5 DIY Green Tea Cleansing Mask Recipes

There are a handful of supposed "superfoods" every beauty DIYer keeps on hand for when the urge to play cosmetic scientist strikes. One of the most important (and arguably underrated) is certainly green tea—the starting point for a multitude of cleansing mask recipes.

Although it's often overshadowed by the likes of apple cider vinegar, aloe vera, lemon juice, and honey, green tea offers just as many dermal perks as its ever-popular counterparts. The beloved drink is an incredible source of epigallocatechin-3-gallate, better known as EGCG, lauded for its potent antioxidant properties. Green tea soothes skin and gently exfoliates it while delivering the perfect cocktail of vitamins and minerals.

The next time you feel like treating your face to something especially nourishing, delve into your pantry and make your own green tea mask with these five recipes.

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Nourishing Matcha and Honey Mask

Bowl of matcha powder next to honey on plate — Eugene03 / Getty Images

Matcha is a popular subset of green tea that comes from Japan. Its name literally translates to "powdered tea," and it's this texture that makes it ideal for inclusion in DIY beauty. Making matcha into skincare is an age-old tradition and quite possibly the secret to achieving "mochi skin," a major Japanese trend.

To make this matcha honey mask, mix a tablespoon of matcha powder, a teaspoon of honey, and a pinch of cinnamon. Add enough hot water to the mixture to create a goopy mask-like consistency. Allow your mask to cool completely before applying to skin. Leave the mask on for 20 minutes, then rinse.

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Brightening Green Tea and Lemon Mask

Cup of green tea on saucer with lemon wedge — Plateresca / Getty Images

A seminal 2007 study by Purdue University found that adding lemon juice (or citrus juice in general) to green tea boosts the longevity of antioxidants after the tea is digested. But adding lemon juice to topical green tea elixirs also has its benefits—most notably, the vitamin C in lemon has a brightening effect on skin.

Ingredients

1/2 cup green tea
4 tablespoons rice flour
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch of baking soda

Steps

Make this glow-inducing mask by first brewing a half cup of green tea with one bag, so it's extra strong.
Once brewed, pour the tea tablespoon by tablespoon over the four tablespoons of rice flour, stirring continuously until you reach a thick goopy consistency. You'll probably use about three tablespoons of the green tea.
Mix in about a teaspoon of lemon juice and a pinch of baking soda for added fizziness.
Once cooled, apply to skin and rinse off after 15 minutes.

Warning

Lemon juice can have a phototoxic reaction on the skin when it interacts with ultraviolet light, causing a lesion that may look like a rash or severe burn. Make sure you rinse this mask off completely and avoid sun exposure or use it only before bed.

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Hydrating Yogurt Mask for Dry Skin

Green tea powder being mixed with yogurt in bowl — kazmulka / Getty Images

The presence of moisture-packed power ingredient vitamin E gives green tea much-admired humectant and emollient properties. Combined with yogurt, though—another known and celebrated moisture-locker—green tea possesses twice the hydrating potential. The colloidal oatmeal in this recipe helps form and maintain the skin's protective barrier.

Combine a tablespoon of colloidal oatmeal, two tablespoons of yogurt, and a teaspoon of matcha powder and mix well. Apply to your face and leave to penetrate for 15 minutes before rinsing clean.

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Exfoliating Egg and Oat Mask

Raw eggs and sugar in bowls on white background — Marielen Baldino / Getty Images

The fatty egg yolks in this mask help to nourish skin and lock in moisture, while rolled oats and sugar provide gentle exfoliation.

Ingredients

3 green tea bags
1 teaspoon of granulated sugar or salt
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon of water
Rolled oats

You don't even have to brew the tea first—just empty the tea bags into a bowl, add no more than a teaspoon of granulated sugar (or salt for more abrasion), egg yolks, a dash of water, and enough rolled oats to thicken the mixture up.

When applying the mask, make sure it doesn't make contact with your mouth or other orifices. Ingesting raw egg can result in food poisoning. Let the mask sit on your skin for 15 minutes before rinsing.

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Detoxifying Clay and Lemongrass Mask

Green tea serves as a sidekick to bentonite clay in this recipe. The natural clay is a cult-favorite cleansing mask ingredient, known for absorbing the dirt and oils that often lead to acne. Here's how to dress it up with even more beneficial ingredients.

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon matcha powder
1/2 teaspoon bentonite clay
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons witch hazel
3 drops lemongrass essential oil

Steps

Mix all ingredients together, adding more oils for a runnier consistency or more clay for thickness.
Apply the mask to face, avoiding the eyes and mouth.
Let sit on skin for 20 minutes.
Gently buff skin as you rinse it off.

Treehugger Tip

Make sure you're buying witch hazel that is not distilled with alcohol. Alcohol can be harsh on some skin types and can be harmful to waterways once rinsed.