How to Make a Tomato Face Mask

Making Basic Tomato Masks

Make the tomato base. Many different face masks use the same tomato base. Take a good sized, ripe tomato and cut it in half. Over a small bowl, squeeze the tomato until all the juice and seeds are in the bowl. The tomato must be ripe enough or it won't have enough juice in it to make a decent base for your masks. The kind of tomato doesn't really matter, but you need one that has enough juice to cover your whole face, which should be about 2 tablespoons. The use of tomato on your face may cause irritation or itching at first because of the acidity of the tomatoes. It should go away. If it persists, wash off the mask and do not reapply. Tomatoes contain substances that are great for your skin, such as lycopene, the nutrient that gives it the red coloring.

Mix a mask for oily skin. Grind or blend a cucumber to obtain its juice. Add two to three tablespoons of the cucumber juice to the tomato mixture. Then, add one to two tablespoons of honey, depending on how thin your juices are. Stir the ingredients well. Apply the mask all over your face. Leave on for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse off with warm water and pat your skin dry. The skin of the cucumber can stay on to increase the vitamins in the juice. You can also use the cucumber paste that results when you blend it. If it is too thin, add a little honey at a time to thicken the mask. Cucumbers are a great addition to tomatoes because of their anti-inflammatory and cleansing properties, which will help remove the oil and calm your skin.

Create a mask for dry skin. Add one teaspoon to one tablespoon of olive oil to your tomato juice, depending on how much juice you have. Mix the two together well. Apply the mask to your face and leave on for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse off with warm water and pat dry.

Make a mask for combination skin. Add a tablespoon of avocado to a bowl. Using a fork, mush the avocado until it is a paste. Add the avocado to the tomato juice. Mix them well and apply it to your face. Leave on for 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse off with lukewarm water and pat dry. The avocado should be ripe so it smooths out well for you. Avocado is great for dry skin because the vitamins A and E it contains help protect and replenish your skin. The natural oils in the avocado help moisturize your skin on contact and the vitamins help lock in the moisture.

Mix a mask for all skin types. Cut a lemon in half and measure out one tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix the two juices together well. Using a cotton ball, apply the mixture to your face. Leave on for 15 minutes, then rinse off with warm water and pat dry. This mask may sting even more than just the tomato juice, especially if you have sensitive skin, because of the added acidity in the lemon. Be careful if you have sensitive skin or reactions to citrus juice. You can also add some oatmeal for a little texture and added nutrients to your mask. Lemon juice has nutrients and vitamins that will help brighten, moisturize, exfoliate, and lighten your skin as well as help with acne.

Making Tomato Masks for Acne Prone Skin

Make an antibacterial mask. Take a medium ripe tomato and cut it in half. Scoop out the insides and place them in a small bowl. Measure out one teaspoon of plain Greek yogurt into the bowl. Mix well until the mixture is light pink. Apply the mixture to your face. Leave it on for 10 minutes. Rinse off with lukewarm water and pat dry your skin. If the mixture is too runny, add a little more yogurt. The probiotics and natural bacteria in the yogurt help fight the organisms that cause acne and reduce the prevalence of them on your skin.

Mix an acne scrub. Take a tomato and cut the top third off, near the stem. Set the larger part aside but keep the smaller part nearby. Pour out two tablespoons of iodized salt onto a plate or napkin. Take the small piece of tomato and rub it around a little in your hand to get the juices moving. Dip the wet edge of the tomato into the salt mixture. Over a sink, rub the tomato around you face for a few minutes, using the salt to exfoliate your face. Leave the mixture on your face for 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water. Do not rub too hard. You don't want to irritate your skin. Plum tomatoes work best for this scrub because the tomatoes are hardier and won't fall apart as easy as you rub the tomato across your face.

Create a simple blackhead rub. Take a small, ripe tomato and cut it into easily crushable pieces. Place them in a bowl and, using a fork or masher, crush the tomatoes. Keep crushing until they make a pulpy mixture with a few clumps. Apply the pulpy mixture to your face. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse off with warm water. Pat dry with a towel. You can also use a mortar and pestle, if you have one, to crush tomatoes. Don't blend, unless you just pulse it a few times. You want there to still be some chunks of the tomato left.