Breaking Down Beauty

 The Aspirin Mask

One of my all-time favorite is what’s commonly referred to as the “Aspirin Mask”. Costing mere pennies per application, it is a quick, easy, and effective way to keep your skin smooth and acne free.

The ingredient that makes the magic happen is salicylic acid, a beta hydroxy acid (BHA) that helps clean out pores and battle acne-causing bacteria.

Step One: There are two main ingredients in the aspirin mask: water, and uncoated or lightly-coated aspirin. I rarely come across uncoated aspirin, so I use a lightly-coated generic brand, and it works great. For your face, all you need are 2-3 tablets.

Step Two: The aspirin tablets will dissolve in water, so you don’t really to put a lot of work into preparation. It’s best to use a small bowl, I happen to do all the mixing in my hand. Just a few drops of water will do.

Step Three: Massage the tablets in your hand until they’re dissolved and form a mushy paste. There isn’t a binding agent, so the paste will be fairly loose and flaky.

Step Four: Apply! Let rest for about five minutes, and then rinse away. The dried mask will be powdery, so be careful! Alternately, you can incorporate aloe vera or honey with the mushed up aspirin to act as healing binding agents.

Step Five: Moisturize and you’re set!

The Aspirin Mask is quick and works – I’ll do the mask a night or two before an big event- its like an at-home mini-peel that makes your skin so smooth and let your foundation glide on. You can do the mask as often as you’d like, as long as it doesn’t overly irritate your skin. Of course, if you’ve never done the mask before it’s best to do a patch test for allergies first on your neck.