Today’s DIY recipe is a total revelation to me. It comes courtesy of Melissa Colgan, the Style Editor at Mpls.St. Paul magazine. She was kind enough to take before/after glamour shots of her soon-to-be-famous baking soda and orange juice mask.
MC says that this combo gets rid blackheads like nobody’s business and is great for treating hormonal breakouts. The baking soda exfoliates and fights acne while the acid in the orange juice tightens pores and the vitamin C brightens. Here are her instructions:
- Mix 1 tbsp real orange juice with 1 tbsp baking soda (I like to use a shot glass – ha!)
- Spread a thin layer on face. (There should be enough for two applications, or one if you put it on your neck and décolletage, too, which I do.)
- Leave on for 20 minutes
- Dampen finger tips and scrub mask in circular motions for extra exfoliation
- Rinse
The mask will tingle and itch a little so it’s good too have a distraction—paint your nails, watch TV, but whatever you do, don’t talk. As the paste dries, any facial movements will cause it to flake off. Your skin will be pink afterwards (see photo), like as you just peeled off a few layers. When I am done I use a really gentle toner and then slather on some lotion.
Tip: If you don’t have the time for a full mask, mix a little bit of baking soda into your cleanser for a light exfoliating treatment.
Filed Under: acne treatment, at-home spa recipe, exfoliation, facial peel, how to get rid of blackheads, mask, melissa colgan, scrub
Very tempting, but I have to ask first: How long does it take before the pinkness abates? I have sensitive skin (it’s tough, but turns pink/red if you so much as look at it wrong), but I’d love to try this if only for the blackhead-removing qualities. Thanks!
Great question! The pinkness goes away in about a half hour. If your skin is sensitive I would suggest just applying it to the problem areas. Sometimes I will just put it on my nose and chin where I get breakouts and blackheads. And if it works on the problem areas and doesn’t cause too much irritation, then maybe you can try a full face application.
I can’t wait to try this at home tonight! Baking soda works great in my cleanser but I have never used it as a mask. Thanks for the idea!
Love it! Can’t wait to try this.
What do you mean by “real” orange juice? Not from concentrate? Fresh squeezed?
BRILLIANT!
Oh my goodness, this is right up my alley! Can’t wait to try!
hi i am very light skin and i have light red cracks around my nose i have always had this since i was a child. Will the baking soda orange juice mask clear the redness up?
Paris – are you referring to broken capillaries or physical cracks in you skin? If you’re dry around your nose, this will definitely help buff away dead skin cells, but be gentle! You also might want to see a derm about possible eczema or dermatitis – very easy to treat with a proper moisturizer.
This was friggin ammmmaazing!!! Just tried it out, and I can tell you, this stuff works!
@Katrina: I just sliced an orange in half and squeezed out a tablespoon of juice.