Bananas are a good fruit to use in masks during the cooler months, when other fruits are not readily available. They are also great to use year round!
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Yogurt
2-3 slices Banana
1 drop Essential Oil
Directions:
Mash the banana slices. Add the yogurt and essential oil and mix well. Apply to damp skin; massage gently into the face and neck area. Leave on for 5 to 20 minutes (5 minutes if your skin is sensitive, and 15-20 minutes for other skin types). Rinse well. After masking, tone and use either an elixir (oil based serum) or a cream.
Bananas add emollience and hydration. Yogurt cleanses and mildly exfoliates. This mask also moisturizes the skin. Both yogurt and bananas are nutrient rich.
I suggest using organic, whole milk plain yogurt. Make sure that the yogurt doesn’t contain a lot of additives and fillers. If you are vegan you can use coconut milk or soy milk yogurt, which cleanse and moisturize the skin, but they don’t exfoliate. Coconut milk and soy milk yogurts have different nutrients.
Essential oils are very concentrated; don’t use more than a drop of essential oil per single batch (if you want to use a few different essential oils, make a blend of the essential oils, and then use a single drop of the blend). You can use any of your favorite essential oils suited for facial skin care use. Suggested essential oils are lavender (good for a wide range of skin conditions, including sensitive, irritated, and blemished skin), geranium (balancing), or tea tree (acne and oily skin).
Notes:
It is best to make this mask fresh before each use. Or you can make a double batch, store in the fridge, and use within 1-3 days (if you make a couple batches at a time, it is recommended you add a preservative). Use masks 1-2 times a week for best results. My easy banana mask can be used as a body mask too (triple or quadruple the recipe for a body mask).
