Homemade skin care: chocolate masks and more

Natural ingredients are always the best for your skin. You can adjust them to your skin type while avoiding the components that are bad for our health and the environment (such as parabens, sulfates, and silicones).

In this photo gallery, we will explain how to make natural face masks. Before applying it to your face, though, always do a test on a small area of your skin. If you observe an allergic reaction, it's best to avoid (some of) the mixture's ingredients for your natural mask.

We might avoid eating chocolate because we expect it to cause breakouts, but for a mask, chocolate is an excellent ingredient. Thanks to its antioxidant properties, chocolate soothes irritations and prevents skin aging.

Mix two tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa with a tablespoon of heavy cream and a teaspoon of vegetable oil (such as walnut, olive, or argan oil). Cleanse your face, then apply the mask in a thick layer. Leave it on for fifteen minutes and then rinse your face.

The cucumber mask is a classic. It hydrates and cleanses the skin, making it brighter.

Peel half a cucumber and cut it into small pieces. Mix these pieces with natural yogurt until you obtain a smooth paste. Apply the paste to your face and rinse after fifteen minutes.

Image: Markus Winkler / Unsplash

A mask with egg white is a great anti-wrinkle treat. It helps tighten the pores of the skin and gives it a boost of radiance.

Photo: Natasha Taylor / Unsplash

To prepare this mask, beat an egg white until it becomes frothy. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice, and a teaspoon of honey. Mix everything. Apply this mask on cleansed and dried skin. Leave on for twenty minutes before rinsing thoroughly.

Oats are rich in B vitamins and minerals, which give them moisturizing, anti-irritant, and skin-repairing properties. This oatmeal mask is particularly recommended for tired and dull skin.

Mix 1/3 cup of rolled oats and half a cup of hot water in a bowl. Once the flakes have soaked in the water, add two tablespoons of natural yogurt, two tablespoons of honey, and one egg white. Apply the paste in a thick layer on your face. Leave it on for fifteen minutes, then rinse.

Lemon juice is the enemy of your blackheads, as its antiseptic, lightening and antioxidant properties deeply cleanse the skin and dilate your pores. For its part, honey is a powerful antibacterial that absorbs excess sebum.

Mix a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of lemon juice, and apply the preparation to your face after you've cleaned it thoroughly. Leave the mixture on for fifteen minutes and then rinse it with water.

Picture: ExplorerBob / Pixabay

Since lemon is photosensitizing, exposure to the sun right after applying this mask could be harmful to your skin. Perform this beauty ritual before going to bed.

Strawberry is a perfect exfoliator for sensitive and dry skin. It contains salicylic acid which helps remove dead skin cells and antioxidants which cleanse the skin.

Mash three fresh strawberries in a bowl, then add a tablespoon of honey. Apply the mixture to your face, leave it on for fifteen minutes, and then gently massage the skin to exfoliate it. Rinse with clear water.

Aloe vera has soothing and healing properties and is often used in moisturizers and anti-acne creams.

To make a moisturizing mask based on this plant, mix a tablespoon of aloe vera gel with 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil (sweet almond oil or extra virgin olive oil), and a teaspoon of honey. Apply the mask to your face and leave it on for 30 minutes before rinsing.

Avocado is a great ally in our beauty routines. It moisturizes the skin while eliminating its impurities. In addition, it reduces wrinkles and scars while also countering the aging of the skin.

Preparing your avocado-based moisturizing mask is as simple as it gets. Mash the flesh of an avocado in a bowl and add two tablespoons of olive oil. Mix the ingredients until you obtain a creamy paste. Apply it to your face and leave it on for fifteen minutes. Finally, rinse your face with water.