Moisturizing Oatmeal Mask — Follow the Wildflowers

I don’t know about you, but these Alberta winters reek havoc on my skin. I’m constantly reaching for moisturizer or my salve to help relieve my dry skin. Sometimes our bodies largest organ just needs a little extra love. Whipping up this moisturizing oatmeal mask is a quick, easy and natural way to tackle our dry winter skin.

To make this mask easily at home, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Oatmeal

Oats have long been used as a remedy for a number of ailments, including the skin. Ripe oats are extremely nourishing, soothing dry, itchy and irritated skin.

Fun Fact - The milky green tops of the oat plant are demulcent, typically used as a nutritive tonic for the nervous system. Oat straw (stalk of the plant) contains silica and other minerals needed for strong bones, hair and teeth.

Honey

Where to start with honey? This beautiful ingredient is not only nourishing for the skin, it possesses anti-bacterial and ant-inflammatory properties. To reap all the benefits, make sure you’re purchasing raw honey, preferably from your local farmers market.

Calendula Oil

Calendula’s bright followers don’t just lift the spirit, they pack antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, making it a great choice to ease inflamed or irritated skin.

Lavender

One of the most popular and widely used herbs, lavender is an extremely relaxing herb. Used for its mild antidepressant qualities, lavender has been used to ease symptoms of anxiety and headaches. Sniffing its beautiful scent can also encourage sleep, so adding this to your nighttime mask may help you get a good nights rest.

Grind oats in a food processor, place in a mixing bowl and stir in calendula oil and honey. Add a TBSP of water or more to make the mask more like a paste. Add your drops of essential oil. Apply to your face with the back of a spoon and leave on your face for 15 minutes. I love to take this time to read or lay back and listen to music. Once the 15 is up, remove the mask with a warm, wet wash cloth.

Note - if you don’t have calendula oil on hand, you can use olive oil, or melted coconut oil as a substitute.

These cold winter nights can often seem long and harsh. Some days we can’t do much else but curl up, eat nourishing foods and show ourselves a little self care.