Feed Your Face

Your resolution this year may be to eat better or work out more, but make your skin a priority too. This DIY face mask can be made from ingredients you already have at home, and will give a boost to dull winter skin.

GENTLE STRENGTH FACE MASK

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE MASK:

n ½ small avocado, peeled n 2 Tbs. cucumber aloe vera medicine water n 1 tsp. honey n 1 tsp. powdered wheatgrass

FOR THE CUCUMBER ALOE VERA MEDICINE WATER:

n 4 cups water n 1 large cucumbers, peeled and chopped n 1 cup fresh lime juice n 1 tsp. ground turmeric n 1 Tbs. chia seeds n ½ cup fresh aloe vera gel, storebought for consumption n natural sweetener such as honey or maple syrup (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

To make the aloe vera gel, put the water, cucumber, lime juice, turmeric, chia seeds and aloe gel in a blender (working in batches if necessary) and pulse until smooth, adding more water if needed to achieve desired consistency. Add sweetener of your choice to taste, if using.

To make the mask, using a fork, mash the avocado in a small bowl until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well using a small spoon.

To use the mask, apply to a clean face using your fingertips and leave on skin for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water. Pat dry. Store any remaining mask in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

I love a good at-home face mask. As long as you don’t have any clinical issues that a dermatologist would recommend you avoid a DIY face mask, have fun and play around with this recipe. This treatment will offer hydration, a little bit of a glow and overall nourishment to the skin. Follow it up with a high-quality moisturizer.”

—Daniela Musano, owner, Araya Rebirth, Ridgewood

Excerpted from Earth Medicines: Ancestral Wisdom, Healing Recipes, and Wellness Rituals from a Curandera by Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz (Roost Books; 2021). Photo credit: Nicky Hedayatzadeh.

Avocados are a great source of vitamins E and C, which consist of compounds that protect the skin from UV rays, which cause wrinkles, hyperpigmentation as well as skin cancer. The oil from avocados has antimicrobial properties which will help prevent breakouts, plus avocados contain biotin, a B complex vitamin that helps compromised, dry skin. This is a great mask to do twice a week or after receiving a skin treatment that might cause irritation.”

—Alyssa Pizzano, licensed medical esthetician, Aesthetica MedSpa, Paramus