April 9, 2010   ∗   4 Responses   ∗   by agiri

Aspirin Mask

Hello, all. Since its been a while since my last review, I thought I’d swing back full force with one my favorite, recent discoveries — the aspirin mask! Those of you internet nuts who live by the “research first, buy/try after” motto have probably heard about it, its merits, and its mixed results.

I’d like to start out by admitting that I pushed off trying this mask for about 2 years till I finally just forced myself into my car and bought some aspirin. If you’re like me, aspirin is probably the last thing you’d buy for your medicine cabinet when you’ve got Motrin or Aleve in the running. Hence, before I start this review, I’d like to point out that Advil, Motrin, Aleve, etc. are not aspirin! They are ibuprofen tablets. What you’re looking for is a generic, uncoated, regular strength aspirin. I bought mine from Target for $3 so that should give you an idea of what you’re looking for.

*NOTE: Coated aspirin works as well but takes forever to dissolve. You would have to wait for the outer coat to dissolve, peel it off, and repeat the process with the powdered, uncoated tablet inside. If you’re still unsure of which to get, most brands specify if their tablets are coated or uncoated so grab a labeled bottle! If you want to go a step further, there are some brands that even sell aspirin in powdered form making this recipe almost fool-proof — slightly more expensive though.

The recipe is quite simple — simple to the point of confusion — so I shall try my best to disperse any existing ambiguity.

Aspirin masks are tricky characters that apply differently on each person. It requires a good understanding of your skin type and an understanding of what your skin can and cannot tolerate. That being said, don’t give up on this mask too easily. By nature, the aspirin mask is composed of just aspirin and water and tends to dry out your skin sometimes causing and/or worsening acne. Hence, most people try to add a couple ingredients into the mix to combat those negative effects. You can also throw in a couple other ingredients if you know certain ingredients are beneficial to your skin type — this mask is whatever you make it. I personally add honey to moisturize my skin and a drop of vitamin E oil to help with scars. If you’re not sure which ingredients are ideal for you, I’d suggest researching and experimenting.

This is my altered recipe which I’ve found to work well on most regular skin types with regularly tolerant skin — meaning that if you’re skins a diva, do some research before slapping this on.

Aspirin Mask Recipe

• 3-4 tablets of regular strength, uncoated aspirin
• 3/4 teaspoon honey
• 1-3 drops vitamin E oil
• 6-8 drops of water

Directions: Place 3-4 tablets of uncoated aspirin on a dish of any sort. Using your finger, allow 2-3 droplets of water to fall upon each tablet. Wait a couple seconds and smash each tablet with your fingers. They should fall apart relatively easily (if not, add a drop more water). You should now have powdered aspirin! Add the 3/4 tspn of honey, a couple drops of vitamin E oil, mix well, and you’re done! Dip fingers into mixture and exfoliate your face in a circular motion. Leave mask on for 15 minutes and remove gently with a warm wash cloth.

Granted, this still seems like a bit of work, but you can actually make a nice big batch of this and store it into a container for later use. Don’t forget to shake before use though! Also, limit your use of this mask to every other day. Too much exfoliation is never good, and your skin may become tolerant to the aspirin if used everyday. I personally do this mask twice a week.

Now for the good part! The benefits of this mask are endless! Removes dead skin cells from your face leaving your skin smooth, refreshed, and young looking. It also helps remove and prevent millia from your skin which are those unsightly white bumps that tend to form around your under eyes and mouth. I’d suggest giving it a quick Google search … I didn’t even know I had millia until I found out this mask fixed it! The other way to get rid of them involved squeezing, pain, and a needle, so it might be worth your while.

PS. Allergy information is as follows: If you’re allergic to aspirin or any other ingredient you threw into your mask you will be allergic to the mask. I wouldn’t risk putting it on your face if you can’t ingest it — you never know.