UMass Boston’s Office of Off-Campus Housing has begun doing a weekly self-care station on their Instagram since we have moved to an online world. They post these onto their stories on Wednesdays, and will post it onto their page later in the week. The self-care station this week is a DIY face mask, meant to help battle acne, inflammation, and uneven skin texture, and it has anti-aging benefits as well. The mask contains three items that you can most likely find in your home, particularly if you do DIY face masks at home often! The ingredients include: organic, plain yogurt, honey, and turmeric powder. My roommate is big on all things beauty, so I was able to borrow some turmeric powder from her. The instructions say to combine 1 tablespoon of yogurt, 1 tablespoon of honey, and 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder. Easy enough! It also says to make sure to test it on your wrist first to ensure that your skin will not have a reaction to any of the ingredients. Once it’s all mixed, it says to leave it on your skin for no longer than 10 minutes, as turmeric can stain your skin!
I mixed my ingredients in a glass bowl with a wooden spoon (like the ones you cook with). I chose to NOT mix with a metal spoon, because the toxins from the metal touching your face can be harmful. I then used one of my makeup brushes to put the mask on, because using the wooden spoon would be too difficult. I let it sit for close to 10 minutes, went on my phone a bit, and then washed it off. I decided to take a shower to wash the face mask off because the turmeric is a bright orange color, and as the sink in my apartment already looks gross enough, I didn’t want to ruin it further. I definitely recommend doing this because turmeric can stain clothes, and if you’re not careful, you can easily get it on yourself. Also, turmeric is good for your hair as well, so if you wanted to make a hair mask beforehand, it would be the perfect opportunity to do so. Allow both masks to sit for a few minutes and then just wash everything off. I had never used turmeric before and realized this fact after watching a few videos on the benefits, so this is just my suggestion to you from my experience. With that being said, it wasn’t too difficult to get off in the shower. My skin felt really soft and smooth immediately after taking the mask off. I even noticed a difference when I stepped out of the shower.
When I did the rest of my skincare routine that night (eye and face creams, etc.), I noticed the few little pimples I had earlier had calmed down significantly. This was a relief because the stress from the quarantine has been horrible on my skin, so I was really pleased with the results. I also have acne scarring from my adolescence so the turmeric helped to battle that as well. After doing some research online, I learned you can do this type of treatment up to three times a week! My skin is super sensitive so I’ll stick to one day a week, but if you’re looking for a new mask to put into your routine, this one should be your next addition!
Follow @umboffcampus on Instagram to keep up with their weekly self care station tips and tricks!