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Antioxidant Rich Pomegranate Face Mask

by | Last updated Sep 21, 2020 | Published on May 7, 2019 | Recipes

Pomegranate face mask is stuffed with antioxidants for anti aging and unique plant compounds.  Plus it’s a beautiful soft pink, that kind of reminds me of millennial pink or that calamine lotion my mom would apply that one time I got chickenpox.

But outside of my nostalgic pastimes, pomegranate is also widely regarded as an aphrodisiac.  Might be a good mask combination for you and your partner.  Or if you are trying to conceive, pomegranates are also associated with fertility due to the abundance of seeds.  But more than that, it has been studied for its efficacy as a fertility boosting superfood.

It’s even rumored that the forbidden fruit of the bible wasn’t an apple, that it was in fact a pomegranate.  The greek goddess of love, aphrodite, was first credited with planting the first pomegranate tree.  I love reading about the funny folklore of different foods!  

This antioxidant rich and antibacterial pomegranate face mask is great for:

  • Sensitive skin types
  • Anti aging
  • Acne and blemishes
  • Uneven skin tone or redness
  • Sun damage

This face combines a couple of my favorite go-to’s for clay masks.  Combining kaolin clay with 2 ways to use pomegranate and aloe vera clay.

Pomegranate Clay Mask Recipe

If after your done this mask, with your extra aloe vera, give our aloe vera bentonite clay mask a try.    

With the antioxidant properties of pomegranate, I chose to use our gentlest clay in this recipe, kaolin.  One of the 4 types of clay found in our facial clay assortment pack.

What is Pomegranate?

Pomegranate has a inedible hard shell filled with hundreds of beautiful red berries inside. Each little berry also has an edible seed inside.  It’s definitely worth the work it takes to get to these berries of goodness, but make sure not to get it on your clothes, it can stain!

Often grown in india and southeast asia.  Pomegranate is 50% inedible peel that contains flavonoids, ellagitannins, minerals (potassium, calcium & magnesium).  The remaining 50% of the fruit is the edible arils and seeds.  AKA, arils are the red juicy bits.  40% of the fruit is arils and 10% is the seed.  The seed is edible and actually packed with a punicic acid, unique to the pomegranate. (source: hindawi)

I’m a visual person, so here’s what that looks like.  I normally don’t get this deep into the “makeup” of the fruits in our masks.  Below you will see that there are different methods of integrating pomegranate into your skincare.  That’s determined by which part of the pomegranate is used. 

Antioxidant Rich Pomegranate Face Mask 1

The daily value nutrition is also loaded with goodness, 100 phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals.  It’s even studied as a cancer prevention super food.

  • Vitamin C – 17% of DV (daily values)
  • Vitamin K – 16% of DV
  • Fiber – 16% of DV
  • Potassium – 6% of DV
  • Vitamin B6 – 5% of DV
  • Magnesium – 3% of DV

Pomegranate Nutrition

But pomegranate is most popular in skincare for 2 plant ingredients that aren’t included in the daily nutritional values.  Punicalagins and punicic acid.  More on that below.

Vitamin C is an amazing antioxidant. Pomegranate doesn’t quite compare in Vitamin C to our tropical papaya face mask and minty fresh lemon clay mask.  

Antioxidant Rich Pomegranate Face Mask 2

Is Pomegranate good for your face?

Pomegranate is been studied for its many health benefits. Labelled as a superfood, so let’s explore these superfood benefits for your skin.

Pomegranate juice contains 3 times the antioxidants as green tea or wine. Antioxidants = anti aging!

This study found that pomegranate has a potent helping of antioxidants compared to the king and queen of antioxidants, green tea and wine.  We learned in our hibiscus mask recipe, hibiscus also contains double the anti oxidants.

Benefits of pomegranate for our skin:

1. Anti Aging

Antioxidants are no match for wrinkles.  Well I wish that was the case otherwise the “w” word wouldn’t be a thing.  But they certainly do help to protect your skin cells from damage from free radicals.

Pomegranate also has a healthy serving of the Vitamin C antioxidant. But the ellagic acid, punicalagins antioxidant is responsible for a lot of its anti aging properties. 

2. Antibacterial

Due to it’s high polyphenol activity, fresh pomegranate juice has been proven to have antibacterial activity against 60 tested strains.  While fresh pomegranate juice had the highest polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity, ocean spray and del valle also had antibacterial ability.  Although pasteurized juices tend to lose some of the vitamin C potency.   

3. Collagen Production

This study found that a pomegranate peel extract was effective in stimulating type I collagen.  That collagen is able to repair the skin.  Pomegranate peel extract regenerated the skin dermis (top skin layer) while the pomegranate seed oil showed effective for repairing the epidermis (lower skin layers).

4. Acne, Anti-inflammatory

Ingredients that have an anti-inflammatory effect on your skin can be very effective for fighting acne or blemishes.  This research suggests that at all stages of the lifecycle of a pimple, there is inflammation.

Adding just a cup of pomegranate juice to your diet each day can be an effective technique to reduce inflammation in your body.  Another inflammation reducing face mask I use is turmeric bentonite clay mask.

5. Prevention from UV Sun Damage

Pomegranate extract was effective against UVA and UVB induced skin damage in this study.  Pomegranate seed oil has been studied to reduce the risks of skin cancer.  

More anti-oxidant rich clay mask recipes:

Hibiscus Clay Mask, beautifully colored face mask, also with double the antioxidants compared to green tea

Matcha Clay Mask, a concentrated powder of green tea, matcha makes me feel like a green goddess.

Soothing Avocado Face Mask, packed with Vitamins E, C, and K

 

How to buy Pomegranate for your Skincare

My first thought, should I just go get pomegranate juice or a real pomegranate for my masks?

Then it turns out there’s actually a variety of ways that each offers different benefits.  Options for your pomegranate skincare are:

1. fresh squeezed pomegranate juice

2. store bought pomegranate juice

3. pomegranate powder/extract

4. pomegranate seed oil

I love to add pomegranate to my salads.  And with the anti inflammatory properties, it’s super good for overall health.  So the simplest way is to grab yourself a fresh pomegranate from the store.

The pomegranate powder is made from pressing the arils (the red part of the seeds) and then freeze drying and grinding to a powder.  Each serving can contain approx 2.15 grams of ellagic acid.  Only the arils, and the powder contains this antioxidant.

Antioxidant Rich Pomegranate Face Mask 4
The pomegranate seed oil, contains 70-76% punicic acid, and doesn’t contain any ellagic acid.  The main reason the powder and fruit juice are so different from the seed oil.

The punicic acid in the seed oil has been shown to be responsible for regeneration of the epidermis, lower levels or your skin.

Antioxidant Rich Pomegranate Face Mask 6

That said, I wanted to get the most amount of benefits from the pomegranate for this face mask, so I combined the fresh juice and the pomegranate seed oil.  You can choose to use the pomegranate powder and the seed oil.  Or sub the pomegranate seed oil for rosehip seed oil, which I’m also a big fan of.

Why Kaolin is great for your skin!

Kaolin, nicknamed the China clay for it’s pure white color is fluffy and light to the touch.  It’s an very popular base for a lot of clay masks on the market.  In fact, it’s the go-to choice for the base of most of the clay masks at the “Lush” store.

I really love this clay as it creates a clay base that works wonderful for all skin types. Just some of the kaolin benefits include:

  • absorbing excess oil
  • cleansing in your pores
  • gente exfoliation
  • boosts circulation
  • remineralizing

Kaolin is one of the 4 types of clay in our facial clay assortment pack. In fact, I use this clay daily as a cleanser to keep my super oily skin in check. And it does a fab job at that. 

If you are well versed at clay masks, you might have experienced some redness after a mask application.  This can be very normal, easily avoided if you take the mask off before it dries.  Just like our recommendations in how to use a dry clay mask.

You can also find Kaolin used in the manuka honey clay mask and tropical papaya face mask recipes.  Get the full list of kaolin clay recipes here.

Pomegranate Clay Face Mask Ingredients

Recipe Yield: 1 face masks

You will need:  

*Sub aloe vera juice with filtered water, rose water or witch hazel.

**Sub pomegranate seed oil with rosehip or jojoba oil.

Equipment required:

How to Mix Pomegranate Mask

This recipe yields 1 face mask recipe, multiply as required.

Step 1:  Get 1/2 tsp of pomegranate juice.  I found that I got nearly this amount just from cutting into the pomegranate and lightly squeezing the quarters over a bowl.

For additional amounts, grab a couple arils (the red seeds) and grind.  I lightly blended the seeds in a wet spice grinder.  I didn’t want to blend the seeds in, so I lightly pulsed the grinder and it gave me a puree.  

Using a mini strainer or even a tea strainer, drain the liquid into your mask bowl.

Antioxidant Rich Pomegranate Face Mask 7

Step 2: Add ½ teaspoon of pomegranate seed oil and ½ teaspoon of aloe vera juice.

Antioxidant Rich Pomegranate Face Mask 8

Step 3: Add the 1 tsp of Kaolin clay to the liquid mix.  Mix thoroughly until there are no clumps with a mini plastic spatula.

Antioxidant Rich Pomegranate Face Mask 9

 

How to apply Pomegranate Mask to your Face:

If you ever had chicken pox as a kid, this memory might come back to you.  But all I could think of was calamine lotion. Not a scarring memory like the time my mom would pour peroxide on my wounds.  No horror flashbacks!

Instead, this mask was calming, super soft to apply and left my skin nicely moisturized.  Put on some relaxing chill music, and take the next 10 minutes to just, relax. 

1. Cleanse your skin prior to applying a mask.  

2. Optional: exfoliate.  Exfoliation is a once a week part of my skin care routine.  Use a sugar scrub or even a facial dry brush.  Combine them to first remove the dead skin cells and then let the mask get to work.

3. Apply the mask to your face and upper neck with a face mask brush.

4. Remove the clay mask BEFORE it dries.  To remove, gently splash water to rehydrate the clay.  Then remove with water or face towel.  

5. Follow up with a toner like witch hazel.

6. Apply a moisturizer.  I followed up this recipe with a vitamin C serum and retinol cream to keep the anti aging goodness going.

Get answers about face mask applications in our how to use a dry clay mask instructions. Questions like, should you apply before or after a shower?  How often should you do a clay mask?

Antioxidant Rich Pomegranate Face Mask

Pomegranate Face Mask Recipe Instructions

Pomegranate Face Mask

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

This Pomegranate face mask is stuffed with anti-oxidants + 2 plant compounds, superstar antioxidants only found in pomegranate. Plus it's pretty pink.

Ingredients

  • ½ tsp of fresh pomegranate juice
  • 1 tsp Kaolin Clay
  • ½ tsp of aloe vera gel*
  • 5 drops of pomegranate seed oil**

Instructions

  1. Squeeze 1/2 tsp of juice from fresh pomegranate or add arils (seeds) to a wet spice grinder and gently pulse. Drain juice from seed puree.
  2. Mix together fresh pomegranate juice, aloe vera gel and 5 drops of pomegranate seed oil.
  3. Apply to a cleansed face, relax for up to 10 minutes, remove face mask before dry.

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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