As society begins to move toward a healthier way of living many people are ditching the shortcuts and putting in work. People are now making food from scratch, growing their vegetables, and furthermore creating their beauty products. Formulating beauty products may seem like a lot of work, but it can be quite rewarding. You have the power to customize formulas to battle specific skincare concerns and can avoid harsh chemicals companies use to save money.

Scrubs and masks are some of the most common homemade beauty products because they provide theses skin with characteristics to keep it beautiful:

• Smoother texture
• Less acne
• Oil balancing
• Moisture binding
• Skin brightening
• Anti-ageing
• Even skin tone

Beautiful skin can be created in your very own home but first there are a few things you need to know.

Class is now in session: Scrub and Mask 101

I know many people who use masks and scrubs because they think they’re fun. While that statement holds true scrubs and masks should not be just for pampering, they should be added to your weekly skincare ritual.

What are facial scrubs and masks and why should I be using one to obtain a beautiful face?

A facial scrub is a combination of hydrating ingredients and abrasive materials that aid in exfoliation. The skin is nourished by essential oils like coconut, olive, and lavender while it is smoothed by sand, dirt, rocks, or microbeads. Scrubs are manually spread across the skin and gently manipulated for 1-3 minutes about 1-2 times per week. Check out some ways to achieve healthier skin through diet!

Using a scrub on the skin can result in a beautiful face:

• Stripping away dead skin gives new skin cells room to develop. Once thenew skin is formed, any blemishes will be diminished.
• If you use skin care products without ever exfoliating you will waste them on dead skin. Exfoliating allows only live skin cells to benefit from your lotions, creams, and serums.
• Unless discoloration is genetic consistently scrubbing, the skin will result in skin that is more even. Pigmentation issues rarely occur throughout all layers of the skin so once you remove the over pigmented cells clear skin will appear.
• If your skin happens to flake, a scrub will end this issue. Now makeup will glide on smoothly, and your skin will be free from dry patches.
• Got whiteheads? They can be tough to extract because a layer of skin seals them. Exfoliating an area affected by whiteheads will allow you to push themfrom your pore.

While many people love the feel of a scrub it is important not to over-exfoliate, this can cause scarring and other forms of skin damage.This means staying within the two-day exfoliation limit and softening up on that heavy hand.

Scrubs are not for everyone and if you are thinking of using one don’t skip these important contraindications:

• Those with acne should steer clear of manual scrubs. If acne happens to burst, you’ll only spread bacteria across the face. Also, if you are too rough while scrubbing over blemishes, they are highly likely to leave a mark.
• If you have a skin complication that causes inflammation, you may still use a scrub but it must be very gentle. Too much manipulation on theinflamed skin will only make the situation worse.
• Having open wounds on the skin also prevents you from exfoliating, you could further injure the skin or cause an infection.

Facial masks are made from a plethora of ingredients and are not normally manipulated, but are left on the face for an individualperiod. The great thing about a mask is that it has the power to exfoliate the skin but is packed with ingredients that can help other concerns.

Just like a scrub, a mask also helps to exfoliate the skin but many masks use chemical exfoliants. Chemical exfoliants are alpha hydroxyl acids or enzymes that help dissolve dead skin cells. Depending on which mask you are using you may use it anywhere from once a week to once every few months (this depends on its ingredients).

It is quite easy to obtain a beautiful face using a mask:

• Alpha hydroxyl acids have the power to diminish uneven skin tone, fight aging, and smooth skin texture.
• Enzymes may be a better route to a beautiful face for those with sensitive skin rather than acids or manual exfoliation.
• Some masks are easy to place in a jar or plastic bag, this makes it easy to maintain your regimen no matter where you are.
• You can create a mask for almost every skincare

Keep in mind that all masks should not be treated equally, ingredients should be purchased by skin type and concern. If you use a mask that isn’t compatible with your skin, you could cause acne or irritation.

Scrubs and exfoliation aren’t just for your face. Check out some options for other parts of the body!

Common scrub and mask recipes for a beautiful face

Scrubs

1. Brown Sugar Scrub

• ½ cup of honey
• ½ cup of brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil

2. Oatmeal Scrub

• 1 cup of oatmeal
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of sweet almond oil
• 1 tablespoons of whole milk
• Egg white from one egg

3. Chocolate Scrub

• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1/8 cup of olive oil
• 1tablespoons of cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

4. Blueberry and Honey Scrub

• 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries
• 2tablespoons of honey
• 1 – 2 tablespoons of sugar

5. Lemon Sugar Scrub

• ½ of a fresh lemon
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoons of organic honey

Masks

1. Egg white mask

• 2 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt

2. Banana and Honey Mask

• ½ of a banana
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 2 tablespoons of sour cream

3. Cucumber Yogurt Mask

• ½ or a cucumber, peeled and pureed
• 1 tablespoon of yogurt

4. Strawberry Face Mask

• ½ cup of strawberries, mashed
• ¼ cup of cornstarch

For complete success while on your journey to a beautiful face use skin care packed with one or more these ingredients:

• Vitamin C for lightening and tightening.
• Olive Oil for hydration and suppleness.
• Green tea to gain a massive amount of antioxidant protection.
• Glycerinhelps to promote cell turnover hence an awesome ingredient to help prevent aging.

Check out even more masks to whiten and lighten skin!