DIY Facials That Can Help Prevent and Cure Many Skin Conditions

Beauty products are a multi-million dollar a day industry made up of small companies, who are all trying to sell their own brand of beauty. They advertise their products in such a way as to make the average person believe that without them they are just not pretty enough.

Almost everyone possesses a desperate desire to be more attractive in one way or another. They wish to be skinnier, to have tanned skin, to have the right eye color, to have the right hairstyle, and to have a flawless face. This driving force is why beauty products can be so over-priced and people will still pay for them, and then ones that actually deliver on their promises are the most expensive.

A single person could easily spend (and probably already dose in some form) hundreds of dollars a month on beautifying products. So what is a person who is living on a budgeted income suppose to do?

Luckily, there are ways to indulge in spa-like results using ingredients that you likely already have laying around your home. Below you will find a list of DIY face masks and other ideas to help you clear up any problems with your skin. So gather your supplies and get ready for luxury treatment from your own home!

Every single human being on the planet has some problematic area with their skin and likely on their face. It may be in the form of blackheads, whiteheads, pimples, acne, dry skin, or oily skin. If they do not show outward signs of these problems, or seem to have flawless skin, they are probably using some kind of facial cream or mask. There are those lucky few that just naturally have perfect skin but it is uncommon.

A quick glance of the ingredient lists on the back of a face cream or face mask will leave you feeling inadequate in your vocabulary skills to say the least. The big secret? Most of those hard to read ingredients are actually a familiar item in their extracted form.

Face masks and creams are usually derived from some sort of plant, vegetable, or fruit and a simple form of them can be quickly reconstructed right in your kitchen. When you make your own beauty products and facials at home you know what you are putting on your skin. Another added benefit of making facials at home is that you are not exposing your skin to harsh chemicals that we either don't know much about yet, or cause us to break-out worse then originally

1. Baking Soda and Water.

For these you will need, you guessed it, baking soda and water. There are many ways to use baking soda and water but listed are a couple that I have personally tried and found they gave the best results.

For the first one all you have to do is mix equal amounts of baking soda and water, to make a paste. Rub it onto your face, where the blackheads are, for a few minutes then wash with lukewarm water. When you have finished you should see less blackheads in the area that you treated. The upside: most everyone has baking soda and water in their homes. The downside: it does not get rid off all of the blackheads in one shot.

The second one is quite different, it does not involve putting anything pasty on your face. First you need to boil a mixture of 4 cups water and two teaspoons bakin soda. Place a towel over the pan then hold the towel onto the affected area. The upside: again who does not own baking soda and water? The downside: It's a lot of work since it needs to be repeated 4-6 times, even then you may not get them all.

2. Epsom Salt and Iodine.

This was the one I have had the best results with and continue to use reguraly. You will need epsom salt, which can be bought in almost any department or grocery store. As well as iodine, which can be bought anywhere first-aid supplies are sold. You will also need water and cotton balls. Mix a cup of water with enough epsom salt to make it cloudy. Then add 3-4 drops of iodine. Mix well and dab your cotton ball into the mixture. Hold the cotton ball onto the area with blackheads for 10-15 seconds. This will loosen the pores, after which you can either scrub the area with another cotton ball or a gental exfoliant. The upside: It has great results, though you may need to tweak the mixture to suit your face. I personally use more iodine then recommended. It also makes the treated area very smooth. The downside: The iodine makes it stink, especially if you are using it around the nose!

1. For this you will need egg yolk (not the whites), olive oil and lemon juice. All of which can be found in a grocery store and are very inexpensive. Mix all ingredients together to form a creamy paste. Smooth mixture onto face and neck, wash with warm water ten minutes later. I have heard this works well and can be used as often as necessary.

2. You will need 1 egg, 1 teaspoon of honey, 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and rose water. Mix together and apply to face. Wash ten minutes later with warm water. I have personally never heard of or tried this one.

3. Mix equal parts honey and milk. Again apply to face and wash off ten minutes later.

On the other hand if you don't have dry skin you may have ........

1. For this one you will need eggs whites and uncooked oatmeal. Mix the two together into a paste. Apply to face and neck, leave on for 20 minutes then wash with warm water. This can be repeated as often as necessary.

2. This one like the first involves uncooked oatmeal. You will also need lemon juice and honey. Mix all into a creamy paste and smooth onto face. Be very careful to avoid your eyes since the lemon juice will burn them. Leave on for 10 minutes and rinse with warm water. This one has a better effect then the first due to the fact that honey has amazing healing effects on the face. You should remember to be careful treating oily skin and take care not to over due treatments as it can cause irritation.

You will need egg white, sugar and corn flour. Blend the ingredients together until you form a sticky paste. Apply mixture to face and wait for it to dry. After it dries gently peel it off. You will need to repeat this three to four times a week. I have never tried this nor do I know anyone who has. It seems to me like it would work by pulling the hair out. Which as all women know it is never a good idea to remove facial hair in anyway that is not permanent, for it will only come back with a vengeance. My opinion is, I would spend to money on a cheap bottle of facial hair bleach, it is probably less painful and you won't end up with a full beard in the end.

There are not many masks that promise the removal of dark circles. There are a few life savers that will work in a pinch. I swear by Preparation H. Dark circles are most commonly caused by collected fluid under the eye. Preparation H supposedly has a reverse effect and dries the fluid up. I have always had good results with it. However here are a few more options if you do not like the idea of smearing hemorrhoid cream on your eyes.

1. Cover eyes with cucumber, cliché right? You can also used raw potatoes to switch it up a bit.

2. Apply lemon juice under the eye 2-3 times and day. This reportedly has the same effect as Preparation H, all though I don't believe it works quite as fast or as well.

3. Crush fresh mint and apply under the eyes. I have tried this as well and did not like the results, mainly because I did not like having it near my eye. Imagine rubbing Vick's under your eye. Ick right?

4. Almond oil is also a favorite of some people I know.

5. Finally (not so much a quick fix) I have heard rumor that sleeping with your head proped up will reduce the amount of liquid that is retained under the eyes.

Now we start to get to the fun stuff. Exfoliating helps remove dirt and grime as well as dead skin cells. Many face scrubs will also open pores, which helps make a mask more effective. It is a good idea to be careful when exfoliating. Your face is very sensitive and if you exfoliate to often, or for to long, you will end up scrubbing your face raw. You can buy exfoliating scrubs relatively cheap, however many still contain chemicals that can, if you have sensitive skin, cause you to actually break out instead of heal. In the end it is a better idea to go natural then it is to go store bought. There are so many different things you can use to exfoliate your skin, basically anything coarse can be used. Here are a few of the better ones.

Brown Sugar Scrub

You will need 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon ground oatmeal, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of honey and enough water to wet the mixture. Mix all together. When mixing the scrub you will have to judge the water content. You should try to make it wet enough so that it does not dry up and fall off when you apply it, but dry enough so that it does not melt the sugar before you have a chance to use it. Just add a little water at a time until you find the right mixture. Use promptly after mixing. Apply mixture to face and gently scrub in circles. Since everyone's sensitivity to scrubs is different you will be the judge of how much to use and how long to use it. You should only use enough to make your skin soft and smooth, don't overdo it or scrub to hard.

Face Scrubs for Dry Skin

1. You will need three tablespoons of oatmeal (uncooked) and 3-4 tablespoons of buttermilk. Mix together and smooth onto face. Allow the mixture to completely dry onto your face. To remove, scrub the mixture off. Then wash with warm water.

2. You will need 1 cup of sugar and olive oil. Mix the sugar with the oil so that you end up with a think grainy mixture. Slowly and gently scrub face in a circular motion. Wash face with warm water and apply a gental face lotion.

Face Scrubs for Oily Skin

1. Mix together honey, brown sugar and almond oil. Mix so that you end up with a thick, grainy mixture. Apply to face and scrub gently with circlar motions. Wash with warm water.

2. You will need 1 teaspoon of carrot juice, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, one teaspoon of olive oil, one tablespoon of brown sugar and half a teaspoon of plain yogurt. Mix together and apply to face, scrubbing gently in circular motions. Wash with warm water.

Basically you can create your own facial scrub anytme you want. I really like plain sugar and olive oil myself. You can add or remove ingrediats based on there beifits to the skin. Aloe is a good ingrediant to add since it is very good for your skin. The idea is to creat a mixture that has a sandpaper like effect on the skin, while including ingredients that sooth and mosterise as well.

Many doctors will prescribe creams for acne that are specific for your level of infection. However if you do not have health care they can be quite costly. Here are a few ideas that you can try at home, before spending a small fortune on acne creams and face wash.

• 3 tablespoons of honey mixed with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder, mix well, apply to face and leave on overnight.
• Nutmeg and milk, mix well, apply to face and leave on for 1-2 hours before washing face with warm water.
• Fresh garlic, rub on problem areas and let dry. It does not smell well and way sting areas that have broken open. You can also try rubbing grated potatoes on your face as well. Although garlic has proven to work better.
• Mix equal parts Rose water and lime juice. Apply to face and leave on for 20 minutes.
• Fresh mint juice, apply to problem areas and let dry.
• Lime juice mixed with boiled milk, soak a washcloth in the mixture and lay on your face. Continue this 3-4 times.

You may need to try more then one to find a remedy that works for you. However because acne is a constant problem, unless treated daily, you may need to use these solutions everyday for quite some time before seeing results.

All three of these help control oily skin and the PH balance of your face. They clean as well as tighten your pores. Resulting in smaller looking pores. They are good to use after washing the face or after using a mask. You should not use them after exfoliating since your skin may already be raw and it will result in redness. Also because many contain alcohol they may sting more if you exfoliate first. Generally astringents are not expensive and can be found for just a couple dollars. However for the die hard "DIY'S" here are a few things in your home you can use as cleansers, astringents and toners. For all the below, dip a cotton ball into the mixture and apply to face.

• Lemon juice, freshly squeezed.
• Rose Water, not only does it have a toning affect but also helps balance your skin tone.
• Banana, mash it into a pulp, add honey and spread over face.
• Witch Hazel.
• Mix cornmeal with yogurt to form a paste. apply to face and rinse with cool water. You can also use oatmeal instead of cornmeal.

Apple Facial Mask

You will need one medium apple grated finely and five tablespoons of honey. Mix the two together and smooth onto skin. Let sit for 10-15 minutes then rinse with cool water. This one is good for acne prone skin.

Cucumber Mask

You will need 1/2 of a cucumber, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon milk and 1 egg white. Mix all together and apply to face. Let dry and wash with cool water. This one is good for oily skin as well as skin prone to acne.

Egg Honey Mask

You will need 1 egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of honey. Mix all together to form a paste, apply to face and let dry. Rinse well with lukewarm water.

There are many things found in your own home that you can use for facials. Here is a list of things along with why they are beneficial for your face. The next time you invite the girls over for a pamper party, or even if you are just enjoying a night alone, get crafty and create your own to target your skin type!

• Witch Hazel- Reduces eye puffiness, is a strong astringent, disinfects skin and removes bacteria on face which helps control pimples.
• Vinegar - Refinespores due to being a powerful astringent, softens skin by removing dead skin cells from face, aids blemishes and itchy skin and tones.
• Tomato - Unclogs pores and can help improve skin texture and color.
• Olive Oil- Helps moisturize dry skin, has high concentration of vitamin E and antioxidants that help tone skin, stimulates new cell growth which softens skin and has anti-inflammatory properties.
• Oatmeal- helps sooth and heal irritated skin and helps to exfoliate.
• Cucumber - helps with under eye puffiness and wrinkles as well as sooths irritated skin.
• Honey - Helps sooth skin, blemishes, is a great moisturizer and tightens pores.
• Lemon, Oranges and Pineapple- helps to brighten and exfoliate skin, contains vitamin C and is a strong astringent.
• Rose Water - Balances and tones skin.
• Milk - cools and sooths skin, refines pores and nourishes skin.
• Yogurt - hydrates skin, softens skin, cleans and exfoliates skin.
• Eggs - Whites for oily skin and yolks for dry skin.