Dealing with dry, chapped skin, can be uncomfortable and frustrating. Especially if you’ve tried expensive moisturizing creams and serums with no relief. If you have dry skin, sometimes the best remedy is in your pantry. Try making a homemade moisturizing face mask, DIY scrub, or moisturizing lotion with items you can purchase easily in bulk that will save you money and give you that did-it-myself satisfaction.

Ingredients such as avocado, honey, milk, and brown sugar are all ideal for dry skin, easily accessible, and light on your bank account. Give the following DIY masks and treatments a try.

What to Consider Before Using a DIY Treatment

• Everyone’s skin will have different needs. Just because something works for one person, doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you. So if you try one of these recipes and find the results to be less than ideal, you may need to tweak it, or just move on to another.
• Water, water, water. People who have incredible skin tend to drink lots of water.
• Lay off the alcohol and the sugar before a big event when you want your skin to glow.
• Rethink your cleanser. If you have dry skin, use a creamy cleanser that won’t strip it of oils.
• Exfoliation is key. You need to remove dead cells so your skin can soak up moisturizer or oils. But if you have redness, consider skipping anything that will tear at the skin, like a washcloth, sugar, or scrubs with microbeads (which are bad for the environment anyway). Instead, try an enzyme-based exfoliant. These enzymes (typically found in fruit) break down the dead skin naturally and won’t dry out your skin any more than it already is.

Test Before You DIY

If you have skin sensitivities, you’ll want to do a test of these recipes on your neck or wrist first. However, most of these ingredients are pure enough that most people (who aren’t allergic to the substances themselves) won’t have a problem.

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The Best Avocado and Honey Face Mask

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Moisturizing Avocado Face Masks

Avocados are particularly moisturizing for the skin. These four amazing avocado masks are great for dry, normal, and combination skin. People with mature, wrinkled, and dry skin will find them particularly hydrating.

Three of the recipes simply require a fresh avocado; the other uses avocado oil. It’s best to use a ripe, fresh, organic avocado and to make sure to mash it up into a creamy pulp. When combined with carrot, honey, oil, egg, or buttermilk, they leave your skin fresh and near-perfectly moisturized.

Key Ingredients

Avocado oil is an edible oil pressed from the fruit of the avocado. For the skin, it contains vitamin E to help nourish and soothe, as well as oleic acid to promote collagen production.

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Brown Sugar Scrub

A natural exfoliant, brown sugar is the base for many wonderful facial scrubs. These brown sugar scrub recipes not only clear your skin of dry skin cells, they also include moisturizing ingredients.

From a simple coconut oil and brown sugar blend to a hydrating honey and coconut oil scrub with your favorite floral essential oils, there’s sure to be a recipe here that works for you. Keep in mind that this physical exfoliator can be irritating to dry or sensitive skin types.

Byrdie Tip

After you wash off your face mask or scrub be sure to apply a hydrating moisturizer or oil afterward to maximize the effects.

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Turmeric and Yogurt Mask

Turmeric is a bright yellow spice used in curries, but it also makes a brilliant face mask for dry or aging skin. You get all the spice’s healing benefits, including antioxidant and antibacterial properties, which can reduce inflammation.

Adding yogurt will provide natural lactic acid and moisturizing properties from milk and dairy fats. This mask is a favorite of beauty Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Add rosewater for an anti-inflammatory skin boost.

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Homemade Milk Mask for Dry Skin

This is a unique milk mask recipe for the face. Milk works beautifully to moisturize dry skin and its lactic acid does wonders for removing dried skin cells. This recipe makes enough for two masks and uses powdered milk, honey, aloe vera, and essential oils. It is invigorating and can help keep even the driest skin to look and feel healthy.

Key Ingredients

Lactic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid that works to exfoliate the skin. Its molecule is slightly larger than glycolic acid, meaning it works a bit slower and doesn’t penetrate the skin’s outermost layer as easily.

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Homemade Coconut Oil and Cocoa Butter Moisturizer

Your kitchen holds one of the best beauty secrets and it is particularly useful for combating dry skin. Coconut oil can do the job all on its own and it is ideal for everyday use in the winter. Simply slather a little on and wipe off the excess with a damp washcloth before applying your daily makeup. It acts as a perfect foundation primer and keeps super dry skin hydrated. For added hydration, mix coconut oil with cocoa butter and olive oil for your own DIY moisturizer. Keep in mind that coconut oil is an oil, and therefore is comedogenic (pore-clogging). If you have oily skin or are breakout-prone, it’s best to skip this recipe.

Key Ingredients

Cocoa butter comes from the cacao bean, which is found inside the cocoa pod, which grows on the cacao tree. Because it’s rich with fatty acids and antioxidants, it makes for a great moisturizer.

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Skin Brightening Turmeric Face Mask

Another turmeric face mask, this time with moisturizing natural emollients, honey and coconut oil. This turmeric face mask recipe is incredibly simple. Make a paste of turmeric and flour with honey and coconut oil. It moisturizes and brightens the skin, a centuries-old trick used in Indian beauty routines. However, proceed with caution, as turmeric has been known to stain the skin (even if only temporarily). Do a patch test, and only keep your turmeric mask on for five to 10 minutes.

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Dark Chocolate Face Mask

Surprisingly, dark chocolate is a fantastic moisturizer when used in a mask, and it’s an ideal home remedy for dry skin. Try mixing a few simple ingredients—melted dark chocolate, salt, and milk—and leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes to hydrate and refresh your skin.

1. Melt an ounce of dark chocolate in a bowl at 30-second increments until melted.
2. Add the 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1/3 cup milk to the melted chocolate and mix to combine.
3. Cool to room temperature then apply to your face and neck.
4. Leave it on for 15-20 minutes before rinsing thoroughly.

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Paraffin Wax Treatment for Hands

Your face is not the only place that is susceptible to dry, chapped skin, and paraffin wax, which is a natural emollient, can work wonders for dry hands. Many of us find that our hands simply cannot get enough moisturizer, especially in winter or after frequent hand washing. That’s where a paraffin wax treatment can help.

This at-home remedy is as luxurious as any wax treatment the spas offer. You simply dip your hands in melted wax (it’s not as painful as it sounds), wait 30 minutes, then peel it away. It leaves your hands soft and supple, and works great on your feet, too. Be sure to heat the wax to the point where it melts, but if it’s steaming or bubbling, it’s too hot for your hands. Complete a patch test on the back of your hand to make sure the wax is a comfortable temperature.

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Foot Scrub for Dry, Cracked Heels

Exfoliating your dry feet will help improve your skin’s feel and appearance. Winter may wreak havoc on your hands, but summer is a bear on your feet. During sandal season, your heels are exposed to all sorts of harsh environments, and you can counteract that with a simple, DIY foot scrub.

It’s a five-step process that works its magic over a few days if you’re persistent. Once you get your heels looking and feeling great, keep up the routine on a regular basis and switch between this and a quick pumice stone scrubbing.

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Sugar or Salt Scrubs

The final thing we recommend in the battle against dry skin is to make exfoliation a regular habit, and sugar or salt scrubs can be an easy at-home way to do that. Dry skin cells are one of your biggest opponents because they blanket the skin and prevent moisturizers from working to their full effect. By exfoliating, you’re removing those and leaving your skin renewed and super clean, ready for your favorite moisturizers.

There’s no need to spend big money at the store for a scrub, either. With a little sugar or salt, some water or oil, and other beneficial ingredients from the kitchen, it’s very easy to make a face or body scrub at home. The recipes vary, but most will cost you pennies and leave your skin looking great. Just keep in mind that both sugar and salt are physical exfoliators, which can be irritating for many skin types. Sugar is gentler than salt, but you should still proceed with caution. It’s best not to use salt to exfoliate the face, and as always, complete a patch test before using sugar or salt to exfoliate your body.

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Strawberry Face Masks

Strawberries are excellent ingredients for your skin due to naturally occurring salicylic acid, which helps slough off dead skin cells to reveal fresh, bright skin. The simplest version of a strawberry face mask is made by mixing 1/4 cup of strawberries with 1/4 cup of full-fat plain yogurt. Check out these additional strawberry-based DIY treatments.

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Article Sources

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1. Bhuyan DJ, Alsherbiny MA, Perera S, et al. The odyssey of bioactive compounds in avocado (persea americana) and their health benefits. Antioxidants (Basel). 2019;8(10):426. doi:10.3390/antiox8100426

2. Vaughn AR, Branum A, Sivamani RK. Effects of turmeric (curcuma longa) on skin health: a systematic review of the clinical evidence. Phytother Res. 2016;30(8):1243-1264. doi:10.1002/ptr.5640

3. Lee M hee, Nam TG, Lee I, et al. Skin anti-inflammatory activity of rose petal extract (rosa gallica) through reduction of MAPK signaling pathway. Food Sci Nutr. 2018;6(8):2560-2567. doi:10.1002/fsn3.870

4. Soleymani T, Lanoue J, Rahman Z. A practical approach to chemical peels: a review of fundamentals and step-by-step algorithmic protocol for treatment. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2018;11(8):21-28.

5. Lu J, Cong T, Wen X, et al. Salicylic acid treats acne vulgaris by suppressing AMPK / SREBP 1 pathway in sebocytes. Exp Dermatol. 2019;28(7):786-794. doi:10.1111/exd.13934