Menstrual Blood Face Mask Benefits: Is It A Trend Bloody Worth It?

The time of the month Aunt Flo visits was dreaded in the early teenage days by most girls. But thanks to tampons and sanitary pads, menstruation is no more a matter of toleration nowadays. It is just another thing. Now with the menstrual cup, things have jazzed up to the extent of anti-stigmatizing the natural phenomenon with practices like ‘moon masking’, also known as ‘menstrual blood masking. 

This trend of menstrual blood face masks was brought in by Tiktok scientists in an attempt to bring forth a cheaper version of vampire facials and -Voila! The social media post mustered over 6.4 billion views. The herd mentality has brought in a pack of women influencers who are giving first-person narratives about how they gave themselves the gift of moon masks and about the menstrual blood face mask benefits. 

Menstrual Blood Face Mask Benefits & Alternatives!

Vampire facials have taken the world by storm. Agreed that not all can afford expensive beauty treatments and procedures. But women love to go pretty and at no cost! Steals from the sanitary pad were the last thing beauty scientists could think about. In 2019, Dr. Barbara strum did bring in her skin care cream, famous as the ‘Blood cream’, which itself costs around 1400 pounds.

Alongside we did witness the vampire facials taking the world into the magic of blood. It is a process by which platelet-rich plasma is extracted from your own blood and is micro-needled back into your skin. It is alternatively called the PRP facial(1), which stands for platelet-rich plasma facial.

Celebrities like Kim Kardashian wowed the world with the pictures of her vampire facial. It came as an alternative to dermal fillers that plump up the skin and was a highly sought-after skin care treatment in South Korea. Now it is gaining tempo everywhere, not just among women but among men too!

Benefits Of Menstrual Blood For Skin

This is when the social media wizards decided to bring up a poor woman’s version of vampire facial, which is not invasive and comes cheap. They claim that the healing and anti-inflammatory properties of menstrual blood bring them to trust the menstrual blood face mask benefits. We also have scientific discoveries that point towards the richness of menstrual blood.

In 2016, a study brought out the findings that menstrual blood-derived stem cells can be used to design differentiation to skin epidermal cells, to be employed non-invasively in various dermatological lesions and diseases. The blood is said to have oodles of nutrients and minerals which will keep the skin soft and supple. But there is a stark difference between vampire facials and Menstrual blood face masks that the platelet-rich plasma procedure is a scientifically backed procedure accepted by medical authorities, which menstrual masking cannot claim(2).

Personal reservations aside, let us take a dip in the menstrual blood mask journey and menstrual blood face mask benefits!  

History Of Menstrual Blood Mask

Blood has been noted down as a beauty serum in some esoteric practices in different cultures. In the past, between the years 1590 and 1610, a Hungarian woman who was in the higher real realms of aristocracy, named Countess Elizabeth Bathory, used to take a bath in the blood of many young souls in an attempt to stay youthful. She has found her place in the annals of history not as a beauty icon, but as a serial killer.

Menstrual Blood Face Mask Benefits: Is Period Blood Good For Your Face Acne?

There are also some practices in the Philippines where this particular practice of ‘moon masking’ or ‘Menstrual blood masks’ was done in an attempt to have clear skin. Traditionally, women in the Philippines believe that washing the face with menstrual blood would make your skin acne free during puberty when you are supposed to get pimples on your skin because of hormonal reasons. These practices are supposed to connect women to the matriarchal lineage and remind them of the power of women.

In India, also some folklore traditions do point out that washing your face with menstrual blood can cure the case of stubborn pimples among teenage girls. Many countries do have such practices, based on superstitions that center around the menstrual blood face mask benefits. 

Yazmina Jade, a hairdresser, feminist, spiritual healer, and a self-proclaimed ‘blood witch’, in an attempt to show that the menstrual blood is not dirty but sacred, to the masses, puts her face to test by smearing menstrual blood all over her face in a video post. The higher octave feministic skin care mode received wide acclaim and publicity, though the opinions were divided between gross and empowerment. Many women supported the cause and made similar posts on social media in an attempt to obviate the taboos connected to menstrual blood and to make people aware of menstrual blood face mask benefits.

Period Blood On Face Spiritual Meaning

In certain cultures, menstrual blood is supposed to have spiritual significance. In witchcraft, menstrual blood was also added to the cauldron to mix up magical potions. Wiccans do give importance to the phases of the moon for their practices. So they employ practices like pouring menstrual blood back into the soil as menstrual blood was seen connected to the energies of the earth. Some clean their sanitary pad in water and pour out the water infused with menstrual blood onto dying plants in an attempt to revive them. 

The Menstrual blood Is supposed to be steeped in ancestral energies and used in reflex points to invigorate them or used to cleanse amulets and crystals. 

On the contrary, in some cultures, there are beliefs surrounding the menstrual cycle of the woman making her ‘untouchable ‘ during the phase and also that she should not touch anything auspicious or it may perish. Entry to places of worship is sacrosanct during this phase in many religions, like Hinduism. Praying or taking part in household chores is also not accepted in some cultures.

Menstrual Blood Face Mask Benefits

Menstrual blood is said to house stem cells, which are great ‘mother cells’, usually found in bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, and menstrual blood. Stem cells are extracted to repair a diseased organ and treat many conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, etc.

Menstrual stem cells reign the roost as they can be collected without needles and complicated procedures, unlike from the spinal cord where long needles do the work, and they multiply faster than the ones extracted from the spine or umbilical cord.

• Menstrual blood masks are supposed to be effective in making the skin free from acne, soft and smooth.
• Those who were grappling with acne problems seem to have reduced the number of outbreaks and count it as a number one among the menstrual blood face mask benefits. They claim to do this every time they get their periods. 
• Some even romanticize it with meditations and similar practices of connecting with one’s own feminity during the time they have their masks on their face. 
• Other menstrual blood face mask benefits are as it contains nutrients, minerals and the richness of menstrual blood can be reabsorbed into the body with the Menstrual blood face masks. Many stand by this view because the menstrual blood contains all the stem cells and nutrition a baby needs.  

Menstrual Blood Face Mask Risks

A slew of testimony floods social media about the miraculous menstrual blood face mask benefits. Medical science proscribes this, though. They claim that this is an unhygienic practice that lacks the backing of real science. Menstrual Blood is said to contain the uterus lining and little bits of the endometrium, white blood cells, water, enzymes, zinc, copper, magnesium, and proteins–it is true. But it also contains mucous, vaginal cervical secretions, bacteria from the vaginal flora, clots, etc. which can cause inflammation on your skin. 

If the woman is infected with herpes or HPV (human papillomavirus), yeast, or bacterial infections, then menstrual blood face masks will serve as an easy medium to get it transferred to the face. 

Medical experts find this skincare fad absurd. They state that the claims of the nutrients getting reabsorbed into the body are absurd. They reiterate that it is an unhygienic, unsterile, and useless procedure. You risk a higher level of infections in case you have open pores and acne.

You might be having an attack of candidiasis, yeast infections, or endometriosis which you may not be even aware of. When the menstrual blood that contains even a modicum of these is spread onto an already acne-flared-up skin, we can always imagine the outcome.

It Is to be noted that during vampire facials, in order to get purer blood, the clients are advised to stop sugar and alcohol. They are given iron supplements to improve the quality and quantity of blood. But the blood used in menstrual face masks are ones replete with dead cells and other materials.  

How Can I Do A Menstrual Blood Face Mask Without Any Risks?

Menstrual blood masks are a variant of traditional masks using menstrual blood for a change. Fresh menstrual blood is collected from the menstrual cup and applied on the face leaving it to dry for fifteen to twenty minutes and wash it off. Some extract it from the panties drenched in menstrual blood and put it in water to use the water to be dabbed on the face with a cotton ball. It is usually left on for almost fifteen to twenty minutes.

Those who have tried suggest that you do not apply it near the nose as it is not the best-smelling fluid. some suggest mixing essential oils in it. They also point out that it dries fast and leaves skin dewy and softer than before.

As skincare steeped in controversies, it is the question of to what extent you are willing to go for in the name of skincare. Those not into menstrual blood facemasks can find numerous other alternatives to respect women-hood. No doubts! We are proud to be women- we create and we live on! Cheers♥️