DIY beauty – berry simple strawberry masks

Strawberries drenched in fresh cream. Strawberries thickly coated in chocolate. Strawberries growing plump and rosy in the sunshine. Strawberries all over your face. No, no, don’t laugh; we mean it! These blushing beauties might be sweet on the tongue but they’re also pretty powerful when it comes to organic beauty.

Bursting to the brim with wonderful vitamin C, strawberries revitalise the skin, keeping it fresh, healthy and radiant. Their teeny-tiny seeds work as micro-exfoliators and combine with naturally occurring salicylic acid that removes impurities and tackles blemishes to leave your complexion soft and spot-free. Strawberries also contain powerful antioxidants that combat environmental damage to the skin caused by pollution as well as soothing and reducing redness and swelling. The masks below are super simple, mighty powerful and absolute miracle-workers for oily and acne-prone skin types. Give it a go!

Before you cover yourself in strawberry goodness, you might want to test your mask on a small area of skin as the berries can sometimes cause allergic reactions. Better safe than sorry.

 

Stimulating Strawberry & Sweet-as-Honey Facial Mask

This all-natural mask is fabulous for the face, stimulating blood flow and smoothing and firming the skin. Raw honey and milk work together to remove impurities and soften and exfoliate the skin. Before applying, cleanse the skin and finish with a toner that contains witch hazel.

You will need:

A handful of very ripe strawberries

2 tsp double cream

1 tsp organic honey

A splash of white wine vinegar

Method:

1. Soak the strawberries in a bowl of white wine vinegar then rinse them thoroughly in fresh water. Repeat the rinsing process twice to ensure that no vinegar is left on the berries. Dry the fruit with a clean towel or paper napkin.
2. Mash the strawberries into a pulp with a fork in the bowl then add the cream and honey and mix well.
3. Smooth the mask onto the skin, avoiding the eye area and kick back for 20 minutes, allowing those berries to work their magic.
4. Rinse your face with warm water and pat dry with a clean towel to reveal fresh, radiant skin.

 

Super-Power Strawberry Face Mask

Banish blemishes and excess oil with this homemade mask. The combination of ingredients works to tighten the pores, combat blackheads, exfoliate the skin and remove impurities in one simple step.

You will need:

Half a cup of fresh strawberries

1 tbsp of whole milk

1 tbsp of corn flour

1 tsp of lemon juice (optional)

Method:

1. Wash the strawberries in clean water then add them to a bowl with the milk and corn flour, mixing all the nutrients into a paste with a fork. If you have an oily complexion, add a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice.
2. Spread the paste evenly onto the face and allow it to dry for around 20 minutes.
3. Rinse your face with warm water and pat dry. Simple but very powerful!

 

Straw-Berry Beautiful Hair Mask

Treat those locks to some berry-loving with a mask that softens and cleans. The protein-packed yoghurt conditions the hair lovingly and combats dandruff.

You will need:

10-12 fresh, ripe strawberries

1 cup natural yoghurt

Method:

1. Chuck the strawberries and the yoghurt into a blender or a hand-mixer and whizz together to create a smooth purée.
2. Apply to clean, wet hair, massaging the mask gently into the scalp and leave for half an hour before rinsing off in the shower.
3. Say hello to super-soft, clean locks and a flake free scalp.

Marion Katrina Poerio