3 Great DIY Beauty Facial Masks

We women love facial masks. There is nothing better than just relaxing on the couch and giving your skin a boost. But do you want to know where my love for facial masks was born? From an early age I loved it to experiment with beauty masks. I remember that on April 30th, Queen’s Day (yes, you are reading that correctly: Queen Beatrix was still on the throne! That was a long time ago), I bought this book on the free market, with a lot of beauty facts in it. I spent days browsing it!

Then at some point my mother showed me that she had bought Ghassoul clay. She had bought this during one of our summer vacation trips to Morocco. At that exact moment my love for Ghassoul clay started. This is more than 25 years ago! Since then I have had a set of regular beauty rituals, which I would like to share with you. In this blog you will also find 3 recipes, three great DIY facial masks.

My personal beauty ritual

Over time I have developed this ritual for myself; it gives me a wonderfully soft and even skin:

• The first thing I do is steam my face using warm water. Just take a large bowl, in which you poor boiling water. Then get a large towel and put it over your head, while hanging over that bowl with warm water for about 10 minutes. You can add chamomile to the water. If you don’t have dried chamomile flower instead, you can use a bag of chamomile tea. This has a calming and cleansing effect on the pores in your face.
• After you have done that, remove the towel from your head and wipe your face with a cotton ball with a cleansing lotion. I use Estée Lauder lotion. After you have done that, you can apply the mask.
• Then you apply the DIY facial mask. Depending on the type of mask, let it dry for about 10-15 minutes and then you can rinse the mask with lukewarm water.

I have tried and tested quite a lot of facial masks. In this blog I am giving you the recipes of my favorite facial masks. So that you too can enjoy a wonderfully clean, radiant and soft skin. Isn’t that what all moms want, right?

Ghassoul clay mask – for a deep cleaning

Ghassoul clay is perfect for deep cleaning! This is a type of clay that I could only buy in Morocco at the time, but nowadays you can buy it anywhere. This volcanic clay, which is called Ghassoul, is known, among other things, for its cleansing, calming and protective properties. The clay comes from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.

Ghassoul clay contains a high concentration of vitamins and various minerals such as potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, sodium. When you apply Ghassoul clay on your body, it will purify, nourished and protected your skin. The great thing about Ghassoul clay is that, in addition to a deep cleansing effect, it also exfoliates your skin. Ghassoul is disinfectant and cleans your skin very deep into your pores. Source: https://argantuin.nl.

You will need this:

• 1 tablespoon Ghassoul clay
• 2 tablespoons of warm water

This is how you make it:

• Mix the Ghassoul clay with the warm water in a container. You mix it until you have a sticky and even paste. If the mixture is too dry, you can add some more water until it has exactly the desired thickness.
• Let the mixture cool down a bit, so that it is not too hot on your skin.
• Apply the mask to your cleansed face and keep the area around your eyes and mouth free.
• Leave the mask on for 10 to 15 minutes to dry; the mask hardens after about 10 minutes.
• After this, moisten your hands a little. Then remove the mask while gently massaging your face. Wash your face thoroughly with lukewarm water.

Honey, almond and lemon juice mask – for glowing skin

Would you like to have a glowing skin? Then this honey, almond and lemon juice mask is highly recommended. In addition to the fact that almonds are known for their delicious taste and large amount of nutrients, these nuts also have other benefits. Eating almonds regularly has been scientifically proven to prevent certain diseases. In addition, your skin will glow beautifully when you use almonds in a facial mask.

In combination with honey and lemon juice, this mask really boosts your face. Lemon naturally lightens your skin. Honey is a natural sweetener, which is rich in vitamins and minerals. Honey also has antibacterial properties. I use the almond paste that I put on my sandwich for my children. Because if you can eat it, it is also safe for your skin! Source: I got this mask from Dalila (my niece) so all credit goes to her!

You will need this:

• 1 teaspoon of honey
• 1 teaspoon of almond paste
• 2 teaspoons of lemon juice

This is how you make it:

• Mix all ingredients in a bowl or container into a sticky paste.
• Apply the mask to your cleansed face.
• This mask does not harden.
• Leave the mask on for 10 to 15 minutes and rinse your face carefully with lukewarm water.

Henna mask – for a natural SPF & sunless self-tanning

Now you will probably think; “It’s not King’s Day and I don’t want an orange face …”. On King’s Day in The Netherlands, it is a tradition to dress up in the color orange. So does a henna facial mask make any sense ? And for the time being there is no World Cup where we are going to encourage the Dutch national team. Depending on your skin type and shade, it is always best to test this mask on your hand or wrist. However, you will be amazed by the result!

Lawsone, also known as hennotannic acid, is the substance from which henna is made. This is known for strong healing properties since ancient times. There are several main types of henna: color, white and colorless. If you want to play safe, you can choose the colorless Henna. Henna is a source of many substances that are beneficial for our body. It contains components such as rutin, chryzaphenol, carotene and fisalene. Due to these beneficial substances, henna has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. Since ancient times, henna has been used to treat a variety of skin diseases, including eczema.

Henna can also help with pigmentation and age spots. It helps restore normal melanin levels in your cellular tissues. After applying a henna mask, your skin will become lighter, pigmentation spots will disappear and new spots will not appear for some time. In addition, a good mask of colorless henna helps to strengthen the protective properties of the epidermis. In addition, henna offers natural protection against the sun. You can also use henna as a sunblock. Source: www.hennapage.com.

You will need this:

• 1 tablespoon of natural henna powder
• 2 tablespoons of hot water

This is how you make it:

• Mix the henna powder with hot water and let it cool down.
• Apply to face and neck as soon as it is lukewarm. This mask is best to apply on a face that has been cleansed and exfoliated. It is also advisable to steam the skin before cleansing so that the ingredients penetrate deeper into the top layer of the skin.
• The first time you try this I would leave the mask on your face less than a minute.
• Then you can rinse the mask. The henna leaves a bit of tan on your skin, a healthy gloss.

Disclaimer: Not sure if your skin responds well to the mixture? Then try it out on a small surface before applying your entire face as I have already recommended in the text.