TikTok has given us so many food recipes and trends like whipped coffee, Jeremy Scheck’s potatoes, Gigi Hadid’s pasta, and the chickle (TBH just about everything that had pickles trended on the social media app). But aside from actual food, TikTok has been the place where we see food and beauty meet. There are makeup and nail trends that have been rebranded with food names like strawberry makeup and blueberry milk nails. But there was no use of actual food. In December, a new beauty trend started to go viral — the flaxseed face mask. It’s supposedly a “natural Botox.”
What is the TikTok flaxseed face mask?
The flaxseed face mask consists of two ingredients — flaxseed and water. Flaxseeds are more commonly used as a dietary supplement and a good source of fiber. It also is rich in omega-3 which, according to Healthline, may help reduce acne, moisturize your skin, and is anti-inflammatory.
There are multiple videos of creators taking a bag of flaxseed and pouring a portion into boiled water. No measurements just eyeballing. Then, they occasionally stir until the water thickens to a gel-like consistency, about 10 minutes.
In Madeline Phillippi’s TikTok, she and a group of her friends strain the gel-like concoction in what looks like a cheesecloth to remove the flaxseed. After going through multiple comments, the recipe is as follows: bring two cups of filtered water to a boil, add ¼ cup of whole flaxseeds, and stir for a minute. Bring the heat down to a simmer and stir occasionally for about 10 minutes. Pour through a mesh strainer into a glass container, and cool before use. Store in the back of the fridge for up to two to three weeks.
However, in Alexis Dimaya’s TikTok, she keeps some flax seeds in the mask.
The mask is said to lighten dark spots, fix hyperpigmentation, tighten your skin, moisturize, and “it’s even like Botox,” said Dimaya in the original video where she first introduced the mask. In that same video, she notes to keep the mask on until your face feels super tight.
Is it really “natural Botox?”
No. The tightening of the skin when the mask dries won’t provide any long-lasting effects on wrinkles, as said by Board Certified Dermatologist Dr. Scott Walter in a TikTok video. but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a DIY spa day.
Are you supposed to boil the flaxseeds?
Boiling flaxseeds may result in burning and losing the benefits of the flaxseeds. In TikTok user @itshelenmelon’s video, she adds the flaxseeds into a bowl and pours boiling water while stirring the mixture. Then, she covers the bowl and places it in the fridge until it sets.
In a 2019 study published in the National Library of Medicine, the process of cooking flaxseeds for up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours does not alter the flaxseeds’ composition (this study was for baking, but the sentiment might still be the same).