got milk? or honey or avocado or yogurt?

so all the talk about honey's medicinal and health properties at my local farmers market had me thinking about honey. the last time i used honey it was for the amazing barbecue sauce i made on vacation. but that's not what i had in mind the other night. inspired by all the cosmetic products i saw on this website recommended by the beekeeper at the market, which capitalize on honey's anti-inflammatory and healing properties, i decided i wanted to try it on my skin. being the keeper of very sensitive skin (like diaper-rash-on-my-face from getting my eyebrows waxed kind of sensitive), i knew better than to just slop it on, so i did some research.

primarily, i learned that honey is good for hydration, which wasn't surprising, and that mixing it with yogurt works well. i ended up combining two recipes - a "cooling" yogurt and honey mask (good for my rosacea), and a yogurt and oatmeal mask, and making a yogurt, honey and oatmeal mask, which seemed ideal for extremely dry skin, which i also have. i paint a really attractive picture of my skin, huh?

if i had it to do over again, i think i'd skip the oatmeal - it was so chunky and weird...i sort of looked like a toddler learning to eat cereal with wet oats flung all over my face. although i guess it's comforting knowing that in a pinch, you could live on your face potion, or "breakfast" as it's known in some circles. i ended up picking off the oats and just enjoyed the smooth and cool yogurt and honey mix. and mitchell looked less frightened that way too.

my skin felt nice and soft afterwards, and was in prime receiving order to be moisturized with my regular moisturizer. the results weren't earth-shattering, but to me, it was one of those things where the process of it was the point and the results, an added benefit. to my mind, the most important part of the instructions for most of these masks is to rinse off the mask and then steam your face with a warm washcloth - it's this step that actually raises this experience to a spa-like level, and is really relaxing and restorative. i love things like this because it's a way to give yourself a really special and pampering experience at home, and in this case, totally for free since i had the ingredients already. i know for me, everytime i'm getting a manicure or a massage, i always think to myself "how can i make myself feel like i'm here even when i'm not?" and this is definitely one way of doing that. it kind of makes me want to buy this towel warmer.

and you can make it as spa-like an experience as you want - you can do it by candlelight, or with relaxing music, or on a quiet balcony, or all of the above. however it will feel most like the treat it is. this is great for the end of a long, tiring day or on a weekend afternoon right before a nap. btw, how awesome are weekend naps? they're sort of new to me, but kelly's been doing them for years and introduced me. love. but i digress...

this article has information on all different kinds of homemade masks for different skin types and links to several recipes and ideas. to almost all of them, you can add a couple drops of an essential oil of your choice, but i played it safe and stayed away from those. next i want to try the avocado honey mask since both avocadoes and honey are known moisturizing agents, and the milk mask, which apparently makes "enough for two." how cute. maybe mitchell and i will do them and then braid each others' hair and watch full house reruns.

hot towel warmer photo from www.amazon.com; avocado photo from www.juleslife.wordpress.com