How to make homemade facial masks, peels, scrubs

Even if you're staying at home right now, you can still pamper yourself and feel rejuvenated thanks to homemade facial masks.

Besides the nourishment they provide your skin, the best part about DIY face masks is that they’re easy to whip up using items found in your kitchen.

“When you’re under stress, you start lacking hydration and nutrients, and we want to keep skin well hydrated and well fed,” said Deborah Burnes, CEO and co-founder of Sumbody skin care and author of "Natural Beauty Skin Care: 110 Organic Formulas for a Radiant You!"

While professional beauty treatments and products can help do that, the remedy might also be in your fridge. “At home, we have a lot of ingredients at the ready,” she told TODAY Style.

Pick the right mask for your needs

Certain ingredients can give your skin different benefits. Honey, for example, helps dry skin retain moisture and naturally relieves redness, inflammation and irritation, Burnes said.

Another great ingredient that most people have on hand is apple cider vinegar, which can help fight acne by dissolving dead skin to fight bacteria and prevent buildup.

And if you’re looking for a way to get an all-natural peel, Burnes suggested trying a face mask that includes fruit, which is a natural form of alpha hydroxy acids.

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Prep your skin

Once you’ve found the right recipe for your skin troubles (we've included seven below!), it’s time to prep your skin by washing your face with cleanser. “Get pores clean and circulation moving,” Burnes said.

Hydrolyze

After you’ve prepared the mask and applied it to your face, it’s important to hydrolyze or, in other words, “Don’t let it dry or cake on,” according to Burnes. You can do this by leaving the mask on while you shower, letting the steam take over. Or place a warm damp hand towel across your face, leaving your mouth and nose uncovered. “The moist heat will keep things active,” Burnes explained.

Ready to turn your home into a day spa? Below, Burnes and other skin care experts share their favorite homemade facial mask recipes:

Blemish-busting mask

Got acne? Burnes suggests this mask recipe to help fight breakouts. Each ingredient has its own role in creating clearer skin.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/16 teaspoon activated charcoal
• 1/4 teaspoon kaolin, green or deep sea clay
• 1/8 teaspoon bee pollen, ground
• 1/16 teaspoon turmeric

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Apply to your face and leave on for 5-15 minutes.
3. Remove with warm water on a soft moistened washcloth and gently wipe or pat off.

Hydrating mask

If you’ve got dry skin, consider whipping up this face mask that calls for bananas, which are filled with nutrients and vitamins to help keep your skin properly moisturized, Burnes said.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon banana, mashed
• 1 teaspoon avocado, mashed
• 1/4 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon brewer’s yeast
• 1/8 teaspoon coconut milk

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Apply to your face and leave on for 5-15 minutes.
3. Remove with warm water on a soft moistened washcloth and gently wipe or pat off.

Hydrating facial scrub

Another way to combat dry skin is with a facial scrub that exfoliates like this one from Stephanie Gerber, founder of natural beauty blog Hello Glow and author of "Hello Glow: 150+ Easy Natural Beauty Recipes For a Fresh New You." The ground flaxseeds gently exfoliate while almonds provide vitamins A and E to your skin.

Ingredients:

• 3 almonds
• 2 tablespoons flax seeds
• 1 teaspoon dry milk powder

Directions:

1. Combine almonds and flax seeds in a coffee grinder and grind until you have a really fine powder.
2. Stir in the milk powder. Keep dry ingredients in a container with a lid beside the sink.
3. Combine a pinch of powder in your hand with water or rose water and make a paste.
4. Apply scrub to clean, damp skin with clean hands.
5. Gently massage into skin for about a minute, starting with the jaw and working upward, but always avoiding your eyes.
6. Rinse with lukewarm water.
7. Apply toner, then serum and moisturizer.

Brightening yogurt facial mask

Here’s a fun mask that Gerber recommends applying to brighten dull skin and even out skin tone. The secret is blueberries, which are incredibly rich in vitamin C.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of plain organic yogurt
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of honey
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Small handful of blueberries, organic preferably

Directions:

1. Blend ingredients together until you get a creamy paste.
2. Liberally apply to your face and neck with a brush or your fingers.
3. Leave the mask on for 20 minutes, then wash off with warm water.

Note: Gerber recommends this mask be applied at night time since the lemon will make you photosensitive to the sun.

Skin-soothing mask

Charlotte Cho, founder of Korean beauty and lifestyle website Soko Glam and author of "The Little Book of Skin Care," suggests this concoction for treating and soothing acne-prone or sensitive skin.

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons of oatmeal powder
• 4 teaspoons green tea powder
• Water

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl for a thick paste.
2. Apply it over your skin and leave on for 15 minutes.
3. Rinse off with lukewarm water.

Oatmeal mask

Molly Sims, author of “The Everyday Supermodel,” shares her secret to getting the dewy glow look with this oatmeal face mask recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup finely ground oats
• 2 tablespoons whole-milk plain yogurt, preferably organic
• 1 teaspoon honey

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix until it becomes a paste.
3. Spread over your face with both hands.
4. Rinse with warm water.
5. Pat your face dry.

Three-ingredient face mask

Brighten your face and cleanse oily, acne-prone skin with this face mask recipe from Veronica Barton Schwartz, owner of Veronica Skin & Body Care Center in Malibu, California. The best part about this recipe is it only requires three simple ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 2 extra ripe strawberries
• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• 1 teaspoon of plain unsweetened probiotic yogurt

Directions:

1. Mash the ripe strawberries using the back of a fork in a small mixing bowl.
2. Add the raw honey and yogurt and mix thoroughly.
3. Using clean fingers, apply a tick coat of mixture to your clean face in a circular motion.
4. Sit for 15 minutes to let the mixture settle and dry.
5. Gently wash the scrub off with warm water and pat dry with a soft 100% cotton towel.
6. If your face feels dry, you can use olive or coconut oil as a natural moisturizer.