Banana Face Mask

A new you for a new year? Time to get back on track after overdoing it during the holidays? A resolution to take better care of yourself? Whatever the reason, here is a lovely (and great smelling) way to relax and pamper yourself a little…


You will need:

* One egg yolk
* 10ml sweet almond oil
* 1 ripe banana


What to do:

1. Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and mash into a paste using a fork.

2. Apply the face pack to your face and wash your hands well.

3. Leave the face pack on for 10 minutes.

4. Carefully remove with clean water and gently dry your skin your skin with a soft towel

5. Go out and receive compliments from all your friends on your radiant complexion! The ingredients in this face pack are good for dry skin because they have a high lipid content.


What’s going on?

A lipid is a naturally occurring fat or oil, and all lipids have something in common - they are either completely or partly hydrophobic (they hate water). This aversion to water means that lipid molecules have a tendency to stick together in waterproof clumps or layers.

Our skin should have a protective barrier of lipids anyway, stopping water from getting out and nasty 'foreign' substances from getting in. But the top layer of our skin often gets damaged, and ends up feeling dry and flaky. Cold weather, hot weather, wind, air conditioning and central heating are some of the culprits.

When you smear the banana mixture over your face, the lipid molecules in the goo create a temporary waterproof layer over your face. This gives your face an opportunity to rebuild the moisture levels both in the skin cells and between them. So after this tasty treat your face should feel a lot softer.

You can make more face-packs with other kitchen ingredients. For example, oatmeal is good for skin prone to acne, as it is a gentle exfoliator. The oatmeal grains help to remove dead skins and dirt, preventing your pores from getting clogged. Strawberry face masks can also have an exfoliating effect because of the seeds. Cucumber is also meant to be cleansing and cooling, probably due to the high water content.