Need Glowing Pores and skin? This Flaxseed Face Masks Might Do the Trick

Flaxseeds are grown and cultivated in additional than 50 nations, together with america. Whereas this unassuming seed has many intestine well being advantages, it has been gaining consideration for an additional motive.

Social media influencers have been touting its advantages to your pores and skin—particularly when made right into a DIY face masks. However does it actually have a Botox impact like they declare?

Right here’s what skincare consultants say you must know concerning the potential advantages—and dangers—of utilizing flaxseed masks.

Flaxseeds are wealthy in polysaccharides, which give the masks that jelly texture and assist kind a light-weight movie on the pores and skin, in line with Mollie Kelly Tufman, PhD, a biochemist and founding father of The Magnificence Lab. “This movie can quickly lock in moisture, clean tough texture, and provides pores and skin a firmer really feel—form of like a plant-based primer,” she mentioned.

When utilized to your pores and skin, this gel types a brief movie that feels firming and hydrating, form of like a delicate, plant-based sheet masks.

Flaxseeds additionally include hint quantities of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants like lignans, however these don’t penetrate deeply in masks kind.

In response to Hadley King, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and a medical teacher of dermatology on the Weill Medical Faculty of Cornell College, flaxseed masks should not going to have a Botox impact.

“Any good moisturizer that accommodates humectants to hydrate the pores and skin, emollients to assist the pores and skin barrier, and occlusives to lock in moisture will assist the pores and skin quickly look higher, smoother, and plumper,” mentioned Dr. King. “However that’s not the identical factor as a Botox impact. Botox works by interfering with communication between the nerves and the muscular tissues to lower muscle contraction.”

To make a flaxseed masks at residence, Shantani Smith-Pannell, a licensed esthetician and educator at Ogle College, suggests doing a patch check first to rule out any allergy symptoms. Although flaxseed allergy symptoms are unusual, they’re rising. To search for allergy symptoms, check the masks on a quarter-sized patch of pores and skin for a number of days to see the way you react.

When you’re able to attempt it in your face, you’ll need 2 tablespoons of complete flaxseeds, 1 cup of filtered water, and a cheesecloth or wonderful mesh strainer. 

Observe these steps to create, apply, and retailer your masks:

Add the flaxseeds and water to a small saucepan. 
Convey to a boil, then cut back to a simmer.
Stir sometimes for about 5 minutes, till it types a thick, gel-like consistency. 
Take away from warmth and pressure out the seeds utilizing a cheesecloth or wonderful mesh strainer whereas nonetheless heat. (The gel will get thicker because it cools.)
Let the gel cool absolutely earlier than making use of.
Depart the masks in your face for about 10 to twenty minutes.
Retailer your flaxseed gel in a clear, hermetic container within the fridge for about seven days.
Add a number of drops of vitamin E oil as a pure preservative if you need. 

“I’ve made [this mask] by placing half a cup of flaxseeds in a mason jar and including in 2 cups of boiling water,” mentioned Asma Alali, a medical aesthetician from SkinSpirit’s Katy, Texas clinic. Boiling the seeds outright might injury them, so steeping them in boiling water could also be a greater possibility if you happen to don’t have time to observe them on the range.

You’ll be able to customise your flaxseed gel relying on what your pores and skin wants that day. “I like honey for its antibacterial and hydrating properties—it’s additionally nice for acne-prone or dry pores and skin,” Hannah Kopelman, DO, a board-certified dermatologist and host of the podcast Derm Membership, instructed Well being. “Aloe vera is soothing and may relax redness or irritation, particularly after solar publicity…Simply be conscious about mixing too many issues directly.”

Our consultants advocate the next customizations relying in your targets:

Honey: For glowing pores and skin and hydration, Smith-Pannell recommends honey as a result of it’s a pure humectant that attracts moisture into the pores and skin and soothes irritation. It will also be an antibacterial, she mentioned.
Aloe vera gel: Should you’re trying to calm your pores and skin, Dr. Kopelman says aloe vera is ideal for redness and sensitivity.
Turmeric: If you wish to handle irritation, attempt a pinch of turmeric, mentioned Alani. However restrict your use to about a couple of times per week, particularly as a result of it will probably stain your pores and skin and fingers.
Rosewater: For steadiness and aroma, Smith-Pannell mentioned rosewater provides an expensive scent and balances your pores and skin’s pH.
Tea tree oil: These with acne-prone pores and skin might wish to attempt tea tree oil, particularly as a result of it’s antibacterial and purifying, mentioned Smith-Pannell. However use it sparingly—1 drop per tablespoon of gel..

For most individuals, utilizing the masks one to 2 instances per week is sufficient, mentioned Dr. Kopelman. When you have dry or flaky pores and skin, you would possibly profit from utilizing it as much as 3 times per week, because the gel may help lock in hydration.

When you have a identified flaxseed allergy, clearly avoid these masks. Additionally, when you have delicate pores and skin, rosacea, or lively eczema, chances are you’ll wish to keep away from DIY masks except you might have cleared them with a dermatologist. The Nationwide Rosacea Society suggests that individuals with rosacea cut back the variety of issues they use on their pores and skin and as a substitute search for merchandise that accomplish a number of targets.

Dr. Kopelman suggests not utilizing the masks if:

You will have a flaxseed allergy
Your pores and skin is damaged or has an open wound
You will have a sunburn
You will have a pores and skin an infection
You will have a pores and skin situation like eczema or rosacea
You will have acne-prone pores and skin
You develop a rash or elevated breakouts
The masks stings or burns your pores and skin