Today, I just want to talk from my heart and share what I have learnt personally from wearing face masks as part of my skin care routine.

First , I would want to begin by saying that I think that no skin care regime is complete without the use of a facial mask.

Face masks are a quick, easy and effective way to nourish the skin, target acne, hyperpigmentation, deep cleanse, brighten  etc. They are usually worn one a week, but you can wear them twice a week if you prefer.

Here are some reasons why you should consider wearing face masks..

  1. Skin tightening : Wearing face mask helps to tighten the skin, you can literally feel this when the mask is drying on your skin. Your skin becomes to tighten  as the mask dries off. This happens more  with dry powder masks than liquid gel- like masks.

2.  Unclogged pores: Masking with a product that contains  clay helps to remove dirt and absorb excess oils. It’ll also help to remove the build-up of dead skin cells that accumulate on our skin. When you remove all the debris from the surface of your skin, it’ll help to unclog pores, too. We all know that clogged pores are nothing but trouble. Yucky stuff gets trapped in your pores and gets pushed deep down into the pore where bacteria can develop. Once that bacteria starts to grow it’s all over for our skin, because we will soon get a blemish, a flurry of breakouts or even one giant pimple that will wreak havoc on our life for several days. Regular face masks help to keep your skin surface clean and our pores unclogged. This is an excellent reason to use your face mask right now.

3. Glowing Skin: Masks improve blood circulation in the skin. The process of the mask drying on your skin and beginning to harden, along with the removal of the mask, causes an expansion in the blood vessels in your skin. This ensures an overall improvement in skin tone. You’ll be left with softer-feeling and smoother-looking skin, and you’ll also notice a radiant glow and more refreshed appearance.

4. Deep Cleansing: Most face masks have the ability to draw out dirt and toxins from beneath your skin surface . this pulling action of dirt below the skin surface is made possible as a result of the contact time of the mask on the face and the drying out process which causes the skin to tighten and hence the pores are constricted and germs and toxins trapped inside them are pushed out to the surface and washed away with the dried mask. This is something that normal cleansers are not really able to do as most cleansers only focus on dirt or grime on the skin surface.

5. Skin exfoliation: Some face masks act as effective scrubs and can be used to gently exfoliate the skin revealing brighter looking skin before being washed off. This will enhance the penetration of your moisturisers, toners and serums giving faster results. Other types of face masks may not necessarily wok as a face scrub, but might contain certain enzymes or natural acids that will also help achieve his purpose.

6. Removes excess grease and oil from the skin: Masks have the  ability to mop up excess oil from the skin thereby reducing excessive shine or grease from the face. Therefore are  certainly beneficial to people with oily skin types.

 

Types of face masks

There are so many different types of face masks, but I will try as much as I can to categorise them into various groups.

  1. Clay masks:  clay is mined from beneath the earth surface and there are different types and colours of clay mask available today. They contain a lot of minerals and are a good way to deposit some of these beneficial minerals on the skin surface. Clays are also really great at puling out toxins, deep cleansing, refining pores  ad tightening skin. Clay masks are mostly suitable for people with oily skin types as they tend to be really drying, however white kaolin clay is more gentle and can also be used by people with dry skin types without excessive drying. Green Clay is supposedly the best type of clay to be used by people with acne. Clay masks are activated by mixing with water ( or any suitable liquid ) in a non metallic container and carefully applying the pase all over the face. Most times you will wait until the clay is dry and skin feels tight before gently removing the clay with water. we will discuss different types of clays and their uses in another post.

 

2.   Fruit masks:  fruit masks are made by pureeing fruits, their peels or sometimes using dry powdered fruits to make a face mask. Certain kind of fruit to be used include pawpaw, tomato, banana, lemon ( diluted), Pineapple, avocado etc. Sometimes fruit masks can be combined with clays to improve their consistency and prevent them from rolling off the face. Most fruit masks are hydrating and can help restore dry skin e.g banana and avocado mask, while other contain enzymes that help in exfoliation e. g . paw paw and pineapple. While others are antioxidant rich and help to nourish and restore skin damage.

 

3.   Beverage Mask:   Under this group I will include things like milk, yogurt, honey , cocoa powder, coffee. These are hydrating masks mostly and are great for all skin types but especially people with dry skin types. Cocoa powder is a rich antioxidant filled powder that is really great for nourishing all skin types. milk and yogurt have mild exfoliating, skin glowing properties as they both contain lactic acid, while honey has antibacterial qualities that will also be beneficial to acne skin.

 

4. Floral Masks:   Petal of flowers can ground dried or fresh to make a paste that can also be applied on the skin such as rose petals, hibiscus, plant parts like aloe vera, etc. The paste can be left on the skin to dry and then washed off. This type of mask can be used by people of all skin types.

 

 

 

5. Spice mask:  This incudes turmeric, cinnamon. These masks are commonly used to deal with acne issues and turmeric has  a reputation for brightening the skin with use overtime. Mostly used by people with oily skin types.

There are other types of masks like charcoal mask , which is a deep cleansing, complexion improving face mask, that is suitable for use by people of all skin types. Here’s  a link to my previous post on charcoal masks Activated Charcoal (UNYI) in skincare

You also have the peel- off masks that have to be peeled off  the face by the edges when dry. Most peel off masks work best for people with greasy or congested skin.

You can also mix ingredients from various groups to make your face mask. For example check out this mask I made by mixing clays, fruits, beverage etc.  here http://bareskinnaturals.com/helpful-tips/delicious-strawberry-and-chocolate-mask/

 

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