DIY Beauty: oat mask for smaller pores
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
I am so loving my oats now! Mixed with yogurt, it makes the best facial mask and delivers instant wonderful effects for me.
Benefits of oats for our skin
Oats possess some wonderful skin care properties because they have the best amino acid balance of all cereal grains and a high silica content, making them great emollients that restores the skin’s natural moisture. They are also said to be highly absorptive, hypoallergenic, and can be used to cleanse, exfoliate, soften and soothe the skin; suitable for most skin types.
In fact, oats have been clinically proven to help heal dry, itchy skin and you may have come across information of ancient Greeks and Romans using oat baths to heal skin ailments. In modern days, many people use oats to soothe the skin and ease the discomfort of skin irritations caused by rashes, abrasions, insect bites, poison ivy, and even chicken pox. Modern manufacturers like Aveeno and Aveda for example, have also used oats as a common ingredient for their skin care products.
Oat mask to reduce pore size
I recently picked up this oat yogurt mask recipe from the book, Natural Beauty by Roy Genders which is supposed to help reduce large pores and clear skin of impurities. The benefits of oats plus the the lactic acid and enzymes in the yogurt soothes, softens and hydrates the skin, leaving it soft and smooth. I love it because it is so easy to make and use and my skin really benefited from using it. Even my husband noticed a difference. My pores look smaller, though I don’t think it’s just due to this because I’ve also been using cucumber juice daily but there is something better about my skin texture for sure.
Recipe for Oat Mask:
- 2 tablespoon of oats/oatmeal
- 2 tablespoon of yogurt
Stir oats or oatmeal into yogurt and place in the fridge for several hours. Apply the contents thickly to the face and leave on for 30 minutes before rinising off in lukewarm water containing a little lemon juice (I skipped the lemon juice and just kept to lukewarm water though).
Don’t get the quick-cook or flavored versions of oats though. Use rolled oats which you can then blend into powder. Because I don’t have a grinder, I use the mortar and pestle to achieve the same results. As for the yogurt, I used the 99.8% fat free natural set yogurt from Pauls which is available from the supermarket.
Other homemade oat skincare recipes
Another cleansing and softening facial mask recipe you can try is to have oats mixed with honey and plain yogurt into a paste, apply to dampened skin and leave on for fifteen minutes before rinsing off. You can also try the oatmeal facial cleanser & scrub by simply pouring a small amount of ground oatmeal into palm, and add a little water to make a paste. Apply to face and throat and massage onto skin before rinising out and moisturizing.
Pleasant smell and easy application
In my last entry about yogurt homemade beauty recipes, I mentioned that yogurt do not smell great. But with oats, the smell is different and I quite like it. And what I love most is that I can walk around in this mask because oats and yogurt are thick enough to form a binding paste. I have combination skin and I’ve been using this mask almost everyday with lovely results. Definitely something I recommend you to try if you’re into DIY beauty!
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Posted in Homemade/DIY | 20 Comments »
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October 1st, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Hi! Would vanilla yogurt be fine u reckon? ^^
Dawn: Don’t use vanilla yogurt or any flavored ones. Keep to the original non-flavored version. Set yogurt would be best because it means it won’t be dripping wet when applied. Also, if your skin type is combination or oily type, I recommend you go for the non-fat yogurt.
October 2nd, 2008 at 2:13 am
This reminds me of Jurlique’s daily exfoliating cream. It has oats, honey and almonds. Smells real delicious!
Joanne: Yes, oats and yogurt do smell quite good and I imagine with almonds, it’s even better.
October 3rd, 2008 at 7:31 am
I can hardly wait to try this. Right now all I have at home is a honey flavored yogurt – it just might work. Sounds as though it could work, couldn’t hurt anyway.
Thanks!
Elaine: I was told not to use flavored yogurt so I’m not sure. But you try on a specific area first to make sure there are no reactions k? Get the original non-flavored ones the next time you can and I think you will like this mask.
October 3rd, 2008 at 7:32 am
tell me about the cucumber juice please?
Elaine: I’ve been looking for something simple to reduce my pore size and heard that cucumber juice can do the trick. I’ve been using this on an almost daily basis and I have to say, my pores look better! Cucumber juice also has brightening effects. I wrote about it here. You just need to grate it, apply the juice and leave on for about 10 – 15 mins a day. I used to apply twice or even three times a day but now, I’m down to once a day as I’m also using the oat mask.
October 3rd, 2008 at 8:24 am
thank you so much for posting this because i thought that oatmeal masks were only for hydrating purposes. i think i’ll try it now
andrea: Hope you’ll enjoy yours as much as I do!
October 3rd, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Oh I’m so going to try this. I love the smell of oats, so this ought to be good
Tine: I’m hook on this mask!
October 4th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
[...] Viva Woman tells you how to use a homemade oat mask to reduce your facial pore size and improve your skin’s texture. [...]
October 5th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
love it~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
akiki:
October 6th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
[...] Viva Woman tells you how to use a homemade oat mask to reduce your facial pore size and improve your skin’s texture. [...]
October 13th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
As I don’t have grinder and mortar and pestle and will like to try the oat mask, what type of ready oat can I get from supdermarket? Thanks.
jo: See if you can find baby oats or those oats that are finer. I think if I remember correctly, the Origin brand has baby oats. Maybe you can try that first and see if you like it. Don’t use those quickcook ones eg. from Quaker Oats. I tried before and it can make your skin red afterwards because they’re somehow more drying.
Actually, you can buy a small mortar and pestle from the supermarket too. It’s very small and not space consuming.
October 23rd, 2008 at 1:11 am
[...] Viva Woman tells you how to use a homemade oat mask to reduce your facial pore size and improve your skin’s texture. [...]
October 24th, 2008 at 10:13 am
[...] masks – daily possible DIY masks are typically gentle enough to be used daily. I use my homemade oat yogurt mask daily and it works fine for me. Do check the ingredients to ensure they are not overly nourishing [...]
November 23rd, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Hi, I have tried the oat with yogurt mask and love the results! No break out and smaller pores
Can I check with you how long you keep your opened yogurt in the fridge? I do not want to waste the yogurt but I also do not dare to keep it too long. Will appreciate your advice 
lcsching: Glad you love it! I keep my yogurt up to 2 weeks in the fridge. Ideally however, one week will be good. I check the expiry and if it’s still within that, I will still use it. One way is to use it on your hands or body so as not to waste it.
December 22nd, 2008 at 10:19 am
may i know where do you get your rolled oats?
may i also ask if where do u get the baking soda for your DIY recipe?
Gnitil: Rolled oats I got it from Living Pharmacy. If I’m not wrong, you can also find it at the organic section at NTUC supermarket. For the baking soda, find it at NTUC supermarket.
December 22nd, 2008 at 2:01 pm
the baking soda at NTUC that you meant, is it the, Bicarbonate Of Soda, from red man?
January 10th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
i wonder where you got your pestle and mortar. I’m using my age old stone one that got smooth through years [decades] of use. And my oats cannot get grinded properly. Hahaha. Too smooth I guess.
Anyway, I’ve tried the water+oat mask/scrub. Man I love it. It soothed my itchy acne spot right away!
Ms Blacklace: Geez…I can’t quite remember cos I bought it a few years ago. Not sure if it was from Ikea. But I’ve seen it at the supermarket like NTUC if I’m not wrong.
Oats are great for reducing itch. Much recommended to be used for bathing a kid when they have chickenpox.
January 29th, 2009 at 2:50 am
How often do you apply the oatmeal yogurt mix to your face. Is it a daily routine or a weekly
Bonnykat: For a period of time, I was using it almost every alternate days. To reap the benefits of yogurt, I read that we should use it often. But now I’ve gotten a bit lazy plus I have other stuff to use
so I try to do this weekly.
February 25th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
how would you apply the oatmeal yogurt?
would i have to cleanse my face first then scurb the oatmeal like a exfoliant then leave it on for the suggested time then rinse? and also do i moisturise straight after?
and with the cucumber juice can i also apply that on my face with the oat meal mask on the same day?
sorry about all the questions
Janis: Hey no problem with the questions just that I may not answer immediately cos quite tied up on some days. Okay, for the oatmeal mask, you should first wash your face first. After that you can apply the oatmeal mask thickly and leave it on. If you’re testing this first time, I suggest you use it for 10 – 15 mins first then rinse off with warm water (you can splash your face with some cold water after that if you like too). After that, you can tone (if you use this) or just moisturize as per normal.
After your skin is fine with this initial attempt, you can increase the leave on timing longer till half an hour or so but I advice you not to leave on until it dries out completely or it may break your skin out. There’s no need to scrub the paste on your face as this is a leave on mask.
As for the cucumber juice, no problem to use it on the same day but I suggest different sessions/timings.
Hope this clarifies your doubts.
March 21st, 2009 at 6:05 am
Hi,
i have a question regarding the oats, honey and yoghurt mask.
can i use manuka honey in the mask?since manuka honey has high anti-bacterial properties, wont it kill the bacteria in the yoghurt?
thx..^ ^
Suko: Actually Manuka honey is recommended for facial masks but as for your question, hmm…I can’t answer for sure.
April 19th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Hi
I am trying out the oatmeal yoghurt mask but just an off-topic, rather funny question…
When you rinsed off your oatmeal mask, have you ever wondered if the residue will clog your sink?! Or won’t it?
Jenn: Heheh…this is definitely not off topic. Very valid point there. Yes, it did strike me…that’s why what I do is to wipe the oatmeal off my face and then throw them into the bin or toilet bowl before washing my face.
But I think as long as it’s not a lot and it’s not everyday, it shouldn’t clog even if you just wash your face at the basin.