How to make a red wine face mask

A glass of red wine is the classic end to a crappy day, but when you don’t finish the bottle and it sits around ’til you dump it into some sauce — or worse, down the drain — it seems like such a waste.

Until now.

There’s one specific antioxidant found in the skin of certain berries and grapes, including those used in the production of red wine. It’s called resveratrol and for a long time, we’ve believed there to be some anti aging effects associated with this compound, but only recently have we been able to confirm this to actually be the case.

Like most antioxidants, this one is going to help increase the life expectancy of your skin cells, removing free radicals that are the cause of cellular decomposition. By lengthening the lifespan of a skin cell, the result is a slowing down effect of the normal aging process associated with your skin, i.e. wrinkles, fine lines, dark circles, etc.

Making The Mask

This one’s really easy to prepare and most of these ingredients (like all of my favorite remedies) can be found at your local supermarket (and liquor store!). Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1 green tea bag
  • 1 tablespoon of red wine (merlot works best)
  • 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt (don’t use a flavored product)
  • 2 tablespoons of honey (organic is best)

Now to just follow these simple instructions:

Step 1: Boil some water, pour about a cupful into a mug and place your green tea bag inside. Put it off to the side somewhere, allowing it to brew.

Step 2: Grab a bowl, pour in the honey and microwave it for about 10-20 seconds to allow it to melt slightly.

Step 3: Mix the remaining ingredients mentioned above into the bowl of honey using a spoon or fork until the color looks nice and even.

Step 4: Once the green tea has brewed properly, pour it all into the bowl and mix it around until you have yourself a nice even, red-looking paste.

Step 5: Apply the mask to your face. I like to use a facial brush, but if you don’t have one of those, a spatula will do fine.

Step 6: Leave the mask on for about 15 minutes before washing it off with lukewarm water. Never wash off with soap or any cleanser, as that will soak up the nutrients you just absorbed into your skin. You don’t want that to happen!

After Application

One of the things you may notice if you don’t apply a moisturizer after using the mask is that your skin may dry up a little. Unfortunately that’s just the nature of the red wine as it does contain some alcohol, which will definitely cause some dehydration. Try to always moisturize immediately after washing off your mask, using an oil-free product, if you can, for the best results.


more on healwithfood.org