Ring in the New Year with DIY Beauty Masks

I am an avid magazine reader- currently subscribed to over 15 magazines, mostly women's interest magazines and some business ones as well.

I received the February 1, 2009 issue of Woman's Day this past week and it's not even the new year and I'm already getting February's issue! I can't complain though because the magazine revolves around getting Discounts/Sales and Ways to Get Healthier! (Two of my favorite subjects)

Woman's Day included an article on DIY masks using all natural, simple ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen or bathroom cabinets. I have been meaning to write a blog post on this because it has been the subject of a beauty consultation I've had recently. The topic was more on getting rid of blackheads but beauty masks seemed the next natural (no pun intended) step.

Since this article is not on their website yet, I will not post their DIY recipes until they do so. (Link to be added soon!)

The recipes they include are Honey-Banana hair smoothie (hint: another ingredient is a tablespoon of yogurt), Milk and Honey Facial Mask (another ingredient is: Powdered milk) and Essential Body Scrub (using sugar and olive oil.)

After a quick internet search, I found many sites that list DIY facial mask recipes, depending on your skin type. Some that I liked are:
Fat Free Kitchen- http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/beauty/facial-masks.html
About.com:Beauty- http://beauty.about.com/od/skinflaws/a/facemasks.htm

Another comprehensive site which lists many recipes to homemade masks is at TotalBeauty.com- Natural Homemade Beauty Care Tips.

Their recipes include:
-Aloe Vera Facial Cleanser
-Chamomile and Oatmeal Facial Scrub
-Rich Avocado Facial
-Honey Lip Scrub
-Pineapple Sage Facial Mask
-Hand and Foot Sugar Scrub
-Lavender Bath
-Skin Firming Clay Mask
-Cucumber-Honey Toner
-Green Tea Toner
-Tropical Eye Cream
-All-Purpose Olive Oil Moisturizer

I had previously tried a recipe similar to the Honey Lip Scrub, but I used for my hands/arms instead. The recipe exfoliates well because of the sugar, so it leaves you with soft skin.

Some masks that I have tried before were simply plain yogurt and plain avocado, but now I have these recipes- with just a few more natural ingredients-to look forward to using for the new year!

Have a Happy and Healthy New Year everyone!!Let me know if you have tried out any of these recipes and which worked best for you!