Glowing, healthy skin is the best makeup anyone can wear. Unfortunately, lifestyle habits and stress, along with pollution, all take a toll on the skin as years go by. As if that isn’t bad enough, our skin decides to produce less natural oil, collagen, and retinol as we age, making our complexion dull, dry and saggy. Skincare companies know this only too well and play expertly on our insecurities - tricking us into buying this miracle cream and that wonder serum, only to be perpetually disappointed.

A mirror may be a girl’s best friend, but the mirror doesn’t lie. When you see that the face staring back at you is yours, only tad more tired and spotty skin, and a wrinkle or two as bonus, don’t let it get you down, ladies! Lucky for us, ol’ mamma nature has in its glorious basket, many fresh, nutrient-rich alternatives to tone damaged or ageing skin. All you need is a bit of know-how as to what works well for your skin, and well, a trip to the nearest supermarket. We’ve compiled 4 DIY face mask recipes with natural, easily-available ingredients that’ll keep your skin toned and youthful, without draining your purse.

Best for acne and blemishes

The best toners for acne are green tea, lemon, and honey. Green tea is packed with antioxidants that will clear your skin of impurities and remove fine lines. Honey is a natural moisturiser with antibacterial compounds that will soothe, soften and brighten your skin tone. Lemon is a potent natural astringent that will cleanse and shrink large pores, clear excessive oiliness, lighten dark spots and fight acne. Give this mask a shot if you have regular acne breakouts, redness, and irritated skin, before you rush to a dermatologist.

You need:

• 2 green tea bags
• 1 tbsp honey
• ½ tbsp lemon juice

1. Steep the tea bags in half a cup of hot water and let the water cool. Remove the bags and mix honey and lemon into the tea-water.
2. Massage this mask onto your face and leave it on for a quarter of an hour before washing it off with cool water.
3. You can place the tea bags on your eyes for extra benefits of green tea.

Best for oily skin

If your face appears oily or blotchy with enlarged, clogged pores, or if makeup-meltdown hits you all the time, you’re probably going around with excessively oily skin, and acne is doubtlessly lurking around the corner. What you need is an exfoliating face mask with oatmeal and honey. Oatmeal absorbs oil and toxins from the skin, clears dead skin and gently cleanses blocked pores. You can add some yoghurt to this mix to make it more pliable.

You need:

• 2 tbsp oats
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1-2 tbsp organic yoghurt

1. Throw in a few drops of lavender or lemongrass oil for some extra love, and apply this mask until it hardens.
2. Rinse it off with warm water and then clean your face well with a soft, wet washcloth.
3. You can follow this up with a natural toner like cucumber water or rosewater.

Best for brightening dull skin

The dullness of complexion is usually because of skin dryness, sun exposure or excessive dead skin. What you need is the natural pore-tightening, uplifting and illuminating benefits of ripe banana. Banana is actually nature’s very own Botox. It hydrates the skin to remove sagginess and dryness, leaving your face supple and glowing. Yoghurt is a natural conditioner with lactic acid that moisturises dull skin, and hair too! Combine it with the nourishing richness of sandalwood, known for its anti-tanning and polishing qualities and you have a winner!

You need:

• 1 mashed banana
• 1 tbsp sandalwood powder
• 1 tbsp organic yoghurt

Mix and massage this mask onto your face, leave it on for 20 minutes and then wash off with warm water, gently rubbing it as you rinse, for extra exfoliation.

Best for skin tightening

Avocado has loads of Vitamin E that tightens the skin and gives it a healthy, youthful glow. The fatty acids and antioxidants in avocado hydrate and tone dry skin, preventing excessive oil secretion. Eggs are rich in proteins, riboflavin, and albumin, all absorbed easily into the skin, tightening and firming it. Using this mask once in a week on your face and neck will certainly firm up your face, and brighten your skin tone.

You need:

• 1 whole egg
• 3 tbsp of mashed ripe avocado
• Tbsp honey

Apply the mask to your face and neck. Leave it on for about 20-30 minutes, and then wash off nicely with water.

Remember to smear these DIY masks on a clean face and repeat these recipes weekly to get the best results and the sweetest compliments!

Hello, Amelia, here from FixYourSkin.com! FixYourSkin has a lot of tips, health advice and DIY recipes which can give you great looking skin without any side effects!