DIY Beauty: Artichoke Tea Face Mask

I wasn't planning to put up another DIY post this week but I have to rave about this mask created by yours truly.

See, I am having my period and am feeling absolutely miserable due a mixture of hormones and the blues (I am returning to Malaysia to work next week so Mr. A. and I are going to be separated for quite a while). On top of that, I spent most of last week having late nights drinking and talking with ex-university mates. I fully expected my skin to be shot to hell this week. It was already showing signs of a nightmare: dry patches, pimples, clogged pores and, worse yet, the beginnings of cystic acne.

But my skin has never looked better (except for a few scars, that is).

Thank goodness for artichoke tea.

After examining my face and sighing for the 100th time last Friday, I pottered into the kitchen to see what I had on hand.

Yoghurt? Ooh, great. I always had great results with yoghurt. What next? Honey! Honey isn't bad too. I like honey. Bee pollen? I have been experimenting with it off and on but it doesn't seem to do much. Green tea? Hmm... Wait, that's too drying so forget it.

Then my eyes lit on a packet of artichoke tea.

A couple of months ago, my parents sent me several boxes of Vietnamese artichoke tea (picture of brand on left. It comes from the Dalat region) with a note that the tea was great for strengthening the liver and the gall bladder. I ended up keeping it for the days when I had indigestion, constipation or felt sluggish. A cup of artichoke tea usually put me back on track after a few hours.

It was easy. All I did was to tear open the packet, shake out the loose tea into a bowl and pour about a tablespoon or two of hot water into the bowl. While the tea was brewing, I went to wash my face.

Once I was done, I added a teaspoon of yoghurt into the bowl and mixed it all up. The mixture was a bit runny though so I shook some bee pollen into the mix to thicken it (omit the bee pollen if you don't have it. Some corn flour would work too, I think). Then I applied it on my face, concentrating on the areas with congested pores and existing scars. As the mixture was still a bit drippy, I layered some tissue paper on top just to keep everything on.

I washed my face 15 minutes later and was surprised. My skin looked brighter and the red areas seemed calmer. I have never had such obvious results from a DIY mask before.

After 4 days of daily use, my skin looks great. The dreaded cystic acne has disappeared, my dry patches are gone and my scars have healed rapidly. I don't even have to use a moisturiser afterwards unless it's night time.

There are only a few drawbacks to this mask though. First, it's rather messy and looks like shit (no other way to describe it. Mr. A told me to go sit in a corner until I washed it off). Second, artichoke tea isn't easy to come by. Third, it takes quite a while to wash off if you add bee pollen to this. I use up quite a bit of toner and cotton wiping the yellow residue off.

Give this a shot if you can get your hands on some artichoke tea. The results are well worth the mess and the trouble.

Now, excuse me while I take another look in mirror.