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Calming Calendula Face Mask
Calendula mixed with french green clay, makes for a calming but effective on acne treatment mask.
What is calendula? Simply, a common marigold.
Native to Europe, calendula has forged a reputation as an effective remedy for reducing pain and swelling, treating wounds and preventing muscle spasms. It’s first aid healing properties are thanks to it’s microbial and anti viral properties.
Calendula has been used for centuries as a culinary, medicinal, and magical herb (encyclopedia.com)Â Â
I stumbled onto this wonderful flower after a lunch with my grandmother. At a lunch, she had freshly picked kale for salad which had gone to seed with these lovely yellow flowers.
These beautiful yellow flowers made a wonderful color pop to our salad but I was definitely weary about eating these, unknown-to-me, flowers.
My grandmother continued on to talk about some of the healing benefits of flowers.
Which got me thinking, what are some healing flowers that will lend healing properties in a face mask. That’s how I found calendula.
This calendula face mask is mixed with french green clay, together they are good for:
- Inflamed skin
- Deep cleanse and detoxing
- Acne and blemishes
- Aging skin
- Oily or normal skin
- Protecting your skin from UV rays
- Shrinking the appearance of pores
I can’t wait to share this calming face mask with you. It’s a perfect addition to a spa self-care evening.
Calendula may result in skin tightening benefits so that made french green clay a perfect choice for this mask recipe.Â
Our french green clay is a super fine 275 mesh that mixes into a wonderful smooth clay mask. Mined in France, it’s one of the 4 types of clay in our facial clay assortment pack. Â
What is Calendula?
Calendula is those pretty dried yellow flowers that you often see in the health bulk section at the store.
But calendula flower petals are edible whether they are fresh or dried. You can even grown these marigolds fresh in your backyard. When fresh, they look like this:
Whether fresh or dried petals, you can simply add them to boiling water and use that water. This method makes a calming calendula tea full of healing anti inflammatory properties. It’s also a great tea choice for a sore throat.
Pro tip: use calendula infused water as a toner. (like this toner) It will last up to 3 days when stored in the refrigerator.
After dehydrating or drying calendula flowers, they look like this:
Which is available in bulk at your health food store or here.Â
The next way calendula flowers are used in skin care is as a calendula oil. Calendula oil is extracted from the fresh flower petals.
In this form, Calendula oil is very moisturizing and commonly used for reducing appearance of stretch marks, soothing sunburned skin and calming eczema patches.
Is Calendula good for your Skin?
This simple, beautiful flower has a surprising amount of uses in your skincare routine.
When mixed in a cream, calendula has even exhibited SPF properties and could be used a natural sunscreen ingredient according to this 2012 study.
These 3 benefits of calendula make it a no-brainer for adding it to your face mask.
The benefits of calendula for your skin are:
1. Cleansing
Some species of the calendula plant have proven cleansing abilities. It has commonly been used as an antiseptic because of the saponins (a natural antiseptic). That’s why it’s popular as a calendula cleanser.
Part of a healthy skin care routine is keeping your skin properly cleansed. Dirt, bacteria and excess oil can clog your pores resulting in acne.
Twice a day cleansing is important, but just as important is a twice a week deep cleansing face mask.
For this recipe, french green clay is an great deep cleanse on it’s own and the antiseptic properties of calendula add to that.
2. Acne
As an extract, calendula flowers are antibacterial. This study concluded a methanol extract was an effective anti-acne herb effective against the p. acnes bacteria.Â
There is not any information on whether the flower petals themselves are effective as an anti-acne treatment which we used in this recipe. Â
Calendula is also anti-inflammatory. Ingredients that are anti inflammatory are effective for soothing inflamed breakouts and blemishes.Â
4. Wound Healing
This pubmed research found numerous case studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of increased wound recovery. One study found calendula with vaseline was 16% more effective than just vaseline treatments alone. There are “first aid” type calendula creams that offer a natural solution.Â
Since acne lesions are essentially wounds, the wound healing ability could be an effective anti-acne treatment.
More Soothing Clay Mask Recipes:
– Tropical Papaya Face Mask. This tropical face mask is smooth and uses kaolin clay as a base for a soothing face mask. The antioxidants of papaya give it an anti-aging boost.Â
– Manuka Honey Mask. Not just your everyday honey, this manuka honey originating from new zealand is a calming natural cleanser and healer.Â
Benefits French Green Clay!
There’s nothing better than a smooth french green clay mask that leaves your skin with a tightening sensation. Not often can you actually feel the immediate effects of a skin treatment.
French green clay absorbs impurities from your skin, more about this in how clay works.
By absorbing the bacteria and chemicals from your pores, this allows your pores to tighten and shrinks their appearance.
The benefits of french green clay are:
– cleansing deep into your pores
– shrinking the appearance of your pores
– tightening your skin
– absorbing excess oil
From our facial clay assortment pack some say the French Green Clay is their favorite. But you never know till you try! Here’s our clay multi pack:
With 4 types of clay, each package does 25 or more mask applications.
Writing this in July, I’m on a plastic free July mission. Our packaging is recyclable, but you save so much waste by mixing your own clay masks vs a sheet mask. Each sheet mask creates so much unnecessary waste.
Another favorite french green clay mask recipe is, herbal cleansing mask or lavender oatmeal mask.
Calendula Mask Ingredients:
Recipe Yield: 1 face masks
You will need:
- 1 ½ tsp French Green Clay
- ¼ tsp ground calendula flower petals or calendula powder
- 1 tsp of boiling water
For added calming hydration, try adding 1/4 tsp of manuka honey
Equipment required:
- 1 dry spice grinder (this is my favorite)
- 1 glass, wooden or plastic bowl (glass is preferred)
- 1 plastic, or wooden spoon
How to Mix Calendula Clay Mask
This recipe yields 1 face mask recipe.
If you want to make a larger batch, this recipe will keep if stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Step 1:Â Grind dried calendula flower petals in a dry spice grinder into a fine powder.
Even better, use calendula flower powder. I like to invest in ingredients I will use again, choose powder or petals depending on other uses too. Powder is great for soaps or adding to vegetable capsules. Petals are great for tea and as an edible salad topper.Â
Step 2: Add boiling water ground calendula petals and let sit for 1 minute. It won’t be hot after you mix in the clay.
Add boiling water to any leftover ground flower petals with a bit of honey for a tea while you relax with your mask on.
Pro tip: you can store the dry mixture together for a long shelf life. Then add your liquid on a per-mask basis. I like to do this and give these as gifts.
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Step 3: Mix french green clay into mixture until smooth.
**Use a plastic or wooden spoon to mix. Try to avoid using metal when mixing clay masks together.
How to apply Calendula Mask:
For application follow these instructions:
1. Start with a fresh face, wash your face before you begin.
2. Using a face mask brush, apply the mask evenly to your face and neck.
3. Let the face mask *almost* dry, and remove while it’s still tacky. If you let the face mask fully dry it will absorb your natural face oils. This will result in additional redness. Read more about that in our clay mask instructions. Remove with a warm face towel.
4. Follow up with a toner like witch hazel or diluted apple cider vinegar for acne prone skin.
5. Apply a moisturizer. Rosehip oil is my favorite this month for it’s anti aging and moisturizing properties.
And most importantly, don’t forget to make this a relaxing experience. I love to do my masks in the morning with coffee before I start my day or at night with a calming bath.
This face mask reminds me of a quote that I have always enjoyed.
“she is like a wildflower, beautiful, fierce and free.”
Calendula Face Mask
Mixed with French Green Clay, this easy 3-ingredient calendula face mask recipe is effective for acne-prone that cleanses and removes impurities from your pores.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tsp French Green Clay
- ¼ tsp ground calendula flower petals
- 1 tsp of boiling water
Instructions
- Grind calendula flower petals in a spice grinder.
- Add 1 tsp of boiling water to ground calendula and mix.
- Mix in 1 ½ tsp French Green Clay until smooth.
- Apply evenly to a cleansed face. Remove before mask fully dries.
- Tone and moisturize.
Disclaimer: Our content does not constitute a dermatologist or medical advice.
Did you try this mask? I would love to hear how it worked for you! Leave a comment below.