Home-made Facial Masques from Milk

As we all know, I am addicted to facial masques (or masks depending on what side of the pond you reside!) Although the real benefit of masque is still on debate, giving yourself a masque is a very relaxing way to take care of yourself and your skin. Beside using Queen Helene mint julep masque, I sometimes whisk up some home-made facial masks myself just for kicks. Believe it or not, you probably have the ingredients at home that are ready to use.

Introducing to the world the secret ingredient: MILK! Yes, milk to be used as facial masques!


Believe it or not, this masque saved me during my last flair-up when Auntie Flo came for a visit. During that time, not only I became sensitive and moody, my face also behaved in a very naughty way. All of the sudden, everything became harsh and my favorite face scrub felt like sand paper on my face. The inspiration came when I had milk for breakfast and a little bit of it stayed at the bottom of the glass. Being stingy, I went to get a cotton pad to absorb the milk and put it on my face!

The cold milk felt very soothing upon contact to my skin so I kept on applying layer after layer. Finally, after about 5 layers, the milk had a good thickness on my skin and started to dry up. I just let it stay for about 15-20 minutes while pounding my fingers away on the computer keyboard. After that, I just washed off the milk with warm water and voila, my face felt and looked better.

One of milk's ingredients that gives benefit to your skin is lactic acid, an alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA). AHA is a group of carboxylic acid with hydroxy (-OH) group on the adjacent carbon with glycolic acid (from sugar cane), lactic acid (from milk), malic acid (apples and pears), citric acid (lemons and oranges), and tartaric acid (from grapes). The function of AHAs is to exfoliate dead skin cells on your face. Perhaps AHAs is better known as glycolic peels at the dermatologist office. If you use milk as a face masque, the concentration of lactic acid is smaller and irritation is less. However, I do not recommend using milk masque everyday.

If you're still reading at this point and thinking where am I leading you, the next part is about how to do it them. Yes, I'm going to provide more than 1 masks for y'all because I love you and because you're still reading.

Facial masque #1: Pure milk masque

Use anything but skim milk, believe me when I say "no skim milk". The extra fat will give you some moisture while the lactic acid gently exfoliate your skin. Also, it's better to keep the milk chilled so you'll feel more soothing and relaxed.

You will need: about 1/4 cup of milk and some couple of cotton pads/balls.

Direction: dip the cotton pad in the milk, then apply all over your face. Repeat 4-5 times until you feel some strong, sticky sensation on your face. Keep for 10-15 minutes and rinse with warm water.

Facial masque #2: Milk and Sugar masque

This is a super-power version of the first masque as raw or brown sugar is added. I love to use the raw sugar packs that I got courtesy of Starbucks in this masque. However, if you want a finer version, brown sugar can be substitute. No pure white crystallize sugar please, as the glycolic acid is stripped down during the production of white sugar.

What you need: about 1/4 cup of milk, a pack of Starbucks raw sugar or 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, some cotton pads/balls.

Direction: mix milk and sugar together, do not worry if the sugar does not dissolve. Apply the liquid on your face and lay down, this mask is quite drippy. If you want a scrubbing masque at the end, apply all the sugar crystals to your face as well. Rinse with warm water after 10-15 minutes and watch your face glow.

Notice: this masque is quite tasty so refrain yourself from drinking it! Also, as AHAs are irritating to your skin, do not use it on broken wounds and acnes. However, it's quite good to use as a face peel though, just don't use it too often (once a week is good enough!)

Facial masque #3: Oatmeal and yogurt masque

This is the all-star facial masque as oatmeal is a moisturizer and skin comforter while the AHA in yogurt acts as an exfoliator. This masque is very comforting to use and I sometimes reach for it just because of this particular reason.

Direction is provided by Smart Skincare:

Ingredients: 2 tbsp. plain yogurt; 1 tbsp. oatmeal; 1 tbsp honey

How to prepare: Simply mix ingredients together to form a paste. To avoid clumps, you may grind oatmeal into a powder (using a coffee grinder, for instance) before mixing it with other ingredients.

How to use: Wash your face. Massage face with the paste in a circular motion. Keep on for a minute or two then rinse off.

That's it, ladies! Milk, regardless how you slice it and dice it, is an awesome ingredient for your skin. While applying it on your face, feel free to give yourself a cup of milk as well. My father always said, "When you apply it inside and outside, it will meet somewhere in the middle and you will look very good!". So get yourself some milk to have gorgeous skin and strong bones as well.

TGI Friday! If you decide not to go out tonight, just crack open that bottle of milk and pamper yourself. After all, Cleopatra was known to bathe in milk and I'm just sayin' :)

Take care and have a nice weekend,
Your Makeup Blogger.