So about those Facials and Mask things...

Everyone who is wary of facial scrubs and masks, please raise your hands. Ah, all the guys in the audience? Not surprised...

I've been, well, not a skeptic, but an uninitiated and cautious outsider. I tried a honey/egg thing once that was supposed to be good but I didn't notice any difference so I scrapped that. Then I did more reading into how to have a healthy complexion (which means using natural products and not facial washes, etc), and learned that exfoliation and the like can be really hard on your skin so you shouldn't do it very often. The Ph of your face is a delicate balance and I've actually found a lot of luck using coconut oil and apple cider vinegar. Yes, it works!

Well, it works as long as you do it. When I get sick I tend to slack off on the face washing, and then my face is already breaking out more because I'm sick and it's not a pretty mess. This week was an example.

My sister was home from college and she's a bit of a facial mask/scrub expert and was trying a new recipe. I was fed up with my mess of a face, and wanted to spend time with her, so I joined in.

For the scrub, we used a mix of ground almonds, coffee grounds, and honey. After applying it we looked like coal miners. "We're from District 12!" we exclaimed.

For the mask, we pulled together a concoction of boiled carrots, pineapple, tea tree oil, and green tea. After running it through the blender we had a mush that, once applied, looked like orange juice had exploded in our faces.

Then we washed it off and that was that.

Or so I thought. When I went to ready my face for bed, I realized that it was really, really clean. And smooth. And nice. And I did a double take and realized that the whole process had worked. Color me surprised.

Anyhow, I wouldn't want to do them too often for the reasons I stated up front, but as a once a month treatment? Heck yeah.