DIY Homemade Recipe: Oats Face Mask for Dullness Caused by Medication [with video]

Chronic health issues can really dull the skin – especially when various medications come into the picture. I was on steroids to help treat a massive Ehlers-Danlos syndrome flare up in 2015. Other than the acne face mask I shared in my last DIY skincare video, I would also apply the face mask I’m going to share today. It’s my instant “pick-me-up” face mask and a really gentle exfoliator all at the same time. Plus it’s one of my mum’s most favourite masks – her skin is obviously older to mine and it works wonderfully for her as well.

So before I jump into explaining it…

Please remember that I am not a certified dermatologist or a medical professional in any capacity. I am a patient who deals with various medical conditions and I just wanna share what has worked for me. It’s always best to check with a medical professional before you decide to try anything I share. Also, a lot of these DIY recipes are things my mum has taught me about skin and hair care and I’m trying to pass that on.

If you would like to watch a video version of this recipe, then you can here, if not then just scroll down for text version…

DIY Homemade Recipe: Oats Face Mask for Dullness Caused by Medication

The main hero of this mask are oats.

I’m going to take 4 teaspoons of oats.

I grind up rolled oats in a food processor – I get it quite fine. In fact it should be fine so that it’s a very very gentle exfoliator – I avoid large pieces of any ingredient otherwise it damages sensitive skin. (Buy from US Amazon | India)

So oats have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It softens the skin by gently removing dead skin, reducing blackheads through the exfoliation process.

Add to this a quarter teaspoon of honey.

It also has antioxidants properties, but when you’re looking to clean up and heal skin, its antiseptic and antibacterial properties have been very beneficial for me. (Buy from US Amazon | India)

Next up – and the last ingredient – yep this face mask has only three ingredients…

So the last ingredient is milk – you can use dairy or non dairy milk.

If you use regular dairy milk then that has lactic acid which is anti-ageing. It also has the ability to soothe inflamed acne and cleanse the skin.

Relevant Read:

• 7+ Things I Learnt From Endometriosis
• Magical Recovery from Shingles on My Face
• Tips: How I Reduced Hair Loss Caused by Medication

If you use almond milk like me here, it softens, moisturises and cleanses the skin. The vitamin E in almond milk helps to nourish and rejuvenate the skin – even sensitive skin.

So whichever milk you take, you’ll need around 3 teaspoons – mix it up nicely into a sort-of thick paste looking pack.

I’m going to apply this on my hand just to show you what the consistency looks like and how evenly to apply it.

If you use this mixture immediately then great, but if you let it sit for a short time, you’ll probably find that the oats have absorbed the moisture, so you may need to add half a teaspoon more of milk to get back the right consistency.

Please always apply this on a clean face, so do wash it beforehand. Apply it evenly on the neck and face, avoiding the eye area – our skin is really sensitive under the eyes and we don’t want to trouble it by applying this particular mask there.

This is enough quantity for a one-time use – I consciously do not make a larger quantity as nothing here, as nothing in here is a preservative, so it won’t preserve!

Also, I found that this is also a really good mask for the body too – so if you make a larger quantity then you can use it on your body as well.

Usually after applying this on my neck and face, whatever is left, I wash it and apply it on my hands and massage it and then wash it off. It brings my hands instant shine and gives it a nourished look.

And I keep this on for 20 minutes until it’s dry. Then I gently flake off the mask. I do NOT rub it off – I do not want to tug on my face, which is why the mask needs to dry, but if you can’t wait for that to happen then splash a bit of water and just move your hands in a circular motion with the water and just wash it off.

If you can wait for it to dry and you do flake it off, then again, a gentle splash of cool water and a quick light rub will get the extra bits off.

Pat dry and you’re all set!

I usually use this face mask the day I’m looking to step out to help lift the energy on my skin or on days when I think it’s looking very dull or on a day when I’ve gone through a flare up and I want to pamper myself.

Quick Ingredients Recap:

Rolled oats (ground): 4 tsp (Buy from US Amazon | India)
Milk of choice: 3 tsp
Honey: 1/4 tsp (Buy from US Amazon | India)

If you try this, let me know how it goes for you and you can leave your comment below.

~~~~~~~~~~~

If you’re a social media person, then you can follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or YouTube.

I have a podcast too. You can check them out here along with their transcripts or if you don’t wanna read them then they’re available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts too.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. I am a patient and have created this platform to share my experiences. This is all purely informative and in no way am I providing medical advice. Please consult a medical professional.