Taking care of yourself is something you simply must work into your routine. For your own wellbeing and the wellbeing of those around you. Whether you’re a mom trying to tame the terrible twos or a student balancing the demands of academic achievement and the rewards of a beautifully active social life, we all need to take a bit of time out to just love ourselves once in a while. Since long and luxurious baths are no longer an option (remember those days, hey Capetonians?) I’ve taken to another little self-care regime: concocting random homemade face masks with healthy ingredients from my pantry. Even though I’d hardly call myself a DIY beauty connoisseur, my little experiments have been super fun so far and I’ve even discovered three go-to home-made face mask recipes to try:  

 1. AVOCADO, CACAO & HONEY

Whether it's the heart of winter or you're getting beach ready, treat your skin to something special - an all-natural toning and hydrating lotion that will smooth away unwanted wrinkles and dimples, leaving you with a smoother, softer and more supple skin you can't wait to show off. This body lotion is easy to make at home, and of course its free of harsh chemical additives, artificial colours and fake flowery fragrances. With shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax, this is just what every organic goddesses' skin craves!

Note that this recipe will give you a rich moisturising and toning lotion with a thick creamy texture. It will probably feel too "heavy" for daytime use, but it's perfect for the evenings when you've just stepped out of a bath or shower. Massage it into your skin before bed, so you can soak up all that goodness while you sleep!

Raw honey and coconut oil are both youthful elixirs that have had main stage in many an age-old  beauty secret. For good reason too. Raw honey – and note if its not raw, then you are wasting your time, as unfortunately most of the honey found in grocery stores has been processed with heat, which kills off healing enzymes and destroys a lot of the nutrient-rich content, has a perfect natural PH of 4.5. Which is exactly what the skin needs to keep it in balance. Raw honey is rich in antiseptic and antimicrobial properties, which are very healing for the skin. It also contains gluconic acid, a mild alpha hydroxy acid that brightens the complexion, evens out skin tone, and lightens scars and age spots. Virgin Coconut oil has a small molecular structure which allows for easy absorption through the skin – helping to soften and smooth the texture of your skin.  Coconut oil has an anti-oxidant property which helps your skin fight against free radicals making it an ideal ointment for the relief of dry, rough and wrinkled skin.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED: