Our 5 Top Tips on How to Select the Perfect Face Mask

 

1. Decide on your skin care goal. You may need deep cleansing, purifying, refining, hydration, moisturisation etc. There are a whole host of different skin challenges that can be addressed with a good mask choice.
2. Realise that you may need to apply more than one type of mask. Most people do not have the same skin care requirements all over their face and neck. Masks are an ideal way of treating each area of your skin in a specific way. For example, you may need a deep cleansing mask for a more oily T-zone of your face, a hydrating mask for your cheeks and something more moisturising and richer for your neck where there are fewer oil-producing glands.
3. Check the ingredients. Masks which contain butylene glycol will allow active ingredients to penetrate the skin better. So be sure the active ingredients are the ones that will help you to achieve your skin care goals.
4. Be realistic. Your skin is a barrier to help protect your skin from environmental factors and whilst ingredients can be absorbed from products (think oestrogen gel for menopausal women and nicotine patches) only a small proportion of these ingredients will be absorbed. It’s difficult to get products to penetrate into the deeper layers of the skin so masks cannot replace the benefits of a salon treatment.
5. Know which types of mask will achieve your skin care goals. There are a whole host of ‘magical ingredients’ on the market, some of which are there just for a novelty factor. The following list of ingredients will help you to choose effectively:

Vitamin face mask: in particular, vitamins A,C and E are great choice of face mask for a mature skin. Especially skins that need brightening, firming and reducing age spots. We love Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Mask. It is often called ‘an ambulance in a tube’ as it’s great for effectively combatting dry and aged skin.

Clay based mask: If you are prone to oiliness, blackheads and break-outs then a clay based mask can be really helpful as clay absorbs excess oils, reducing surface shine, and draws impurities from the skin. Look out for ingredients such as kaolin, fullers earth, bentonite etc. We love Dermalogica’s Sebum Clearing Mask as it also contains Salicylic Acid with helps to stimulate the skins natural exfoliation and our clients say that it really helps to clear pores.

Hydrating mask: Does what it says on the tin – it provides increased hydration in the skin. This in turns helps to minimise fine lines and improve elasticity making the skin feel more ‘comfortable’. Our clients love Dermalogica’s Skin Hyrdrating Mask for its ability to restore the skin’s protective barrier due to the lycopene-rich Tomato seed lipids leaving their skin visibly less stressed and dry. This is an excellent mask for most skin types.

Sheet masks: we generally don’t recommend this type of mask as we feel it’s a bit ‘gimmicky’. However, the St Tropez tanning sheet mask has been a hit with our clients. It’s simple to use and gives the skin a great golden glow with the minimum of effort and mess.

Charcoal based masks: charcoal has made a ‘big come back’ in recent years. Charcoal is a great ingredient for absorbing toxins and impurities, especially pollution particles. So, if you are concerned about how pollution levels can be adversely affecting your skin health a charcoal mask would be a good choice for you. Dermalogica’s Charcoal Rescue mask contains activated Binchotan charcoal to powerfully absorb impurities.

If you, like our other clients in Tarporley, Ellesmere Port and surrounding areas feel overwhelmed by all the different mask options you can always make an appointment to come in and see one of our trained Skin Care Therapists who will help you choose the products that the most beneficial for your skin.

A lot of clients say they don’t have time for a face mask but they are one of life’s simple pleasures and we should look to build them into our time off as the days grow shorter and we prepare for the winter ahead.

 

 

Originally published September 5, 2018