By Dana DeMercurio
Women will do just about anything in the name of beauty. But what about these DIY facials? Here’s a list of funky facial treatments that just might save you from an expensive trip to the plastic surgeon.
Mayonnaise: If you don’t mind smelling like a fresh batch of coleslaw, then you should definitely give a mayonnaise mask a try! With soybeans and eggs as its main ingredients, mayonnaise is an effective facial treatment, especially for dry skin. This creamy white goodness also contains vinegar, which helps stimulate the turnover of cells. So you see, mayonnaise works double duty by moisturizing and lifting off dead skin cells. If you suffer from dry skin, you may want to add a mayo mask to your daily beauty routine.
Caviar: Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, caviar is basically good cholesterol for your skin. This luxurious and decadent food product for your face provides a layer of shine on your skin, and even helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines that have set in due to age and years of using makeup. And because the cell structure of both caviar and human skin are so similar, this product helps speed up the rejuvenation process. Although this can be quite expensive, we suggest that if you have the means you should definitely indulge at least once!
Breast Milk: After recently covering a story on men drinking breast milk to get buff, I’m really not surprised to find that spas are now using breast milk as an active ingredient in their facial treatments. Mud, a Chicago facial bar, is now offering breast milk masks to their customers who are looking for the next best beauty thing. Sure, breast milk is packed with antibiotics which are good for the skin, but we think there are far better (and safer) ways to nourish skin.
Escargot: While you might prefer your snails smothered in garlic butter and herbs, you may soon change your mind about how you like your slugs served. The “mollusk makeover,” as it’s known among celebrities, is quite the beauty breakthrough. It’s reported that the slime or mucus from live snails offers a beauty-boosting cocktail of proteins, antioxidants and hyaluronic acid, which help skin retain moisture, reduce redness and remove dead skin. While we don’t advise rummaging through your garden for snails to put on your face, you might want to consider it then next time you are at a high-end spa in Tokyo or London where these snail facials are on the menu.
Coffee grounds: The best part of waking up might not be Folgers in your cup, but rather on your face. Thanks to caffeine (which your morning cup o’ joe has in spades), a coffee mask made of fine grinds can improve the look and feel of your skin more than you would ever think. Coffee helps tighten pores, remove dead skin cells and even has powerful antioxidants that help protect skin against free radicals and may even reduce the risk of skin cancer.
Beer: I don’t know about you, but I’d rather drink my alcohol than wear it. Well, at least that was my opinion before I read about this ingenious concoction with beer as its main ingredient. Turns out that combining beer, egg whites and fresh lime juice or honey can seriously increase your skin’s luminosity. There’s a little bit of science involved here: when mixed with egg whites, the yeast found in beer creates a filmy mask that actually improves the elasticity of skin. The added lime juice or honey helps clean your pores, while the acidity fades brown spots. Bottoms up, ladies!
Kitty Litter: I wish this wasn’t a thing, but it is. While some beauty bloggers like Michelle Phan swear that using an unscented kitty litter mixed with water acts as a perfect go-to beauty treatment, other professionals say that the coarse grains of litter can actually scratch the top layer of your skin, leaving ugly streaks and cuts. Unlike exfoliators with rounded edges, kitty litter is a bit too harsh to use on something as delicate as skin. Not to mention if you purchase the wrong kind of litter brand, you might end up using harmful chemicals that would obviously do more damage than good. I think we will pass on this meow mask, thank you very much.
