Cucumber face mask: variety and properties of the procedure
The condition of the skin of the face is the visiting card of any woman, because a well-groomed and healthy look depends on it, which attracts the eye and disposes to itself. To maintain the beauty of the skin, many new creative ways and advanced products are constantly being invented. However, the old folk recipes, tested over the years, also remain relevant due to their effectiveness and availability. Many beauties know about the wonderful properties of cucumber and use it in cosmetology. One of the popular options is the use of a vegetable in the form of masks.
Peculiarities
The secret of the popularity of cucumber face masks lies in their benefits, due to the unusually rich composition of the vegetable. The chemical content of cucumber perfectly satisfies the skin's nutritional and repair needs.
Most vegetables are made up of water. It is 90%. The remaining 10% is a vitamin complex, iron, phosphorus, calcium, organic acids, kaolin. Since cucumber juice is saturated with useful substances, it can be used both as a separate remedy and as a basis for multicomponent lotions and masks.
Vitamin A makes the skin supple and soft, saturates it with moisture and relieves flaking. B vitamins rejuvenate, protect, help the skin breathe, affect the metabolic process in cells, and treat acne. Vitamin C adds elasticity to the skin.Vitamin E helps cells renew themselves, and vitamin H enables tissues to regenerate. Cucumber relieves puffiness and red inflamed areas on the skin, whitens due to the content of vitamin K. Vitamin PP (niacin) helps to refresh the face.
This is a “shock” group of vitamins, which provides the effect of a cucumber mask. Also in the chemical composition of the vegetable there is a complex of organic acids, the action of which is similar to the action of hyaluronic acid (helps moisturize and rejuvenate the skin).
The use of cucumber masks at home in terms of impact and effect resembles lymphatic drainage massage. This vegetable does not contain aggressive substances that can cause irritation or itching. Therefore, cosmetics based on it can be used even for sensitive epidermis. They are also suitable for caring for the décolleté and delicate skin around the eyes.
For healing, a cucumber mask is applied in a course 2 times a week for a month. For preventive purposes, it is enough to use this product once a week. More frequent use is also acceptable.
Preparing a cucumber mask is easy. You can make it one piece. In this case, you will get an excellent tool that allows you to tone your skin and narrow enlarged pores. A multi-component mask will require the use of other products to complement the properties of the cucumber. The composition will depend on the desired result.
Indications for use
A cucumber mask will definitely benefit, regardless of the age and skin type of the lady using it. The effect of the impact of the tool will be visible immediately. The face will be refreshed and the skin will gain elasticity.
A cucumber mask is especially good for oily skin.Due to the effect on the sebaceous glands, it will remove excess shine, make the skin velvety and well-groomed. In the presence of acne, after applying the cucumber mixture, inflammation in the affected areas will decrease.
Cucumber has a wonderful set of elements that gives a rejuvenating effect. Masks from this vegetable smooth fine wrinkles well, help to avoid the appearance of new ones. It will not be possible to restore the natural relief and tighten aging skin in one procedure, but with the periodic use of such products, significant improvements can be achieved.
Cucumber works well on the area around the eyes. With bags under the eyes and puffiness of the eyelids, it is enough to apply pieces of fresh cucumber to these areas for a few minutes. The result will be visible after the first application.
Thus, indications for regular cucumber procedures are:
- skin with severe dryness, peeling;
- inflammation and redness on the skin;
- increased pigmentation (freckles, age spots, acne marks);
- acne, acne, adolescence;
- wrinkled skin, atopic skin.
Contraindications
Despite all the benefits of cucumber masks, there are contraindications to their use. You can not do cosmetic procedures (even such sparing ones) in the presence of wounds and suppuration on the skin.
Cucumber can be called a hypoallergenic vegetable, but masks are often made multi-component to achieve a greater effect. Therefore, people who are prone to allergic reactions should carry out a preliminary test even when using natural-based cosmetics. After all, any of the components can cause an unwanted reaction.
To check, apply a small amount of mass on the inside of the elbow and wait a few hours.If there is no redness, no itching, or other unpleasant manifestations, then the remedy can be used.
Thus, contraindications to the use of cucumber masks are:
- skin lesions;
- infectious diseases of the skin;
- intolerance to individual components of the mask;
- abscesses;
- neoplasms.
It should be borne in mind that the constant use of any components is addictive, so it is not necessary to constantly make cucumber masks. It is better to use them for a course of about a month, taking a monthly break.
How to prepare the skin?
The skin before carrying out cosmetic procedures must be cleaned of sebum, dust and dirt. Also, decorative cosmetics are removed from the skin. You should wash your face with warm, preferably boiled water without the use of aggressive agents. You can clean the skin with cosmetic milk.
To achieve a greater effect, in some cases, you can pre-steam the skin before applying the mask. It should be borne in mind that only healthy skin, without acne and acne, can be steamed. Also, steam exposure is contraindicated in case of rosacea. In other cases, such preparation will only benefit, since beneficial trace elements will penetrate better and faster. To do this, you need to sit for several minutes, holding your face over a bowl of hot water. You can add essential oil or a decoction of chamomile to the water.
The temperature of the rising steam must not be too high so that there is no risk of burns.
Before the procedure of applying the mask, you can do a facial massage. First, cheekbones and cheeks are massaged with fingertips. Then, with light movements, massage of other areas of the face and decollete is performed. This procedure will improve blood flow in the capillaries and facilitate the absorption of nutrients. The main thing is to remember that the area under the eyes cannot be massaged.
It is better to carry out the procedure in a relaxed state. To do this, you need to take a comfortable position in a reclining position so that the applied mask stays well on the face. Hair is collected under a cap or stabbed at the back of the head. It should be remembered that some components of the masks can affect the color and structure of the hair.
After applying the mask, it is recommended to apply a cosmetic lotion or light cream on the face, under which the skin will “breathe” freely.
Effective Recipes
Cosmetic companies offer a wide range of ready-made face masks with the addition of cucumber extract. They are recommended for skin irritations, as bleaching and moisturizing agents. Cucumber patches are also available for the under-eye area. There are a lot of brands and names of funds, the price range is also large.
But the greatest effect can be obtained from cucumber masks prepared at home. It is not difficult to make them, it is enough to have a blender to grind vegetables into a homogeneous mass. If necessary, you can chop the cucumber with a grater with medium-sized grains. The use of pushers is allowed. Before making a mask, vegetables must be washed, get rid of defects and damaged areas.
Apply the mask with light, massaging movements with your fingertips or cosmetic sponge. For exposure, the composition is left on the face for 20-25 minutes, then washed off with warm or slightly cool water.
There are quite a few ways to make masks from this healthy vegetable. They differ in direction of influence. The simplest and most versatile cucumber mask recipe was and remains the following: cut 1 fresh cucumber into slices or grind into a single mass.One piece should be lubricated on the surface of the face, the rest should be spread on the skin and left for 15-20 minutes. Then the cucumber slices are removed, you can not wash your face.
There are other, more interesting recipes with the addition of various vegetables, berries and other ingredients. Let's consider some of them.
anti-aging
Mature skin is the object of enhanced care, which should perform two main functions: moisturizing and improving tone. If these conditions are met, existing wrinkles will be smoothed out, and new ones will form more slowly. Also, atopic skin has a tendency to increased pigmentation, so it needs to be further bleached.
- Rejuvenating mask with potatoes. Grind 1 cucumber and 1 potato into gruel. Add 2-3 drops of olive oil and mix. Apply to the skin of the face for 20-30 minutes, rinse with water, apply a day cream.
- Lifting mask with cucumber and aspirin. Ingredients: 1 fresh cucumber with skin, 2 tablets of acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), chamomile infusion. Crush the tablets into a pulp, pour 1 tbsp. l. chamomile decoction. Grind the cucumber, mix all the ingredients. Massage and leave until completely dry. Keep on face for 5-10 minutes. Wash off with a cosmetic sponge moistened with chamomile decoction. The mask should be liquid, with scrub elements. You need to apply with light movements, gently exfoliating the skin. Instead of aspirin, calcium gluconate or ascorbic acid can be added to this mask.
- Mask of chicken protein and cucumber. Beat the protein of 1 chicken egg into a stable foam, mix with the juice of 2-3 cucumbers. Apply the mass on the face, leave for 15-20 minutes. Wash off with water.
- Sour cream mask with cucumbers. Beat 2 tbsp. l. sour cream (preferably homemade) with gruel from 1 fresh cucumber.Add a few drops of essential oil (peach, mint, fir, rose). Keep on face for 10-15 minutes. The skin of the face may tingle slightly during the procedure. It is important to monitor the sensations so that the tingling does not develop into pain or itching - this may be a sign of an allergic reaction. In this case, the mask must be washed off immediately.
- Milk mask. Mix 2 tbsp. l. milk with 2 tbsp. l. grated fresh cucumber. Add 1 tbsp. l. low-fat cottage cheese, 1 tbsp. l. chopped parsley and 1 tsp. olive oil. Stir, heat a little in a water bath until a temperature that is pleasant to the touch is reached. Apply with massaging movements, keep for 15 minutes.
- Mask with white clay. Mix 2 tbsp. l. grated cucumber with 1 tbsp. l. white clay (or any other cosmetic clay). Mix and apply on face. After drying, keep for 10 minutes. Wash off with warm water.
For acne
The recipes are as follows.
- Mask with blue clay and cucumbers. Grate 1 fresh cucumber, mix with 1 tbsp. l. blue cosmetic clay. Apply to face and wait for the mixture to harden. Wash off with warm water. This combination is good for acne and blackheads. You can also apply a ready-made clay mask to your face, and place slices of fresh cucumber on top of it. This option is easier to use, but the effect of it will be rather tightening. To get rid of acne, the first version of the procedure is recommended.
- Mousse with almond butter. Grind 1 fresh cucumber into gruel, add 1 egg white and 1 tsp. almond oil. Bring the mixture to a smooth and foamy state. Apply daily for a month. The skin of the face will be visibly cleansed, the proteins of the oil will have an anti-inflammatory and healing effect.
Whitening
You can use the following ingredients.
- Honey mask. Mix 1 tbsp. l. liquid honey with 1 grated cucumber. Apply to face, keep up to half an hour. Such a mask can be heated in a water bath before application.
- Lemon mousse. Mix 1 tbsp. l. freshly squeezed lemon juice with 2 tbsp. l. cucumber porridge. Add beaten egg white (1/2 egg). Apply to face, keep for no more than 10 minutes. If the skin turns a little red after use, you can cut the cucumber into slices and wipe your face additionally.
- Illuminating mask. Grate 1 cucumber, mix with 1 tbsp. l. cream (low fat). Squeeze 3-4 strawberries into a pulp, mix with the rest of the mass. Apply to the face with gentle massage movements for 20-30 minutes. A mask made according to this recipe can save you from age spots and redness. It is worth remembering that strawberries are a strong allergen, so it is important to check the reaction to the components of the composition before the procedure.
- Sauerkraut mask. Stir ½ fresh cucumber with 2 tsp. sour cabbage. Add 1 egg, beat with a blender. Apply for 10-15 minutes. Rinse the skin thoroughly. This tool is called "grandmother's recipe", in the villages it was often used before important events, when it was necessary to look good.
Moisturizers
You can use the following options.
- Exfoliating kefir mask. Grind 1 green vegetable into gruel. Add 2 tbsp. l. kefir, mix until a homogeneous consistency is reached. Keep for 10-15 minutes, rinse skin well with water. You can add 1 tbsp. l. wheat flour or ground almonds. The particles will gently cleanse the skin and remove all dead cells from its surface. The exfoliating effect of such a mask will be similar to the action of a soft scrub.
- Yogurt mask. The recipe is similar to the one described above, only instead of kefir they take yogurt without additives and dyes.This mask will help with excessive dryness of the skin due to the high fat content of yogurt and the healing properties of cucumber.
- Olive oil mask. Mix cucumber gruel and olive oil in the required amount in a ratio of 1: 1. As a rule, take 1-2 tbsp. l. each product. Keep the mixture on your face for at least 20 minutes. This mask heals microcracks very well.
- Herbal mask. Mix 1 tbsp. l. grated cucumber with ground mint, basil, parsley (1 tsp each type of greens). Keep the mixture on your face for 20 minutes, rinse with warm water.
A mask using various herbs is great for the area around the eyes. Vitamins contained in natural greens perfectly complement the properties of cucumber. This composition relieves swelling, helps eliminate bags and "bruises" under the eyes.
Little tricks
The benefits of cucumber in cosmetology are undeniable, it has been proven by more than one generation of women. To fully use all the advantages of this vegetable, you need to know some tricks.
- For cosmetic masks, it is better to use fresh cucumbers, recently picked from the garden. Vegetables bought in the store out of season are unlikely to have many useful substances. Therefore, for the period of winter, cucumbers can be frozen. The thawed vegetable can be cut and applied in slices to the skin, including the area around the eyes. This method will tighten the skin, remove bags under the eyes.
- Cucumber mass can be applied to the face in a chilled form and in the summer. This will have an additional tonic effect.
- Juice or pureed mass of cucumber can be frozen in ice molds. Get a special cosmetic ice. It can be used to wipe the face, as well as thawed for application to the skin in liquid form.
- For a deeper and longer-lasting effect, it is recommended not to wash the juice off the face. The cucumber mass is removed with a cotton swab. If the mask contains other products, it is better to remove the composition from the face with cool water.
- Cucumber mass is best done for one application. Keeping the mixture ready-made in the refrigerator does not make sense, since the vitamins are quickly destroyed.
Reviews
Reviews of women about cucumber masks are unanimous. All of them are positive. Ladies note an improvement in skin condition, smoothing wrinkles, lightening problem areas with increased pigmentation.
Young girls often use cucumber to eliminate acne. The reviews of this group indicate that the effect is noticeable after a few applications of such masks. At the same time, the therapeutic effect is very mild.
Mature women also note a gradual improvement in skin condition under the influence of cucumber procedures. The face becomes more toned, elastic.
The effect is achieved with regular course use, and it lasts for several months. It is desirable to repeat the course regularly.
All ladies note the availability and ease of use of cucumber masks. In the absence of special cosmetics at hand, many people replace facial skin care with this vegetable.
There are few negative reviews, they are mainly related to the incorrect use of masks or low-quality raw materials. Cucumber allergies are extremely rare.
How to make a cucumber face mask, see the following video.