This woman uses her own period blood as a face mask
17 June 2019, 17:25
Apparently the bloody face masks help to treat breakouts and give you glowing skin…
In a world where we're constantly being told to reuse and recycle, Gabrielle Schlegel is taking it to the rather extreme end of the spectrum. The Canadian artist has started putting her monthly cycle to good use by smearing her menstrual blood on her… face.
Like a lot of women, when Gabrielle was 13 she started her period. However, she was too scared to tell her mother and by the time she started having sex in her teens, she began to hate getting her period every month.
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However, in October 2014, Gabrielle discovered that periods have their positives. She had just fallen into the world of spirituality and yoga, and after seeing a woman on Instagram using her menstrual blood to paint, she thought it was a great idea to start collecting her blood in a menstrual cup too.
How it went from being used for paintings to part of her skincare regime, we don't really know, but apparently the face masks help to treat breakouts and leave her with glowing skin.
"Not only does it leave my skin absolutely glowing, in my experience, it actively works in treating breakouts, as there are stem cells and many nutrients that are meant to help grow a baby if pregnant and the uterine lining were not to shed," Gabrielle told Metro.
Blood can actually be good for my skin and celebrities like Kim Kardashian are fans of the "Vampire Facial", which separates the platelet-rich plasma from your own blood, before it's injected back into the skin and give it a boost. However, there is no actual scientific evidence or research to prove that slapping period blood on your face has any benefit at all.
Anyway, now Gabrielle sees her period as a chance to give herself a monthly pampering session and better yet, it's free and completely natural. She's even started sharing pics of her bloody masks on Instagram in a bid to break down the stigma associated with menstruation.
She added: "I want to help others feel good about it as well. Because our lives have become so visually orientated with the influence of social media and I am continually inspired by those sharing their truths online, I knew it would be the perfect tool to reach many people at once with my message.
"Seeing myself in the mirror, with my blood smeared all over my face, really allowed me to realise that there is absolutely nothing disgusting or wrong about menstrual blood. In fact, it is completely harmless, manifesting without a wound to the body of any kind.
"If anything, it is the most sacred fluid the human body is capable of secreting. The literal shedding of the uterine lining that was preparing to grow a human body, should a fertilised egg have been implanted. It has been a whole other level of embracing my period."
No-one should feel shame or disgust about a little menstrual blood and if it's not hurting anyone, or yourself then hey why not! Smear away.
But, um, yeah it's a no from me – I'll probably stick to clay or charcoal.