In Chinese Medicine, the skin is the body’s largest organ, and plays a critical role in eliminating toxins and waste in the body through sweating.
While some foods can help treat a skin condition, not all foods act the same way for everyone. Your body is in a different state than the next person. For example, pineapple. Which restores moisture to the body, and hydrates dry rough skin, is too acidic for someone who has a lot of acne.
While you might be looking only for a topical solution to healthy skin, we all know our skin is a reflection of what we eat. Want to learn more about Chinese herbs for dry skin or tcm face mask for beauty? Check out more on the TCM Skin blog.
In the the mean time, Let's dive into Chinese Medicine-inspired DIY tcm mask for the 5 major skin types:
1. Normal
Signs of wonderful energy balance results in skin that is neither too dry or too oily, neither too sensitive or too rough.
Honey-Apricot tcm mask : This neutral tcm face mask will hydrate and soften your skin. Pro-tip: triple this recipe and use this all over your body!
- Ingredients: ½ cup honey + 2 apricots, peeled and coarsely chopped
- Instructions: Measure honey into a glass bowl. Add the apricots and mix together with a wooden spoon. Apply it to your face and neck and massage gently with fingertips. Leave on for 10 mins and rinse. Pat skin dry with a soft towel.
2. Oily
if you have this skin type, you are more heated in your body, and show more Yang qualities. In Chinese Medicine, we can balance the internal organs and regulate oil production by eating the foods to balance and cool our bodies.
Chamomile Chrysanthemum TCM face Mask
- Ingredients: 1 spoon each of dried flowers (chamomile, dandelion, mint, buckwheat, chrysanthemum), 1 spoon of french clay
- Instructions: use a blender, grind the herbs together into a powder. Add the clay and then add 5 tablespoons of hot water, a spoon at a time, until a paste-like consistency forms. Apply the mask and dry for 30 minutes. Rinks off with water and pat face dry with a towel. Use once a week.
3. Dry Skin
The best way to balance your dry skin is with the right foods. Healthy ingredients such as adzuki beans, papaya, black sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and ginger are all great ways to hydrate the skin internally.
Star-Fruit Hydration TCM Face Mask
- Ingredients: 1 starfruit, coarsely chopped, 1 spoon fresh lemon juice, 4 tbsp tapioca starch or rice flour, 3 tablespoons almond or jojoba oil.
- Instructions: Add all of the wet ingredients together and mix to combine. Add dry ingredients until an oatmeal-like paste forms. Use this mixture, and spread this on your face for 10 minutes. Best for the mornings.
4. Combo Skin
That T-zone oil is a great indicator your body is out of balance. Opt to nourish yin and neutral foods to help purify and detox the body. Opt for more spinach, lettuce, honey, celery, and fresh corn.
Raw Honey Mask
- Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of Raw Honey.
*Raw Honey is extremely important because the propolis in honey acts as a free-radical neutralizer. It delivers vitamins of C, B, and E. The honey tricks the skin into minimizing the overproduction of oils and soothes both the oily and dry parts of your skin
- Instructions: Add 2 teaspoons of hot water to 2 tablespoons of raw honey into a cup and massage gently. Leave the mask on for 3 minutes and then rinse this off with water. Pat dry with a towel.
5. Acne Skin
Overactive glands is usually seen in the high yang (hot-energy) of our bodies, especially during our teen years. Beyond this, living a stress-intense life, hormonal imbalances and clogged pores can also cause acne. Regardless of your age, if you have this skin type, you should avoid spicy and fried foods.
Mint-clay TCM Face mask
- Ingredients: 1 mint tea bag, 4 tablespoons of french clay
- Instructions: boil 1 cup of water and add the mint tea and steep the tea until cool. In a separate bowl, add the clay. Then slowly spoon the tea into the bowl until the texture is like pudding. Spread the mask on your face and let it sit for 15-20 minutes until dry. Rinse off and pat dry.