You can, as long as you keep it dry. That is, feel free to mix up the dry parts of the ingredients (clay, powders, botanicals) in a large batch, and store them in a sealing jar for later hydration in single-use sized batches. Simply note on the jar the number of teaspoons of powdered mix and water/aloe/witch hazel you’ll need to mix together for future reference.
If you have a coffee grinder you use for DIY projects you can also incorporate a few drops of carrier oils and/or essential oils. Simply place a few spoonfuls of the powdered mix into your grinder, add a few drops of your oil, and blend everything together. The powder should still look and feel dry. Blend that powder in with the rest of the batch and you’re good to go!
If the recipe calls for some liquid ingredients, you can either add those at the time of use, or you can see if you can find a powdered version and incorporate that into your dry version. You can purchase dried, powdered honey and aloe vera juice, and witch hazel is available as a powdered botanical extract. For things like Dead Sea mud, though, I’m afraid you’ll need to add those in the moment.
If a mask is almost entirely fresh, wet ingredients, I don’t recommend trying to make it in bulk for later use/hydration.
In the event you mix up far too much mask to use in one go, cover the leftovers tightly in clingfilm (press it right up against the surface of the paste), and store it in the fridge for up to three or four days. I’ve found masks sprout mould quite quickly, so it’s best to use them up quickly. To use, I’d recommend letting the chilled mask come to room temperature (or even submerging the dish it’s in in a hot water bath) before applying unless you enjoy cold goop on your face 😉
Wondering if you can just add a preservative to your wet mask mix? Unfortunately, clay masks are notoriously difficult to preserve, even for professionals, let alone at-home hobbyists with less-than-sterile making conditions. Face masks are positively loaded with delicious things for bacteria and fungus to munch on, and preservatives are not infallible. I really don’t recommend going the preservative route here.
Posted in: Ingredients
