DIY Summer Soother - Strawberry Lemonade Face Mask I don’t know about you, but for me, one of the greatest things about summer is the abundance of fruit available. One of my favourite summer activities is visiting local berry orchards to pick ruby-red strawberries right off the shrubs. Strawberries aren’t just delicious, but they are great ingredient to use in DIY face masks too. They are packed with vitamins and exfoliating alpha-hydroxy acids, which help gently dissolve the bonds between dead skin cells for a brighter, smoother complexion. Lemon juice is a refreshing natural astringent and antioxidant. Flaxseeds (or linseeds, depending on where you are in the world) are full of nutrients, and help give the mask a lovely consistency when combined with soothing rice flour. This refreshing, brightening mask is great way to use up over-ripe strawberries whilst giving your skin a cooling treat on a hot day. Ingredients: 1 teaspoon of flaxseed flour or ground flaxseeds 4-5 ripe strawberries 1 squeeze of lemon juice 1-2 teaspoons of rice flour Method: In a small bowl, combine your flaxseed flour with a teaspoon of hot water. Stir well and put aside – it will form a gel! Mash your strawberries and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Add the mashed strawberries and rice flour to the bowl of flaxseed gel. Mix well to combine until it forms a paste. Apply a layer to the skin, leave for 10-15 minutes, then rinse and pat dry. Don’t forget to follow with SPF if used during the day! It’s entirely normal for your skin’s needs to change with the seasons, and the beauty of DIY face masks is how easily customisable they are. The above are guidelines, so do feel free to customise them as you see fit! If you don’t have flaxseed flour, for example, this can be substituted with aloe vera gel, or left out entirely. Adding more rice flour or oatmeal will create a thicker mask. As with any product being used on the sensitive skin of the face, we always recommend patch testing your mask before applying it all over. Have fun with the process and enjoy your DIY creation. 😊 Have any questions, or a favourite DIY mask recipe you’d like to share? Drop us a line at hello@ethique.com Discover more: How to repurpose Christmas waste How to store your bars during the Summer Treat your skin with chocolate! Quick & easy Candy Cane lip scrub recipe