The Lo Down: Make your own face masks

Here are some mask recipes suited to different skin types.

Oily skin
Oily skin is shiny skin, particularly in the area from the forehead down the nose to the chin. While oily skin can lead to acne flare-ups, the good news is that if you have this type of skin, you’re likely to age better than those with a drier skin. Try a strawberry, sugar, and honey mask for best face mask results.

De-stem 6 fresh strawberries and put them into a blender.
Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon of honey.
Blend all ingredients until a paste is made. If it is too liquid, add some flour to thicken.
Apply mask to face for 10-15 minutes before removing with a warm, wet facecloth.

Dry skin
Chapped, dry skin feels tight, especially after your daily cleansing. People with a drier skin are more likely to get fine wrinkles and experience skin flaking. For darker skin tones, skin may appear dull and ashy due to the build up of dead skin cells. Together with regular exfoliation, an avocado and honey mask is a good option because of the moisturising properties of these ingredients.

Mash up a ripe, fresh avocado into a creamy pulp and stir in a quarter cup of honey.
Apply to skin and leave for 10-15 minutes.
Rinse face with a cool facecloth and apply a moisturiser.

Combination skin
Most people have a combination skin type which means having two different skin types on your face at the same time – normally some parts of your face are dry or flaky, while the centre part of your face is oily. A rose petal mask is perfect for balancing out both areas of your skin.

Soak half a dozen rose petals in a bowl of tepid water.
Once softened, crush the petals into a bowl.
Add 2 teaspoons of rosewater, 1 teaspoon of yoghurt, and 1 teaspoon of warm honey.
Mix well and apply to the skin for 10-15 minutes before rinsing.

Before applying any mask, make sure that you first test out the mask ingredients on a small portion of your skin, in order to check for any irritation or sensitivity.

Leigh is a beauty and lifestyle blogger. Follow her on twitter @Le1ghLo or on her blog www.Le1ghLo.com.