For many people, face masks are a luxury saved for special occasions. While you don’t necessarily need to use one every day, a good face mask makes an excellent addition to your weekly skincare routine. Face masks are made to target specific skin issues, from general moisturization to pore-clearing. Think of a face mask as a deep skin treatment for an added boost to your skin’s health.
Benefits of Using a Face Mask
Where are your problem areas? Do you have more than one? Acne, dry patches, fine lines, and wrinkles are all issues you can target with a face mask. Alternating your face masks lets you give your skin deep nourishment that’s missing from your daily skincare products. Face masks offer a wide range of benefits, depending on which formula you choose.
Improve Hydration
Dry skin can be a genetic condition or a result of a dry environment. It also tends to become more of a problem as you age. While dry skin doesn’t cause wrinkles, it can make wrinkles easier to see. Hydrating face masks penetrate into the skin to moisturize deep into the skin where daily products may not reach.
Daily moisturizers can certainly help dry skin. However, a hydrating face mask like SkinResourceMD’s Soothing Gel Mask moisturizes the skin’s deeper layers and repairs skin damage from environmental stressors. This formula can even help soothe sunburnt skin with a blend of panthenol, allantoin, and sea whip.
Control Oil and Acne
Oily, acne-prone skin can benefit from a deeper cleaning every few days. Face masks can contain potent ingredients that sink deep into the pores to remove dead skin cells, dirt, and oils that daily cleansers may leave behind.
SkinResourceMD’s Zinc & Sulphur Mask contains a blend of zinc oxide, eucalyptus, sulphur (to reduce shine), and witch hazel to clear away oil and surface cells. You can apply it weekly or several times a week to help control shine and acne.
Reduce the Signs of Aging
A face mask that stimulates collagen production and/or uses antioxidants to fight damage by free radicals can slow the signs of aging. Some masks help firm the skin or reduce puffiness to highlight the skin’s youthful appearance.
Pamper Yourself
Everyone needs a break from daily demands and stress. Applying a soothing face mask while relaxing to quiet music or reading a book is a great way to calm your skin and mind. Use that face mask time as a way to pamper yourself after a long week.
Choosing a Face Mask
Your skin protects your body from harmful environmental elements and sun damage. It needs special care to stay strong, supple, and healthy. Everyone can benefit from a face mask, even if you don’t have a specific problem area.
For normal skin, skin that is neither dry nor oily, focus on hydration. Hydrated skin resists damage from cuts, scrapes, and daily stressors better than dry skin. It can also prevent your skin from losing its natural hydration, reducing the visible signs of aging.
Those with dry skin should focus on hydration as well. Gel masks and formulas that lock in natural moisture help your skin maintain that careful balance between dry and oily.
Oily skin needs help with oil control and clearing pores. Clay masks that absorb oil and those, like SkinResourceMD’s that break up oil in the pores, give your skin a deep clean.
How to Apply a Face Mask
Always read the application instructions before putting on a face mask. However, there are a few constants when it comes to application, including:
- Begin with clean skin.
- Leave the mask on the skin for the recommended time or until the mask dries. Not all face masks are designed to dry before removal, so check the instructions.
- Be gentle when removing the face mask. Use lukewarm to cool water and a clean washcloth to fully remove the mask.
- Pat (do not rub) your skin dry.
Some masks, especially those designed to remove oil and prevent acne, may leave your face feeling tight. Apply a moisturizer or hydrating product that’s suited to your skin type, such as Oil Free Antioxidant Facial Moisturizer or Baobab Skin Correction Facial Cream to treat uneven skin pigmentation.
The Takeaway
A skincare routine makes sure your skin protects you to the best of its abilities and looks good while doing it. That routine isn’t complete until you’ve added a face mask into your rotation. A face mask that targets your skin’s problem areas acts as a powerful way to control hydration or acne problems. When used along with high-quality daily moisturizers, antioxidant serums, and anti-aging skin treatments, a face mask treats your skin at deeper levels for all-around better skin health.
