Strawberry and Mint Mask

Hello natural beauties! Today�s recipe is one that will have you looking and feeling fresh�literally. The tingly feeling from this strawberry and mint mask is a perfect morning pic-me-up and a nice incentive for deciding to roll out of bed.  Let�s explore its two ingredients:


Strawberries 

Besides being a sweet treat strawberries have a lot of qualities that make them great for your skin. The first important ingredient they contain is alpha-hydroxy acid which is also found in citrus fruits, apples, and grapes. Alpha-hydroxy acid is a natural exfoliate that helps to loosen dead skin cells and lighten skin pigmentation. Strawberries also contain ellagic acid which was shown to help combat ageing by protecting the skin against the sun�s damaging UV rays. Along with a host of other vitamins, such as vitamin C, strawberries have also been shown to encourage skin cell regeneration and collagen production.

Mint

Mint works wonders for fresh breath but can it do the same thing for your skin? Yes! Mint oil has long been used to treat wounds, rashes, and even pimples. Mint is a natural astringent meaning it causes cells to shrink or constrict when applied topically. This property makes it especially useful as a treatment against oily skin. Another great ingredient in mint is salicylic acid which is found in many acne treatments and helps by loosening up dead skin cells to help prevent pores from clogging up.  In addition to its healing properties, the scent of mint can also be very relaxing and soothing.

If you like what you�ve read so far proceed to the recipe!

Strawberry and Mint Mask

2 Medium sized strawberries

6-8 Drops of Mint Oil

Rinse the strawberries and remove the leaves. Mix them together in a blender. You may need to add a table spoon of water in order for them to be thoroughly blended. If you don�t have a blender on hand you can also mash the strawberries with a fork and in this case you can skip the water. Once your strawberries are well mixed/mashed add 6-8 drops of mint oil depending on how tingly you would like your mask to be. If your mint oil is 100% pure use around 1-2 drops instead. Apply the mask to your face making sure to avoid the eyes and under eye area. Leave on for about 5 minutes but feel free to rinse it off before then if the tingling gets too intense for you. Rinse off with warm water. The excess mask can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

If possible, try and buy organic strawberries and organic mint oil in order to limit the amount of harmful chemicals being applied your skin. Mint oil can be purchased at your local Publix, Whole Foods, or other natural health food store. Be sure to look at the ingredient label and try and find one that is pure mint oil (I ended up buying a mixture of sunflower, mint, and peppermint by accident.) If you can�t find one try and buy the purest mixture you can find. Also don't forget to do a test spot on a small area of skin before applying it to your entire face.

Enjoy the recipe and comment below if you have any questions. :)