June 11
It’s been almost three years since I first blogged about this DIY face mask, courtesy of now-Martha Stewart Wedding accessories editor Melissa Colgan. To this day it remains our most-visited and most-pinned post. There’s a lot to love about a treatment that calls for just two ingredients, costs less than 50 cents to make, and banishes oil and blackheads in 20 minutes. The baking soda exfoliates and fights acne while the acid in the orange juice tightens pores and the Vitamin C brightens (you can use a different type of citrus juice but you won’t get quite the same effect).
Use 1-2 times/week depending on skin’s sensitivity.
1. Mix 1 tsp. real orange juice with 1 T. baking soda.
2. Spread a thin layer on face, neck and décolletage.
3. Leave on for 20 minutes.
4. Dampen finger tips and scrub mask in circular motions for extra exfoliation. Rinse.
5. Follow with a gentle toner and moisturizer.
NOTES:
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 may be pink afterwards, but that will dissipate.
Filed Under: blackheads, diy face mask, Drugstore Beauty Buys, oily skin, orange juice and baking soda face mask
Hello lovelies! I'm Elizabeth Dehn, a beauty writer + lifestyle editor who's equally fanatical about lip gloss as juice cleansing. I live in Minneapolis with Mr. Bets and our white lab, Molly Thomas . . . 
Would this be good for sensitive, acne-prone skin??
OoO I just tried this! Thank you for this post. fyi my skin is very sensitive and so far so good :)
I have sensitive, acne-prone skin and when I tried this two years ago it left my face beet red for more than a day. I would advise against it, iga.
Is it supposed to burn? because me and my sister made a mask and my sister put hers on and i put mine on and mine burnt and hers didnt. I think i might put to much orange juice in it.
I actually just tried this nifty little mask. And my results were fabulous. Before i even did the mask, I made sure to wash my face thoroughly after a wash and pat dry I dampened my exfoliator to remove dead skin. Even though the baking soda in the mask is seen as an exfoliate, I just wanted the extra umph.
This is when I began my mask. It did burn but I think that could potentially be the reacting baking soda with orange juice acid on my newly exfoliated skin. But by god, after 20 minutes of watching my tv show, I rinsed off the mask and found an amazing, oil free face. Better yet! My grossly dark blackheads were nearly gone and barely visible.
I would so love to know how often one should use this mask because I do feel it is a definite go to facial treatment for me, now. (:
So glad it worked for you! Unless you’re super-sensitive (in which case this mask probably isn’t for you), I’d use it 1-2 times a week.
[...] free radicals and reactive oxygen species that aren’t completely blocked by a sunscreen. Second, it helps brighten the skin and lighten dark spots. Vitamin C may also help improve skin tone and the appearance of fine [...]
Could I use lemon juice instead?
You won’t get as much vitamin C but it will exfoliate!
Just tried it. Def put more b soda to make it more like a paste. I have oily, acne prone sensitive skin. Only left it for 10 minutes then put warm water n exfoliated= my skin is so SMOOTH! Not bumpy at all, all baby soft with some scars lightened. It didn’t burn like I expected either. Put full make up on n my skin looks really clean, smooth, healthy and luminous! Def happy! This is not bs!!
This is AMAZING!! I almost started antibiotics for acne that was TERRIBLE. I decided to give it one more day and do this and I seriously can’t believe the results. I am absolutely sold.
this is perfect,. it is tingling a bit right now but i think that is a good sign! :)
My doctor told me about this mask! at my 17 wk appt I was complaining about the hormonal breakouts and not being able to do anything about it. She said “Try this, its organic and it works. You’ll have fabulous skin I promise.” She was right!
Alright, so I want to try this like…now. But I don’t have any orange juice, like in a carton. Can I use an actual orange and just squeeze the juice out of it???
Emily, I would assume by real orange juice they’re talking about squeezing juice from an orange ;)
I bought the Citrus Clear Grapefruit Spot Treatment to reduce the oil on my combination skin and to get rid of some of my blackheads. Yes! You can use the Citrus Clear spot treatment as a mask as well! My dermatologist told me this, and I am so happy about it!
I rinse with lots of warm water to open my pores and then use the Citrus Clear Grapefruit Spot Treatment. About half of my blackheads go away each time I use it! It’s a fantastic product and I’m addicted.
My pores was HUGE but this mask saved my face it amazing I wore for 20 minutes and could instant see results THANK YOUUUUUUUU