Glow Guide: Face Masks

A good skincare regime is the mist fundamental step in creating and maintaining skin health. This is then complimented by in clinic treatments that suit your skin and help bring you along the road to where you want to go.  However, COVID19 has thrown any in clinic plans way off course and the odd face mask is definitely something your skin could do with.  The key is to get the right one for your skin, and to use it correctly of course (sounds simple, I know – but you should see what some people manage to do with cleanser).

So what face mask is the best one for you? The most expensive one? The one all the bloggers are using? Or the one that smells like could eat it? No, no and nope. Always, always it depends on your skin and what tends to go wrong with it when it is misbehaving.

Acne and breakout prone:

For this my friend, you want a face mask that will help unclog your pores and soothe your skin (acne skin tends to be sensitive skin and sebum itself can be inflammatory when there is too much of it). Maybe you have previously made the mistake of searching for hardcore, burn the face off you face mask in an effort to clear up your skin? It doesn’t tend to work well with a skincare routine that is already full of salicylic acid and retinol.  You may have found instead that your skin got red and irritated (and still didn’t clear up!).

Instead, a calming clay mask can be a great addition to a basic skincare routine to target breakouts. You can prep your skin with your regular cleanser and some salicylic acid, followed by the clay mask. some of my favourites include:

1. ZO Skin Health Sulfur Masque. This is the ultimate in clay masks, and if you have already had a consultation with me, you can just pop an email to hello@theglowclinic.ie and we can pop it on your exclusive portal for you.  If you haven’t, but acne and breakouts are getting you down, you can book a skincare spotlight consultation to make sure this masque is something that will help you (rather that make your skin worse!) and access all of the exclusive ZO Skin Health products.
2. Indian healing clay Aztec Face Mask. A super budget option, but it does require a little bit of mixing.

Dull and a bit congested:

You need some acid in your life (not the Electric Picnic kind). Acids like glycolic and lactic can be great to help remove dead skin cells and freshen skin up. Acids are always ingredients I would spend more on (than say clay, above) as the wrong one can really irritate your skin and wreak havoc on the skin barrier. Not quite what you are aiming for.

Apply to clean skin (honestly, you would be shocked what people get up to) and do NOT leave it on for too long.  You will only burn your skin, not make it extra glowy.  Think Samantha from Sex and The City.  A key part of this is making sure you remove it properly too.  You want lukewarm to cool water and a face cloth for this task  and your face should not be stinging when its all gone. I like to follow up the below with a hydrating mask or extra nourishing moisturiser:

1. Dr Levy 3 Deep Cell Micro-Resurfacing Cleanser. This is a cleanser, I know, but it makes a superb face mask. You leave it on for a maximum of 5 minutes (I usually go with 2.5, it is strong stuff) and then rinse off and hey presto, glowy, plump skin. Like the ZO range, Dr Levy can also be added to your portal if you like, just email hello@theglowclinic.ie if you are an existing patient.
2. Alumier MD Enzymatic Peel. A lovely one that is suitable for even more sensitive skin, this is just gorgeous.

Dry and tired:

Usually I would use on of the acid/enzyme based masks above first, and then follow up with either:

1. Garnier Moisture Bomb Hydrating Sheet Mask.  You all know my love for this one.  Make sure you leave it on until it is dry and then fling your best hydrating serum and moisturiser on if you’re heading to bed.  Vitamin C and sunscreen if you’ve managed to fit this into your daytime routine (or you’re reading this a few weeks later and you’re heading out somewhere, because we are actually allowed got somewhere).
2. Alumier MD Aqua Infusion Mask. Deeply hydrating, without being too thick and creamy, so even my breakout prone skin likes it.  Oily skin could give a deep cleanse, apply some liquid salicylic and then lather this one for a hydration hit.

I hope you enjoy some of these and give yourself and your skin a much needed treat.  Remember, if your skin is ever stinging or really irritated you should remove everything and place a cool damp facecloth on your skin. Sometimes your skin barrier may not be functioning as well as it might be and even masks that you have used before are not the best idea.  Always listen to your skin.

Coming soon: WOW at Home – a home version of our ridiculously popular Wow Fusion treatment to refine pores, nourish the skin and get you glowing like nothing else!