Kitchen Cosmetics: Food as Face Care

Some of the best ingredients for your face care routine and the health and beauty of your skin can be found close at hand in your kitchen. Your kitchen ingredients may seem unsophisticated compared to the expensive cosmetics sold in the skincare industry today, but the opposite is true. These simple ingredients are the foundations for all the products that we use today.
Honey was used thousands of years ago by the Egyptians and Sumerians for its moisturizing, antimicrobial, and anti-aging properties. Yogurt was used in Ancient Greece and Rome for its moisturizing and exfoliating properties. Aztecs used avocados for their moisturizing properties. European folk medicine used pumpkin pulp for varicose veins and chapped skin. Ingredients like clay, oats, almonds, milk, berries, aloe, green tea, vinegar, and many more also have a long history of use in ancient civilizations.
This month we are showing our students how to utilize these simple foods to make cleansers, masks, mists, and moisturizers. We will be teaching our aestheticians the properties of these kitchen items that led to the skincare we use with clients today. All you need to create these recipes are the foods from your grocery store and common kitchen tools like a coffee grinder, food processor or blender, and a whisk. I imagine these recipes being used at a slumber party spa night, or a gathering of girlfriends watching true crime with banana masks on their faces. And then there is me who can’t stand to watch that uneaten half of an avocado go to waste, so I blend it and put it on my face.
Though all these recipes are extremely helpful for a variety of face care needs, it is important to note that foods are perishable and should be used directly after making.

Exfoliating Yogurt Cleanser

Yogurt, rich in fats and proteins, moisturizes the skin, while lactic acid gently exfoliates. Honey acts as a powerful antimicrobial and humectant for deep cleansing and moisture. Ground oats provide a soothing, anti-inflammatory physical exfoliant.

Yogurt 1cup
Honey ¼ cup
Ground Oats ¼ cup

Whisk together ingredients and massage into the skin for two minutes. Remove with a soft cloth and warm water.

Hydrating Banana Face Mask

Bananas provide natural moisture, antioxidants, and gentle exfoliation.

Ripe Banana 1
Honey 2 tbsp
Yogurt 2 tbsp

Blend ingredients together in a food processor. Apply to face and neck and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Remove with a soft cloth and warm water followed by a skin mist.

Pumpkin Enzyme Mask

Pumpkin provides gentle exfoliation while brightening the skin, reducing inflammation, balancing sebum, and helping to combat acne. A pinch of cinnamon is added for its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties.

Pumpkin Puree ½ cup
Honey 2 tbsp
Cinnamon 1 pinch

Blend ingredients together in a food processor. Apply to face and neck and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Remove with a soft cloth and warm water followed by a skin mist.

Hydrating/Antioxidant Mask

Cucumber juice reduces puffiness while cooling and tightening skin. Aloe reduces redness and improves wound healing. Witch Hazel tightens and tones, reduces excess oil, and cools. Green tea is a powerhouse antioxidant, preventing aging and improving resistance to UV damage.

Cucumber ¼ cup
Aloe ¼ cup
Witch Hazel ¼ cup
Green Tea ¼ cup

Blend and strain cucumber. Steep and cool green tea. Combine ingredients and put in a spray bottle. Spray liberally after cleansing and masking.

Simple and Clean Oil Moisturizer

Olive Oil and Avocado Oil protect and improve the natural skin barrier, preventing water loss and adding anti-aging antioxidants.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 tbsp
Avocado Oil 1 tbsp
Essential Oil of choice 12 drops

Combine all ingredients in a 1-oz dropper bottle. Apply 10-20 drops to face and neck after facial mist.

Because these recipes contain fresh, perishable ingredients and no preservatives, they should be prepared in small amounts and used immediately.

Article written by Martin Hansen, one of our instructors and is both an aesthetician and an herbalist, and has been practicing both since 2000. He also used to have his own natural, herbal skincare line called Martin George Skin. He teaches at our Aesthetics school, School of Botanical & Medical Aesthetics, and with our sister herbalism school, Herbalism Roots.

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