Forever Young: Face Masks That Keep Your Skin Smooth
Think about the last thing you put on your face. Did you know that your skin can absorb up to 64% of the chemicals it comes in contact with?
The skin is the largest organ in the body. It protects the body from contaminants and outside elements, and it helps purify the body by releasing toxins through the pores. With this in mind, taking care of your skin is as much a health issue as it is about beauty.
Do Face Masks Work?
Face masks are some of the best ways to take care of facial skin. Besides removing impurities, the right natural face mask can nourish skin with nutrients to help smooth it, tone it, and reduce the appearance of aging. Face masks can also help exfoliate dead cells from the skin’s surface, revealing new, healthy skin beneath.
There are several different types of face masks on the market. Finding the right one for you can make an enormous difference in the appearance of your skin.
Sheet Masks
Sheet masks originated in South Korea and finally arrived on the American scene a few years ago. Sheet masks can be tailored for all skin types, which is helpful. However, when you remove the mask, you’re left with the piece of vinyl that you used to apply that special formula to your face.
A sheet mask is often made of vinyl, true, but really they can come in many different forms: fiber, cotton, even coconut pulp. They resemble a mask you might use as a base for a Halloween costume, with holes for your eyes and mouth. The sheet is infused with moisturizing treatments and placed on your face to seal in the hydrating ingredients. These face sheets are one of the most popular types of face masks in recent years, and those who use them are raving about them.
What do sheet masks do for you? They’re treated in a variety of beneficial ingredients, including water, of course. They’re also saturated in anti-aging treatments so that while they hydrate and brighten your skin, they’re also giving it a more youthful appearance. The result is a simple and easy to use treatment that is also very effective. Your skin ends up with a healthy, hydrated glow, and you can use the face sheets while resting or doing some other light activity.
Different types of sheet face masks exist for different skin types and health needs. You can find one to suit your desired look and skin tone. Face sheets are a great option for anyone looking to improve their facial skincare.
Mud and Clay Masks
Clay masks generally use bentonite or kaolin clay as a base, with other ingredients mixed to achieve different effects. These masks are generally useful for helping with oily skin, but they can also dry skin out. People who are interested in clay masks should know their skin type before they try it, and they should look for something like Immunocologie’s Vital Clay face mask that hydrates as well as exfoliates the skin.
Mud masks, on the other hand, are the classic spa mask often shown on television programs and commercials. They’re similar to clay masks but tend to be richer. The formulas in mud masks are intended to absorb excess skin oils, clear away dirt and unclog pores, remove dead skin and moisten the healthy skin left behind. My Organic Zone’s Dead Sea mud mask uses minerals and mud derived from the actual Dead Sea in an organic blend sure to leave your skin soft and healthy.
It may seem somewhat counterproductive to use mud to clean your face, but a mask of mud or clay may just be the perfect solution to hydrating and cleansing your skin.
Cream Masks and Gel Masks
Cream masks are on the other end of the scale, and they’re designed for hydrating and moisturizing dry skin. A cream mask like the Hydrating Floral Mask by Tata Harper can stay soft for the entire 15-20 minutes that you leave it on your face. These types of masks can be massaged into your skin before you lather them and rinse them off. A wide variety of creams exist specializing in different treatment options, but all serve the general purpose of renewing your dry skin.
Cream masks are oily and great for dry or normal skin. They have a firming effect on the skin, leaving it looking and feeling more youthful. They’re also easy to apply and to clean up, making them an excellent addition to your skincare routine.
Gel masks are similar to cream masks because they’re meant to deeply moisturize the skin. Facial gels are used similarly to cream masks, but are usually better for dry and sensitive skin. Gel masks are infused with collagen and antioxidants that help the sensitive skin rehydrate and renew.
Peel-Off Masks
One of the most effective types of face masks are peel-off masks. These are similar to a face sheet in some ways, but a little more involved. Peel-off masks go on wet, but they dry into a vinyl-like sheet that can be gently peeled away from the skin. These types of masks help exfoliate the skin, remove impurities, and refine pores.
Peel-off masks actually work by gently removing the topmost layer of your skin. This may sound scary, but it’s a good thing! What you’re peeling away are the dull and dead skin cells, leaving the smoother and refreshed skin beneath. Peel-off masks help clear out pores, and the best part is that they can help to fade fine lines and fight the effects of aging.
What are the best peel-off masks?
That depends on your skincare needs. In general, peel-off masks are vitamin-infused, and either plant- or fruit-extract based botanical treatments. All of the best peel-off masks are formulated with hydrating ingredients, as well as antioxidants to help flush the impurities from your skin, and charcoal for its amazing purifying properties.
Peel-off masks are popular and work well, but be sure to follow the instructions properly to reduce any discomfort you may experience. Typically, these types of face masks are easy to use and easy to remove, but you will want to make sure you use them with a complete skincare routine.
Despite what it may look like on TV, peel-off masks are one of the most relaxing and soothing types of face masks. They can serve many functions in your skincare regimen, including reducing lines, wrinkles, and other signs of aging, as well as moisturizing and cleansing away dead skin and impurities.
The Best Ingredients in Face Masks
Finding the best face mask for you includes looking for options that contain ingredients you know can help your skin. For example, many types of face masks can contain activated charcoal, which is good for detoxifying the skin and clearing up blemishes.
If you know your skin could benefit from prickly pear seed oil, you could try something like the Prickly Pear Seed Oil face mask by Amalia Morocco. Some face masks are specifically formulated for anti-aging, while others target redness, acne, hydration, and reducing the visibility of scars.
Talk to your doctor if you need to for recommendations on how to properly implement a healthy skincare routine. Before you know it, you will be experiencing that healthy glow that everyone covets, and never happier to see your own reflection in the mirror!
