Homemade Spot and Scar Fading Facial Mask Recipe for Sensitive Skin
Homemade Facial
With a few cent's worth of fresh lemon juice and some nice thick yogurt, you can give yourself a facial mask treatment that will fade age spots and acne scars and gently exfoliate your skin, making wrinkles and pores appear diminished. It is also very moisturizing, and refreshing. It smells wonderful and feels cool, so it's great in the summer!
Of course, this mask won't perform magic in one use. Nothing does - improbable claims are usually clear indicators that someone is trying to separate you from your money, not help you.
That said, I use this mask twice a week, and it does help fade imperfections and reduce pore size and wrinkles over time. It makes my skin very moist and dewy, and incredibly smooth. Everyone has a different skin and different requirements, so if you are looking for the best skin care regimen, you will have to experiment and find what is best for you.
This mask is a great one to try, because it costs next to nothing, and I think you will get great results! If you don't like it, you have lemons and yogurt - just add honey, artificial sweetener, or sugar for a healthy snack :)
How does this facial mask work?
Lemon juice contains fruit acids and vitamin C. Fruit acids, or alpha hydroxy acids, help dissolve and wash away dead skin cells, revealing the healthy skin underneath. Vitamin C does that too, and it also promotes collagen production in the skin, which helps skin look firmer. Yogurt has lactic acid that exfoliates your skin, and milk proteins and fats that condition and moisturize wonderfully.
All that exfoliation removes old melanin deposits (age spots) and discoloration from scars. As your skin is exfoliated repeatedly over time, it begins to produce new skin without the old damage and discolorations you dislike so much! This takes time, of course. I used this twice a week for three months before I noticed anything, but it does work. There are immediate benefits, like smooth, very clean skin and lots of moisturization, so you will enjoy this right away. Just don't look for magical or instant results!
Whenever you are using anything to reduce spots, scarring, and wrinkles, USE A SUNSCREEN on your face and neck every day. I can't stress this enough. Exfoliated skin is tender and new, and even more prone to damage from the sun than usual. If you don't protect your skin from the sun, you will end up with more age spots and wrinkles! If you want a tan, use cosmetics or self-tanners. Sun exposure is a big no-no.
Put fruit juice and yogurt on my face???
YES!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 tsp Greek or strained yogurt
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- OPTIONAL: small amount of orange peel powder for thickening the mask and additional fading and exfoliating properties
Instructions
- Mix the yogurt, fresh lemon juice, and small amounts of the optional orange peel powder (once you have discovered your tolerance for the mask with just yogurt and lemon). Apply to a clean, freshly washed face, neck, and decollete. Leave on for five to twenty minutes, rinse well with warm water, pat dry, and apply moisturizer if needed. Absolutely apply sunscreen, even if it's cloudy or you are only going outside "for a minute". This mask will make you more sensitive to the sun.
- I recommend fresh lemon juice because juice made from concentrate just doesn't seem to have the same "oomph" as fresh, but if you want to use the bottled juice instead, give it a try.
- Greek, or strained, yogurt is required - regular yogurt becomes too runny when juice is added, and drips all over. That's no fun!
- Orange peel powder is quite inexpensive, and contains fruit acids and vitamin C, so it will make your mask more potent. If you choose to use it, I suggest doing so after you try the mask of just lemon juice and yogurt if you have sensitive skin or if you don't know your tolerance for acids and vitamin C.
- Slight tingling is good, but stinging or burning is not! If you are uncomfortable, wash the mask off right away, and apply a moisturizer. You can make your next mask with less lemon juice.
- Photo by Rubielyn Bunag