes, a much-beloved fruit around my house. And I can report much smoother, softer skin after I do my routine (detailed below). Also, you get to eat the mango and it smells delicious on your skin! (Unlike my other fave all-natural beauty routine- my avocado hair mask- but hey, it works great…)

How To Make Your Own AHA Mango Facemask:

1. Start with an organic, fair-trade mango and rinse it well under the tap (you can use a teensy bit of all-natural soap if it’s sticky from other-mango juice).

2. Holding the mango lengthwise, cut the skin (but not deep into the mango) in four or five long cuts, from the top where the mango would have attached to its tree to the bottom.

3. Gently peel the skin away from the mango fruit (kinda like peeling an orange except the skin is thinner so you have to be more gentle).

4. Do what you will with the mango body- I usually just eat the whole thing from off the pit in a frenzy of mango-love but some more civilized people will cut them into chunks to eat in a fruit salad or use them in a smoothie.

5. Turn the skin inside-out so the soft yellow inside of the mango faces out, and rub all over your face (bonus! you can nibble on it as you spread it around; goofy but fun and the very definition of natural luxury- haven’t you always wanted to eat a yummy-smelling facemask?).

6. Let dry for 15 minutes or so, then rinse off using a mild facial cleanser. Moisturize as usual. Make sure to use sunscreen as the natural fruit acids leave your skin more prone to sun damage.

7. Touch super-soft skin and rejoice!

How It Works: AHA’s (fruit acids, found in high levels on the inside of mango skins and other fruits) break down the bonds between dead skin cells, so they get washed away more easily when you rinse the mask off. See Care2 for more info and ideas/recipes.

facemask, fruit, Natural Beauty, Organic

Mask It Up!

2 Comments

by Starre Vartan · 11/04/07

Let’s just say my skin’s been in better shape. Partying (or is it networking?) too many nights, crashing on couches and in random (hey, not THAT random) beds and being a full-time student, blogger and freelance writer (not to mention getting pancaked for TV appearances) means I’m dealing with more blemishes than I ever did as a reclusive woods-tramping teen. PLUS I turned 30 this year and the wrinkles are arriving on schedule despite my family’s excellent genes in that department.

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE a good facemask, which besides detox teas and lots of leafy greens seem to be my only saving grace. There’s something transforming about them, the way they tingle and harden on the face, their delicious aromatherapy while you wait, and the fact that (does this defeat the purpose? I say no….) you can get some work done while you’re also helping your skin look a little less like…you work so much! NO JOKE- I have one on as I type this! Here are my top three picks for the best all-natural masks out there.

This is me with LUSH’s Sacred Truth mask on. So cute, no?

LUSH

OK, not everything from the UK-based-but-available-worldwide LUSH store is totally natural; they use some artificial colors in some of their products. I’m over it. BUT their face masks are totally natural, so much so that they need to be kept in the fridge, and even then only last so long (a bit longer than they advise in the store, FYI). And you can’t buy them online- you need to go to one of their stores to get the fresh stuff. I like the Sacred Truth mask for regular weeks, and the Brazened Honey, which smells so divine I want to dive into a vat of it, is for hardcore skin repair, but ask in the store what’s best for your skin type.

I’m a total whore for their soaps too, which are cut off huge blocks and are wrapped in paper- in fact all their stuff is very minimally packaged and they ALWAYS ask if you really need a bag, since you probably don’t. This seems to be company-wide policy, as I regularly visit the LUSH stores on the Upper West Side in NYC and Greenwich CT. When I was recently in London, they asked there too. If you’re a nice, polite human being (and maybe make the salespeople laugh a bit), they’ll give you all sorts of free samples, so you can figure out what you like.

Origins

I’ve used Origins makeup for years; they make the least pore-cloggins stuff I’ve found anywhere, and it all smells fan-freaking-tastic. When I need a pick-me-up I use their anti-blemish Out of Trouble mask, which has camphor for a wake-me-up-right-now! scent, oil-abosorbing zinc oxide and sulphur (don’t worry, you can’t smell it) and salicylic acid.
Oh, and they have a new organic skin care line that looks yummy- I haven’t tried it yet though.

Neal’s Yard

Another UK import, Neal’s Yard is the ne plus ultra of organic beauty products, with great partner organisations and a commitment to organic products wherever they can make it work in their products. I like the Organic rose antioxidant mask for a mellow, feel-good, smell-better mask that reminds me to take it easy.

And if you’re looking for natural wrinkle-erasers, check out this piece on The Daily Green about my favorite eye creams/serums.

Want to make your own HAIR-revitalizing mask out of fresh, organic ingredients? Try this one!