Homemade Oatmeal Facial

Yes, I know, this has nothing to do with a dinner recipe, but it does have something to do with healthy food and it is a recipe! I found this great recipe for a homemade oatmeal facial. An oatmeal facial is very easy to do — all you really need is oats and water. If you'd like something a little more "exotic" you can add other ingredients.

Basic Oatmeal Facial:

1/4 cup ground oats (about 1/2 cup Quick or Old Fashioned Quaker Oats, unground) 2 to 3 tablespoons water

Mix ground oats and water until the mixture is a smooth, spreadable paste. You can add more oats or water as needed. Apply the oat paste to a clean face, avoiding the eye area. Leave on for 15 - 20 minutes. Wash off with warm water and follow with a rinse of cold water.

You can customize your facial by adding any of the following "Mix-In" ingredients to the Basic Oatmeal Facial recipe. You can use one Mix-In or several — half the fun is the experimenting! Here are some helpful hints to help you customize your facial.

• Try adding from 1/2 teaspoon to one tablespoon when starting out. A good rule of thumb is the more "liquidy" the Mix-In ingredient is, the less you use. Don't worry if the paste consistency doesn't turn out right. If the paste is too thin, just add some more oats. If it's too stiff, add some more water or more of your chosen Mix-In.
• When adding mashed fruit, start at about a tablespoon. Be sure to decrease the amount of water by about the same amount. Add more liquid or oats as needed, until you have the desired consistency.
• When we refer to a "teaspoon" or a "tablespoon," we mean measuring spoons used for baking, not those from your flatware set.
• If you are allergic to any of these foods we don't recommend putting them on your face.

• Skin Type	Mix-In	Helpful Hints
  Dry	Avocado, mashed
  	Apricot, mashed	Don't use the apricot skin.
  	Banana, mashed
  	Peach, mashed	Don't use the peach skin.
  	Olive oil	Start out with 1/2 teaspoon.
  	Whole milk	Start out with 1/2 teaspoon.
  	Sour cream
  Oily Skin	Strawberry, mashed	One large one should do it!
  	Papaya, mashed
  	Tomato, mashed	You might want to remove the skin, seeds and pulpy center. Try to use just the "meat" of the tomato.
  	Honey	Warm slightly before using.
  	Egg white, beaten	Make sure the eggshell is clean and not cracked.
  	Cucumber juice	Or, try pureed cucumber.
  	Lemon juice	Easy does it, especially if your skin is raw or sunburned.
  	Vinegar
  	Non-fat, plain yogurt
  Exfoliating	Cornmeal	When applying and removing the mask, gently massage into the skin. Don't do this more than once a week.
  	Papaya
  	Plain yogurt	Use non-fat if you have oily skin.
  	Apricot
  	Cider vinegar