DIY Face Mask Ingredients for Atopic Skin!

You know me, I love a good excuse to experiment with my skin. As a child, you could find me in my kitchen or bathroom, mixing away at homemade concoctions for my skin. I would pour through the pages of magazines and skincare books rented from the library for ideas. Funny enough, even back then, my experimentation was often in the spirit of finding relief. Having atopic dermatitis has made finding good face masks difficult. Regardless if I make them myself or purchase a product.

Today we will break down my favourite ingredients for DIY face masks. We will break each product down by comparing the following factors:

• Cost ($/$$/$$$)
• Efficacy (0-not very effective - 5-very effective)
• Ingredient purpose

Hopefully, this can give you insight into how some of the most highly recommended DIY face mask ingredients for eczema stand up to actual atopic dermatitis!

Ingredient #1

Ingredient: Green tea bags
Cost: $
Effectiveness: 5

I cannot stop talking about the health benefits of green tea. I have written articles dedicated to the subject and the insane health benefits of this simple leaf juice. My favorite way to apply green tea as a skin treatment is to wet between four to six tea bags and place them in a freezer-safe container. Leave the teabags in the freezer for a few hours and take them out only as you need them (or a few months, I like to have a nice stockpile.)

I use them to de-puff my eyes, bring cystic acne down and reduce any puffiness in my face. Overall this is probably my most affordable, most effective DIY skin treatment.

Ingredient #2

Ingredient: Greek yogurt
Cost: $
Effectiveness: 4

Greek yogurt is another one of those “must-have” ingredients for atopic dermatitis homemade skincare. It is loaded with probiotics and helps soften and soothe the skin. Just make sure when you are buying Greek yogurt for these purposes you are choosing the unsweetened natural kind to prevent irritation.

Ingredient #3

Ingredient: Aloe vera gel
Cost: $$
Effectiveness: 3

I love aloe vera gel. It is such a versatile and gentle ingredient when used in skincare, especially when it comes to atopic dermatitis. One of my favorite things about aloe is that it's easily incorporated into your daily skincare routine as a supplementary moisturizer. Given aloe has anti-inflammatory properties that help soothe eczema.

Ingredient #4

Ingredient: Honey
Cost: $$-$$$
Effectiveness: 3

Honey is a fabulous addition to any DIY face mask or skin treatment. Honey is known to be antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and is also an antioxidant. Depending on what type of honey you buy and where it comes from, it can get pricey.

Unfortunately, with honey, I find that you get what you pay for. I have had much better results in skincare with locally sourced honey than grocery store brands.

Ingredient #5

Ingredient: Colloidal oatmeal
Cost: $$$
Effectiveness: 4

Colloidal oatmeal is something new to my DIY skincare arsenal. I have only found it in large bulk amounts in its raw forms. So the upfront costs are higher than the other ingredients on this list. Luckily this balances out because you need so little colloidal oatmeal in DIY skin formulations.

A little goes a long way! I find this product immensely soothing during my worst flare-ups. There are numerous ways to use this product: apply it directly as a paste with a bit of water on especially tricky areas or add it to one of your daily lotions or combine it with other ingredients in a DIY face mask! The choices are endless.

I hope this little list of atopic-dermatitis-friendly DIY skincare ingredients was informative and helpful. Finding products and ingredients that don’t further irritate atopic skin is already hard enough.

What DIY face masks do you like best? Let me know in the comments!