The Best Face Mask for Your Skin Type

Our skin is bombarded with pollutants throughout the day. It’s subjected to harsh weather conditions, air-conditioning and artificially heated environments. Skin can be affected by medications and hormonal interference. All of these factors can have a negative impact on your skin, and can leave it looking dull and tired.

A face mask used once or twice a week can restore your skin’s radiance, by thoroughly cleansing it, removing impurities, and reducing the appearance of fine lines.

The ultimate anti-aging tool, face masks are a very important part of your skin care regime as they bring improvements to skin tone that are immediately apparent. They are able to effectively deliver nutrients to the skin, as the internal warmth that face masks generate gently open the pores, allowing the skin to absorb minerals and vitamins.

Face masks are the perfect way for both men and women to sort out skin problems. Choosing the one that perfectly fits your skin type can be problematic especially with the large number of products available. In this article we look at the various products available as an aid to help you to choose the best product for your skin type.

Before you can start an effective skin routine, you need to determine what skin type you have. Your skin type is determined by genes and there’s not much that you can do about that! But by understanding what skin type you have, you can personalize your skincare routine to ensure that your skin always looks its best, while slowing down the aging process.

The health of your skin in your later years is determined by good nutrition and on how well you look after your skin when you are younger.

• Cleanse your skin removing all traces of makeup, oil and dirt.
• Wash your face with a small amount of face wash.
• Do not apply any moisturizers.
• Pay attention to how your skin feels. Oily skin will feel cleaners. Dry skin may feel tight and sensitive skin may be red and patchy.
• Look at your skin in a mirror. Dry flaky patches are a good indication that you have dry or sensitive skin. A shiny face means that your skin is oily.
• Check the pore size- in normal skin the pores are barely visible, oily skins usually have large pores.
• Pinch yourself. (Not too hard!) Dry skin will wrinkly easily.
• After several hours, use a tissue to check for oiliness. You can identify oily patches if the tissue comes away with small amounts of oil on it.

Normal Skin

If you are lucky enough to have a normal skin type there will not be any oil (sebum) visible on your face. Your skin will be soft and smooth, with few flaws, no sensitivities and pores that are hardly visible.

Use lighter lotions and skin creams. 

Our face mask recommendation for you is Nugg Facemask

Dry Skin

Dry skin can be caused when the skin produces too little sebum, but there are other environmental factors, which can cause or worsen the appearance of dry skin. These include:

If you suffer from dry skin, it could be flaky and probably feels tight after washing. Often dry skin causes a dull complexion. There are often red patches present, and the skin is more prone to early development of wrinkles.

If you have dry skin, you should be using rich moisturizers to keep the skin hydrated. Be sure that your current skin care products or cosmetics are not causing the dryness. 

Our recommended face mask for those with dry skin is Skn Naturals Anti-Aging Face Mask

Oily Skin

Oily skin produces more sebum than it should. It is most often hereditary, but can also be the result of stress or hormones. This skin type is usually also accompanied by large blocked pores on the nose and cheeks. There may be blackheads, whiteheads or pimples present. The complexion is often thick and dull or shiny.

The upside to oily skin is that it’s slow to age. If you have an oily skin you will need to ensure proper cleansing morning and night and should avoid heavy moisturizers. Look for oil-free products and oil-reducing facial masks for oily skin. 

We recommend: O Shi Glows Enhanced Healing Clay Mask

Combination Skin

Most people have combination skin types. More often than not the T-zone around the nose, forehead and chin are oily, while the cheeks and the areas around the eyes are dry. If you have this skin type, you may have visible pores, blackheads, and the skin may be shiny in the sections that are oily.

If your skin varies between dry and oily according to the seasons, yours is also a combination skin type. If you have a combination skin type you should consider using different skin routines for different areas of the face.

Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery for dry skin and L’oreal Pure Clay Mask for the oily panel are great options.

Acne Prone Skin

Sometimes oily skin is prone to acne, which is caused when pores become blocked by excess sebum that accumulates along with dead skin cells to block the pores. This can result in the development of whiteheads, blackheads and blemishes that can be embarrassing.

The key to preventing and resolving acne problems is to prevent the buildup of sebum, keeping the pores clear and preventing the development of blackhead causing bacteria.

There are a number of excellent facial masks for acne-prone skin. Active Charcoal, clay, peel-off masks, combination facial scrub masks and mud masks are all great for acne-prone skin

Use Charcoal and French Clay Mask to detoxify your skin.

Aging Skin

The fairer your skin, the earlier you are likely to start showing the signs of aging. This is because melanin protects the skin from the damage caused by sunlight. As skin ages it can start to look dull and to feel dry, the skin stops producing as much oil as it did when you were younger.

Besides the moisturizers, which you should undoubtedly use, you could benefit from the regular application of a face mask. You should look for a product which is creamy and which can gently exfoliate the skin and remove the top layer of dead cells that make the skin look dull. It will hydrate the skin, leaving it more radiant, reducing the presence of fine lines. 

Use Grace & Stella Co. Collagen Facial Sheet Masks for an instant pick-me-up.

Sensitive Skin

Sensitive skin is easily irritated. The sensitivity is often caused by other conditions such as eczema and inappropriately used skin care products that often cause itchy and dry skin. It’s important that you determine what sets off the inflammation so that you can avoid those products.

Do patch tests of cosmetics before purchasing products, and determine which skin care products you can best tolerate. Avoid products that are fragranced or contain strong ingredients such as alcohol or menthol. Avoid scrubs, scrubbing mitts and bar soaps.

Use OZNaturals Facial mask to gently cleanse your sensitive skin.

Peel off masks

Face masks have become a regular part of our skin care routine and although peel-off masks have been around for some time they offer one of the best ways to rid our skins of impurities. They remove the dead cells and micro-particles of dirt, and leaving you with a fresh and tingling skin.

Most peel-off masks are fruit or plant based and are full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. These clear the skin of damaging impurities and help ensure that future damage is avoided.

A peel-off mask leaves your skin looking noticeably younger and regular use will reduce the appearance of fine lines. These masks absorb excess oil and unclog pores, reducing blackheads and leaving the skin hydrated. Peel-off masks gently remove fine facial hair, which can dull the complexion. They are also able to reduce inflammation. There is a large range available for different skin types, including oily skin, dry skin, and acne-prone skin.

Use once or twice a week to exfoliate the skin. The vitamins and moisturizing agents will leave your skin looking fresh and rejuvenated.

Activated Charcoal Face Masks

Activated charcoal is used in hospitals to treat victims of poisoning, because toxins adhere to it. Activated charcoal, when used as a face mask, will draw the toxins, bacteria, dirt and other micro-particles from the skin reducing the appearance of coarse cells.

It’s perfect for use on oily skin and skin prone to acne, as it draws oil from the skin. 

If you battle blackheads, then this is the ideal mask for you. This product should not be used on dry skin, and even those with oily skin types should use it only once or twice a week as it can dry out the skin.

Dead Sea Masks

Over centuries the alluvial silts from the mountains surrounding the Dead Sea have accumulated in the waters of the Dead Sea. Dead Sea body and face masks are very popular as they contain large concentrations of minerals and salts such as magnesium, bromides, potassium, and sodium.

When warm Dead Sea mud is plastered onto the face the skin becomes warmer releasing lipids and toxins through perspiration, and improving circulation. The salts and minerals offer relief to those suffering from skin disorders such as psoriasis, acne, or eczema.

These masks help to exfoliate the top layer of skin, restoring the PH level as it soothes the skin. They minimize pores and wrinkles, leaving the skin clean and radiant. They are quite gentle and can be applied two to three times a week.

Sheet masks

Sheet masks have become the selfie-trend among celebrities and they’re quick and easy to use. The sheet mask comprises a thin sheet of fabric soaked in a liquid to moisturize the skin, brighten the complexion, and reduce the appearance of fine lines.

They are great as a refresher when travelling, as they, unlike other masks, do not require washing. They do not exfoliate or deep cleanse like other masks, but they also don’t dry the skin as much as some of the other masks. They are full of nutritional amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Choose the right one for your skin type. These masks are best used for hydration.

Clay masks

Clay masks have been around for centuries. Clay absorbs impurities. Choose between various types and colors, as different clays have different properties to resolve your personal skin care problems.

Bentonite Clay masks are known for their healing abilities. These masks are great for acne prone skin as they are highly porous and able to absorb excess oils, remove dirt, bacteria, and fungus.

Fullers Earth clay is also used for oily skin as it can be quite drying. It also contains mild bleach so it is good for hyper-pigmentation. 

White Kaolin Clay may be used for those with sensitive skin, as it is gentle and does not absorb as much oil, but it does gently exfoliate the skin.

Treating yourself to a face mask will make your skin feel great, leaving it soft and supple and reducing imperfections. Whatever your skin type there is a face mask that perfectly matches your requirements. Take the time to determine what type of skin you have and find the best face mask for your skin type.