Homemade Strawberry Facial Masks

Strawberries have long been a popular ingredient in commercial face products, particularly in face washes and facial masks. However, making your own strawberry facial mask at home will not only yield all the benefits of strawberries, it is cheaper and exposes sensitive skin to fewer artificial products.

Significance
Strawberries are effective as a facial mask ingredient because of the large amount of salicylic acid they contain. When applied to the skin, salicylic acid gently and effectively removes dead and dry skin cells, leaving the skin softer, smoother and glowing. Additionally, strawberries reduce facial redness and swelling and enable the skin to absorb more moisture.

Features
Homemade strawberry facial mask recipes include a variety of additional ingredients that help bind the mashed strawberries together as well as lending their own natural healing properties to the skin. The most common ingredients included with strawberries in facial masks include honey, brown sugar, finely ground oats, essential oils like lemon, heavy cream, plain yogurt, eggs (particularly the whites) and lemon juice.

Types
Many skin health experts recommend that facial masks be used on a weekly basis to keep the skin soft and glowing. Use this gentle, effective strawberry facial mask, suitable for weekly use. Thoroughly puree 4 or 5 ripe strawberries, several teaspoons of heavy cream and 1 tsp. of honey. Apply the mixture to the face, being careful to avoid the lips and and the eyes. Leave the mask on for 15 to 20 minutes. Wash off with lukewarm water and pat dry.

Function
By combining strawberries with different ingredients, facial masks can be custom made to address different facial skin problems. If your skin is dull and dry, you are probably in need of an exfoliating facial mask. Try combining several strawberries with 1 tsp. of brown sugar. Gently rub the mixture into your skin with your fingertips, leave it on for at least 10 minutes, then wash off. For oily skin, try pureeing a cup of ripe strawberries with 1 tsp. of lemon juice, 2 egg whites and several teaspoons of honey. Leave it on the face for 15 to 20 minutes before rinsing off with warm water.

Warning
Be extremely careful to apply strawberry masks around the eyes and lips and not on the eyelid or too close to the edge of the eyes. In addition, do not use a strawberry mask if you have sunburned or broken skin. People with berry allergies, particularly a strawberry sensitivity, should never use a facial mask containing berries of any kind.