DIY Mango Tumeric Face Mask!

Hello Lovely Shine and Sparkle Report Readers!

The beginning of April means spring has sprung.  Flowers are blooming and the warm weather means lighter make-up application and general desire to be glowing looking.  What better way to do this than clearing and brightening up your skin?

The quick mask recipe* I'm about to give you is all natural and really effective.  Your skin absorbs good nutrients in a mask, so why have all the chemicals in a fancy and expensive product when you can be more effective with natural ingredients right?  I have found that making my own masks is far more effective than most masks I can buy.  I used this mango and turmeric mask as my weekly mask and instantly saw a calming of my break outs and a more even skin tone. 

As usual, like my last image, I'll gladly give someone credit for their image or take it down if whoever owns it throws a hissy fit.  Otherwise, please enjoy Squiggles being emasculated with a towel turban (at least I made it blue).

Ingredients:
- 1-2 tbs of ripe fresh mango (organic is best!): Mango fruits have pigments called carotenoids,which can improve color and brighten the skin.  Also rich in antioxidants and pore cleansing properties.  Needless to say, Yey mango!
-2 tsp olive or coconut oil (or both!):  Oils have moisturizing properties, help balance oil production of the skin and are generally great for it!  Both of these oils have anitoxidants (which we know are great to fight aging).  Coconut oil also has some antibacterial properties that can also help fight acne.
-1 tsp turmeric powder:  This powder can help even out hyper-pigmentation of the skin.  It also has anti-bacterial properties that can reduce inflammation and acne.  This might not be a staple in everyone's spice cabinet, but it should be! It's also super healthy to ingest and is used in a lot of Indian foods such as curry.  DO NOT use curry powder...that would burn like crazy...zomg...
Warning: Too much of this can temporarily stain the skin a bit yellow.  To remove staining, use some oil (olive or coconut are my favorites) to cotton pads and gently use to remove the staining.  Alternatively, do the mask on a day you wont be doing much.  A couple washes should take care of it no problem.

Assembly and Application:
1) Mash ingredients together. Want to use a fork? A blender? be my guest.  Whenever you make a mask it's not an exact science.  Just make sure the consistency is thick enough to not fall off your face.  If you have a waterier mask, don't worry, just use a thinner layer or add more dry/thick ingredients.
2) Cleanse and pat dry your face.
3) Apply mask all over your face.
4) Leave the mask on as long as you want (no harsh chemicals here, longer the better!) but I suggest at least 15 minutes.
5) Remove mask with warm water and cleanse again (if you find the turmeric has stained).    
6) Eat the rest of your fresh mango.  It is good for your insides too! 

Optional Ingredients:
Go nuts with your DIY masks.  Make your own.  Here are some other ingredients to consider if they are hanging out in your kitchen.
-Oatmeal: Very soothing and calming to your skin.  Best turned into powder though blending--it's hard to get oatmeal to be a powder with a fork.  Mortar and pestle it if you are old school.  Heck, you can use a mortar and pestle to make all your masks if you get down like that.
 -Plain yogurt: Also very calming, moisturizing, and excels at relieving sunburn. Woo.  Some people say it is anti--bacteriala and anti-fungal which is good to help acne, though make sure the source is hormone free.  Dairy hormones can make it worse =(
-Green Tea: Everyone knows about green tea's anti-oxidant and toning powers, so I'll just let you think about making a cup of tea and adding a bit to your mask.
-Honey: Moisture, acne-fighting, glowing goodness.  
 
 Let me know if you have any favorite mask ingredient combos I should try out.  I'm thinking of trying out a cucumber honey recipe next.

Shine & Sparkle!

* As usual, just note I'm not a doctor or professionally trained.  I just spend a lot of time researching things and experimenting on myself and friends (even though I do have a guinea pig).  Please consult with your doctor, especially if you are taking medications or may/are pregnant.  This is the internet you know.