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This face mask just feels beautiful and, rich. Hibiscus powder is not only packed with antioxidants but it’s luxurious in color.

Since embarking on this journey of face masks, and countless hours of research.  Some of the information that I read deeply startled me.  Like how the powder foundation makeup I had been using for years was actually linked to increased aging.

My makeup has never been the same since, now I’m the proud owner of natural makeup.  Truths.  It’s 20 spf (thanks to the zinc oxide), it smells delish, and it’s so much cheaper to make, but it is light coverage.  I even used french green clay for my coloring. No I don’t look like shrek.

I’ve managed to conjure up an amazing duo of liquid foundation and powder foundation.  But truth be told, without a blush or bronzer I’m looking a little ghostly.  So that sent me on a journey of blush.

That’s where I got the inspiration for this face mask.  Hibiscus powder makes a lovely blush when combined with arrowroot powder. I love the aroma of hibiscus and below I’ll share with you all the pretty cool benefits this flower has.

This beautiful mask is great for:

• All skin types
• Deep cleanse of your skin
• Anti aging face mask
• Dark spots or acne scars
• Has uneven skin tone

Keep reading for way more information on simple hibiscus clay mask.  Plus I created this mask at the beginning of May, just in time to curate a Mother’s day gift mask recipe that has a year + shelf life.

If your simply not a DIY person but instantly in love with the concept of an hibiscus clay face mask, SW basics has a hibiscus clay mask premixed.  Or try it in an overnight hibiscus mask from kiehl’s.  

I wanted to design a mask that was good for all skin types.  So this face mask recipe uses Kaolin clay from our facial clay assortment pack.

What is Hibiscus?

I’m definitely a coffee drinker, so hibiscus is not in my normal tea vocabulary.  It’s actually a really beautiful flower!

Hibiscus is grown in warm climates and comes in an abundance of beautiful colors.

There are also many ways to use hibiscus:

• Face mask (keep reading for the recipe)
• Hair mask or conditioner for hair growth or to prevent hair loss
• Softening hair conditioner
• Delicious, tart tea rich in Vitamin C
• Dessert garnish or candied and used in desserts
• Relationship status.  Hawaiian women will wear a hibiscus flower tucked over her left ear if they are married, and right if they are single.

So basically you could whip up a hibiscus face mask, sip on a refreshing hibiscus iced tea and single ladies snap a photo for bumble. 

Is Hibiscus good for your Skin?

Foods that contain a high antioxidant content are powerful against fighting damage from free radicals.  Antioxidants in your skincare can be beneficial for the appearance of your skin, including reducing the signs of aging.

One of my favorite antioxidant rich foods is green tea.  Even more powerful in antioxidants is matcha tea.  I love using my matcha face mask.

Not widely known, hibiscus actually beats both match and green tea for it’s antioxidant content.  

In a study of 3,100 tested foods, hibiscus tea contained 6.99 mmol/100g versus an average of 2.311 mmol/100g of 17 tested green teas.

It even scored almost double the average red wine on the antioxidant content, sorry fellow wino’s.

The high antioxidant content make hibiscus powder really great for protecting your skin and helping in anti-aging.  This research confirmed the antioxidants in hibiscus. But it also has other benefits.

It’s also packed with Vitamin C. Vitamin C is an essential part of my everyday skincare routine, especially my vitamin c serum.  Vitamin C is amazing for your skin in that it boosts your natural collagen production.

Hibiscus has been nicknamed the “botox plant”

 

I’m loving the anti aging properties of hibiscus. So yes, hibiscus is not only good for your skin, but it’s great to delay those future wrinkles.

What are the benefits of Hibiscus for your face?

The anti aging benefits alone are enough to make me start dousing this flower into my skincare.  But it also has some other pretty cool benefits too:

• Cleansing.  There have been some tests done that indicate hibiscus could be anti bacterial.  In these test tube studies, hibiscus was found to be effective against 8 strains of bacteria.
• Moisturizing.  Hibiscus is also natural mucilage.  This makes it an ideal ingredient in hair detangling sprays.
• Anti aging properties.  High anti oxidant content protects your skin from the damage of free radicals and UV.  This protection aids your overall skin appearance and potential anti aging.
• Vitamin C.  In this summary of antioxidants, Vitamin C can reduce sunburn cells by 40-60%.  Vitamin C also plays a role in collagen synthesis, aka tightening of your skin.
• Could be anti inflammatory to aid in reduction of acne.  This research paper indicated that hibiscus has anti inflammatory properties.  And those same properties also aid in wound healing.  

There’s much more research to be done into the benefits of hibiscus for skincare.  Most of the current studies have been completed in test tubes or on animals, not humans. 

How to buy Hibiscus for Skincare

I started searching for hibiscus for my natural blush recipe.  This can be a normal ingredient in some kitchens, but not mine.  It will be going forward as the tea is delicious!

There are 3 ways to buy hibiscus:

1. Dried and sorted hibiscus flower petals

2. Powdered hibiscus, ground into super fine powder

3. Tea Bags (a bunch more expensive format to purchase in)

After much research and checking at a couple stores, I couldn’t find powdered hibiscus.  However, if you have a spice grinder it’s pretty simple to grind up your dried flower petals.  They normally look like this:

What are the Benefits of Kaolin Clay?

For this face mask I chose Kaolin clay as the base.  It’s a perfect fit with the anti aging theme of this beautiful mask.  This clay is also amazing for all skin types, even including those with sensitive skin.

On it’s own, Kaolin clay is gentle enough to use as a cleanser everyday.  It’s a ghostly white color of pure white, so this mask is an extreme opposite.

Just some of the amazing benefits of kaolin clay are deep pore cleansing, gentle exfoliation, reduces oily skin, balances complexion, and boosts circulation.  Find out more about how kaolin clay works here.

It’s one of the 4 types of clay in our facial clay assortment pack. 

Another one of my favorite Kaolin clay recipes is the manuka honey clay mask recipe.

Hibiscus Face Mask Ingredients

The ingredients for this hibiscus are pretty simple.

Recipe Yield: 1 face masks

You will need:  

• ½ tsp of powdered hibiscus
• 1 tsp Kaolin Clay
• 1 ¼ tsp of water (Optional: rose water or witch hazel)

**Optional: 3 drops of rosehip seed oil (to add another anti aging benefit)

Equipment required:

• 1 glass, wooden or plastic bowl (glass is preferred)
• 1 plastic, or wooden spoon
• 1 Spice grinder (if you are using dried hibiscus petals)
• 1 face mask brush (included in our facial clay assortment pack)

How to Mix Hibiscus Face Mask

This recipe yields 1 face mask recipes, I prefer to give the recipes for single use and multiply as required.

Step 1: Grind the hibiscus petals in a spice grinder till fine.  Do not release the lid right away, they powder greats quite the cloud.  Let sit and then remove from grinder.

Step 2: Mix the 1 tsp of Kaolin Clay with 1/2 tsp of hibiscus powder.

Step 2: Add 1 ¼ teaspoon of water or rose petal water.  Mix. 

While mixing clay with a liquid, it’s best practice to use a plastic or wooden spoon and avoid clay coming into contact with metal.  It’s not as important to do this with Kaolin as it is with Bentonite clay because Kaolin has a smaller cation exchange capability.  Learn more about how clay works.

If you want to make a double batch, you can store this in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  I created instructions below on how to make this as a dry clay mix gift.  Perfect for my mother’s day gift this year.  My mom loves clay masks!

How to apply Hibiscus Mask to your Face:

Follow these simple steps to apply and enjoy this simple hibiscus face mask:

1. Cleanse your skin prior to applying a mask.

2. Exfoliate.  Gently exfoliate your skin to remove dead skin cells from the top layer of your skin.  It’s best to exfoliate your skin twice a week so I like to combine this with my twice a week mask routine. 

3. With a face mask brush, apply the mask to your face and upper neck.

4. Remove the clay mask BEFORE it dries.  To do so, gently splash water to rehydrate the clay.  Then remove with water or face towel.  I opted for water first, followed by a face towel to avoiding staining. 

5. Follow up with a toner like witch hazel.

6. Apply a moisturizer.  I follow up this recipe with rosehip seed oil at night time.

Get answers to FAQ’s about face mask application in our how to use a dry clay mask instructions.

DIY Hibiscus Clay Mask Gift

I hunt down some pretty interesting ingredients for my face masks.  Sometimes I fall in love with the other uses of the ingredients. 

Hibiscus tea is a must try to add to a hibiscus themed mask spa party. 

I loved the introduction of hibiscus tea so much that I now have it everyday as a refreshing afternoon drink.  Remember, it has double the antioxidants than green tea.  And as a refreshing iced tea with some lemon, it’s amazing! 

If you don’t feel the same way about hibiscus tea, here’s another idea to try with your hibiscus powder.  Dry clay mixes can make the perfect gift.  I get tiny mason jars like these ones. 

For this dry clay mask gift I also had some dried honey which I love to incorporate into my dry gifts.  That way the end user gets the benefits of honey but doesn’t have to deal with the mixing and they can simply add water.

Dried honey is a specialty ingredient, it can be used the same way as honey.  But way easier to store, so it’s essential for my camping trips.  If you don’t have dried honey, you can substitute with full kaolin or add in oatmeal instead.  Grind your oatmeal just like this silky oatmeal lavender dry clay mask recipe.

Here is how to mix the dry clay face mask:

• 4 teaspoons kaolin clay from our clay mask multi pack
• 2 teaspoons dried honey
• 1 ½ teaspoon of powder hibiscus

and the best part?

This gift has up to a 1 year shelf life!  This depends on the shelf ingredients that you use, check the packages of each to figure it out.  

Disclaimer: Our content does not constitute a dermatologist or medical advice.

Did you try this mask? I would love to hear how it worked for you! Leave a comment below.

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