Inexpensive All-Natural Homemade Facial Masks

by Reader Contributors

Stop overpaying for store-bought facial masks. Try these cheap-to-make all-natural facial mask recipes for beautiful skin for less.

Are you tired of paying for pricey store beauty products?

Our frugal readers have plenty of facial mask recipes to share – inexpensive and natural. These recipes are sure to help you keep and your skin and your budget looking their best.

Cheap-to-Make All Natural Facial Mask Recipes

You may already have many of the ingredients needed to make the following facial mask recipes:

Three Choices

Depending on your skin type, here are some great masks to try.

For oily skin, use some plain Milk of Magnesia. Rub it on and let dry, then rinse with lukewarm water. It absorbs oil wonderfully!

For Normal/combination skin, mix one egg and 1/2 cup cooked instant oatmeal and a teaspoon olive oil until smooth. Spread on your face and leave 15 minutes, and then rinse.

For dry skin, mix one egg yolk, one teaspoon honey, a teaspoon olive oil, and some vitamin E oil, if you have it. Smooth on and leave on for 15 minutes. Then rinse in lukewarm water and pat dry. If your skin is a bit dry you can put a dab or two of either olive oil or any other light oil on your moist skin after washing or a mask, and your face is set without the money some people spend for the same look.
Jamie L.

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Homemade Facial Scrub Instead of Soap

First, clean your face with water only. Never use soap. You can open your pores with hot compresses (washcloth).

For a facial scrub, moisten oatmeal to a “goo”, and use it to scrub your face (not around your eyes). Wash off with cool water. or you can make a paste of the oatmeal and allow it to dry; remove with cool water.

You may also beat an egg white, put it on your face and let it dry, and then rinse with cool water.

Sliced fresh cucumber placed on your closed eyes will reduce bagginess and dark circles. To make your hair shine, rub in some regular mayonnaise and shampoo out after 15 minutes.
Sonja in Goose Creek

Use Honey for the Best Facial

The best facial mask that I have found is honey. Use a warm cloth to open pores, smear on the honey, leave on 15 to 30 minutes, rinse off with warm water, and then use cold water to close pores. Use for 3 days in a row and then once a week.

Sometimes I mix a little ground oatmeal with the honey, which makes a great mask.
M.

An Odd Ingredient That Works

One mask my daughter and I had fun with and found to have a cleansing and softening effect was to mix regular clean kitty litter (the clay kind) with water and strain out the grit. It really felt good.
Carol

Exfoliating Mask

For an easy exfoliating mask, mix three tablespoons olive oil or any good oil and one tablespoon kosher salt mix and gently rub into dry skin. Do not use around eye area.

This works great on elbows and feet, but it can also be used on cheeks and forehead
Donna R.

Egg Whites

I use egg whites. Just beat one egg white until it is frothy. Spread it all over your face. Wait until it dries. Rinse it off.

My face feels very clean and “tight” after this application. And then I use the yolk for cooking and the shell goes into my compost pile.
DS

Egg Yolk

The best homemade facial mask that I have used is a raw egg yolk. Just apply the raw yolk to your face and neck for 30 minutes and rinse with cool water.

Egg yolks are high in vitamin A. The mask is very effective in healing blemishes.
Leona

More Facial Mask Choices

The kind of the mask you want to use depends on your skin type.

For dry skin, try:

an egg yolk mixed with olive oil and warmed honey
sour cream
plain olive oil
avocado

For oily skin:

dissolve a teaspoon of baking yeast in a small amount of warm milk, wait until foamy, then apply (best done in the bath tub);
puree flesh of a tomato and mix with some potato flour to make a paste;
cucumber (it will whiten your skin);
beaten egg whites with a few drops of lemon juice (great for getting rid of blackheads);
carrots (but don’t use this one more than about every other week because it can over-dry your skin). This one will make you look tanned.

General refreshing masks:

grapes (just cut a berry in half and rub lightly)
strawberries (test behind your ear first, because many people are allergic to strawberries used this way even though they can eat them just fine)
honey and ricotta cheese

Many fruits and vegetables can also be used to good effect. Anything acidic (lemon, strawberries, etc.) will tend to whiten and refresh your skin, but you need to be careful if your skin is dry. (See 14 Ways to Buy Produce for Less.)

In general, don’t apply masks more often than about twice a week, and try to vary the ingredients.

It is a good idea to test the mask first. Apply a small amount behind your ear, wait 20 minutes, and then wash off. Then wait 24 hours. If the skin behind your ear is normal, then go ahead and use the mask.
Marzena

Match Mask to Your Skin Type

For trouble-prone skin, mix oatmeal with water to form a paste.
For normal to oily skin, use an egg white.
For dry skin, use an egg yolk.

In all cases, spread the mixture on your face and allow to dry. Rinse thoroughly with cool water.

For oily skin, witch hazel makes an inexpensive toner. For dry skin, you may want to add moisturizer while skin is still damp.
Susan

Oatmeal

The cheapest and best facial mask I have ever come up with is oatmeal processed to a powder in the blender and either skim milk or, if you are trying to fade spots, lemon juice. It really works well for me and I have dry skin.
Jan

At Home Face Care

Home beauty masks for dry skin: Mix 1 egg yolk with 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. plain yogurt. Apply and leave on face for 15 minutes.

For oily skin: Mix 1 tbsp. lemon juice with 1/4 cup ground oatmeal and 1 tbsp. yogurt.

For normal skin: Mix equal parts honey and yogurt or mix baking soda and water for an exfoliating mask.
Ursula

Egg Yolk and Honey

I often use an egg yolk and honey mask. Just mix one egg yolk with a little honey and spread it on your face and neck. When it dries, rinse it off. Your skin will feel so fresh and soft!
Sarah W.

Reviewed February 2023

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