Zero-Waste Face Masks

When I first moved to Philly I was fresh out of my favorite clay face mask. Since it was newly 2020 and I was just moved into a new city starting fresh, I decided I would stop buying face masks. Partly because I wanted to try and reduce the amount of products I was consuming, and also partly because I wanted to test and see if it was actually making a difference in my skin (and also partly due to the fact that I was unemployed and wanted to save a few bucks). 

Mostly unrelated to this but my skin has cleared up quite a bit since then and I don't find myself feeling the need to throw a mask on and hope it does something. But every once in awhile I do want to pamper my skin or get a stubborn breakout that I want to eliminate. 
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So here I bring you 3 different zero-waste face masks. 

​1. Egg Whites
This one sounds gross but hear me out. A lot of times when we're cooking we'll come across a recipe that calls for just egg yolks (or yes, maybe we did just become addicted to pasta carbonara). We save the egg whites in a little container in the fridge but maybe only 10% of the time have we actually cooked something with the egg whites.

To try and stop them from going to waste I decided to start using the leftover remains as a face mask. Now this is something I only do when we have egg white leftovers and isn't a regular part of my skincare routine, but I do like how my skin feels after the fact. It leaves my skin smooth and helps tighten my pores. 

For use: apply egg whites in a thin layer all over your face and leave on until dry ~10-15 minutes.

2. Honey
I have tried honey masks probably 4 times in my life, with the most recent being this week. You can use honey alone or mix in any number of ingredients, such as cinnamon for exfoliation. I have always found honey masks to be too sticky for me to do regularly which is why I haven't done them very often. But for the sake of starting this blog I thought I would give them another chance. While I like the moisturizing effects in the winter, I don't see myself doing this one frequently due to the messiness of it.

For use: apply honey (optional to add in cinnamon) in a thin layer all over your face and leave on for 10-15 minutes until dry, then rinse your face with water and complete your skincare routine.

3. Aloe Vera
Here's another great zero-waste face mask. Aloe vera leaves can be bought in the produce section of any grocery store for $2 or less. And each leaf provides a ton of aloe vera. I've used aloe vera in many ways for skincare and it always gives a great boost of hydration to my skin. 
To start, always cut the spikes off down the sides and then cut in half sideways to expose the aloe vera gel. Scrape out as much liquid and gel as you can. You'll want to bottle this and keep it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

For use as a mask:  The gel/liquid on its own can be used on as a face mask / leave on serum or you can put it in a blender with some lemon juice and use it as a face mask that way. Leave on for 10-15 min until dry and wash off. 

For use as a spot treatment: dab on aloe vera gel from the plant on the affected area up to three times per day. 

There are tons of other face mask options out there that are zero-waste, these are just some of the ones I have tried. What zero-waste skincare do you love?