By Sheila Arkee
There are so many affordable at-home tricks to acheiving beautiful skin. One of my all-time favorite is what’s commonly referred to as the “Aspirin Mask”. Costing mere pennies per application, it is a quick, easy, and effective way to keep your skin smooth and acne free.
The ingredient that makes the magic happen is salicylic acid, a beta hydroxy acid (BHA) that helps clean out pores and battle acne-causing bacteria.
Step One: There are two main ingredients in the aspirin mask: water, and uncoated or lightly-coated aspirin. I rarely come across uncoated aspirin, so I use a lightly-coated generic brand, and it works great. For your face, all you need are 2-3 tablets.
Step Two: The aspirin tablets will dissolve in water, so you don’t really to put a lot of work into preparation. It’s best to use a small bowl, I happen to do all the mixing in my hand. Just a few drops of water will do.
Step Three: Massage the tablets in your hand until they’re dissolved and form a mushy paste. There isn’t a binding agent, so the paste will be fairly loose and flaky.
Step Four: Apply! Let rest for about five minutes, and then rinse away. The dried mask will be powdery, so be careful! Alternately, you can incorporate aloe vera or honey with the mushed up aspirin to act as healing binding agents.
As you’re rinsing, use the mask as a scrub. You’ll need to use a washcloth to follow up and make sure you’ve removed the mask entirely.
Step Five: Moisturize and you’re set!
The Aspirin Mask is quick and works – I’ll do the mask a night or two before an big event- its like an at-home mini-peel that makes your skin so smooth and let your foundation glide on. You can do the mask as often as you’d like, as long as it doesn’t overly irritate your skin. Of course, if you’ve never done the mask before it’s best to do a patch test for allergies first on your neck.
Precaution: Do not use this if you are pregnant, nursing, have issues with blood thinning, or have Reye’s disease. Discontinue use if you experience irritation. Although the rate of absorption is slower through the skin, aspirin WILL absorp into your so keep advised dosage amounts in mind. I am a peer and not a medical professional, and my advice should not be taken as medical advice.
Medical disclaimer: The information on the Painted Ladies site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please refer to our complete medical disclaimer for further information.
oh, god, this is such a cool piece o information. i think i’ve heard about something like this before, but did not pay attention to it. do you think it suits sensitive skin as well?
I do the Michelle Phan thing and add some honey as well… It does do wonders, but not overdoing it is just as important. x.x It starts hurting if you use it too much.
If you put a 1/2 tsp of honey in the mix, it helps bind it and you don’t get the flacking off of the aspirin when it is drying.
However, the only benefit I get from this mask is a slight reduction in redness on my checks and any problems trying to crop up disappear.
My skin is not soft when I wash this off like some claim, but is very taught and uncomfortable.
I have heard of this but never tried it. I am trying this tonight!
Using honey is a great idea! And yes, it’s best to not overdo it. If you do have sensitive skin, once a week at most!
i tried using honey but it just makes me sweat for i find it hot on the skin so i just apply a little bit of oily to bind them together.
^_~
I use AHA on my face. Do you think this will strip my face off?
I’ll have to try this!
My favorite trick is mixing a pinch of sugar with a glob of lip balm, and scrubbing my lips smooth!
According to a dear friend, she also uses aloe vera as the binding agent and it works great!
Miss Boom – it might! To be on the safe side, I would discontinue the AHA for a couple of nights before using the mask.
Aspirin melted like this is also a way to remove warts. Melt them and then put the paste directly on the wart and cover up and leave it for a few days. Repeat the process til it eats it away. I have done this many times and it has taken them off completely.
Maryann – I had no idea – great tip!
I have pretty dry skin, and zits (which is normal for someone of my age). Do you think that using this a few times will help the zits, but overdry my skin?? It’s bittersweet, here…
Marissa – I don’t think so, but I would proceed with caution and do a patch test on your jawline just to make sure!
I just tried this last night and it seemed to work pretty well, it didn’t dry out my skin to much and it came off easily!
If the mask makes your skin dry or tight, I would try some diluted lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (or white vinegear) as a toner. aspirin’s ph can be slightly higher than your skin’s natural ph and the lemon or vinegar can balance this. though, everyone skin is slightly different so the use of these two things will vary depending on your skin
plus, lemon and vinegar both have some very beneficial properties for acne. hope this helps!
I should try this one. Lately, I’ve been using baking soda as sort of a microdermabrasion which does leave my skin very smooth and clean. It also stops any breakouts that haven’t surfaced. I have oily skin and it tends to help with the oily areas. I’ve also found that lemon juice helps to fade my acne scars slowly over time.
Thanks for all the tips!
I tried this and loved it…. After I was finished I put a dab of olive oil on my face , neck, and lips.. It doesnt take alot of olive oil just a dab. Its awesome.
Ashley can you share a bit more about the apple cider vinegar as a toner? I’ve never heard of such a thing and with not finding a cure for my acne yet, I am desperate for any home remedies. Please and thank you!
Britt, I noticed that you said you use lemon juice to help fade away your acne scars… do you apply with a cotton swab after you have cleaned your face and just allow it to dry on there?
I know that doctors do not recommend taking aspirin while pregnant, but is it acceptable to do this mask while pregnant? I would be worried about my body absorbing too much of the medicine. Looking for any help with this hormonal acne! It’s awful!
Hattie – I’m so sorry! Hormonal acne is awful! Definitely stay away from aspirin, but you may want to check and see if Niaminicyde is ok – Mario Badescu’s Buffering Lotion gets great reviews for help with hormonal acne.
ACV works great as a toner – just put a bit on a cotton pad and then your moisturizer or other treatment on top – HTH!
I’ll have to try this out this weekend! Thanks for the tips!
For those finding this makes your skin really dry afterwards, be sure to moisturize. I do my masks like these at night, that way I can use my night time moisturizer. Skin feels great the next day.
This is great and I’m going to try it for sure!
A great mask that I usually use is amla powder (also know as indian gooseberry powder) and hot water. It mixes up to look like mud and as soon as its cool enough to be comfortable you spread it over your face. After 5 minutes massage it in small circles then rinse. This breaks down excess oil, exfoliates, and works like a chemical peel -without the ‘chemical.’
Lately my face has been pretty fine looking, but all of a sudden it is starting to get slightly bad when it comes to acne. I really want to try this, the thing is im afraid that it might irritate my face and i’ll get little bumps all over my face[this has happened before when i tryed using proactive]. does anyone have some advise?
Bezzy, I’d recommend doing a patch test on a small area of your skin. Proactive uses benzoyl peroxide which is different than the salicylic acid in this mask, so hopefully you won’t experience irritation.
Thank you Shelia! i shall try it after i go to the store tomorrow to get some aspirin!
BEZZY, I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM W PROACTIVE IT GAVE ME A HUGE ECZEMA FLARE UP AS WELL. i AM VERY NERVOUS TO TRY ANYTHING ON MY FACE. I DO WANT TOT DO A PATCH TEST THOUGH! WISH ME LUCK!
I tried this last night and it was amazing! It worked so much better than I expected. Thank you so much for sharing this helpful hint!
Does paracetamol have the same ingredients? Well the ones you need anyway?!?!
Salicylic acid is the main (only?) ingredient in Stridex pads. I find they work great to maintain clear pores. I don’t know if the aspirin is a stronger solution than the pads, but they also work great to soften elbows, knees, and heels. Just remember to moisturize well afterwards.
I finally started to use BC powder (aspirin powder) instead of the tablets. It makes the whole thing even easier – just add water. Perfect to do in the shower:) You can find this at WalMart – bottom row of pain relievers!
I’m so curious to try this!! I have very sensitive skin, so if it works on me, it really is amazing! Hope to report back with good news. Also I know you are looking mostly for home remedies, but ladies needing something more I have starting using Obagi Clenziderm purchased from a medical spa here, and it works really well. Obagi is also a salicylic acid base, I don’t do well with benzoyl peroxide.
Brandy, my i have bad eczema and acne problems but after all ance is common for a 14 year old so i think tonight i will be trying this aspirin mask and putting a touch of lemon juice in? wish me luck[: so hope this works! because i’ve spend hundreds of dollars on everything, proactive, neutrogea(Idk how that is spelled) and all those other top name brands that say it really works…and yet it doesn’t. the only thing that really ever works for me is clearasil ultra pads and when those started to not work i would use natural clay my dad gets from the salt mine he works at…but since the clay isn’t working like it used to im going to try this, and if all else fails i will go march my behind to fresh market and buy some clearasil pads!
haha idk why that my is in there! oops[:
I just tried it, I was a little skeptical at first beccause I have really sensitive skin as well.. I looked at my two favourite face washes : Vichy Normaderm (which is really expensive) and the grape fruit neutrogena facial scrub, and the meddical ingrediant in both is salicylic acid so I thought I would trust that this would work… If you really think about it though, advil is used for headaches etc which are swollen/stressed blood cells in your brain … and pimples are swollen/aggravate skin … hopefully it does the job ! It’s so easy to do !
Beezy – how long did you stick with the proactiv? When I started I had to go two months of it before it started working because the proactive product was actually flushing out all of the toxins, so it made it appear worse then got so much better! Try sticking with it, if you haven’t tried. And the over night mask really works great!!!!
well im 26 and I have had skin issues for a long time … my skin is more sensitive now than ever.. stress, chocolate, tomatoes, and peanut butter cause my break outs along with pms .. but as far as the food i love all that lol not to fond of pms but that i cant help.. what do i do i am fair complected.
Milk of Magnesia mixed equally with water makes a great mattifyer. Measurements don’t have to be exact. I put it in a little sample bottle and apply with a makeup sponge. It works great!!
This sounds like a really cool idea. However, as a nurse I have to wonder how much of the aspirin is absorbed into your system topically.
Bezzy, have you tried anything from The Body Shop? I have had WONDERFUL results with anything I’ve tried there for my face. Good luck!! (and thank you SO much, Sheila, for posting the aspirin mask. It’s drying on my face as I type!!)
OMG! JUST rinsed it off of my face. SOOOO soft and it looks great! Thank you!
Michelle B..i tryed proactive for about a month i would have to say…it seemed fine at first but then all of a sudden my face had hives on them..
Kstrunk…No i haven’t tryed anything from there!
My best friend has tryed this aspirin thing before…she said it helps…and with some lemon it stings like a B!tc# but it really works….use a warm washcloth on ur face first to open up ur pores[:
I have large pores, no blackheads, oily skin and red cheeks, would this work for all issues? Once a week?
Not for the rosacea. I suggest avoiding your cheeks because it might make things worse.
And yes, once a week is fine!
I have a question about using vingear or lemon juice, know when I was younger I would use vingear mixed with water to lay out in the sun with and what a tan but I did notice it really dried my skin out, also with lemon juice I would use on my hair to get highlights and it had same affect on my hair. So using these products on your face you dont see that it dries your skin out? I dont have acne but I have a Great Neice that does so I am trying to find out. I have heard not sure that with proactive you do have a severe breakout where it is drawing all the gunk out of your pores but after that you face clears up so maybe that is why some have bad breakouts? Good luck ladies!
Just did this. Love the feel I got. I used my clarisonic brush to remove so I got a mini microderm at the same time. Skin is no dryer than usual but it soaked up my moisturizer and a small amount of coconut oil!!! Feels great! Will be doing this twice weekly.
I want to caution those using Proactive. It is one of the worst things you can use on your skin! It will over-dry your skin so that you start producing more oil (since the body can’t make water to moisturize and rehydrate it) and you will find that you start producing more acne in the end. The spot treatment is ok for occasional use only.