4-Ingredient Anti-Aging Face Mask That Your Skin Will Love

There was a time when you could drink an entire bottle of wine and finish a plate full of cheese and you’d still wake up the next morning looking like a million bucks. But as age gets the better of you, even two glasses of wine and a little pasta sprinkled over with parmesan cheese can make your face look puffy and your tummy feeling all weird.

It’s not just little guilty pleasures such as these that get in the way of your looks. Every day your skin is exposed to harsh ultraviolet rays of the sun, pollutants, and toxins. So you see, it’s kind of redundant – when someone says you need to avoid things that age your skin. Because that would include having to avoid everything, which, in turn, would mean avoiding all things fun. No more comfort food or alcohol, no more long days by the beach, and no more late night outs. Ugh.

This is why every woman entering her prime needs a good anti-aging mask once in awhile to revive her skin. And while this particular do-it-yourself face mask can’t turn back time completely, it can definitely alleviate wrinkles, fade blemishes and dark spots, and reverse aging to a large extent.

About The Ingredients Used In This Mask

A good face mask is typically chemical-free and made from all-natural ingredients that your body can absorb. Each ingredient has an important role to play in restoring your skin’s appearance. This particular face mask makes use of four such natural ingredients.

1. Honey

Honey is rich in antioxidants, namely polyphenols and flavonoids that protect your skin against the sun’s harsh ultraviolet rays when applied regularly.¹ By neutralizing free radicals, these antioxidants prevent oxidative damage to the collagen fibers in your skin.² Honey also contains an organic alpha hydroxy acid called gluconic acid which has a gentle, yet effective exfoliant effect on the skin. This helps remove dead skin cells, eliminates fine lines and creases, and leaves your skin feeling super smooth. Since honey is a humectant, it works to bind and lock water molecules within your skin, thus giving you a fresh, glowing complexion.³

2. Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

Vitamin C is another effective ingredient when it comes to making anti-aging skincare products. If you’ve paid attention to the advertisements, you’ll notice that all pricey face washes, creams, and serums boast generous amounts of this particular vitamin. This is because vitamin C boosts collagen production.⁴ Vitamin C can actually restore damaged tissue with scar tissue and this helps enormously in healing acne scars and reversing the damaging effects of the sun.⁵ Doctors usually warn us against overdosing on vitamin C since it can cause nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and even kidney stones though this is quite rare. This is why it makes plenty of sense to add vitamin C to a natural face mask that can help support your needs as your skin ages.

3. Cinnamon

Studies claim that cinnamon extract helps promote collagen synthesis in the skin, leading skincare experts to believe that this humble spice is good for protecting your skin against signs of aging. Your skin needs certain carpenter cells called fibroblasts that aid in skin rejuvenation by assisting in collagen production. As you age, these fibroblasts become dormant which results in a fairly low rate of collagen synthesis.⁶ This amount of collagen is not enough for your skin matrix.⁷

Cinnamon extract, however, was found to reactivate dormant fibroblasts, in turn boosting collagen production.⁸ This is why beauty experts are convinced that using cinnamon to exfoliate the skin helps bring down the occurrence of wrinkles.

Plus, cinnamon also has excellent anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and antiseptic properties, so it can contribute significantly to reducing redness and soothing skin irritation.⁹ Being a rich source of antioxidants, cinnamon also offers protection against the harmful effects of stress and tiredness that can further age your skin.¹⁰

4. Nutmeg

Chinese medicine often used nutmeg to cure inflammation caused by arthritis and joint pain. It is this property that makes this spice such a model ingredient in skin care especially for those who suffer from a serious case of acne. These very anti-inflammatory properties will help pimples fade while prodding your dead skin cells awake to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and dark spots. Additionally, nutmeg has potent astringent properties that further benefits anyone with hormonal or cystic acne.¹¹ Ayurvedic medicine extols nutmeg for its antibacterial and antiviral elements that bring down the likelihood of infections, oil control, and clogged pores – all the more reason to make this spice your weapon against acne and zits.¹²

Nutmeg is also effective in exfoliating your skin and has moisturizing properties that can help treat dry skin.

Ingredients 

• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg

Directions 

• Put all your ingredients in a single bowl.
• Mix these ingredients well until you get a sticky, runny mixture.
• Apply the mask liberally on your face. Avoid applying it around your eyes and mouth area.
• Leave this on for 30 minutes.
• Wash this mask off with cold water and let your face dry on its own. Avoid using a towel and don’t apply anything on your face until it dries completely.
• Repeat these steps once every day to see visible results.

Do a patch test: It can be difficult to tell if you’re sensitive to certain ingredients that you’re about to put on your face. Therefore, it is advisable to do a sensitivity patch test. Apply a small amount of this mixture on your inner, lower arm. Rub it in and don’t wash it off until 24 hours. This will give you enough time to find out if you’re sensitive to any of the ingredients used in this face mask. If you sense some itching, you will know that one or more of these ingredients don’t suit your skin.

What If I’m Sensitive To Lemon Juice?

No problem! If you’re already aware of your skin being sensitive to lemon juice, dilute it with some water before adding it to the mask. Also, bear in mind that lemon juice compounds are highly active under ultraviolet exposure. So stepping out into the sun right after a lemon juice treatment is not the best idea.