DIY Beauty: an indulgent Hershey’s cocoa face mask

This is THE most delicious homemade face masks I’ve whipped up ever! If you like chocolate, and you particularly like Hershey’s chocolate, let me warn you: this is very addictive to your senses! Seriously, I had to exercise severe restraint every time I made this as I really wanted so much to just slurped up the concoction. Even though I couldn’t put it in my mouth, the mere scent of this is just DIVINE! And let me tell you – this doesn’t just send my spirits soaring, it actually does make my skin glow too! No wonder Dr. Oz recommended this to be used on the fifth day of Christmas!

Protects against UV damage
Yes, the famous Dr. Oz had recommended cocoa face mask as according to him, the antioxidants found in cocoa help prevent sun damage. And it’s true because many studies support that cocoa contain cell-protecting flavanol antioxidant compounds: two tablespoons of natural cocoa have more antioxidant capacity than 3 ½ cups of green tea, ¾ cup of blueberries and 1 1/3 glasses of red wine. It’s great to reduce free radical damage and works well when ingested as well as when used topically. And for the skeptics, here is a study which showed that topical application of cocoa plant extracts containing polyphenols and xanthine derivitives prevented photodamage in mice that were exposed to ultraviolet light. Okay, I know we’re not mice but you get the drift.

Choosing a suitable cocoa powder
The baking section is a good place to find natural, unsweetened cocoa powder. I saw some brands that were cheaper but skipped them because I had questions about the manufacturing process. I also saw some organic versions but they cost quite a lot more. So in the end, I settled for Hershey’s Cocoa and I think it’s a good choice. It cost me nearly S$9 but this tub can last me quite awhile supposing I only use it to make my face masks.

Ingredients needed
Anyway, Dr. Oz has a recipe that goes like this: 3 tbsp cocoa, 3 tbsp plain yogurt, 1 ½ tbsp raw honey, and 1 ½ tbsp oatmeal. The yogurt is good for its moisturizing properties, the honey to reduce inflammation and redness, while the oatmeal works for sensitive skin. Personally, I only used yogurt with cocoa powder because I prefer to use this as a moisturizing face mask.

Leave on for up to 20 minutes
So after you’ve whipped this concoction up, just apply it liberally to your cleansed face, leave on for 10 to 20 minutes and then rinse off. You can continue with your normal skincare routine such as applying your toner and moisturizer after that. Warning: remember to keep your face AWAY from a chocolate addict!

Radiant the morning after
I really like this mask A LOT! I was using oatmeal powder before this but since I ran out of the flour, I’m going to stick to using cocoa powder instead. The thing is, I do see a glow to my face the morning after when I use this but the effects do not last after a day. So hopefully, with continual usage, I’m going to have a beaming radiant face all year round! But even if not, I’m just happy to use it to prevent photodamage!

Comments

  1. Pranali says:

    i am a huge fan of the Dr. Oz show… i have never used chocolate or cocoa face pack.. tempted to give it a try..

  2. Sue Lin says:

    Wow, thanks for the idea, this is much cheaper than Lush’s cupcake face mask. I’m all motivated to try this after reading all the research to back chocolate up!

  3. Sesame says:

    Give it a try…it’s divine!

  4. Sesame says:

    Sounds awesome right? I noticed one of my pigmentation spots lightened up considerably but I’m not sure if it’s due to this or the products I’m using as I know cocoa butter also helps reduce pigmentation. Hence, I didn’t want to put it down on the entry. But I definitely using this mask more frequently.

  5. Sue says:

    Whoa, reminds me that I should use this after my photography workshops. We’ve to spend a lot of time out so my face is all red, haha.

    Speaking of DIY recipes, did you ever manage to come up with a good recipe for dry shampoo?

  6. Sesame says:

    Haha…what a timing for that question cos I’ve just tested something this week! It seems to work but I need to try it for another few days to see if the effects really last. Will probably blog about it next week. ?

  7. choco says:

    wow!
    how is the yogurt smell? is it covered?
    I HATE MILK and its family so~never a fan for yogurt mask!

  8. Sue says:

    Ah good, I can’t wait for your results. When I try out your new recipe, I might even try adding in silicon powder to help coat the hair. Of course, I need to think of where to get that first!

    Does anyone know if Sukin Sensitive is available in Singapore? I’ve walked around a few Watsons outlets but I didn’t see that newer range. Maybe I’m being swaku as I’m a bit out of touch with shopping centres.

  9. mai says:

    i luv luv luv chocolates!am so buying the hershey’s cocoa and using this tonight!! I’m having some pimples outbreak now, will it still be ok to use this or should i stick to oats for now?

  10. mai says:

    Oh, can you recommend me a good sunscreen that i can find locally? I’m running out of my Devita one and i dont want to just rely on MFS as i dont intend to use a tinted sunscreen when i’m on vacation(prefer bareface). I’m heading to NZ in a week’s time and i heard that the sunrays there is super damaging!! HELP ?

  11. eve says:

    hi,

    This mask looks so interesting. Pl share where i can buy hershey cocoa powder.

    Thanks.

  12. Sesame says:

    It totally conceals the yogurt smell! It just smells like chocolate.

  13. Sesame says:

    Haven’t seen Sukin Sensitive around. Maybe they’ve not brought it in?

  14. Sesame says:

    I know it helps with acne marks but I’m not sure if it’s great for breakouts. Perhaps best to wait till your pimples are gone.

  15. Sesame says:

    If you don’t mind chemical based sunscreen, Avene is great. Otherwise, Badger but the whitecast is very obvious.

  16. Sesame says:

    You can find it in the supermarket – Cold Storage if you’re based in Singapore.

  17. Swati says:

    i have tried cocoa mask with honey and sugarcane juice….yummy!!! but, never with yogurt…will surely try it ?
    btw, so, if we drink hot chocolate everyday, it will protect from sun damage???
    Swati last post is: Keep your surroundings clean!! {Environment}

  18. Joyce September says:

    I actually use Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa, mixed with yogurt and honey as a mask occasionally. So yummy ?
    Joyce September last post is: Things On My Mind #16

  19. claire says:

    They’ve just brought it in! I bought the sukin sensitive cleanser just last week!

  20. Sesame says:

    I think so but just don’t have too much sugar and diary in the hot chocolate and increase the cocoa content in the drink if you can.

  21. Sesame says:

    Yeah, very indulgent! And I hope Milo didn’t try to lick your face! ?

  22. Sesame says:

    @claire: Oh cool! I’ll have a look at it too when I visit Watsons!

  23. mai says:

    no problem i rather wear a chemical based one then let the rays get me. haha. is it the one in the orange packaging? i saw they have a mineral sunscreen too in a white box.

  24. Sesame says:

    Yes, white and orange. I think it’s SPF 50?

  25. Thelma says:

    Hi..I love to try the cocoa mask but never heard of the raw honey…. Would the natural honey pasturized work as well?? Thanks!

  26. Thelma says:

    Sorry.. that should read (pasteurized)!

  27. Sesame says:

    I should think so as long as it works well for your skin. Actually, I might have made a mistake about raw honey…the best is manuka honey if it’s available to you.

  28. Annie says:

    will milo chocolate powder work? i’m really excited to try this but i probably skipped the honey and use oatmeal powder instead.. ? i didn’t have cocoa powder yesterday so I used roasted coffee powder.. it feels amazing as well

  29. Sesame says:

    Milo has sugar right? So best to use unsweetened cocoa powder. Roasted coffee powder is good for exfoliation but I use it as a body scrub.

  30. Long Beach SkinCare Expert says:

    Sounds wonderful! Chocolate and yogurt are some of my favorite foods , what’s not to like? I’m impressed with this DIY concoction, looks like I’ve found the next face mask to try on.
    Long Beach SkinCare Expert last post is: Hello world!

  31. Sesame says:

    Have fun with it!

  32. Mai says:

    i think the mineral sunscreen in the white pkg is lower in SPF but the orange pkg is 50. anyway thanks Sesame, i shall grab one tonight ?

  33. Sesame says:

    Hope it’ll work well for you. Enjoy your break. ?

  34. L says:

    i love your site. keep them coming with diy. I have to admit…I like to read about diy but half the time I end up being too lazy to make them. haha. But will definitely try this one.

  35. Sesame says:

    I know…sometimes it’s a chore to prepare these stuff. But I enjoy them cos they’re fun to use and do work quite well for me to some extent.

  36. Mary says:

    This is so neat! I’m always looking for basic pantry items that I can turn into beauty products!
    Mary last post is: New product! Honeybee Gardens Lipstick in Aztec

  37. Sesame says:

    I believe you’ll love this. ?

  38. Marla says:

    Thank you for all these wonderful natural recipes. I’ll have to give them a try.

  39. Sesame says:

    Hope you’ll like some of them.

  40. Stephanie Perrone says:

    Yum! I usually use our Gentle Cleansing Foam (Racinne) but I love mixing it up with DIY facemasks every once in a while because it’s so fun. The whole process of mixing it up and applying makes me feel so pampered ? Thank you so much for the recipe, I can’t wait to try it. I think I’m going to want to snack on chocolate the whole time though, since I’ll be smelling it!

  41. Sesame says:

    You’re gonna love this! ?

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