I’m always looking for healthy all-natural solutions to help with acne. My skin is prone to breaking out, and so I have to be careful what I use. This mask works by pulling dirt and other impurities from the pores, so it is great for acne and blackheads. It will also kill acne-causing bacteria. I adapted this recipe from My Newest Addiction to include only non-comedogenic ingredients.
Well you know how you can get mud baths and facials for a ton of money at the spa? Well this has the same feel and effect, for a fraction of the price.
I simply love this stuff. It’s my new favorite facial product. After using it my skin was glowing, clean, and not irritated. Usually when I use an exfoliator my skin is irritated at first and then looks great when it calms down. With this, I got mild exfoliation and dirt removal without the irritation. It was actually quite soothing. When followed up with my aloe vera moisturizer, it was truly amazing.
It’s full of ingredients that are great for your skin:
- Bentonite Clay: When mixed with water it is great at absorbing toxins, impurities, bacteria, and chemicals, while adding healthy minerals to the skin
- Activated Charcoal: Absorbs over 100 times its weight in impurities and chemicals
- Aloe Vera: Light non-greasy moisturizer, anti-inflammatory, stimulates growth of new cells, full of antioxidants, fights allergic reactions, reduces redness
- Shea Butter: Natural moisturizer, non-comedogenic, good source of vitamins for skin, anti-inflammatory
- Camomile Tea: Full of antioxidants, soothes irritation, natural disinfectant, reduces redness
- Eucalyptus Oil: Helps reduce skin inflammation, anti-bacterial, for scent
- Peppermint Oil: Antiseptic and antibacterial, cooling and refreshing, for scent
And here is how you make it:
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons bentonite clay
- 3 capsules activated charcoal
- 3-4 teaspoons aloe vera
- 1-2 teaspoons shea butter
- 1.5 oz camomile tea
- 1 drop peppermint essential oil (optional)
- 1 drop eucalyptus essential oil (optional)
Directions:
- Start by brewing the tea and melting the shea butter in a double boiler. When the tea is ready and the shea butter is completely melted, mix them together.
- Mix the bentonite clay and the activated charcoal
- Add the clay and charcoal mix to the shea and tea mix and stir
- Add the aloe vera and essential oils and mix well
- Store in an air-tight container
- To use: apply all over face and keep on for about 15 minutes. Wash off well, and admire your soft skin!
If you want to freak out your roommate or significant other, just put on this face mask and jump out at them. Ok, I don’t really support that. But it did surprise Lars when he saw my face.
I used this face mask at the same time as doing my at-home hot oil treatment, hence the towel. The combination was perfectly luxurious and after my shower I had super soft hair and skin.
My favorite thing about this mask is how it felt when it was on. At first it had that smooth muddy feeling that you probably remember from playing in the mud as a kid. As it dried it tightened, leaving my skin feeling all tingly. In a great way. It was like I could feel it cleaning out my pores.
Two days after using this mask, all the pimples that were threatening to poke out had calmed down. I don’t know if I’m imagining it, but I think the redness in my face has been reduced too. And I haven’t needed to moisturize. It’s like the balance in my skin has been restored.
I think this is going to be a weekly mask for me. It’s too good not to use on a regular basis.
Let me know how making this impurity removing face mask works for you!
If you like this post, you should also check out my green tea eye cream.
Theresa @DearCreatives says
I’ve never tried to make a homemade mask. Great idea. Thanks for stopping by and feel free to share your posts at the weekly linkups!
Kaelyn says
Can you get all of the ingredients off of Amazon?
Susie says
Yes! I usually add links to the ones I use (because I get so many ingredients off amazon) but I forgot to on this one. Give me a few and I will update the ingredients with links.
Amanda says
This mask sounds great and I really want to make it. The links to where I can get the products would be great. Thank you!
I’m excited to try it out.
Susie says
Hi Amanda,
I’m so glad you want to try it! I love it. The links are already in the post. In the section where I describe the benefits of the ingredients, if you click on the name of each ingredient it should take you there. Hope this helps!
Victoria says
That is a great idea. My latest thing besides charcoal is Grapefruit Seed oil. I might add it instead of eucalyptus oil as it smells to me like a cleaning product :-)
Susie says
Awesome! I love the freshness of eucalyptus but everyone has different taste. Grapefruit is amazing too!
Sharee says
About how many applications does this make and how big should the container be?
Susie says
This recipe made about 2 ounces. For me that lasted more than 10 masks. The shelf life on this mask is probably about a month, but could be more or less. So keep an eye when you use it and make sure it doesn’t seem off in any way when you are using it again. Also make sure the container you use has an air tight lid. That will help it last longer.
Janelle says
Found this on Pinterest and I am excited to try it and the Aloe Vera Face Moisturizer out! I ordered everything off of Vitacost.com and almost everything was cheaper there than on Amazon, plus it was free shipping over $49. Thanks for the great ideas!!
Susie says
Awesome! I’ve never looked at vita cost before, I’ll have to check it out.
Mary says
Could you sub coconut oil for the shea butter?
Susie says
Yes. But coconut oil is comedogenic and can clog pores and cause acne. If you don’t have acne prone skin at all that isn’t a problem, but it makes me break out.
Cristina says
Can you use lavender e.o. instead of peppermint or eucalyptus e.o.?
Thanks
Susie says
Absolutely
Cristina says
I don’t have capsules. I have loose charcoal, so how much should I use? Thanks
Susie says
About a teaspoon, maybe a little more. I’m never good at being exact with amounts.
Erica Jane says
I am SO HAPPY I stumbled on your blog! I keep wanting to make homemade facial products, but I’m always dissuaded by the probability of clogged pores. I have incredibly oily skin. I lovingly refer to myself as “sebaceously active.” Thanks for being cognizant of this issue in your recipes! I am so stoked to try.
Cristina says
I made this last week and it left my skin so soft. Today I was about to use it and it has mold. Not sure what happened.
Susie says
This mask does not have a very long shelf life, but it should last longer than a week. My guess is either your fingers were not completely clean when you put the mask on, the container wasn’t completely clean when you stored it, or maybe it wasn’t airtight. Did you use any essential oils? They will help to increase shelf life.
Cristina says
I cleaned everything with alcohol before making the mask. I used a new Popsicle stick to blend everything so maybe the container wasn’t air tight. Not sure if I would try this again. I make a lot of diy beauty treatments and this is the first time I had a problem.
Susie says
So sorry! Sounds like you did everything right. At least it worked for you the first time!
Rebecca says
It could have been the popsicle stick. Try using a plastic spoon or utensil, but rinse in cold water before mixing.
Bad Water can also cause (premature) mold. Try boiling and cooling a batch of water for your next ingredient.
Make ROSE WATER the next time you have some roses –
Rose Petals from 2 roses. Cover with just enough water to cover petals. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower temperature to simmer while covered and stir occasionally. Remove from heat when petals lose their color. Cool and store in refrigerator. Use on face to reduce pores and tighten skin. This recipe is perfect in a spray or spritz bottle with a fine mist. I use the pretty cheap sprayers from the dollar store. I try them out with air to check for good spray before I buy them.
Sandra says
I’m fairly new to DIY skin care but my understanding is that as soon as water is added to any recipe the you need to think about using a preservative. I know that doesn’t appeal to many people, myself included, so I had an idea and wonder what your thoughts would be on it.
Mix the dry ingredients with the shea butter and essential oils, which should have a much longer shelf life. Each week (or whenever you want to apply the mask) add the tea and aloe vera gel, adjusting the measurements accordingly. For example if you get 10 masks out of this recipe, mix 1/10th of the powdered mask with 1/10th of the tea and 1/10th of the aloe vera (1/4 – 1/2 tsp.). Since you’d be doing this only once a week it shouldn’t be too much bother, and you can make yourself a cup of chamomile tea while you’re at it!
Other options would be to keep the mask in the fridge when not in use, or skip the tea and just use a few of drops of chamomile essential oil. It’s not cheap but if it prevents wasting the mask before you get a chance to use it all then it may be worth it to you.
Susie says
I’ve actually done what you’ve said before. I tweaked the recipe slightly and used just dry ingredients to mix with water when used. I haven’t posted it on the blog, but maybe I should!
But you are right, the shelf life on this face mask is about one month (in my experience), so proper storage is important.
eddie says
Have you ever used grapefruit seed oil or rosemary oil as a preservative? I want to make this but want it to last as long as possible.
Susie says
Yes, I’ve found essential oils to be helpful in extending shelf life, but whenever you use water it does expire more quickly.
jana says
does it say 1.5 or 15 ounces tea.
tried to make this and it is very watery
Susie says
1.5 ounces
Charu says
Hi, your receipe looks great. But I wanted to know, is there a substitute for the Shea Butter? Thanks.
Susie says
The best substitute would be mango butter. Cocoa butter or coconut oil would also work, but I don’t generally recommend using either on your face because they can cause breakouts in those with acne prone skin.
Bonnie Hirai says
Hi Amanda, I was looking at a few of your other beauty recipes that I want to try. I was wondering if any of these formulas need to be refrigerated? Or kept below a certain temperature? I know Aloe can go bad and it’s included in a lot of these recipes.
Bonnie Hirai says
Woops! Meant to say “Hi Susie!”
Susie says
I usually specify which ones should be kept in the fridge. It’s always a good idea to keep aloe based products in the fridge if you want them to last longer, but not always necessary.