Facial Masks--Cold Weather Skin

We certainly have been having weather all over the US this year. Our one daughter and her fiancee live around Palm Springs, CA and a while back their temps were not that far away from ours in MN.

Now, we are firmly in the deep freeze here and poor Florida is suffering from all sorts of catastrophic weather--tornadoes and storm surges causing all sorts of damage and suffering to humans and animals alike. We will keep all in our prayers.

As I'm blogging away here, it is -6 F with a windchill of -27 F. Overnight it dropped to -17 F--I have no idea what the windchill was at that time. I do however pity the poor wildlife.

This kind of weather is a killer on the skin. Dry skin starts to look crackled and sore, and at times even oily skin starts to feel the effects of it.

Not surprising either, we go outside and battle that windchill---enter windburn and chapping. But even the most devout "house mouse" cannot avoid the effects of winter. The lower the temperature falls, the harder your furnace works. The more the furnace runs, the dryer the indoor air becomes.

Your hair gets like straw, your feet crack, and your face starts to feel like it belongs to the Crypt Keeper.... sounds fun!!

It is a no brainer to suggest a humidifier for the home. Super important however. Not only will your skin and hair thank you, but so will your respiratory tract. Of utmost importance is to keep it pristinely clean. Clean it daily. Clean it thouroughly. The last thing that you (or your loved ones ) need is a dirty humidifier spewing bacteria and molds into your lovely living space---Making everyone ILL! But if you keep it clean and filled with clean water, your skin and respiratory tract will be so much more comfortable. Read and follow the manufacturers directions.

I will post more winter dry skin tips here and there, but here is a nice facial mask that you can make at home. It is one that you can customize easily according to skin type and what you have on hand.

Here you Go....

2 Tablespoons Ground Oats
I use organic oats and process them finer in a food processor or blender

1-2 teaspoons Milk, Cream, or Water
Milk for normal skin, Cream for dry skin, and Water for oily skin

1 teaspoon Honey
I have a real love for Manuka Honey--wonderful properties

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Lemon Juice
This for the acidic properties. If you find 1/8 tsp is easily tolerable keep upping it until you reach 1/4 tsp. It is all just how much you can tolerate. 1/4 tsp is not much, but some super sensitive types may want to be careful.

1 teaspoon of a Skin Beneficial Oil Optional
This is an oil such as Jojoba (super for just about any skin type), Squalane, Sunflower, Olive (though I would maybe steer clear of this if you have acne prone skin )


Some suggestions for other additions would be avocados and/or bananas (dry mature skin), egg white ( normal to oily skin), using yogurt or juice's instead of milk, etc.

Also, you may need to adjust the ingredients to make the consistency "just right". It seems to vary for me with each batch that I make.

Another note, this will make "plenty", but resist the urge to save the remainder. Just toss it. Contamination is an ugly thing. Either share, have a nice spa session and do your hands or your decollete....or as I said, toss.

Leave this on for 10 to 15 minutes, and rinse of with mildly warm water. Moisturize as usual.

***Don't get it in your eyes...Duh...Oatmeal doesn't belong in or too close to eyes...Did I really
NEED to say that?

I will soon have posted on my website my Botanical Mask/Scrub that is loaded with skin loving botanicals like organic plantain, rose petals, marshmallow root, meadowfoam oil and so much more. I am hoping to have this all up and running in the next few weeks. I am adding new items every few days. So stop back often. www.GoodNatureEssentials.com

Stay Safe and Go Pamper Yourself!

Michele