Golden Mud: Food-Based Face & Body Mask

An anti-inflammatory, an exfoliant, a daily cleanser, a face mask, a body scrub/wrap

This is a great year-round beauty product that makes for a special treat or a daily cleanser. My skin always feels better afterwards. I love that all the ingredients are food-based and that it can be made in less than 5 minutes. It’s especially nice as a cooling cleanser in the summertime when redness or heat bumps appear after a day in the sun. In winter/spring, it makes for a great exfoliant when you need a little help removing dead skin. And in the fall, with a little oil, it helps to keep skin moist. Plus, it’s kid-friendly.

Dosha: Vata, Pitta, Kapha

Time to make: less than 5 minutes
Ingredients:
1/2 part turmeric
1 part besan flour (chickpea or garbanzo bean flour)
2 parts yogurt/milk (full-fat is nice)
1/4 part rosewater
Optional: 1/4 to 1/2  part sesame oil if you have very dry skin

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Consistency should be nice and thick like stirred Greek yogurt. As a facial/body cleanser, you can add a tad bit more milk or water to make it a bit thinner (not too drippy, as turmeric will stain clothes). Apply to your face and neck (or all over). Rinse well with warm water.

Exfoliant: Apply a nice thick layer and relax until it begins to harden. If it’s too dry, wet your hands before gently rubbing it off. Ideally, you want to have a little moisture to help rub it off. Some areas may be drier than others, and that’s okay, as our skin is oilier and drier in different areas of our faces. The moisture from the wetter areas will help remove the drier parts of the mask. Once most of it is rubbed off, rinse with warm water.

Store extra in the fridge, and will stay good for about a week.

Reflections: Golden Mud Memories from Childhood

Back in my elementary school days (at least per my memory, but I am sure this goes back even further) I was pretty regularly bathed with this golden mud. The thick paste lathered on kind of like a seaweed wrap treatment in a fancy spa. However, my version was our bathtub with no calming music or mood lighting. Just me covered in yellow mud like a golden mummy. Sounds fun, eh? After a while, I couldn’t even talk aloud to my imaginary friends. Okay, so I did have some fun trying to get the mud to crack by making faces. Its not like I am complaining, it was just a day in the life of a 2nd gen growing up in the early eighties. So once the paste was semi-dry, the fun really began—exfoliation! I mean, who needs a loofah anyway? Roll eyes and laugh. Honestly, I still use golden mud, but now I usually keep it above the neck or use it as cleanser—childhood drama and trauma, you know?! Results: Soft skin until this day. Start young, but make it fun!