DIY Rice Bran Nourishing & Exfoliating Face Mask

On Sunday, besides eating and hanging out with mom, I decided to make her my favorite rice bran face mask so we can pamper ourselves together. I took a picture of the mix but can't find my camera's USB cord for the life of me! Arg! Hopefully it's not lost for good. Well, I said I'd post the recipe today so you can all try it at home!

Oats & Chamomile Herbal Muds Masque by ArtesiaProducts

Rice bran is the outer layer of a rice grain and that's where all the important nutrients and vitamins are. Unfortunately, when rice is milled and the outer layers are removed (brown rice becoming white rice), most of the nutrients are gone as well. Luckily, rice bran can be bought separately and added to foods such as breads, cereals, etc. to enrich them. Sounds pretty counter-intuitive huh?


Rice patty in an urban area in Japan. My friend took this picture of his friends when he was there! I can't believe how green that is.

Aside from being a nutritious part of one's diet, rice bran has long been used by Japanese women, who highly value having nice skin, as a beauty treatment. Rice bran face masks have grown in popularity globally over the past few years and can be quite pricey, but it's actually simple to make, so save yourself some hard-earned moolah :)

Rice Pile, original watercolor painting by ArtGoods

First, you'll need to buy some rice bran. I don't normally mention brands, but since rice bran's pretty hard to find and can be expensive at specialty stores, this is where I get mine, which is the best deal vs. quality that I've found. I don't receive anything for sharing this brand, but I really like it :) I do get slightly compensated if you buy it on Amazon through my link, but you can easily overstep that or get it somewhere else. What I like about rice bran is that there are so many uses for it, because I'm not going to use all of it make a ton of face masks. I use it to bake cookies, cakes (I substitute it for about half of the flour), and I add it to other foods as well, which makes me feel less guilty when indulging in sweets!

Specialty Rice Sampler TRIO by CraigsMarket

Okay, let's get to the recipe! This is good for two people (including face, neck, and some collar bone area).

You will need:

• 2 tbsp. rice bran
• 1 tbsp. cold milk (any % is fine. I use 1% or 2% because that's what I drink :)
• 2 tsp. green tea (very very concentrated. Use lots of tea leaves and little water. Try to get loose leaves or tea bags that have nothing else except green tea. You don't want any flavorings because that's not good for your skin.)
• 1 tsp. orange juice
• 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil (or rice bran oil, or another type of carrier oil if you dislike olive oil).

Mix everything together in a small bowl. The mask should be of a creamy consistency that can be easily spread over your face and neck without dripping off (too watery) or crumbling (too dry). Add more rice bran or liquid as necessary if your mix isn't the right consistency yet.

Wash your face first with your regular cleanser so that it's nice and clean. Smooth mixture over your face, neck, and collar bone. It will feel cool and refreshing. Leave on your face until the mask is dry. When it's almost dry, stay in the bathroom because some might crumble and leave trails on the floor if you move your face too much!

Once it's dry, jump in the shower. Before washing off your mask, wet your face and neck first, then gently rub in a circular motion. The tiny fine grains of rice bran also make for an excellent exfoliant. Rinse off. There's no need to wash your face with a cleanser again because you've already washed your face prior to putting on the mask, and your skin has just absorbed lots of goodness. Pat dry and put on a light moisturizer as usual. Be astounded at the smoothness of your skin! :)

Lucky Dragon Hyson - Loose Leaf Green Tea by TeaForAllReasons

Super Sized Cleansing Pads by skindeep