When I was in my mid-twenties and traveling like crazy in pursuit of unique wellness treatments, a beauty bar in Chicago started offering breast milk facials for $40 a pop at their hip facial spa in River North.
As a skincare junkie obsessed with trying new things, I immediately flagged this treatment as something I had to experience the next time I visited Chicago for work. And sure enough, I did.
A few months later, I got a breast milk facial just for the novelty of it, and it was super softening and cool.
Now that I’ve subsequently had children and realize how extra weird this is, the concept of doing a breast milk facial strikes me differently. (I thought it was kind of creepy at the time, but I was still curious— which was very much the Internet’s collective sentiment at the time. Half the people I told about it were grossed out, but most wanted to know all the details. Yes, the breast milk came from well-vetted donors who the clinic compensated. Yes, it was sterilized beforehand.)
Today, there’s a lot more research out there about the healing properties of breast milk– I don’t need to itemize those properties here— but this is also what makes breast milk so felicitous in soothing and toning skin. After my first breast milk facial, my skin felt crazy-soft (as much as I felt weird saying so).
But really, most of us shy away from the conversation about using breast milk for skincare because we don’t want to imply that anyone should be taking breast milk away from babies in order to use it for vanity purposes.
On the contrary, the below DIY breast milk facial recipes are ones that you can use only when you have leftover supply— or if you’ve accidentally left your breast milk out on the counter, too long for it to be safely consumed by an infant. If that’s the case, then don’t waste it!
Breastmilk, as any nursing mother will tell you, is liquid gold. I started making my own DIY breast milk facials when I was a nursing mom careful about using any leftover breastmilk that I couldn’t give to my infant. (Like when I accidentally left it on the counter during the early sleep-deprived days.)
Use the below DIY breast milk facial recipes to make a healing mask that will nourish your skin and prevent waste. We love them all. Try one for yourself and see!
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1 – Softening + Exfoliating Mask
This breast milk clay facial removes impurities while smoothing and toning the skin.
Ingredients
- 1-2 Tablespoons breast milk
- bentonite clay
How To Do It
- Mix bentonite clay powder (available on Amazon, Target, CVS, and at other retail outlets) into a small quantity of breastmilk until it forms a smooth paste. (Look at the above picture for reference. Here, we used Odacite’s Synergie Clay Mask powder.)
- Spread in an even layer onto clean skin and let sit until it dries, about 10-15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water and pat dry. (Do not use a cleanser, as you want the healing essence of the mask to linger on the skin.) Follow with a moisturizer if desired.
2 – Cooling Mask for Stressed-Out Skin
This calming breast milk sheet mask hack restores the skin’s natural protective barrier, which is ideal for sensitive skin.
Ingredients
- 2-3 Tablespoons chilled breast milk
- 1 compressed DIY facial mask sheet for soaking in breast milk (you can get these cheaply and easily on Amazon or buy directly from Muji)
How To Do It
- Soak the face mask sheet in a small bowl of chilled breast milk until it is saturated. (The fabric should be completely wet. Once saturated, it will unfurl like a Magic Grow bath toy.)
- Gently wring out the mask so that it is wet but not dripping. Apply the mask to your face like a sheet mask and lay down to let it absorb for 10-15 minutes. If you can swing 20 minutes, go for it! The longer the better.
- After you’re done masking, gently peel away the mask. Dab face with a washcloth to pat dry. Spray face with a hydrating mist (if your face feels “stiff”, this will loosen it up) or rinse with warm water. Et viola! Baby soft skin. 🙂
3 – Anti-Inflammatory Calming Mask
This calming breast milk facial restores the skin’s natural vitality and glow.
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon raw honey
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 Tablespoon breast milk
How To Do It
- Mix ingredients together and apply evenly to moist, freshly-exfoliated skin. Leave the mask on for 10 minutes (and no longer, because turmeric has the propensity to stain).
- Follow with a thorough face wash and apply moisturizer.
^ Ideally, exfoliate your skin before you use this mask to minimize skin tinting from the turmeric.
If your skin does stain, use an exfoliating scrub. (You can make one by mixing a spoonful of course sea salt and honey!) Or, apply a gentle swipe of toner to remove the tinge of yellow that may be left on your skin.
Enjoy!
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Still have leftover supply? Try making DIY breast milk soap or DIY breast milk jewelry!
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