As a little girl, I had a dream of going to that magical place called the spa. I wasn’t entirely sure what a person did there, but I knew that grown-ups went there and that it was supposed to be relaxing.
I was a grown up before I ever made it to a spa, and in-fact, I already had a few children of my own. Certainly, it was relaxing, but due to the aforementioned children, it certainly wasn’t something I could do regularly or even often.
As wonderful as the spa was, it took money (and especially time) that wasn’t often in the budget.
At the same time, I loved how my skin felt after my time at the spa, so I wanted to find a way to recreate the effects at home without the time or expense.
I turned to another childhood passion- making homemade beauty products, and experimented with some of the recipes that they’d used at the spa.
This face mask is one of my favorite concoctions.
Vitamin C Face Mask
During a podcast interview with skin-expert Dr. Trevor Cates, she mentioned that the skin is naturally very slightly acidic and that it needs skin care products with this lower pH as well for optimal healthy and elasticity.
I already love using Vitamin C on my skin in this homemade Vitamin C serum, but decided to combine Vitamin C with another skin-supporting ingredient—honey.
I also added some organic brown sugar so that the first stage of the mask would be a gentle scrub and a drop of lavender oil to smooth skin and reduce inflammation.
If you’re an over-achiever, follow up with a drop of the Vitamin C serum or a diluted apple cider vinegar toner.
For Acne?
This mask may be helpful for those with acne. Honey is naturally antibacterial and can help reduce acne. Vitamin C balances the pH of the face and may reduce breakouts as well and lavender is anti-inflammatory and often recommended for acne.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon raw manuka honey or organic honey
- 1/2 teaspoon organic brown sugar (or regular sugar but it is more abrasive) – Optional, but good for exfoliating
- 1/2 teaspoon vitamin C powder (natural source) or fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1-2 drops of high quality lavender essential oil
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together.
- Massage onto face for 1-2 minutes in a gentle, circular motion.
- Leave on for 5 minutes to 45 minutes.
- Rinse off with warm water and a wash cloth.
- Finish with a Vitamin C or apple cider vinegar toner (optional).
- Repeat as needed for clear skin.
Note: If you use the Vitamin C powder instead of the lemon juice, this mask will have a shelf life of several months at least. When using the Vitamin C powder, I mix a triple batch and store in a small jar in the bathroom for use every few days.
Do you make any homemade skin care products? What is your favorite?
I saw this question above, but there wasn’t an answer.. I may be a silly question. Can you crush up organic vitamin C pills and use it as the powder?
Really excited to try this. I have been looking for something to help with everything you said this mask targets.
Thank you!
Hi! Thanks for the recipe. I have a vitamin C shower filter so I may skip the vitC. What do you think of lemon essential oil in this? As well as lavender and maybe turmeric?
Anna
I think your link might have got messed up for the lavender essential oil, i’m curious which one you recommend!
Sorry about that! Here you go 🙂
How the rum (wine) effective for hair
I love this and I’m bookmarking… so many other awesome recipes in the comments…
I am just curious as to how often this should be done! Once a week…?
This mask is seriously nothing short of amazing! I used lemon juice for the Vitamin C (that’s what I had on-hand) and loved the way this made my skin feel. Thanks for the amazing recipe, Katie!
I need something for acne prone, painfully dry skin. Will this help?
Do you have to worry about the vitamin c oxidizing in light like the serum? So do I need to use a dark bottle? How do I know if my vitamin c has oxidized? Thanks. I have tried the serum and mask and like both. Haven’t used them long enough to know if they are helping. ??
Could I add liquid vitamin C instead of powder? If so, would it be the same amount?
Thank you!
hi mama!
can i add tea tree oil instead of lavender?
Where can you buy vitamin c oil from??
Thanks
A good share indeed. But about the warm water wash off, I’ve noticed that warm or even tepid water causes me a lot of acne breakouts, hope using cool water will be okay? And pls i want to know why i can’t use warm water on my face yet i have oily skin, instead i use lemon juice and then cucumber juice to tone up. Thanks
This sounds good, the honey and vitamin C mask. Instead of brown sugar I would leave the mask on without it and then at the end put some sea salt on and exfoliate with that as it has better health properties for the skin than brown sugar.
When I am cutting up any fruit in the kitchen I tend to wipe the juice off with cotton wool or my hand if I am finished with the board and just rub it on my face. I just leave it on until I wash my face or sleep with it, maybe add a bit of organic coconut oil and pure yogurt if I have time. It really helps keep my skin clear and dry up any breakouts.
I reAlly want to try this. Is this safe for teens to? I am 14. I don’t have acne, but I do get the occasional pesky pimple in the middle of my for head. Would this stuff help to keep pimples away?
I would check with a parent before using. I personally have found honey very helpful for keeping my naturally oily skin clear of blemishes.
Yes. Thank you.
This sounds like a bit of a dumb question but can we use vitamin c tablets ( crushed) for this?
How about a facial mask for those of us with more “mature” skin. Acne, thankfully isn’t the problem, sun damage, wrinkles and less elasticity, however, are. Love your website, continue to adopt many of your principles every day. Thank you
I like the idea that you can make this mask w/Vit C powder and keep it for awhile. Can’t wait to try it! My favorite DIY face mask is made with plain yogurt, strawberries and honey.
Strawberries contain high levels of salicylic acid, are rich in antioxidants and other nutrients which can brighten your skin, exfoliate dead skin cells, fade blemishes and nourish your skin for a healthy glow. I like to use it on my face and neck. Use 2 – 3 mashed strawberries (ripe and remove green tops), 2 teaspoons yogurt, 2 teaspoon honey. It makes my skin look and feel amazing! You can make it in bulk ahead of time and keep it frozen and thaw in fridge before using.
This sounds awesome! I love using honey on my face already. I have some camu camu powder. Would that work instead of the vitamin c powder? I see that it is one of the ingredients in the vitamin c powder.
You could certainly try it… It would be a very mild treatment, likely. The only issue might be how much vitamin c powder is in the amount you use.
it was a good share. for me, i usually use honey with cinnamon and turmeric for mask instead of lemon. do it have the same effect?