The Best Homemade Facial Masks

Adapted from the Harvest Facial at the Calistoga Ranch, in Napa Valley, California.

What you need: ¼ cup wine; ¼ cup kaolin clay (sold at health-food stores); 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil; and 1 tablespoon organic oat flour (health-food stores).

How it works: Resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant found primarily in red wine but also in smaller amounts in white, may help to repair the damage caused by sun exposure that can lead to wrinkles and sagging, according to a growing body of scientific research. Kaolin clay draws out impurities, while the grapeseed oil moisturizes and hydrates and the oat flour gently exfoliates.

Do it yourself: Combine all the ingredients. Apply to the face, neck, and décolletage. Rinse with warm water after 10 minutes.

Didi’s take*: “I’ll start with the smell. Let’s just say it was incredibly appealing after a long, hard day of work. Full disclosure: I may have poured myself a glass or two as I sat with the mask on my face. The texture reminded me of papier-mâché; it was cool, chunky, and gritty and dried into a delicate shell. After rinsing, I had a thin film on my skin that seemed to iron out my wrinkles a bit—temporarily, anyway. And when I woke up the next morning, my skin was definitely more hydrated.”

*Didi Gluck is Real Simple’s beauty director and consummate guinea pig.

Adapted from the Hydrating Açai Facial at the Spa at Omni La Costa, in Carlsbad, California.

What you need: ⅔ cup sugar; 2 teaspoons açai powder or ¼ cup açai slush (a pulverized form of the berry; both sold at health-food stores); 10 fresh, whole berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or a mix); and 1 tablespoon olive oil.

How it works: Berries are rich sources of polyphenols, a class of antioxidants that, besides being used as wrinkle fighters, have another talent. They’re a strong astringent, so they tighten the skin and minimize pores, says Soheil Simzar, a dermatologist in Santa Monica, California. Fatty acids in high doses, like the ones found in açai berries, seem to combat hyperpigmentation, according to a 2010 paper published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. The sugar and the olive oil form a gentle scrub, which also assists in removing debris trapped in pores.

Do it yourself: With a potato masher, mash the sugar and açai powder or slush with the berries, then slowly add the olive oil; combine coarsely with a whisk. Massage into the face. Leave on for about 5 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

Didi’s take: “I opted for açai powder, which, when blended with the sugar, oil, and berries, produced a paste that smelled vaguely like a health-food store: sweet in a not altogether good way. But it provided stellar exfoliation and revealed clear, smooth skin, albeit slightly purple-tinged from the açai powder; nothing that a makeup wipe couldn’t fix. My pores were indeed undetectable, yet my face didn’t feel the slightest bit tight.”

4 Hydrating Strawberry Facial