Remember when “me time” was a late-night movie marathon, sleeping in the next day and – most importantly – sitting in silence for as long as you want to? Yeah, me too.
Though I wouldn’t trade these days with my littles for anything, I do love to sneak in some good old-fashioned pampering as often as I can.
Sometimes it’s one of these methods for rebooting my body’s stress response, and sometimes it’s a luxurious at-home facial.
This seaweed mask recipe is similar to the $175 signature service offered at my local spa, but I can get one every week for about $0.25 – $0.35, depending on what I use as a base for the mask.
It’s no secret that I love to use sea-derived ingredients in my recipes – this sea mud soap, for example. They’re deeply nourishing and very affordable if you make your own.
If you’ve never incorporated seaweed into your skincare routine, you’re in for a treat. It nourishes skin with vitamins, macro minerals, trace minerals, polysaccharides and antioxidants that support collagen production.
That’s the short version, of course. For the geeky science details, check out the section below. If you’re in a rush and just want the recipe, skip to the bottom.
If you’ve ever poured water over dried seaweed and watched it plump up, you’ve already it’s incredible ability to retain moisture. Here’s an overview of some of it’s other benefits.
In this study, researchers found that a 1% extract of Fucus vesiculosus – a type of brown algae/seaweed – supported collagen production when applied to skin. This is huge, because not all nutrients are well absorbed by the skin.
Collagen is the perfect example of this – it’s molecules are too large to penetrate the skin, so it just sits on the surface until it is rinsed away. Dietary collagen is actually more helpful for improving skin hydration and elasticity, sleep quality, gut health, bone health and more.
Back to seaweed though: Some researchers believe the benefits of Fucus vesiculosus are due in part to substantial amounts of L-fucose, a polysaccharide that is also found in other types of brown algae/seaweed. (1)
The kelp I use in this recipe – Ascophyllum nodosum – is confirmed to also contain a significant amount of L-fucose. (2)
Clinical research has also shown that a cream containing 1% chlorella – the other algae used in this recipe – had a beneficial effect on firmness and tone. (3)
As you’ll notice in the recipe below, I sometimes rotate kelp with chlorella.
Seaweed offers “one of the broadest ranges of minerals of any food,” including macro-minerals like potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, calcium and copper plus over 70 trace minerals including selenium, iron, zinc, manganese and molybdenum. (4)
Minerals such as copper, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese are essential to the synthesis of collagen. Fortunately, unlike actual collagen, many of them can be directly absorbed.
For example, magnesium is well-absorbed by the skin, which is why it’s so commonly used in bath salts to help relax muscles. Or as Oregon State University put is:
Kelp and seaweed contain carotenes (a precursor to vitamin A), vitamins B-1 (thiamin), B-2 (riboflavin), B-3 (niacin), B-9 (folate), C, E and K1- all of which support skin health. (6)
In many (if not most) cases, these vitamins are thought to work synergistically with minerals to facilitate absorption – for example, vitamin C increases the body’s absorption of iron. (7)
These vitamins also often have an antioxidant effect – several water and alcohol extracts of seaweed have demonstrated antioxidant properties, including an extract made from the kelp used in this recipe (Ascophyllum nodosum). (8) (9)
Some of the nutrients found in seaweed are fat soluble, meaning that they need fat of some kind to be present in order to be absorbed. However, based on the research I’ve done many of the minerals in seaweed are probably better absorbed with a water base.
For that reason, I tend to alternate which type of base I use between aloe vera gel (which is water-based), yogurt (which contains both water and fat), and oil.
Awhile ago I stopped by Thrive Market and made this mask in their studio using aloe vera gel, kelp granules and spirulina – so I thought I would share it so you can see how easy it is!
Like my beloved valerian root tincture that supports deep sleep, this seaweed powder has a not-so-appealing scent.
It’s not very strong, but you may want to incorporate an essential oil to improve the fragrance while also imparting additional skin benefits.