This fantastic three-ingredient blackhead banisher is another Mario Badescu dupe. Not only is it cheap and simple to make, but it really does work beautifully. Magically, even. So beautifully you’ll find yourself staring at your pores in the mirror, trying to figure out if you’re imagining things. It’s also faster and easier than a face mask, so if you’ve got troublesome areas that bother you between face masks, it’s a great way to keep up with those.
The ingredients are astonishingly simple, and having nothing to do with silver at all. The main ingredient is calcium carbonate, which I didn’t have on hand. But, it turns out egg shells are very high in it, so I made my own (more or less), and that worked out really well.
Next up, white kaolin clay (USA / Canada). One of the cheapest, easiest to find clays around. Brilliant.
Lastly, zinc oxide. Also inexpensive and easy to source. And that’s it! Can you believe it?
The only time consuming/bothersome part about this recipe is making the calcium carbonate from the egg shells, so I’d recommend making more than you’ll need and keeping it on hand just in case I find another use for it in the future, haha.
To start with, you’ll need egg shells. I saved mine from breakfasts over the course of a week or so, and ended up using shells from about 10 eggs. To start with, I rinsed them out and boiled them for about 15 minutes. I recommend using a greatly over-sized pot for this task as the leftover bits of egg white in the shells created a gooey network as they cooked, and that boiled over into a nice mess.
Once the shells were boiled, I baked them in a 300°F oven to dry them out.
Once that was done, I used my DIY coffee grinder to blend them into a fine powder. Make sure you are very generous with your blending times as it does take a while to get to a powdery stage as opposed to a small bits (that are really abrasive on the face) stage.
Anyhow, once that’s done, all that’s left is to blend the ingredients together in your coffee grinder, and you’re done. Score!
Silver Powder for Banishing Blackheads
2 tbsp calcium carbonate (or pulverized egg shells)
1 ½ tbsp white kaolin clay (USA / Canada)
1 tbsp zinc oxideBegin by putting on your dust mask. Blend all the ingredients together in a coffee grinder. Decant to a small jar.
To use, moisten a cotton ball and dip into the powder. Spread across troublesome areas of your face. Let dry, rinse off, and admire your fantastically empty pores!
Ooooh, clean pores.
you really are amazing! Love all your ideas! gives me ideas to work with too!!!
Thanks so much, Bonny 🙂 Enjoy your new creations!
Any problem with adding glycerin instead of water to this? Thanks!
You can try it, but that would probably eliminate the drying/drawing effect of the formulation.
note immediately sent to boyfriend to start saving egg shells! I have been plagued with blackheads on my nose for pretty much my whole life, I am so excited to try this!
Be sure to let me know how it works out for you! My chin is like a new place with this powder 😀
does we need to put some water?
To use this powder, moisten a cotton ball with some water and dip into the powder. Spread across troublesome areas of your face. Let dry, rinse off, and admire your fantastically empty pores!
Wonderful! Just one question:how do you make a coffee grinder? ??
When I say DIY coffee grinder I’m talking about a coffee grinder I only use for my DIY projects, not one I made myself—I’m not that crafty 😛 I have one just for my assorted projects because you really can’t get them clean enough to bounce between food and clay/soap/washing soda/whatever I feel like grinding up. I grabbed mine used off of Kijiji for about $15, and it’s one of my most-used DIY tools. It’s definitely worth grabbing one from the op shops if you see one!
OH I waaaaaaant to make this! I’m a blackhead machine…
Let me know how it works for you if you do, Amanda 🙂
Awesome.
Thanks, Bo—be sure to let me know if you try it 🙂
Can’t wait to try! Going to give some to my teenage Son also! Thanks for all your creative ideas.
Be sure to let me know how it works out for you guys 🙂 Thanks so much for reading & DIYing with me!
I’ve been patiently waiting for this post! I guess I should have asked my mom to start saving eggshells for me BEFORE you posted this… oops! Nothing I’ve ever tried has worked for my stubborn blackheads except pore strips, which I refuse to pay for now anyway. Fingers crossed this is “the one” 🙂
Fingers crossed! It works for me, so here’s hoping 🙂 Plus the original sells for loads of money and is one of their best sellers, so hopefully that’s a sign of clean pores to come!
Thanks for the recipe, I’m really excited to try that. Just a silly question: do you have a dedicated coffee grinder for your cosmetics or you use the kitchen one ?
I definitely have a coffee grinder that’s just for my DIY projects 🙂 I picked it up on Kijiji for $15 or so, and it’s fantastic. I’ve already ruined one DIY specific coffee grinder by washing it out with water too often (they are definitely not water tight), so this one just gets wiped out, meaning there is no way I’m going to be putting food in it with all the little particles of clay and soap and what not kicking around in its nooks and crannies 😛 Check Value Village next time you’re in the area, they are an amazing addition to your DIYing!
Great idea! Eggshells are 94-97% calcium carbonate! Genuis 🙂 I was wondering how long you put them in the oven/how do you tell when they are fully dry?
I think mine were in the oven for about 10–15 minutes. They started to change colour (paler) and the membranes really shriveled up into little cords of crisp, sinewy looking stuff. It doesn’t take too long since the egg shells are so thin, and not exactly absorbent.
Thanks! I made my egg dust before work- so when i get home i will mix some up- and I’m really looking forward to using it!!! I only have white Australian clay, so hopefully that works as well 🙂
Awesome! Let me know how it goes, Lauren 😀
I tried it and I am in love. This is the best face mask I have ever used!! THANK YOU!
Fantastic, Lauren Ann! I’m thrilled to hear this worked for you 🙂 I should really go do one…
Have you ever thought about compiling an e-book with all these wonderful creations.
I have, Bronwyn—it just keeps getting pushed down the priorities list with so much else to do and no help 😛 I would really love to, though—stay tuned, maybe it’ll happen 🙂
A DIY recipe needed by many of us. Thank you!
Quick question…What is the purpose of the zinc oxide in this recipe? I really want to try this, but I am sensitive to zinc oxide and wonder if it MUST be included to work.
HI Debbie! Zinc oxide is for soothing irritated skin (it’s the active ingredient in diaper creme), and it’s also healing and antibacterial. Some studies have also found that it helps with acne. So, basically, there are good reasons for it to be there, but I haven’t tried it without the zinc oxide. Give it a go and let me know? I have tried a similar mask using baking soda instead of the calcium carbonate and that mask doesn’t work nearly as well as this one, so perhaps it is the calcium carbonate that is the kicker ingredient?
Thanks. I will give it a try without the zinc oxide and let you know if it works. (Zinc oxide may be soothing to others but I cannot tolerate it even in tiny amounts because it makes my eyes burn/water.)
I look forward to hearing how it goes. Fingers crossed!
I tried it (once) without the zinc oxide. Although my skin felt smoother and very clean, it did not unclog the troublesome pores. I will try it one more time, but so far I won’t recommend omitting the zinc oxide.
Hmmm, interesting. I wonder what it is about the zinc oxide that makes such a big difference. Hmmmm. Thanks for testing it out!
I think that the zinc oxide is a siccative. As a painter I frequent painting forums where one thread suggests that zinc oxide paint is no good since it sucks up too much oil from the paint layer and causes structural failures in dried oil paintings. The zinc oxide is really thirsty for oil which is why it must be good for clearing out pores.
I’ve made this recipe and it’s super effective! I prepared the eggshells which did take some time, but went smoothly. Thanks, Marie!
Ooooh, this is so cool! Thanks so much, Kate 🙂
This looks awesome – I am saving eggshells as we speak! Do you think it would work if I substituted green clay for the kaolin?
I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t—kaolin is generally consider more gentle than French green so the green may work even better 🙂
I just found powdered Calcium Carbonate by NOW Brand for $9.50/340g. Its the one with the orange lable and purple cap. Canadian made too! With a GMP Quality stamp!
I’m in Ontario…and got it at S&H Health (though I think its privately owned).
Ooh, fantastic! Thank you so much for this, Celia. Does it note the source? It would be nice if it wasn’t animal sourced so it can be an alternative for vegans.
It says it’s its Vegetarian/Vegan.
Here’s the link from their website — http://www.nowfoods.com/Calcium-Carbonate-Powder-12oz.htm
Hope that helps 🙂
Awesome! Thanks so much, I’m sure vegans will really appreciate this 🙂
As much as I’m all about using what I have even if it’s not vegan, this is definitely easier! I just ordered it from well.ca since I had a few other things to get from there anyway (yay for free shipping!). Thanks for the tip, Celia!
Nice! I bet the store bought stuff is a much finer powder as well, which is definitely a plus. Let me know how it works out!
My twin girls are plagued with blackheads, so thank you so much for the recipe. I am wondering if the zinc oxide is the same stuff sold in tubes for babies or is there another kind. Also, i am wondering if you think adding calendula ointment would help? thank you
Hi Sylmadel 🙂 Zinc oxide is a white powder, and while it is used as an active ingredient in diaper creme, they are definitely not the same thing. I would save the calendula ointment for irritated zits or pores that need some healing help—there is no need to introduce it here, especially as I find excess oil impedes the pore-emptying performance of masks. Thanks for reading and have fun!
You did again Marie. This sounds wonderful.
Thanks, Mary 🙂 Be sure to let me know how it works for you if you try it!
This is awesome, my face is like a blackhead magnet or it seems that way most of the time.
Do you think it would be okay to sub bentonite clay for the kaolin?
Love your blog and thanks so much for sharing!!
Go for it—if you’re a blackhead magnet, the bentonite may be even better as it’s stronger than kaolin 🙂 Enjoy and do let me know how it works out for you!
Marie,
I was reading above and saw about the zinc oxide from someone else. I am not sensitive to it, but you know me, I am trying to stay as natural as possible. And although zinc is a natural mineral, it’s used in things that I dont like to think about :-/
Did you ever hear back from anyone who didnt use the zinc in it??? I really wanted to try it…but again…I’m sorry…I just wanted to see if you heard back!
Thanks!!
I haven’t heard anything other than what you’ve already read—sorry! As for the zinc oxide, it’s not it’s fault it’s used in things you don’t like to think about 😛 Water kills people, that doesn’t make it evil 😉 If you try a sans-zinc version, do let me know how it goes!
Marie,
I tried this last night on both my husband and myself (without zinc oxide). While it didnt get EVERY blackhead…both myself and husband saw an immediate difference. It made out skin smooth, and took away the smaller blackheads.
I did my method a tad bit differently and had a question about it. I hard boiled my eggs (i LOVE hard boiled eggs)…that way I wasnt wasting the insides…but you know that clearish white soft shell under the hard shell??? Did you grind that into the powder as well???
See, after eating the hard boiled egg, I saved the shells, and the soft shell. I let them sit in the fridge and pretty much just dried out on their own. I then blended the hard shell (with the soft part too) into the powder and added the kaolin clay. Still worked 🙂
Curious too, how long do you think the recipe with the egg shell is good for (aka, how long itll stay good)??
Thanks again Marie!
How funny that you & Debbie tried the same experiment at the same time 😛 It sounds like your results were pretty similar, which is always nice for the sake of science and reproduceable results and what not.
Once I dried out the egg shells the white skin bit shriveled up and was easy to pick out of the shells. I didn’t get all of it, but I tried to get most of it so I ended up with the most calcium-carbonate-y powder possible. I wasn’t too fussed about it either way 😛
I first made this powder about 6 weeks ago and it’s still going strong 🙂 As long as the shells were sterilized and dried out well you should be good for at least that long, if not significantly longer, since there’s no water in the mix.
As I read the other comments this afternoon about other results when omitting the zinc oxide, I was giving it another try. This time I made a more traditional mask by adding a little bit of water to make a spreadable mask. It went on easily, but the results were the same. Smoother, clean-feeling skin but not the fantastic pore unclogger I was wanting.
Thanks for the repeatable results—always a good thing in any experiment 🙂 I’m sorry it’s not kicking butt for you without the zinc oxide, though 🙁
I use a coffee grinder with a stainless steel removable chamber (KitchenAid Blade Coffee Grinder)
We buy bulk eggs @ 5 dozen a pop. We crack open half for use during the week (we remove the yokes) and usually put the shells in the composter. Today, I blended the shells and am looking forward to trying this out.
Have you ever tried buying from tkbtrading.com? They are very reasonably priced for a lot of the mineral and dry goods you post about.
Ah, of course it’s KitchenAid who makes such an awesome (an obvious) modification to the standard coffee grinder. I imagine it is WAY easier to clean that way.
In the summer I buy my eggs 10 dozen at a time from a great little stand that gets eggs from nearby Hutterite colonies and sells them at incredible prices. Sadly, they’re closed through the winter, so I’ve been trying to find somewhere local that’s equally as awesome, but I haven’t had much luck 🙁 Fingers crossed they open again ASAP!
I’ve never ordered from TKBTrading.com, but I just checked them out. Their selection is amazing! I compared a few products and prices are pretty close to NDA’s, though they carry a much larger range of products. Unfortunately, with the Canadian dollar only sitting at about $0.90 to $1USD, international shipping costs, customs, and duty fees, I don’t think I’ll be trying them—after all that they’d end up being much more expensive than just staying in country 🙁
Oh well. I guess it’s a good alternative for your U.S. audience then.
I’ll keep an eye out for it in stores here—it sure looks awesome! Maybe Costco will start selling it 😀 LOL.
Wow… I just found this kit that goes with it too. I’ve been looking for this option without having to buy new coffee grinders: KitchenAid Spice Kit for KA Grinder Blk
We grow and grind our own spices – this is perfect for separating the chambers for spices, makeup and coffee!
I also just found the grinder available with the extra bowls, for those who don’t already have it and are looking to upgrade their grinding system. Sadly the extra cups and the full kit aren’t available on Canadian Amazon 🙁
That is so odd. Amazon is so big…
Hop on over to Amazon.ca and watch it shrink 🙁 We only just got Amazon Grocery last November! Americans just don’t realize how good they have it until they come to Canada and wonder where 60% of Amazon went. Booooooo.
Awesome recipe! Thank you so much. This has literally made my face “squeaky” clean 🙂
Thanks, Joanna! I’m thrilled to hear it worked for you 🙂
I wash and bake eggshells normally when making and pressure-canning my dog’s food. (1/2 tsp. per lb. of meat in the recipe.) You can put a teeny-weeny pinch of the powder in your dog’s food once a day to cover their calcium needs.
Having large pores, I have used egg whites for a mask before. I became allergic to eggs at age 40. (Working on reversing that…) The white is what is the allergen for most people. The yolks for others. Until I deal with the allergy, using the clean and baked shells looks like a good option.
Boiling the shells is not needed if you are baking them. Wash them out, let dry and crush in an old container until it is full. Then batch-pulverize the shells. The crushed and pulverized shells are excellent in the garden. If you are dealing with blossom rot, sprinkling shell around the plant can reverse them. You can also feed the finely-crushed or pulverized shell to chickens and other critters for their calcium needs.
Egg shells have many excellent uses. (grin) You found a rather cool use for them I had not heard of. Way cool.
Great tip on the dog food, Debbi! I’ll have to start recommending this to dog owners 🙂 I know egg shells are also often fed back to chickens to make the shells of their next round of eggs stronger.
I found the boiling helped get the eggs clean, but oh boy did the boil over make a mess :/ I will try skipping that step next time under your expert guidance 😉
I’ve used it twice now, and am quite pleased!
I bought myself some shea butter recently. Any thoughts on whether it’s better to wait after using banishing powder, before applying any kind of cream? I don’t want to clog up those lovely pores…
Fantastic! I generally refrain from putting shea butter on my face as it’s so thick, opting for argan oil instead. I’ll apply that right after doing a mask, and it’s just divine 🙂
Thanks! I’ll check at our local health food/supply store 🙂
Good luck—did you find any?
I’d love to say I’ve gotten some, but I haven’t even been to the store yet!!! My mother in law helps me shop (she’s amazing), and my 1.5 year old and 3 year olds don’t do great in some stores!!!
I accidentally put the shells in at 350 and roasted them. (I can burn anything). Any idea if this diminishes the effectiveness? Should I use them for this still? Or just it’s em in the plants?
Hmm. I’m not sure. If they’re charred that will have changed the chemical composition, but I’m not all too sure about roasting… try it? Or just try again and use the roasted ones for plants/dog food? Sorry :/
It’s ok! I had my ‘DIY/green’ birthday party two weeks ago (this was one of the recipes- thanks!), and we decided not to use the crispy eggs. I’ll use them in my garden when the snow eventually melts.
That sounds like an awesome party! What else did you do?
We also made:
– deodorant
– lip balm
– ‘ouchie cream’ (like Neosporin)
– washing soda
– lavender linen spray
– bath bombs
– all purpose/glass cleaner
and I did a soap nuts demo, and sent everyone home with a little packet of soap nuts to try.
LOTS of fun! All natural ingredients (of course), we all learned a lot and I’m hoping each person will adopt one or more into their everyday life, too 🙂
Nice! That’s definitely my kind of party 🙂 Invite me next time? 😉 😛
I would love to host more parties like this! I’m thinking we live kind of far apart to make it worth your while, though… If you’re ever randomly in Thunder Bay, I’ll make a specific point to host another, how’s that?
In the meantime… throw your own! Tons of fun!
Ha, will do! I do know some people there, so you never know 😉
Is there a “best” way to prep the skin for a mask? Just wash, wash and steam, etc?
Thanks!
I have to admit that all I really do is pull my hair back tightly and ensure I won’t have to see anybody for the next 15–30 minutes 😛 That’s always worked brilliantly for me! I suppose today’s mask was a post-steam mask as I applied it after a shower, so I will report back if I notice any amazing changes, haha.
Hi Marie,
I mixed this up and used a damp cotton ball. But I noticed that the clay that didn’t stick started clumping in the jar. So I decided to turn this into a paste by adding witch hazel. I then reapplied after a gentle exfoliation in the shower. It worked great, although it was a lot tighter, probably because of the amount I put on. 😉 I followed with Argan oil to rehydrate.
Thanks for all your great ideas. I love your site.
Oooh, I just love the witch hazel idea! I don’t find clumping to be a problem here, but it’s also so dry that I wake up thirsty in the middle of the night more often than not. I, too, follow this mask with argan oil, and then spend some time admiring my newly clean pores in a magnifying mirror, lol 😛 Thanks so much for reading & DIYing with me!
The witch hazel idea does sound neat!
I just wet my face first, then pour a bit of the finishing powder into my hand. Because my hand is dry, the powder in the container doesn’t get wet. Because my face is wet, the powder sticks to my face.
I also don’t like the feel of cotton balls, so this works better for me 🙂
Another great method 🙂 I have friends who are practically phobic about cotton balls because of their spine-shuddering squeaking noises, so I’ll have to recommend this to them 😛
Hi there! I’ve been religiously saving my eggshells lol… now I need a grinder – do you have a burr grinder or a blade grinder?
Just a blade grinder—I got it cheap on Kijiji 🙂
Oh my! This is some fantastic stuff!!! I used French Green clay, the calcium citrate I usually put in my tooth powder and the usual zinc oxide. Wow, my face felt so clean, smooth and blackhead-less afterwards. So far, I’ve used it both as a mask which taking a nice, hot epsom salt bath and a quick mask/scrub in the morning while brushing my teeth. It’s my new favorite!
Fantastic! I’m thrilled you love it 🙂
Like a couple other people, I did not use the zinc oxide in the mask. Still, there is a noticeable difference in my pores. Hurrah! Will have to order the zince oxide soon to see what that does. =) Thank you so much for this great mask. By the way…Amazon sells a little coffee grinder for about ten bucks. I also bought a brush to clean it. Very cheap. If you have Prime with Amazon it’s under $15 for both brush and grinder. It’s not deluxe, but does the job. Just a thought! =)
Fantastic! I hope you are well on your way to a love affair with clay 😉
Thanks for the Amazon tip 🙂 I always keep my eye out for coffee grinders at garage sales and rummage sales, and as such always have one or two in the wings for when I inevitably burn out my current one 😛
Oh, excellent suggestion. =)
🙂
Hello
I am super excited to find this recipe. I generally have good skin until you get close up. I am horrible at sticking to any one skin regiment. This seems quick enough to do that I don’t think I would have a problem fitting it in in the mornings. Thank you much.
Hi Roxie! I think you’ll love this powder 🙂 I am just getting ready to do another mask with it myself—I love what it does to my chin pores! Let me know how it works for you 🙂
I made this last night, after the grinding eggshells etc up on the finest setting of my Hario burr hand-grinder, and grinding the stuff twice (achey arm!) to get it resembling a fine powder.
Applying it this morning, although it looks like a fine powder, I found it felt unpleasantly sharp and gritty on my face. Do you find this an issue with yours?
It also seemed to dry within only a minute: I’m wondering whether it would still be as effective at pulling out gunk if the mixture has completely dried? Hmm.. maybe if I apply it more thickly, or add some different liquid, it would form a thicker paste and not dry quite so fast..
Hi Amber! I did find this at first, and ended up grinding the finished powder together more afterwards. I do have an electric blade grinder, though, not a hand burr-grinder, so that’s probably the difference—I think I ended up blending mine for upwards of 5 minutes when all was said and done.
One of my favourite things about this is how quickly it dries, and how well it works in so little time. If you want to pack more on you can, but I find it works so well as-is that I wouldn’t worry about it 🙂
So I made this a bit differently… I used hard boiled egg shells (95% ish of the membrane removed) and calcium bentonite clay. And just… wow. I didnt expect it to work this well! Im speechless. Thank you so much! ♥
Fantastic! Enjoy those squeaky clean pores 😉
Hello : ) First of all I just wanted to say thanks for making all these amazing recipes and sharing them with us. I made this the other day and used it. However, after washing it off, my face was very white, like if the mask hadn’t washed away entirely but I couldn’t scrub of the whiteness away either. What do you think it could have been? I followed the recipe as is.
thanks again!
Hi Jenny! Thanks for reading 🙂 This doesn’t sound all that surprising, the same thing happens to me (it’s just not too noticeable ’cause I’m really pale, haha). It’s probably the zinc oxide, which is often included in make-up recipes for its brightening and opacifying properties. Have you tried applying some oil to your skin afterwards? I find massaging in a bit of argan oil helps lift the whiteness away.
Where does one get the different “clays” that are in these recipes? I have never heard of them before. Thank you for your time.
Check out the links in the big box above the comments 🙂
On a mission for my teenage grandsons and their teenage acne……this looks good! Question: I have the Indian Healing Clay (calcium bentonite) and French Green Clay–tons of both, so would I be able to substitute either one of these clays? I use the former one with the Braggs vinegar as a masque. Also, I have recently inquired about argan oil and rose hip oil and your choice was argan. What are your thoughts on marula oil. I really like it , especially that it has Vitamin C properties.
Thanks, thanks!
Hi Jo! Out of the two, the French green would definitely be the best choice as it is closest in texture and weight.
I haven’t had a chance to try marula oil yet 🙁 I’m still looking for an affordable source in Canada—the only place I know of to purchase it is at Sephora, and there it’s over $60 for a tiny bottle!
Putting together a batch of this right now. 🙂
For my eggs, i just rinsed the shells as I used the eggs, to get rid of any residual whites, saved them up and then baked them briefly to ensure they were completely dry and not able to grow anything. I buzzed them up this morning in my dry container for the Vitamix. That made a great powder.
Fantastic! I can’t wait to hear how this powder works for you 🙂
Hi Marie….thx for all these recipes. I was wondering if there is any natural substitute for zinc oxide as i wanted to make this powder all natural I have seen alot of ur recipes with this ingredient and thus wondering if there is any substitute of it. eagerly waiting for ur reply…thx…
Hi Lovi! There is no substitute for zinc oxide here, sorry! It is a safe inorganic compound and does occur naturally, but most of what is available has been synthesized.
thx for the info Marie….really appreciate it… and ya thx alot for such wonderful recipes… 🙂
😀
Are the any more projects that I could do with the powdered egg shell?
I’ve been enjoying adding wee bits to my general face masks, and as an exfoliator. I haven’t tried adding them to soap yet, but it’s on the list and I anticipate a small amount will go a long way and be good for a nice, scrubby bar.
Hi Marie:
This looks great, I can’t wait until my zinc oxide arrives so I can try it out. I was wondering though is it okay to use it everyday, or should it only be done once or twice a week, or something like that? Thanks in advance.
Hi Marissa! I tend to to use this a couple times a week (maybe twice) as a deep clean, in addition to my weekly face mask. I don’t find this to be overly drying and probably could use it daily, but I find I generally don’t need to. In the end, though, you will just have to test it out for yourself and see what you think 🙂
Awesome, thanks for the advice :).
🙂
Marie, do you think activated charcoal could be a good addition to this mask? I’m curious if it’s drawing properties would make it an even deeper clean. Love your site, thank you so much for sharing all of your creations!
Try it and see what you think, but I’d honestly recommend trying this powder as it is because it’s amazing!
Just wondering if you add a little bit of this to active acne would it
help to dry it up and clear up faster? I used to buy a acne mineral powder that was my skin color from Elf that covered acne but also dried it up as well. I think they stopped selling it. Do you think this can also be used in the same way?
Thanks, Melissa
Hey! Honestly, for active acne, I cannot recommend hydrocolloid patches enough. They speed up healing SO MUCH as well as reducing scarring and just—they’re frikkin’ fantastic. These ones are really good (I have one on right now). I initially thought they were just a marketing gimmick, but holy moly NOPE, they’re amazing. Highly recommended.
Could I substitute kaolin clay for calcium bentonite?
Do you have any experience with calcium bentonite (montmorillonite)? I use it as a mask every now and then. I was thinking of ordering your kaolin clay (you make such good use and need for it) but I wanted to know if I could sub it in and see the same results.
At the moment, its been 1 week since I had major shoulder repair surgery and let me tell you, its HELL not being able to do my routine and really take care of my skin. Lots and lots of stress along with less face care has left me clogged up to the max! So many little bumps. I have been using this spin brush [ http://vanityplanet.com/spin-for-perfect-skin-462 ] to clean and gently exfoliate — it is so handy while only having one usable arm. Could this be too much? I have combination skin thats normal sometimes, dry, oily other times and once in a while both at the same time. If i do not exfoliate often, my skin feels like it has a hard slightly rough layer of dead skin that needs to be shed.. I read on the sea buckthorn page that the exfoliation I’m doing could be scratching my skin which leaves more crevices for bacteria production and more pimples and also stretching it causing aging and less elastisity..
YOU HAVE GORGEOUS SKIN! Please know how blessed you are 🙂 xoxo
I am so overwhelmed with the amount of available information. I don’t know where to begin or whats right for me and my skin. There is a PLETHORA of wonderful logical sounding advice and treatments but they contradict. I don’t want to go 10 years of trying different strategies before I finally get it right *sigh*
I love everything you do and I am a recent college grad with not enough in the bank to justify making every recipe I so long to, but it is a near and dear accomplishment to be self sustained for my entire family’s needs from hygiene to cleaning products and clothing to furniture to produce and everything possible. Down with consumerism and corporation chemicals! Up with sustainability and quality goods and creating communities for those who desire to grow and learn for the betterment of human societies and freedom of knowledge!
Mad Love <3
Hi Nathalie! Bentonite clay is very different from kaolin (and most other clays), so it is almost never a good alternative. Bentonite is a bit like sand, wheras kaolin is like flour—light, smooth, and fluffy. I tend to prefer the smoother, lighter clays (like kaolin, the French clays, and the Australians) as I find them gentler and more versatile.
I can’t really say if the level of exfoliating you’re doing is too much for your skin because, well… it’s your skin. I tend to do a clay face mask every five days or so, and that’s where the majority of my exfoliation comes from. You might also try increasing your water intake—it sounds like that might help (and it can’t hurt!).
For a few ideas of things to try you should check out my entry on things my face loves 🙂
Thanks so much for reading & DIYing with me 🙂 Heal fast, and be sure to get in touch if you have any questions!
I have a few eggshells that I washed out and have sitting on my counter top… but then was wondering if that would be a safety issue? I figure once I boil the shells that should sterilize them right. Or do I need to fridge the shells as I build them up?
I think I pulled my eggshells out of the compost bin to make my powder with, so I’m sure you’re fine!
Hi!
I made this mask and am loving it…with a couple questions/alterations. First of all, I can’t eat chicken eggs (they make me very sick, although I’m not “allergic”) And I can’t put them in my body, so I’m not sure whether I should put them ON my body. Anyway, so I eat duck eggs. Unfortunately, they are hard to find and very expensive, but I’ve been grinding them up and using them instead of chicken eggs. I actually love duck eggs and their shells! They are bigger, thicker and almost irridescent, which makes a pretty powder. So, I thought I’d mention it in case anyone else may not be able to use chicken eggs. I do wonder, though if anyone else has noticed the “eggish” smell to this mask? If so, do you have any suggestions to “mask” (haha) the smell? I was thinking maybe a ground vanilla bean or something? I’m open to suggestions, of course, or I wouldn’t be writing! :o)
And I am also wondering if it’s too abrasive? I feel like I have been grinding the crapola out of the egg shells, but still hurts a little putting it on. I think I’d prefer it if it were a bit less abrasive. Any tips?
Thanks! I love your site!!!
Hi Kate! It’s awesome to know that duck eggs make a good alternative 🙂 I haven’t noticed any eggy smell at all from my powder, either in the mask or as a powder on its own. I have noticed the powder can be brutally scrubby, though. If super-long blasts in your coffee grinder aren’t doing the trick you can also look for calcium carbonate tablets or powder at the drug store and use that instead 🙂
So glad I just stumbled across this before buying the original item you mentioned! I was wondering how long the mixture lasts, so I can get an idea of ingredient quantities to buy?
Thanks
Hi Gemma! Happy to help 🙂 As long as you keep the mixture dry it should last pretty much indefinitely. My original mixture is still doing fine 🙂
Hi there! You probably already know this but calcium carbonate is sold as washing soda if you don’t feel inlined to make your own from eggshells.
Hi Séan! From my research washing soda is sodium carbonate, not calcium carbonate. I wouldn’t recommend it as an alternative 🙂
Tried it! I mean to say, “tried” it, hehehe. 🙂 I had to make a couple substitutions due to lack of ingredients. But I think this furthers our understanding of which ones are actually working, right?
I used european clay, calcium carbonate (NOW brand), and rice powder instead of zinc oxide. Reading what you wrote, Marie, about the zinc being soothing, and not having any, I used rice for the same soothing properties. I tend to use it in all my masks and I really love it. 🙂
So my face is clean, and it has a matte feeling to it, which is pretty new to me. I usually have a very silky, conditioned feel after my masks (clay and rice based). And the pores? No change. Boo. 😛 I think the biggest difference now is that my skin is so dry it’s flaky, and the couple broken capillaries I have are rearing their ugly little red heads.
I’m going to go ahead and assume my skin is so dry because I sat around for 10 minutes reading comics while the mask was on instead of rinsing it off after a couple minutes, but the lack of effect on the blackheads even after 10 minutes leads me to believe that the calcium carbonate is not the magical ingredient.
I think what would be interesting is if you, Marie, try this three times, each time omitting one ingredient, to see the results. Having had the most experience with it and the ingredients already on hand, you’re the best candidate! ;D Is it just one that works? Is it the combination that works? Hmmm…
Now what to do with all this calcium carbonate… I often wish I was part of a little club that shares ingredients. It would be so much easier for us to get our hands on a little bit of this and a little bit of that to try things without having to purchase large orders or large quantities. (Anyone near the Ontario-Quebec border, want to share ingredients? :D)
How interesting! Thanks for contributing to the sort-of group experiment we have going on here 🙂 From my fiddlings I think the clay is about the only thing that you can swap out—I’ve tried adding zinc oxide and calcium carbonate to different clay blends with similar results, but either on their own in a clay base doesn’t do much.
This is a simple and amazing recipe! So much so thar I have a friend who wants me to make it for her to purchase. She isn’t crafty. What is your policy on the use of your recipes?
Hi Jen! My policy for now is just “please buy my book when it’s released” 🙂
Tried it. It’s not my favorite, but it did sort of work. I used calcium carbonate powder that I had on hand from my homemade tooth powder recipe. I think that’s part of my problem. The whole mixture is so soft and pasty that it is VERY hard to rinse off (resisting the urge to scrub it off with a washcloth and ruin everything). The solution to remove it, though, was staring me in the face, literally. I looked up from the sink and there was my bottle of honey I use for face wash in the mornings (I use OCM at night). The honey helped A LOT with getting it off. I moisturized with my usual coffee bean oil infused jojoba. Basically good to go now, although I still have some white residue lingering around my eyebrows. Good thing I’m not going out. I think the eggshell method is the best way to go with this, because you get bigger chunks and therefore little exfoliation to help remove the whole thing when you are done.
Now about the “sort of” working part. My problem pores are all relatively large and located on my nose. Many of them are clear, but not all of them. I imagine this recipe works better for people who have smaller pores. Still, I like it well enough and I plan to use the rest of what I’ve made here eventually. I’m something of a mask fanatic (perhaps we share this penchant?), and this one is fairly gentle and mild as far as masks go. I can see myself peppering this one in throughout the week when a regular clay mask is too much. Thanks again!
Hi Becky! The white residue is not at all specific to using a commercial calcium carbonate powder—the egg shell one does the same thing, though it’s definitely scrubbier from what you’ve said. I tend to use this mask as a spot treatment (see hilarious photo above for an idea of where my blackheads are LOL) before going to bed… the white seems to come off on my pillowcase haha. And yes, we definitely share our face mask addiction! I’ve been doing ~3/week these days as my skin is angry with my for traveling so much.
Thanks for this awesome idea!
Realizing I’m late to the party (as your post was a year ago) I’m wondering about something…
I do not have access to farm fresh eggs. The eggs that are sold in the stores here in the U.S. are shamefully subjected to a chlorine bath (never mind that the natural “goo” that mama bird spits out with her eggs protects it from salmonella) apparently our FDA thinks they know better than Mother Nature.
Do you think that boiling, and the additional heat from baking, will render the chlorine as harmless – or is the chlorine just there to stay?
Also…will calcium citrate work as well or do you think calcium carbonate is the best way to go with this recipe?
Hi Denise! I think your egg shells will probably be fine once you’ve done all that boiling. Our tap water has a bit of chlorine in it as well…
That said, you could grab some calcium carbonate powder or tablets from the vitamin section of your local shop and just use that 🙂 And I would stick to the carbonate, I have no idea how the citrate would perform.
Just curious: I know of a strong connection between calcium carbonate and acids (and temperature) but I don’t know of any connection to dirt or oils — in fact, I don’t believe calcium carbonate is oil soluble… Is it just functioning as an exfoliant here, or is there a secret use that I don’t know about (highly likely)?
Sincerely,
The woman who is trying to stop needing prescription acne meds… They’re expensive and ridiculous (but they work)
Calcium carbonate is quite basic (ph~9) and absorbs oil like CRAZY. Seriously. It’s ridiculously absorbent. I was actually playing with using it as a primer for a while, but it’s so basic that it burns like a mofo if you put it anywhere near your eyes (sad face). So that’s what it does here—sucks the oil out of your skin!
Well let’s add that nifty fact into my ever-growing list of “things they don’t teach you in college”! I studied geology for several years and I never knew that about CaCO3 and oil! Man am I falling behind in my rando-fact-knowing-ness…
You should start listening to No Such Thing As A Fish—it’ll get you up to speed on your random facts!
So I made this and used it and after rinsing I still had thin tacky layer on my face. I washed it off with soap and then noticed my pores now looked like white head but bright white. It makes my skin feel soft but wonder what I did wrong.. Mine was a little gritty.
Hmm. This stuff is pretty powdery and depending on your skin, it might not rinse off super easily—a bit of oil can help pick up the excess after you’ve rinsed with water. I often do one of these before bed or before a shower so I can either rub it off on my pillow or thoroughly rinse it off in the shower. If you’re finding it to be too gritty, try making it with some powdered calcium carbonate instead of the DIY stuff made from egg shells—you’ll never get your egg shells as silky smooth as the powdered variety!
Do you think I could use bentonite clay instead of kaolin even though it’s quite a bit heavier?
I really, really would not recommend it; watch this video to see why 🙂
Hi Marie and happy 2017! I hope it is great for you 🙂
I made this recipe quite a while ago (back when you first published it) and it is still good. It definitely removes the excess oil in my T-zone.
I used my marble mortar and pestle to grind the egg shells. It takes a long time but is easy enough to do if you want something mindless while watching TV. I found that it worked best for small amounts – no more than one egg shell at a time, maybe even half a shell. It did not seems to produce air-born issues as the electric grinders do, and it was silky smooth except for one tiny piece I missed. Maybe some of the readers complaining about grittiness could try a bit that way?
Ooh, good tip! I’ve moved on to just using the commercially made stuff that is super silky smooth since I use it in cosmetics as well—that’s even easier 😛
This stuff totally works! I used a different clay, and after 2 times, the tip of my nose is completely blackhead free! Thanks for the recipe!!!
Woohoo! I’m so thrilled 😀
Hey there!
I really had to come back and leave a comment here, because I am so thankful! (And please excuse my english, I’m one of those french speaker! =P)
I’ve been using this powder for 2-3 weeks now and I’m really amazed by the results. At 31, I’m still fighting a prone-to-pimples skin, large pores and blackheads (especially since I stopped taking contraceptive pills). Typical masks are good, but I’m way too lazy to do them often enough.
But this powder… Oh my, this is what I’ve been looking for all my life! I’ve put it in a small bottle and I pour it in my hands while in the shower, 3 times a week. Then I scrub my face (and chest and shoulders, why not!) with it and let it sit while I wash my body. In 2 weeks only, it has drastically changed my skin!
First, I was wondering if it was only hiding the blackheads with the white powders or if it was really helping to remove them. Actually, I think it does BOTH! The size of my pores is clearly reduced, blackheads are disappearing and my skin feels matte. And it’s so easy to use! It really is the perfect solution for a mask-lazy like me!
So thank you thank you thank you for sharing this!!! I can’t tell you enough how I’m glad about it! =D
Another Marie!
Bonjour Marie! I am so, so excited to read this comment from you 😀 I absolutely love getting feedback like this from readers—stories like yours are why I love sharing recipes so much! Thank you so much for reading and DIYing with me, and good luck with your continued skin care/DIY journey 🙂
So nice to read this, Marie! What a great idea to use it in the shower and let it do it’s work while you bathe! I too am in my early 30’s and battle the occasional wrath of pimples. Some weeks I can be completely clear, others not so much. Experimenting and gathering a solid zit army to have on hand during times of need is really cool! Can’t wait to try this! Hope it’s still working great for ya!
I definitely still use this on occasion, but I’ve also noticed a MASSIVE improvement in my skin by focussing on hydration over the last 9 months or so and switching to some pH balanced cleansers. I can’t believe how big the hydration thing has been—my skin heals faster and breaks out less, it’s amazing! I feel like such a dolt for missing the whole “water is good” thing for so long lol. Good luck!
I hear you! I didn’t realize how important hydration of the skin was until the humidity dropped here and the dry air + anhydrous face products I’ve been using seems to be breaking me out and dehydrating my skin. Do you think it’s enough to apply anhydrous products to wet skin to get a dose of hydration or do you really need to be using a water based product? I recently made my first lotion and it went moldy after 2weeks (with LGP) so I’m trying to figure out a way around having to use hydrous lotions!
Honestly, that depends a lot on your skin. It definitely isn’t enough for me; I’m slathering on multiple hyaluronic acid serums as well as lotions to get the amount of hydration I need, but my skin seems to just drink up moisture and I live somewhere very dry.
Hi DIYers!
I’m kinda late on this discussion, but I hope my answer still can help.
I hear both of you on hydratation! And I won’t lie : this silver powder IS drying. Since I made my first comment in march, it’s now been 6 months I use it. I had matte skin all summer, ye! But I used the powder a lot in those months. And I’m a dolt too on hydratation (always felt it was not helping), so when this weird cold weather hit us bad in early September, my skin was not happy!
So for the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to find the right combination of hydratation for me. For the silver powder in the shower, I now pour a couple drops of a blend of essentials oils for acne + black seed oil (I call it «Nigelle» but I think that’s how you call it) on my face or in my hands first. Then I add the powder and a bit of water: it makes a kind of paste that is a bit sticky, so be sure to rinse carefully. (I’m playing with the idea of mixing 45g/45g oil/powder and add 10g of emulsifier to make a scrub or something like it… Will see how it goes!) Then I apply a light moisturizing cream that I really like and that I plan to replace with homemade soon.
All this have made a huge improvement since September and I will have to increase hydratation with winter, but still… I have to praise the silver powder again! While it’s not perfect yet, my skin has reaaaally improved! Less blackheads, the remaining ones are less apparent, my complexion is more unified and I had zero cystic pimple since I use it! I repeat : ZERO CYSTIC PIMPLE, which I had often on my jaw and chin.
So… I guess what I wanted to say with all this is : do not hesitate and make some silver powder. Like, now =P But use it knowing it’s drying, so not everyday even if you crave for it. And make sure to listen to Marie from HumbleBee and Me : hydrate! And hydrate with water-based products! (Don’t worry about moldy cream : it happened to me too, but this means we have to try it again!)
And I say : power to the women in their 30s! 😉
Yay! I’m so glad to hear your skin has improved, and I love hearing how people incorporate and tweak projects to fit into their lives 😀 Thanks for sharing!
Hi Marie, I have Hi Micron Zinc Oxide. Is there any reason not to use this in this recipe?
Thank you!
Nope! If it’s really clumpy you’ll definitely want to make sure you blend it well in your DIY coffee grinder, but that’s the only thing I can think of 🙂
Just ordered some zinc oxide to give this a go! Could you add a bit of activated charcoal to this for extra blackhead destruction?
You can, but I wouldn’t as I hate cleaning up activated charcoal from my sink every time I use something lol.
I wonder how it would go, though, if mixed in the way I describe above (45% oil, 45% powder, 10% emulsifier)… And maybe add something like 3% surfactant if the emusifier is not enough to rinse it easily? Hmm, got me thinking… =)
I think that should definitely help! The emulsifier will likely be enough as emulsifiers are surfactants and vice versa (though some are better at one job than the other, but they both meet the basic definition). Let me know how it goes!
Hi Marie,
Amazing piece of work,would really appreciate if you tell me how to add fragnance to this powder as it would be extremely pleasing:)
I really don’t recommend adding fragrance to this. There’s no need to, especially given it is often applied quite close to the nose.
Hi Marie! I am going to make this but was just wondering, would be okay if i add 2% salicylic acid powder to this recipe? I would like to make it stronger for extra blackhead banishing power! Thanks Marie and I love ALL your DIY recipes!
You can try it, but I would recommend doing more research into the conditions required for salicylic acid to perform well—I know pH is an important component. It is also not terribly soluble, so there may be concerns with basically buffing small particles of 100% salicylic acid into your skin.
how often can/should one use this
Hello Sanjna!
I’d recommend about once a week!
I’ve been making this recipe for years now and I always keep it on hand. It really does make a difference. Thanks Marie!!
I’m so thrilled to hear it! Thanks for DIYing with me, and happy making 🙂
So i tried it for maybe 10 times. I have deep blackheads and whiteheads and was looking for a miracle. But it didnt help. Actually, the situation after the mask became worse, because all blackheads were stuffed with residues of the mask. After clean this whitness (i think its because of zinc) my pores were stuffed as it were before… So upset 🙁 the only thing helps me is just push the dirt out… I have tried salicylic acid from aroma zone, but it didnt help me too.
I’m sorry this wasn’t your solution. I would recommend trying a professionally formulated BHA product, like the popular one from Paula’s Choice, so you can get a feel for how the ingredient can perform for you in the hands of a professional 🙂
So, second review 😀 after many tries, I made a gel with lactic acid and some other humectants, urea, natrium lactate. And after i put this gel to my face and wash it, I put silver mask. It works perfectly 🙂 my face became as silk. However, i have very deep blackheads on my nose, so nothing helps, but I used to it. But I recommend to try make acid mask and after put silver mask. Maybe it will help for someone as it worked for me 🙂
Hooray! I’m glad you found something you’re loving ❤️
I tried this recipe and love it. Then I mixed it with the lotion I make and some cacao powder, and pumpkin spice, matcha..lol instead of water. Mixing some on a qtip with the lotion and putting it on my psoriasis and eczema spots has also been helping. I’m so sensitive to medication, its amazing to find anything that helps. From what I have found, this also works as a toothpowder. Thanks for sharing it!