DIY Facemasks with Dorm Room Ingredients

Homework is starting to pile on. Papers, projects, and tests all seem to be due on the same day, almost as if the teachers planned it out like that. Because of this, it’s hard to fit “me-time” into your schedule. To help you all out, I’ve compiled a list of simple face masks for you to try out as a quick de-stressor. I made sure that the ingredients are readily available at IMSA, and even if you don’t have them in your room, someone in your wing (maybe even your RC) probably does.

Oatmeal Facial

Ingredients: ½ cup of water, 1/3 cup of oatmeal, 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt, 2 tablespoons of honey

Make the oatmeal using hot water and then once it has cooled to a reasonable temperature, add the rest of the ingredients and you’re done. Apply a thin layer to your face, wait 15 minutes, and then rinse it off with warm water. This face mask is warm, relaxing, smells good, and is supposed to brighten your skin (and hopefully your day).

Yogurt Mask

Ingredients: 1 teaspoon of plain yogurt, juice from an orange slice, 1 teaspoon of aloe

After mixing all of the ingredients together, put a layer on your face and let it sit for five minutes before rinsing it off with water. This mask is great for revitalizing your skin after a long day. Yogurt is known to tighten pores, so if you don’t have any of the other ingredients, just letting a thin layer of plain yogurt sit on your face for twenty minutes will work magic.

Brown Sugar Scrub

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil (I know most people don’t have this, so vegetable oil or even olive oil will do the trick)

Once mixed, apply to your skin and rub it around your face gently and in circular motions. Then, let it sit for a few minutes and wash it off. The coarseness of the brown sugar will help peel away dead skin and the oil moisturizes it, so that you aren’t left with dry skin after the exfoliation. This mask feels amazing and can also be used as a hand scrub!

Chocolate Facemask

Ingredients: 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate, 1 tablespoon of cream (can substitute whole milk), 1 tablespoon of honey

This mask should be left on for about fifteen minutes before rinsing off with lukewarm water. It claims to be able to rejuvenate, hydrate, and soothe your skin. Chocolate can be mixed with many different ingredients, from olive oil to blended fruits, to get many different effects. Either way, this mask smells and feels heavenly.

Lemon and Oil Soother

Ingredients: Juice from 1 lemon, ¼ cup of olive oil

Leave this mixture on your face for about ten minutes and you will feel revitalized from the citrus and exfoliated from the oil. With only two ingredients, this is one of the simplest masks you can do and is great when you’re short on time and can’t spend time mixing a bunch of ingredients together.

Avocado Hydrator

Ingredients: Half an avocado, 1 teaspoon of plain yogurt, 1 teaspoon of honey, olive oil (optional)

After mashing the avocado, mix the other ingredients in. Slather on your face and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Afterwards, rinse it off with warm water. Meant to hydrate, this mask is very popular at spas, and doesn’t do bad with a slice of cucumber on each eye to accompany it. The best thing about this mask (in my opinion) is that you still have half an avocado left to enjoy with some chips while waiting to rinse the mask off.

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Remember that with all of these masks its okay to add extra ingredients (aloe and honey are always a yes) and take some out if you don’t have all of them. None of the ingredients individually or combined are bad for your skin, so don’t be afraid to try different combinations. Also, it is always good to exfoliate your face before using any type of face mask, homemade or store-bought. And afterwards, applying a gentle lotion to soothe the skin in case there are any irritants is another good idea.

However, as a quick disclaimer, everyone’s skin is different and reacts differently to different masks. Some of these ingredients might make you break out because your skin is sensitive to them. A good thing to do before putting the face mask on is to try a bit on your forearm to make sure you won’t react badly to any of the ingredients.

Have fun relaxing!