This exfoliating mocha face mask smells downright divine and is a wonderful gentle cleanser. It was just what I needed after submitting my manuscript for Make it Up: The Essential Guide to DIY Makeup and Skin Care, By Marie Rayma, creator of HumblebeeandMe.com to my publisher on Friday. Whew.
It’s hard to describe how it felt to send off those obsessively composed 46,000+ words. With a fairly unassuming Apple Mail “whoosh” it had been emailed to my editor and I was left standing in my kitchen, staring at my computer screen, thinking “what now?”. I settled on washing dishes and beginning to re-claim my house and kitchen from the dozens of tiny bowls of experiments and scraps of paper that have occupied all my free counter space since October. That, and drinking a midday beer (or two) on my porch in a sunbeam. And then going to Village Ice Cream for dinner (no, they don’t serve proper food, I had salted caramel ice cream in a waffle cone and it was amazing).
I used dark [sv slug="cocoa-butter"] for this mask, but you can certainly use whatever you have on hand.
The rest of my weekend was dedicated to putting off other ignored responsibilities for just a little while longer. As of today I’m back at work full time and I have to do things like my figure out my taxes and wear a bra again. Sigh. But the weekend was for, well… cleaning. I did so much cleaning (and sleeping). Over the last month of writing the book I was really missing having a tidy place to live, with luxuries like usable kitchen counter space allowing me to prepare meals that required more than a square foot of working room (I will admit to making Kraft Dinner precisely once over the course of writing the book). Cleaning is hardly a celebration, but I’m pretty stoked to have my house back so… eh 😛 I have plans to escape to the mountains next weekend with some of my favourite people, so that’ll be my proper celebration.
Something I wasn’t expecting over the last couple weeks of writing was the amount of anxiety I experienced. I was waking up at 4am in completely nonsensical lipstick themed panic fits, terrified that I was doing everything wrong and I was going to let everybody down. I had dreams where I couldn’t finish important tasks because The Beatles came to Calgary and I was stuck in a massive traffic jam in a pair of very impractical heels. I’d be writing and realize my heart was racing uncontrollably. So… that part = not fun. With the manuscript done (minus edits, which will come in a couple weeks) that’s abating, which is lovely as I’ve really missed sleeping through the night.
Anyhow—onto this mocha face mask! The base is a simple blend of sandy rhassoul clay and soft white kaolin clay (USA / Canada), spiked with some antioxidant rich cocoa powder and scrubby coffee beans. A touch of skin softening cocoa butter (USA / Canada) and some delicious smelling cocoa absolute round it out. Yum. The powder base recipe will make enough powder for about three face masks, so you can do this one a couple times or have a bit of a mask party with some friends. I loved the bit of exfoliation I got from the coffee beans as I washed the mask off and really enjoyed the coffee/cocoa scent following me around while the mask dried 🙂 Give it a go, I think you’ll love it!
Mocha Face Mask
Mask mix
2 tsp fine rhassoul clay
4 tsp white kaolin clay (USA / Canada) (any colour is fine)
1/2 tsp cocoa powder
~7 coffee beans
Wee knob cocoa butter (USA / Canada) (mine was about the size of three coffee beans)
3 drops cocoa absolute (optional)To make a single mask
1½ tsp water
2½ tsp mocha mask clay mixTo make the mask mix simply combine the two clays, the cocoa powder, coffee beans, cocoa butter (USA / Canada), and cocoa absolute in your DIY coffee grinder and blend them together for about a minute. Make sure you’re wearing your dust mask so you don’t inhale the powders ’cause that’s not good for you. After the first blending stir everything around in the coffee grinder with a small spoon, making sure to turn over any powders that might’ve been left untouched underneath the blades. Scrape down the sides and the lid before giving everything another blend.
When you’re ready to turn your mix into a delicious smelling mocha face mask, simply measure out 1½ teaspoons of water into a small bowl and slowly whisk in 2½ teaspoons of the clay mask mix. It won’t want to incorporate and will sit on top of the water initially as you whisk, but it will eventually incorporate and you’ll end up with a creamy face paste. Spread it on your face and leave it to dry for at least fifteen minutes (I got carried away and left mine on for nearly an hour—it doesn’t get nearly as tight and itchy as some masks can). When you’re ready to wash it off I find it’s helpful to soak a wash cloth with warm water and hold that up to my face for a few seconds to help re-hydrate the mask, making it easier to remove.
Follow up with some awesome argan serum (I’m still in love with this stuff) and enjoy your clean, smooth skin!
Don’t have a coffee grinder? You can make this without one with a few simple swaps: use ground coffee instead of whole beans (~one teaspoon); swap the cocoa butter (USA / Canada) out, simply adding a drop or two of a carrier oil of choice (grapeseed or safflower oil would be nice) to the mask when you are whisking it up to use it; and add the cocoa absolute (if you’re using any) as you hydrate the mask (one drop per mask). With those changes you can just whisk the powders together in a small bowl.
Want to make a big batch of this to use later? Read this.
I’m so excited about your book! Congratulations!
Thank you so much, Kathie!
Oh,I’m excited about this one. Definitely going to try it this afternoon. I’m also excited about your book. I know quite a few of us are. Congratulations on getting it sent to editing.
Thanks, Jennifer! 😀
Congrats! Such great news!
Thank you! I am beyond stoked 🙂
Congratulations on getting the tough part of your book done! Definitely a mocha time 🙂
Thanks, Cheryl!
Congratulations on finishing your book (AND reclaiming your space)! HUGE accomplishment!! 🙂
I’m feeling cocoa for everything these days. I’m curious, is there a reason you use 2/3 kaolin for the clay? Would it be ok to use all rhassoul, or is that too strong for the skin?
Thanks, Rebekah! I used mostly kaolin because I prefer it—it’s lighter and more gentle, and makes for a creamier mask than rhassoul alone, which is rather sandy. You could use 100% rhassoul, but the mask will definitely have a different feel 🙂
Congratulations on being published! Can’t wait to see it available. You certainly deserve to see your work in print after such wonderful work.
Thanks so much, Clare!
Ooh, sounds quite delish, both to eat as well as to exfoliate!
P.S. Who says salted caramel isn’t a proper food? [wink]
Thanks! And I’m totally on board with salted caramel being real food, it’s just that the food guide tends to disagree haha 😛
I love this! I’ve been doing clay masks once a week now for the past couple months, this would be a fun way to spice up the routine! Congrats on the book, I’m already so exited about getting my hands on a copy when it comes out!
Thanks so much, Katherine!
Sorry I missed this back when you posted it.
I just got some rhaussoul clay and was poking around for something fantastic only Marie could give.
I laughed good and nodded at your bra comment. Only a woman would understand!
I felt your anxiety when you talked about those experiences. (seriously, I did. I was gifted or cursed with extreme empathy that can travel miles.) I bet you’re glad that’s over but would do it again in a heartbeat.
I know you did good and I hope you know all your blog “friends” are proud of you and pulling for your success.
Now, I’m going to make this mask. It sounds like a luxury I can afford for my face! Thanks Marie for all you do. We all appreciate it.
Thanks so much for sharing your empathy and your laughs, Cristie 🙂 You are absolutely right on both counts—I would love to have the opportunity to write another book and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again! For now, though—more, different risks and challenges! 😀
Thanks so much for reading, DIY, and for all your support 🙂
Could you just use the dry ingredients like the kaolin, cocoa powder and Rhassoul clay and then put it in a jar and then add the water when it’s ready to use. Wondering if the cocoa butter could go in with the dry or would it affect the shelf life with no preservative?
That’s exactly what the link at the end of the recipe talks about 🙂
This smelled so good on that I cracked into the Halloween candy and now have to go out and buy some more to replace what I ate. Yes, I ate that much. I blame the mask.
This recipe might need to come with an advisory – best used with a chocolate bar to hand.
Ah yes, I too, should use this excuse to justify the nest of O’Henry bar wrappers around me 😛 Thanks for reading and DIYing with me!
what could you replace the rhassoul clay with in this recipe if you don’t have any?
Would calcium carbonate work?
You’d need to use a different clay at a bare minimum, and calcium carbonate is not a clay. Bentonite would likely be a decent choice, though the amount of liquid you’ll need will change.
I just swapped cocoa butter with safflower oil. After 3 weeks it started smelling funny. I know dry masks can be stored for longer. Can you please tell me what is the problem? I have kept it in an airtight container and there was hopefully no water contact with it. I did store it near my bathroom sink. Also, will adding preservatives to dry masks help? Please let me know.
I’d suspect your oil has gone rancid, which I’ve found can happen quite quickly in projects like this if the oil is old (1 year +). That’s just oxidization; you could delay the onset of oxidization with the inclusion of an antioxidant (like vitamin E), but now that it has happened there’s no going back. Cocoa butter is a much more stable fat than safflower oil as it is saturated 🙂