The Fresh Food Café has a contentious reputation on campus. Depending on who you talk to, it is the most convenient food option and an inexpensive place to dine with friends, or it is the dining hall you will be glad you don’t have to go back to after your freshman year. Regardless of the conflicting emotions the FFC, it is a fantastic source for groceries when you don’t feel like buying them or for food when you don’t feel like making it! A much lesser known advantage of the FFC is the sheer number of materials it has to make a homemade facemask. Yes, indeed: face masks from the FFC.
As a disclaimer, I am not a dermatologist or doctor of any sort. I am just beginning to enter the realm of skincare-enthusiasm, but I thought I would record some ideas for others to use in the future. Remember, as with all skincare products, to patch test anything that you plan on putting on your face in a lower-stakes area, such as your inner arm.
There are hundreds of homemade face mask recipes available on the internet, so I will not be giving specific instructions, just compiling a list of ingredients that are often used in these masks and can also be found at the FFC.
- (Plain) Yogurt. Yogurt is an extremely common ingredient in homemade face mask because of its smooth texture, antibacterial/antifungal properties and lactic acids. Just be cautious not to leave your yogurt for too long without using it!
- Oats. Oats are often used in homemade masks, bath soaks, and scrubs because of their ability to gently exfoliate the skin. The FFC has raw oats by the cereal.
- Honey. Honey is loved for its antibacterial properties and is a frequent component in a number of skin care products, homemade or store-bought. There is often honey by the tea and coffee in the dining halls.
- Cucumber slices. Although not often cited as an ingredient for homemade mask specifically, there are some recipes that call for this refreshing, water-filled fruit. (Or vegetable, depending on who you ask). Even if you don’t use them for a mask, resting cucumber slices on your eyes is a great way to relax! Cucumber slices can be found at the salad bar at the FFC and often Nolan’s as well.
Other ingredients to consider for body or lip scrubs
- Salt/Sugar. Both of these are used in scrubs, especially lip scrubs, because the tiny granules make great exfoliants. One thing to note is that sugar scrubs are less harsh than salt scrubs, because the granules are rounded, and also because they dissolve more easily in water. Although some exfoliating face masks make use of these condiments as well, but there have been worries about salt or sugar being too rough for the face, and even causing microtears. That said, you don’t have to throw out your expensive sugar scrubs- everyone’s skin is different, and they may be working wonders for you!
As a final note, it is important to remember that everyone’s skin is different, and what works for some may not work for you. I would suggest doing some research into all of the ingredients of the masks you plan to make (and into what’s in the masks you may already own) and making an educated decision on whether or not you want to try them.