Strawberry Facial: A Nourishing DIY Home Spa Mask for Rosy Skin

A vitamin-packed strawberry facial mask for a rosy complexion.

In this skin-nourishing recipe, we go straight to the source of summer's fresh fruit for soft, rosy skin. Packed with vitamin C, strawberries also contain an acid found in many spa facial treatments that gently lifts dead skin cells. The lactic acid in the yogurt softens and cools skin while nourishing it with natural proteins. For an extra burst of protective antioxidants, add the dash of rose hips, which contain very high concentrations of vitamin C.

Here's what you need:

4 to 6 mashed strawberries, preferably organic
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
2 teaspoons rose water*
1 tablespoon powdered rose hips (optional)

Here's what you do:

Mix the ingredients together until smooth. Substitute distilled water if you want to skip the rose water. Massage the strawberry concoction onto clean skin (go ahead, taste it!) and relax for 20 minutes. Rinse and follow with a toner and light facial moisturizer.

*To make the rose water, steep 1 cup of fresh rose petals in 1 cup of boiling water for 30 minutes. Strain the petals and store the water in a glass bottle in the refrigerator.

If you want to prep your skin before the mask with a rose petal facial steam, use 1 cup of fresh rose petals and 1 gallon of almost boiling water. Place the petals in a large bowl and carefully pour the water over top of them. Lean over the bowl, no closer than 12 inches away, taking deep breaths of steam for about 15 minutes. Pat dry and then apply your strawberry facial mask.

To convert your facial steam to rose water, strain the rose petals and boil the remaining water until about a cup is left. Pour the water back over the rose petals and steep for 20 minutes. Strain and store.