DIY Anti Wrinkle Face Mask With Red Wine

Last week I drank half a bottle of Merlot and used the other half on my face. There's a story to this, trust me, I'm not crazy!

I was out to dinner with a girlfriend last Tuesday and of course the both us were up for getting a little boozy, so we decided to order a bottle of the house red with our meals.

Anyway as the bottle started to become emptier and emptier, we got onto the subject of aging and how the both of us (now in our thirties) are sick and tired of using the same old cosmetic wrinkle creams day in, day out.

It was then as I stared intently at my glass of Australian Merlot that I had a bit of an epiphany... "I know red wine contains a lot of antioxidants — maybe, just maybe it might work well in a face mask!"

I woke up the next morning, slightly hangover of course, but I was determined to do some research into potential recipes I could use with red wine as the primary ingredient. To my surprise, there are a mountain of recipes available, but the one I'm about to show you is by far my favorite.

Why Red Wine?

Good question. 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.

So there you have it, my favorite DIY recipe for an anti wrinkle face mask which uses red wine as the primary ingredient and that will have a major effect at reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, dark circles and any other factor that causes aging. All that's left to say is, make sure you don't drink your face mask before you apply it to your skin!

About the Author: If you want to learn more DIY skin care recipes like this one, or read about Natox, the author's favorite natural wrinkle treatment, then check out more from Vanessa via her site BESskincare.com.