I always knew yogurt worked well to moisturize the skin, but I had never used it until the other day and it really surprised me. My boyfriend got a sunburn on the top of his head, and I didn't have any after sun lotion. I suggested yogurt and he reluctantly agreed. I stuck it in the freezer for a bit to make it extra cold and applied a thick layer on his head. We left it on for about 15 minutes and then he washed it off. Before the yogurt, he couldn't even touch his head but I had no problem washing it off! He told me his skin felt really soothed.
Yogurt is rich in lactic acid, which has some nice properties: refines pores, stimulates collagen production, and soothes and softens the skin. Yogurt is also antibacterial and antifungal without having an irritating effect on the skin. Oh ya, and since it's so thick and creamy, it works wonderfully as a face mask without going all over the place like in your ears and hair.Honey is a natural moisturizer and helps keep the skin soft and moisturized. Like yogurt, it's also anti-microbial and is an anti-irritant, ideal for sensitive skin.
Mix the two and not only do you get a really tasty snack, you get an all natural face mask. Here are some DIY recipes:
Dull Skin:
Oatmeal and Yogurt Face Scrub
2 teaspoons ground, uncooked oatmeal
1/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 teaspoon honey
Mix it all together in a bowl then apply to the face and neck. Use gentle circular strokes for about two minutes then rinse.
Yogurt and Orange Peel Mask
Save some orange peels and leave them out in the sun to dry, then grind them into a fine powder. Mix with yogurt then apply to the face. Leave for 15 minutes then rinse being careful not to scrub too hard.
Orange peel is good for sucking up excess oil and dead skin cells.
Irritated Skin
For irritated skin, the best bet is to use plain yogurt. However if your skin is pretty dry you can mix in some of that honey. Leave on for the usual 15 minutes. Greek yogurt works best for this since it's richer and thicker than regular yogurt.
For those of you that like to complicate things though...
Soothing Yogurt Mask
½ cup of plain yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons Aloe Vera gel
½ peeled cucumber
Stick it in a blender and blend until smooth. Put it on and leave for 15 minutes. This mask smells amazing by the way.
Oily/Acne Skin:
Aspirin Mask (yes, you read correctly)
5 crushed (uncoated!) aspirins
2-3 tablespoons yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
Mix the yogurt, lemon juice, and honey. Add the aspirins and wait for them to dissolve. Slap it on and leave for 20 minutes. If your skin gets irritated easily, leave out the lemon juice. Haven't tried this one but I will when it starts getting hotter here; I get really shiny in the high heat and humidity :(.
