Organic Oats Facial Mask - Do it Yourself Recipe

We (Wingsets) used to offer a facial scrub on our website, much like this one, and it was very popular. I decided this is a much more effective scrub made at home fresh and it's easy to do. The basic recipe was adapted from "The Herbal Home Spa" by Greta Breedlove. She agrees with me that nuts and grains are particularly nice and effective ingredients in facial scrubs and masks. Nuts have a high fat content (the good fats) and the grains or beans, such as garbanzo beans and poppy seeds will do a very good job of exfoliating the skin. Be careful to grind these ingredients completely using a coffee mill or a very good blender as they will be too "scrubby" and make small tears in your skin that is definitely not good for your skin.

woman relaxing with facial mask

Base Mixture
1/2 cup Organic Oatmeal (we use steel cut, but it doesn't matter, as long as it is organic)
1/4 cup Organic Oat Bran
3 Tbsp Organic raw almonds
2 Tbsp Organic pumpkin or poppy seeds (I like the raw pumpkin seeds and they have a high content of Vitamin A - very skin healthy)
2 Tbsp of a mixture of dried herbs like lavender, chamomile and/or calendula (preferably organic or wild-crafted)

Using a blender or coffee mill (we have one for coffee and one for spices), grand all of the ingredients individually and then mix together in a bowl - a whisk is helpful. Package this dry mixture in a glass container for future use.

To make fresh mask:

1. Combine approximately 1 tbsp of the grain/nut mixture with 1 tbsp of yogurt, which contains natural alpha hydroxy acids that are gentle but effective in cleaning and nourishing the skin.  I like to mix a little raw honey into the yogurt mixture as well.

2. Add essential oils of your choice, lavender, myrrh, frankincense, spikenard, tea tree, carrot seed and chamomile are all good choices. We also make a "Skin Blend" of these oils already mixed together. You only need 2 drops per each application of the mask. All of these oils have been researched and the literature indicates that they have very good properties for skin health and cell renewal.

2.  Make a paste that will spread easily on your face without pulling or tugging. Apply gently to face and rub gently in a circular motion - always be very gentle around the eye area. I like to let this sit for at least 30 minutes but each of us have a different sensitivity, so be your own judge. If it feels uncomfortable, then wash it off. I like to rinse it off by splashing warm water and rubbing gently until it is all removed.

According to the author of this book (and I would agree but would add chamomile for all skin types):

Herbs for Facial Grains:

Dry Skin: Rose, Lavender
Normal Skin: Rose, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Calendula
Oily Skin: Rosemary, Sage, Witch Hazel
Problem (dull or break-out prone) Skin: Add green clay and add 1 tsp of goldenseal, 1 tsp myrrh, and 1 tsp comfrey root.

I personally love this mask, but would not recommend using more than once a week. Oats are well known for their ability to decrease inflammation and improve skin texture. Try it and let me know how it worked for you. We'd love comments or suggestions on how to improve this or what additions you would make - fresh avocado might be a good addition!

Thanks for listening!