Orange Peel Powder

How Your Skin Feels

As a thin wet paste, the fine peel powder rests on your skin for a few minutes, then rinses away with surface oil and loose residue. Skin usually feels clean and fresh afterwards, oily or combination skin feels less greasy, and your face looks fresher and less dull. You usually notice it after one mask.

What to Expect

These are surface effects: they last until your skin's oil comes back, which is why a weekly mask is enough. A good mask is comfortable, with no burning, stinging or strong tightness. It's a mask rather than a scrub, so any rubbing belongs to the rinse, done lightly. The citrus-peel smell makes the routine feel fresh.

Who It Suits

Oily, combination and normal skin are the easiest fit; on combination skin, use it on your forehead, nose and chin. Dry skin does better with a softer mix, such as Aloe Vera Powder, milk or plain yoghurt, and the shorter time. It isn't for anyone allergic to oranges or other citrus fruit. On hair, it's an occasional refresh for greasy or limp-feeling roots, not for dry lengths.

Before You Start

Patch test 24–48 hours before first use (see Care & Safety). You'll need 1–2 tablespoons (10–15 g) of powder for face and neck, lukewarm water and a clean bowl. Pour the powder gently so you don't breathe in the fine dust.

The Face Mask

1. Add lukewarm water a little at a time, stirring until the paste is smooth like yoghurt and spreads without running.
2. Let it stand 5–10 minutes so the powder takes up the water evenly, then loosen it with a little more water if it has thickened.
3. Spread a thin, even layer on clean face and neck, avoiding your eyes, the skin around them, your lips and the corners of your nose.
4. Leave it 10–15 minutes, the shorter time for dry skin. Don't wait for it to crack; rinse sooner if it feels tight or uncomfortable.
5. Soften the mask with lukewarm water and loosen it with light fingertip circles. Don't scrub.
6. Pat dry and moisturise if your skin feels dry or tight.
7. Start once a week; oily or combination skin can go up to twice a week if it stays comfortable. It isn't a daily mask.

Body Pack

Mix 2–3 tablespoons with warm water to a smooth paste, rest it 5 minutes, spread a thin layer on clean, intact skin and rinse it off after 10–15 minutes, before it dries hard. Don't scrub it off.

Hair and Scalp Refresh

Mix 2–3 tablespoons with warm water to a smooth, spreadable paste and apply it mainly to greasy or limp-feeling roots and scalp, not dry ends, keeping it away from your face and eyes. Leave it 10 minutes without letting it dry hard, then rinse very thoroughly until no grains are left, and condition your lengths if they need it. Up to once a week. Orange peel powder for hair has more.

Mixes

Milk or plain yoghurt: 1 tablespoon with 2–3 tablespoons, rested 5 minutes, 10–15 minutes on, for a creamier mask on normal or drier skin. Aloe Vera Powder: 1 teaspoon each with 3–4 teaspoons of warm water, rested 5 minutes, 10 minutes on, for a softer mask. Fuller's earth (multani mitti): 1 teaspoon each with 3–4 teaspoons of warm water in a non-metallic bowl, rested 5 minutes, 5–10 minutes on, rinsed before it cracks: an occasional, more matte mask for oily areas, not for dry or reactive skin. Neem Powder: 1 teaspoon each with 3–4 teaspoons of warm water, rested 5 minutes, 10–15 minutes on, once a week, for a more herbal mask on oily skin. Try a blend only once your skin is fine with each powder on its own. More in how to use orange peel powder on your face.

Tips

Skip lemon juice, vinegar, baking soda and undiluted essential oils: more sting isn't more effect, just more irritation. Use it on a different day from a walnut shell scrub. Mix only what you'll use and throw away leftovers; a wet paste doesn't keep.

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Powder – 100 %

Warnings

For external use only, as a rinse-off mask. Do not eat or drink. Don't use it if you're allergic to oranges or other citrus fruit. Avoid the eyes, the skin around them, the lips and the corners of the nose: if any gets in your eyes, rinse them straight away with plenty of clean water and don't rub them. Don't apply to broken, sunburned or irritated skin or scalp. Keep out of reach of children. Stop using it if irritation occurs.

How to Patch Test

Patch test 24–48 hours before first use, with the exact mix you plan to use. Put a little behind your ear or along your jawline, rinse it off after the time you'd leave the mask on, and watch the skin straight away and over the next 24–48 hours. Don't go ahead if the skin burns, swells, blisters or turns red, or if it itches and the itch doesn't settle. Test again whenever you add something new to the mix, such as milk, yoghurt, Aloe Vera Powder, fuller's earth or Neem. A patch test can't rule out a reaction later.

Using It Safely

It's a rinse-off mask: keep the layer thin, keep to 10–15 minutes (5–10 with fuller's earth) and rinse it off before it dries tight; never leave it on for hours or overnight. If it burns or stings, rinse it off with plenty of water and don't use that mix again. Don't rub inflamed spots or scrub the mask off. Use your usual sun protection afterwards. Pour the fine powder gently so you don't breathe it in. Anything you add brings its own risk of irritation. If an eye still hurts, stays red or your vision is blurred after rinsing, or a rash appears or spreads, see a doctor or pharmacist straight away; if your face, lips or eyes swell, or you have trouble breathing, call 911.

Storage

Keep the pouch tightly closed in a cool, dry place away from moisture, steam, heat and direct sunlight, and use a clean, dry spoon. Don't put wet powder back in the pouch. It keeps for 2 years from the date of packaging; a mixed paste doesn't keep, so mix it fresh each time and throw away leftovers. Throw the powder away if it has got damp, clumped hard, shows mould or smells musty; small differences in shade and smell between batches are normal.