Now, I have never tried this DIY mask before though my grandmother, her friends and my mother have given it a shot. My grandmother liked it so much; she used to use it once every few weeks (I think she has stopped) while my mother felt that it was a bit too strong for her skin. “It’s like a DIY acid peel,” Mum said as I examined at her face carefully. “I think it takes off the top layer of skin cells because my skin feels thinner.”
Mum’s skin did look brighter and her pigmentation scars seemed a little lighter but her skin did seem a little “thin”.
“Hmm…. Think you are right,” I paused. “Eh, didn’t Popo (Hakka for maternal grandmother) say she’s going to do this again today or something?”
“She did? That’ll be the third time this week. I better call her while she still has a face left.”
If you are intrigued enough to try this, all you have to do is:
1. Collect 3-5 hibiscus leaves (not the flower) from your garden/ your neighbour’s bush/ side of the highway. Don’t get caught, of course.
2. Wash them and pound them with a good ol’ fashioned mortar and pestle ‘til they are mashed up.
3. Spread green stuff on already cleansed face and leave for 10-15 minutes before washing off.
As this mask sounds quite strong, I strongly recommend doing a patch test first. People with sensitive skin or acne should definitely stay away or wait until existing pimples subside.
Does anyone else have stories from their grandmother?
6 comments:
Hi Eli! That's an interesting DIY mask, one other use for the mashed up green hibiscus leaf goo is to use it as a shampoo (yep, my gran's contribution) because have you seen the way it lathers when mixed with water?. And it used to work surprisingly well back in the days when I had access to the plants.
My grandmother was a firm believer in the use of thick coconut cream as a hair mask. She would slather it on and sit in the sun a bit to warm it before washing it off. The woman was known to be very beautiful and elegant, so I guess it worked...
Undercover Gypsy: Hibiscus leaves as shampoo? That's going into my survival guide. Think there are hibiscus plants around in my apartment grounds...
Anonymous: What a coincidence! I just started experimenting with coconut cream on my hair and it seems to work pretty well. The only problem is the drip factor...
Wow, this could really work. Though, I remember picking off hibiscus petals when I was a kid and then grounding them to use as a base for bubble liquid.
yes, its a known petua (malays) to wash hair wit hibiscus leaves.. it helps to keep scalp cool & clean, n thickens hair.
Useful info. Hope to see more good posts in the future.
best face mask for glowing skin in multan
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