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Using a face mask is such a convenient way to quickly and thoroughly supply your skin with all it needs to be healthy and beautiful. There are, however, a few common mistakes many girls make when applying a face mask.
Have you ever wondered how to properly apply a face mask? Should you use it before or after a shower? To wash your face before or after you apply the mask? How often to use a face mask? What are some other steps you could take to truly get the most out of it?
Using a face mask incorrectly can result in not getting the full potential from your products, but it can also damage your skin. So, go quickly through the list below, to make sure you are using your masks in the way your skin can most benefit from.
10 Tips on How to Use a Face Mask for Maximum Results:
1. Use a face mask 1 – 2 times a week
One of the most often questions about face masks is how often you should apply one. And the answer can vary a bit, depending on the condition of your skin. But for most girls, it is once or twice a week.
That is usually just the right measure to cover your skin’s needs, but not enough to start to damage your skin. Too much of a good thing can definitely turn into a bad thing. And with skincare products, that couldn’t be more literal.
2. Always in the evening and never before an important event
There are two reasons for this. One – some products can make your skin more sensitive to the sun. Whether because they have exfoliating properties or because they contain photosensitive ingredients.
Second, some face masks can cause temporary redness and mild skin irritation. We are not talking about a serious issue, like allergic reaction. Just a small, harmless redness that will disappear in an hour or two, but why go out like that?
Then again, if you are using a new product, there’s no way to tell how your skin is going to react. Better safe than sorry.
3. Apply your face mask before you shower
Many girls wonder is it better to apply a face mask before or after they take a shower. And honestly, there’s no big difference.
It just might be a little more convenient to apply it before washing your hair. That way, you can apply the mask all the way to the hairline, without worrying if your hair will look greasy.
Plus, you can just leave the mask on while you’re taking the shower. The steam and the warmth will open your pores and make your mask even more effective.
4. Wash your face before (and sometimes after) a face mask
Every time you use a face mask, it should be on a clean skin. That way, you won’t trap any dirt and bacteria under it. Plus, the mask will better sink into the skin if the skin is clean.
When you need to remove the mask, sometimes it is enough to just rinse it off with lukewarm water. But with some masks, it is better to thoroughly wash them off your skin.
This usually works for masks that can tint your skin (berries, tomato, turmeric, coffee, cocoa, charcoal). Or, if they contain irritating or drying ingredients that shouldn’t stay on your skin for too long, not even in traces (citruses, clay, cinnamon etc.)
5. Exfoliate your face first
Other than face masks, our skin also needs gentle exfoliation once or twice a week. Face scrubs remove the dead, dry, dull layer of your skin. That way, they refresh the skin, unclog pores and stimulate the skin’s renewal process.
On top of that, after a face scrub, your skin will much better absorb whatever you put on it. That is why face masks are much more effective when you apply them after you exfoliated your skin.
Just remember that harsher scrub doesn’t mean more skincare benefits. You don’t want to irritate or damage your skin. Even a very gentle exfoliator (like oatmeal powder or rice flour) will do the job.
6. Choose a mask suitable for your skin type, but…
It seems like the most obvious thing in the world that you should use products suitable for your skin type. However, no product can cover all your skin’s need. Your skin needs variety, not just one and the same thing over and over again.
Even normal skin sometimes needs deep cleansing. Even oily skin needs hydration. Don’t always use the same mask. Rotate.
Multi-masking is another option to cover all your skin’s needs. It literally means to apply different masks to different areas of your face. So, if you have combination skin, you can apply a clay mask to your T-zone and moisturizing mask to your cheeks etc.
7. Don’t let a face mask dry on your face
This especially works for clay masks, but they are not the only ones that can dry out your face if you leave them on for too long.
If a mask dries on your face, it can start pulling the moisture out of your skin until it seriously dehydrates it. That way, it sucks out all the good stuff your skin just got and makes the skin much, much worse.
Don’t let the face mask dry out on your face. It is that simple. Either wash it off before it dries completely, or reapply another layer that will moisten the first one and prevent the skin dehydration.
8. Always follow with a moisturizer
Even if your face mask is super moisturizing, once you wash it off, you will need something to prevent that moisture from evaporating. So, always apply a thin layer of a face cream or natural oil right away, while your skin is still slightly damp.
Face moisturizer creates a protective barrier that blocks the water molecules from escaping out of your skin. That way, your skin stays plump, supple, youthful and well-hydrated for much, much longer.
9. Use this time to truly relax
Many girls (including myself) will try to multitask and finish at least some tasks while wearing a face mask. Whether it be cleaning the bathroom, making dinner, helping the kids with their homework, answering emails…
But relaxation is also very important both for your skin and for your well-being. Can’t we take those 20 minutes only for ourselves?
Use the time while wearing a face mask to completely relax. Soak in the tub. Lay down with cucumber slices over your eyes. Put on relaxing music. Light aromatic candles. Lock the door, put headphones on and pretend you are not there.
10. Patch-test!
This has already been said so many times, so let just repeat it really quickly.
Always patch-test new products before applying them to a larger patch of your skin!
Unexpected reactions to skincare products are a real thing and they can be very serious, but people seem to never get it until it happens to them.
Patch-testing is a simple, harmless, free and effective measure to prevent possible complications. It is easy. It is fast. It requires from you only to apply a bit of the product and wait until tomorrow before applying more. Don’t be too lazy to do it.
