Have you wondered how to perfect your daily skin care routine for glowing skin? Many know it is important to wash your face, moisturize, and use SPF daily. It’s also a great practice to adjust your hair care and skin care routines seasonally to help you look your best. Personally I find one of the best additions to my skincare routine are homemade face masks. Face masks, also known as face packs, are wonderful ways to take some time for yourself and relax while giving your skin some extra care. You’ll be sure to achieve a beautiful face and body glow in no time! 

While sheet masks have become very popular in the last few years, they are single-use products and often cost anywhere from $5-10 per mask. That’s not bad for a one-time treat, but I like to find reusable, sustainable and natural ways to create beauty treatments I can use regularly. Not only does it save a lot of money and stop extra packaging waste from being sent to landfills, but you can get results that are as good or even better than ready-made products from simple, clean ingredients that are easily accessible. 

Why Natural, Homemade Skin Treatments?

• Natural treatments don’t contain extra filler ingredients that may be irritating to your skin and body. Irritated skin can happen all at once or slowly over time. 
• Homemade recipes are easy to use for skin care because they are often very few ingredients that are perfect for almost every skin type. 
• Natural treatments are gentle! This is a key part of a beauty routine because it helps preserve the health of your skin. 
• They contain nutrients that are often stripped out of conventional, ready-made, or shelf-stable beauty. These nutrients help your skin rebuild itself and stay healthy. 

I personally believe natural homemade products are some of the best products for glowing skin. 

Popular ingredients for homemade face masks

I’ve chosen some ingredients that I’d like to highlight today. They’re a mix of tried and true classic mask ingredients and ingredients that have become viral and trending in the last few years. 

Bentonite Clay

When you think of masks, you might perhaps think of the classic green clay mask! This mask is still around for a great reason: it purifies skin like no other. Bentonite clay is especially cleansing and readily available. We like to use food-grade bentonite for masks. It not only absorbs impurities from the skin, it helps to calm irritation and allows skin to heal with its natural minerals.

Rice Water

This beauty ingredient has recently gained popularity in the last few years for its usage as an incredible hair rinse. Did you know you can also use it to condition and repair your skin barrier? This is simple to make, start with organic rice that has been rinsed and drained. Then add it to a bowl with 1–3 cups of water. Soak the rice for at least 30 minutes, or until the water turns cloudy. You can also gently stir the rice to help release nutrients. Strain the rice water into a clean jar or bowl. You then save this cloudy water and use the rice for cooking as normal. Rice is a grain that contains many vitamins and minerals that help calm skin and repair itself naturally. Using rice water frequently also helps skin to hold onto more moisture over time. 

Calendula

The beautiful calendula marigold flower is used for healing and soothing products, and is especially popular for baby skin care. This flower contains a natural oil that helps heal skin irritations and protect skin from environmental damage. Its bright yellow and orange color is thanks to its high concentration of antioxidants, which scavenge damaging free radicals from the skin. 

Aloe Vera Juice

Possibly one of the most hydrating and soothing substances available due to its vitamins, minerals and plant sugars. Aloe vera juice is not only good for your skin topically but is available as a drinkable supplement. For skin care and topical healing purposes, you can use either bottled 100% aloe vera juice, or buy a whole aloe leaf from the produce section of your local grocery store. If you’d like to purchase a fresh leaf, you can refer to a tutorial like this one to properly cut the inner gel fillet for use as a beauty treatment. Aloe vera’s plant nutrients powerfully soothe your skin and even skin tone. 

Watermelon

Watermelon is very popular as a skincare ingredient lately. The red fruit part is excellent as a hydrating, cooling and soothing pack. The rind also contains plant nutrients that are very popular actives in trending skin care serums and moisturizers. It’s full of antioxidants and electrolytes that help replenish hydration and also have skin-soothing properties. It’s an especially great summer treat both inside and out! 

Rose Petals

Rose petals are a classic beauty ingredient for a reason. They’re hydrating, cooling, and smell heavenly. They have anti-inflammatory properties that help soothe irritated skin and draw moisture into the skin, which is a humectant property. They’re also extremely exfoliating and contain protective antioxidants.  

3 All-Natural Face Mask Recipes for Summer 

Here are some of my favorite homemade face mask recipes.

Recipe 1: Rice water and Bentonite Clay face mask

Make this skin brightening treatment for polished, exfoliated, and fresh looking skin.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of your favorite organic rice
• 1 cup purified water, room temperature
• 1/2 cup Bentonite Clay (Food grade is preferable)

Equipment needed

• Bowl and Spatula (or optional mask application kit, such as this one)
• Optional reusable silicone mask such as this one
• Optional facial treatment ice stick
• Sieve

Instructions

1. Soak your rice in the purified water for about 5 minutes. You can swirl the rice around with your fingers to stir up the sediment
2. Using the sieve, drain the rice water into the bowl. You can set aside the rice for cooking purposes.
3. Add ½ cup bentonite clay to the rice water and stir
4. At this point, you can either freeze this mixture in your facial ice stick, or apply to face using an optional mask kit or your fingers. 
5. Leave on your face for about 20 minutes
6. Wash clay off your face using a washcloth, and moisturize as usual

Be sure to use this recipe within 3 days, and refrigerate if you do not use it all right away. 

Recipe 2: Calendula and Aloe face mask 

This gentle mask is one of the best dewy skin products you can make at home!

Ingredients

• 1 cup of calendula
• 1 cup purified water, room temperature
• ½ cup aloe vera juice

Equipment needed

• Bowl and Spatula (or optional mask application kit, such as this one)
• Optional reusable silicone mask such as this one
• Optional facial treatment ice stick

Instructions

1. Make a tea with your calendula flowers and water. Save the flowers to add to soups or stews (they are edible!) or discard
2. When the tea has cooled, add in ½ cup of aloe vera juice to this mixture. 
3. You can at this point freeze the mixture in your facial ice stick, or directly apply to your face with a cotton pad or optional mask application kit. You can cover your face with the optional reusable silicone mask as well. 
4. Leave on for half an hour, rinse, and moisturize as usual. You can optionally leave this mixture on your face as a toner and layer under moisturizer. 

This mixture should last in your fridge for up to a week. Please refrigerate if you are not using the entire mixture immediately. 

Recipe 3: Watermelon and rose mask

With hydrating watermelon and soothing rose petals this makes for a nice refreshing face pack.

Ingredients 

• 1/4 cup fresh watermelon, cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup dried rose petals

Equipment needed

• Blender
• Bowl and Spatula (or optional mask application kit, such as this one found on Amazon)
• Optional reusable silicone mask such as this one
• Optional facial treatment ice stick

Instructions

1. Place your watermelon chunks and rose petals into a blender and blend for 15 seconds
2. Apply this smooth liquid paste to your face as-is, or under reusable silicone mask
3. Wait 20 minutes
4. Rinse your face (and optional reusable mask) and apply moisturizer to lock in the hydration

This recipe should be good for a single mask, but if you have some left over please be sure to refrigerate any extra and use within 3 days. Optionally, you can freeze your mixture into this ice stick and keep it in your freezer for an extra cooling DIY hydrating face mask. It’s perfect as one of the most fast-acting home remedies for dark circles or puffy eyes. 

I hope our blog post has helped you to create some cooling, refreshing beauty creations from nature’s best offerings! Whether you’re searching for a glow booster or the perfect dull skin treatment, there are many ways to create soothing natural treatments that bring out the best in your skin. 

As always, please leave any questions or feedback you may have below in the comments section.

Author: Natalie, DIY Skincare Enthusiast