My friend Meredith is super awesome for many reasons, but the reason I would like to broadcast today is how she is always finding awesome things for me to make, and cool new ingredients for me to try. She’s the lovely lady who got me hooked on argan oil (USA / Canada) back in university (at the time I was horrified at the idea of putting oil on my face… how far I’ve come!), and then she did a big research project on all the schmag in our body care products, and I took that and ran. The rest is history, I suppose.
This awesome face mask is based on something she saw on the Mario Badescu website. The entire website is a treasure trove of easy, natural DIY project ideas (I also find it a source of a good laugh as many of the products are so simple, and still so expensive). Meredith told me about it months ago, I’d had it on my “to scour” list for ages when she preempted me and tried out a super simple pore shrinking face mask. The original ingredients were kaolin, zinc oxide, and calcium carbonate. She swapped the calcium carbonate for baking soda (USA / Canada) and raved about the end results. So, obviously I had to try it.
I used French green clay instead of kaolin, and added a few essential oils designed to help with healing and acne, but other than that, I didn’t change much. I blended everything together in a coffee grinder before adding water to ensure a super smooth mask. It goes on beautifully. I do find the baking soda (USA / Canada) can make blemishes sting a bit at first, but other than that it’s pretty similar to other face masks.
After you rinse it off your face will feel wonderfully refreshed and exfoliated, and you will delight in your newly tiny(er) pores. This has become my new weekly face mask—I love it!
I no longer recommend putting baking soda on your skin; read this for more information.
Pore Shrinking Mask
3 tbsp French green clay
2 tbsp zinc oxide
1 tbsp baking soda (USA / Canada)
5 drops chamomile essential oil
3 drops honey myrtle essential oil (or tea tree)
1 drop helichrysum essential oil (optional)
5 drops benzoin essential oil (optional)Blend everything together in a coffee grinder.
To use, mix 2–3 tbsp of the powder with warm water until you get a smooth paste. Spread on your face and let dry for 15–20 minutes. Rinse off and moisturize with argan oil. Awesome!
You will get a kick out of this then. Looked up a product that I actually purchased for around $40. Then today I looked up the ingredients and found:
OLEO-COMPLEXE:
Maize Oil: Delivers emollient and anti-oxidant active ingredients for ultimate shine
Pracaxi Oil: Brings shine, nourishment and deep conditioning to the hair
Camellia Oil: Helps smooth the hair fiber, resulting in incredible shine
Argan Oil: Helps restore strength to the hair and protects it from external aggressors
And I’m like, dang! I can make that!
HA! Wow, I cannot believe they are primping up plain old corn (maize) oil like that, what a laugh! According to NDA you could get their smallest bottles of the last 3 oils for about that much ($12.83 + $16.14 + $12.16 = $41.13). NDA doesn’t sell corn oil, but it’s pretty much just a cheap filler oil from what I can tell, so you could probably leave it out or replace it with apricot kernel or sweet almond oil. I love looking at products like this and reverse engineering them for a fraction of the price 😀
I’ve ordered the pracaxi and camelia seed oils and this is going on my christmas gift list! And yes, I too got a kick out of them pimping out the corn oil. Hahaha, we know what maize oil is! You have really inspired me to check out the ingredients of some of my favorite products!
How do you decide the amounts of each ingredient?
This varies a lot depending on what the recipe is for… I should do an entire post on it! For your hair oil, though, I’d start by figuring out which oils have the “best” properties for a hair oil. I’d say the most important trait is absorbing quickly. So, make the formula mostly oils that sink in quickly (since hair absorbs oil so slowly, and tops out so quickly). Then, go from there with the fancier/thicker ones. And always keep scent in mind, so if any of them are super stinky, don’t use much of those, lol. After that, be sure to write down what you did, take notes, and start small. Don’t make yourself 200mL of hair oil the first time around—go for maybe 10mL. See how that works, and work on it 🙂
Nice! Let me know what pracaxi is like—it’s been on my “maybe” list for quite some time. The other products you should definitely check out are mid-grade shampoos—compare the ingredients to dish soap. They will be scarily similar in most cases. Yipes! And body butters and lip balms. Ha! They are usually all the cheapest oils (lots of palm) and fake colours. Yipes.
Thank you, I do have the habit of making a huge batch of something only to find out I hate it and then hate to throw it out so it sits around taking up space.
I was surprised to find that the pracaxi oil is the consistency of coconut oil so I’ll have to warm it up to pour. I will probably try this in the next week or 2 and see how it goes:)
I’ve only recently got a hang of the whole “not making heaps of mediocre stuff and then keeping it around for ages until it finally molds or spoils” thing lol. It’s been a big help. In the meantime, I forced myself to use ridiculous amounts of lotion that smelled terrible, and body butter that left me like an oil slick. In fact, I think I still have some dating back to 2011… hahaha. Whoops!
Also, I think I’m going to order some pracaxi oil and perhaps some broccoli oil as well. And then I’ll have to take a vacation to reorganize my DIY cupboards as they are getting seriously out of hand, haha.
I so love your blog! Many neat ideas. Thank you!
Thanks, Barb! 🙂
I can’t wait to try this one!
Let me know how it goes when you do!
Where is the most inexpensive place/site to buy Argan oil? Could I buy it on Amazon or Ebay?
Would the following be real?
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Depot-EOIL-ARGAN-4OZ-Argan-Oil/dp/B007SIG5HY/ref=pd_sbs_bt_2
I can’t say from experience since I’ve never used that brand, but the reviews look good (the label is rather suspect, though).
What is suspicious about the label? Sry. totally new to this kind of stuff, just curious. 🙂
Well… it’s basically just ugly. Ugly enough to be fake. But I am a graphic designer, and I can be snooty about these things.
🙂 haha, okay.
🙂
All the suppliers I’ve linked to in the big grey box above the comments carry great argan oil at great prices 🙂
I’d like to gift this mask. Do the essential oils clump up the clay mixture? If you were giving this as a gift would you leave the essential oils out?
If you blend the essential oils into the powder using a coffee grinder you won’t have any troubles 🙂 I usually make bigger batches of this mask, EOs included, and use a spoonful or so each week. It works brilliantly!
I have this mask on right now! Not that this is a bad thing, but I noticed it was almost foamy/moussy once combined. Your pictures show that too! I’m assuming it’s the baking soda reacting with… something.
Yeah, isn’t that cool! I love it, lol. It must be one of the essential oils as both the clay and the zinc oxide are basic. Hrmmm.
Can I premix these face mask recipes without concern for them spoiling or going bad? I want to prepackage them as gifts, but I wouldn’t want them to be icky.
Great blog, by the way!
Yup, just leave out the water 🙂 Be sure to blend in the oils with a coffee grinder so you get a nice, even distribution. Gift/store them in bags with as much air squeezed out as possible, and instruct your lucky recipients to use it up within 6 months, and you should be good to go!
I have an extra advice, from my wise grandmother : ), maybe it’s not my place to say. I’ve known and used clay and baking soda for clear skin since I was little, while watching my grandmother with her many skin inventions and they are both great.
My grandmother is now in her 70’s, but her skin looks younger, clearer and more wrinkle-free than my mother’s, honestly; she also swears by… yeast, mostly fresh raw yeast; when she was younger she used to mix yeast with either clay and milk, or clay and olive oil, I learned from her and it’s really great, especially for acne-prone skin.
And also… prepare yourselves… she still eats yeast daily, since her teenage, a piece the size of a walnut, it is a super-food amazing for clear skin and, most importantly, for proper brain function, it is the only food source of the complete vitamin B complex, among many other elements.
My grandmother is the best example for yeast benefits: she was highly respected at her job, never been depressed, she won chess championships, she is the wittiest member of the family, nothing can trick her, she still behaves like a proper lady. She says that whenever she feels a bit sad or tired it means she had forgotten her yeast those days.
I guess this is a tribute to her : )
This is so awesome, Maria! I am super intrigued 🙂 My first guess is that this is sort of like pro-biotics for your skin (good bacteria and all). I will definitely have to add yeast to my list of ingredients to experiment with! Very, very cool. I love hearing stories like this, thank you so much for sharing.
Hi! I came across your blog just a few days ago and I was super excited to look at all your recipes as I’ve been into making my own lip balms, moisturizers, hair treatments, etc for about 2 years now. I’m not solely using my own products but in large part. Also my “products” are largely coconut oil. hahaha. Anyway, I switched over because I’ve always had problematic skin in one way or another (at one point even finding I was allergic to vit e….. yea, not fun). But my skin has definitely improved, now I can put vit e on it, or so it seems, and I just have to battle very dry skin on my face and neck mostly. So, anyway, I love DIYs, especially body stuff, and your blog is soooo informative and you’re so very much into things I will probably never make but you have a ton of information that’s really helped me and it prompted me to go to my health food store just now and by some shea butter to try for my “ezcema”, coco butter to help make a better body butter for myself, white clay (because green just seems too drying for me) and a sample pack of different oils including argan! OMGosh I’m SO excited!!!
I currently have a variation of this mask on my face. But it is the first time ever that I’ve put a clay mask on!!!
Thanks, thanks so much- you are great!
PS I’m Canadian too and it makes me SOOOOOOO happy to find a Canadian blogger who does this stuff!! And we can talk about stuff we find IN Canada!
So thanks, so much
Hi Andrea! Always great to meet another fellow Canadian online 🙂 I’ve over in AB—whereabouts are you? If you’re in the GTA you are super lucky to be surrounded by most of the best suppliers we have up here.
I’m so happy you found my wee corner of the internet 🙂 I always love hearing I’ve inspired people to delve deeper into DIY and natural ingredients and all that exciting stuff! Coconut oil is great, but I don’t find it’s the cure-all/do-all that some do—and I’m sure much of that is because it’s much colder and drier up here. Argan oil FTW! (LOL). How did the mask turn out for you? Did you notice a boost in healing over the next 24 hours or so? That’s always my favourite part 🙂 And how are you finding your other ingredients? Does your cocoa butter smell absolutely amazing?
Can i use Bentonite clay instead of french green?
Yup! You’ll likely find it to be stronger, which may or may not make this mask extra awesome for you 🙂
Yours is my go to site for all things diy beauty! Being that I like to make the most perfect-est products that do everything, I’m wondering if this mask can be combined with the spot treatment mask (adding charcoal), brightening (adding vitamin c), and more moisturizing (adding glycerin or avocado oil etc) without ruining it.
Thanks Alicia! You sound a bit like me when I get a batch of new ingredients—”I can add this! And this! And oooh, this too!” Ha 🙂 My early face masks usually had something like 15 different ingredients in them, lol. Go for it, and have fun—face masks are pretty forgiving. Just work in small quantities, and be careful with the vitamin C, it doesn’t take much to BURN like mad lol. And watch the amount of oil you use—too much (and that’s not much at all) and you’ll find the mask really won’t want to stick to your face, it’ll just plop off in oily chunks (oooh lovely, lol).
Is there a natural preservative that I could add to this so that it can be already mixed with water and in paste form ready to use all the time?
I really wouldn’t recommend doing that—just dip in a damp cotton ball, and it’s instantly ready. Why add preservatives if you don’t have to?
A very simple and classic one women in Algeria have been using for centuries is clay – usually Rhassoul – and rosewater. That’s it. It will make your face tight…like a vice tight.
Nothing beats a good clay mask!
Hi!
I suffer from redness in my face. I’m using vegan products which have helped. Will the ingredients in this mask or in your blackhead removal powder negatively affect my redness?
Love your blog!!
Thanks,
Christine
Hi Christine! Clay and exfoliation (which this mask has both of) will increase circulation to the surface, which will amplify redness, but that is temporary (it might last 20 minutes, depending on your skin). I can’t think of any reason this would impact your redness, but I imagine that would be greatly dependent on what the underlying cause of your redness is. If you’re concerned about keeping this powder vegan you can purchase calcium carbonate tablets and use those instead of the egg shells, but I really don’t think that would make much of a difference in terms of performance. Also, have you tried my anti red airbrushing powder? It’s awesome!
Hello Marie,
I absolutely loved this mask. Since I have dry sensitive skin I added a bit of glycerin as well as aloe juice with the water. The mask felt nice and tingly when it was on my face, but in a gentle way. Oh my, when I washed it off I couldn’t believe the difference in my pores! This mask will definitely become a staple in my skin care regime. Thank you so much for sharing.
Regards,
Kim
Wonderful! I’m so glad this mask did a bit of magic on your pores 🙂 Thanks for DIYing with me!
Where do you buy the powdered zinc oxide?
Check my big list of places to shop to find a supplier in your country. Mine is from New Directions, but most people don’t live in Canada 🙂
Can I make and store this mask for future use?
I wrote an FAQ on this 🙂
Hi Marie! I know you no longer use baking soda on face recipes for good reasons. Wondering if this recipe would work with the addition of calcium carbonate instead of the baking soda?
Calcium carbonate also has quite a high pH, but for one-off uses it’s probably fine. It is significantly less abrasive than baking soda, and forms a fairly small portion of this mask, so the pH will be lowered by the other ingredients. You could further counter it by using a mildly acidic liquid, like diluted lemon juice 🙂
Hi, Marie! I love the idea of this mask. Is there an ingredient you would replace the baking soda with?
I’d probably go back to the original and use calcium carbonate 🙂