The natural next step to exfoliation which was covered last week, is putting on a  FACE MASK.  Face masks are an excellent way to help maintain beautiful skin.  Once to twice a week is enough.  Now to figure out which one works for our skin type and then decide  what to invest in.

Our skin can change depending on the season so you might be more oily in summer and drier in winter. Sometimes we need something to calm our skin rather than hydrate it.  I alternate using  a hydrating cream mask from Clarins or Origins “drink up” coupled with Ahava dead sea mud mask for the t-zone area.  I also stole a little have some dead sea mud from when I  floated like jelly in the Dead Sea itself.  Lasts forever.  What an experience!

Love the Japanese ultrafine sheet masks by Puresa with CoQ10. They come in an orange kleenex-style box & each mask you pull out completely fits over and adheres to your face with holes cut out for eyes + nose.  Try not to scare anyone who sees you though.

TIP:  if the mask says to leave it on for 10 minutes, leave it on for 10 minutes – not 20.  It won’t make your skin nicer by leaving it on longer.  Trust me on this.

Here are a few starters to help:  

1 Dry & Sensitive Skin

A hydrating mask is great for dry or sensitive skin. Opt for a cream formula (rather than a clay or exfoliating mask) to replenish your skin’s hydration. You want to rejuvenate and protect your skin rather than dry it out or inflame it with too much scrubbing. A “DIY” recipe of Greek yogurt and a teaspoon of honey is fantastic for dry skin. Yogurt also contains enzymes, so it works to get rid of any flaky dead skin. The soothing remedy will also help to maintain your skin’s natural oils.

Try – Yes To Cucumbers Soothing Facial Mask

2 Acne-Prone Skin

If you want to deep clean your pores, start with a clay or gel mask. You can even add oil into a gel mask for double the impact! Using facial oil as a mask is fantastic for acne-prone or oily skin. Fighting oil with oil will actually re-balance your sebaceous glands and help heal your spots. It’s extremely important to re-balance the natural oils within your skin. By drying out your face too much your skin will make even more oil to compensate, so you end up with more clogged pores than you had to start with!

Try – Clean & Clear Blackhead Eraser Cleansing Mask

3 Oily Skin

A clay or exfoliating mask is perfect for oily skin, as it works to exfoliate and draw impurities out of the skin. The minerals and vitamins will leave your face feeling soft and supple but will dry it out a little, so finish with a hydrating mask to replenish moisture and restore your skin’s balance. You want to re-hydrate your skin and heal it.

Try – Alba Botanica Natural Even Advanced Deep Sea Facial Mask

4 Combination Skin

This is me.  Combination skin should be addressed in separate parts. There can be different skin types all over your face, so treat each area accordingly. Apply a clay mask to your T-zone (Ahava is excellent) if it’s oily, and a hydrating mask—like the homemade yogurt concoction or a bought one (like Clarins or Origins) to the rest of your face.  Another good at-home version is to mash up some pineapple and mix it with yogurt. The natural enzymes in fruits such as pineapple and papaya are excellent at removing dead skin cells.

Try – Kiehl’s Pineapple Papaya Facial Scrub in conjunction with the above.

What would you recommend?