DIY Beauty: oat mask for smaller pores

Oat Mask
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
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!

iherb

Comments

  1. Mahendra says:

    I have black pores after the s p0imple is gone tell me something to remove it fast

  2. Evangelinerose says:

    Net says:
    Do i need to cook the oatmeal?

  3. sesame says:

    No, you don’t need to cook the oats.

  4. M says:

    Hi Sesame, great article. I have been using yogurt & honey mask for a few days and love the result.
    After reading this article, i want to try Oat now : D

    Either way, got a quick question here.. After mixing Yogurt with honey and Oatmeal, how long can i keep the mixture in the fridge? or would you suggest that i should freshly mix the mixture every time?

  5. sesame says:

    Yes, I would recommend you make a fresh batch every time. You can keep the mixture for 3 days in the fridge but I found through experience that the yogurt will secrete some liquid and that sort of makes the paste runny.

  6. Kyara says:

    Is quark instead of yoghurt goof too?

  7. Sesame says:

    Not sure what is quark…

  8. nahsiep says:

    Hi Sesame

    Though I’m new to your blog, I have started reading quite a few of your posts in the last couple of days… and you helped me decide on which colour to get for my MVO Everyday Sheer Coverage and Moisturizing Face Screen–Thanks!

    Well, regarding this post on oat-yoghurt mask, I was wondering if oat bran is feasible. Oat bran is much smaller/finer–probably meaning no grinding is needed–and from what I know, it is the outer shell of oats. A French lady told me that oat bran contains much more dietary fibre and it’s more ‘raw’… anywho, what do you think of replacing oat/oatmeal with oat bran for this mask? Appreciate your thoughts…

  9. Sesame says:

    It’s hard for me to advice you on the color cos I have no idea about your skin shade. If yours is very pale (like mine), you need to go for the extra light tint.

    As for oat bran, I think it’s workable.

  10. nahsiep says:

    Yeah, thanks, I tried with oat bran and it worked just fine! I meant, your swatches of the MVO sunscreens on skin actually helped me decide which colour to get. I just received my package last Saturday and I absolutely love it!

  11. Sesame says:

    Oh great! I’m really happy when products work well for readers. ?

  12. favour says:

    Please I v serious cream burm and am really worried about it please can oathmale clear it, if not please advice me on which home remedy to use I will really appreciate thanks alot

  13. Syed Yunus Imad says:

    vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv good

  14. viji says:

    can we use quick oats? if not y

  15. Sesame says:

    Not recommended cos quick oats have lesser nutrients.

  16. Rachel says:

    Hi sesame, if I’m under medication for acne problem n currently using doctor prescribed face wash n acne gel, is it advisable to use this oat, yogurt n honey mask?

  17. Sesame says:

    Should not be a problem as these are mild but perhaps you want to just try on a small area before using on the entire face? I know some people do react to yogurt but very rarely and the oats may help to calm down inflammation.

  18. yida says:

    after applying yogurt mask, do i need to eash my face with facial foam? or only water? i think it’s abit sticky if rinse with water only, thank you.

  19. Sesame says:

    You should wash your face before you apply the mask. After applying the mask, rinse off with water. You don’t have to use a facial foam.

  20. Noma says:

    My face skin is affected by the bleaching cream I used. Does the oat meal going to help?

  21. Sesame says:

    The oatmeal will help to soothe if your skin is irritated or inflamed.

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