The first thing when you think of the term “self-care” is a face mask, not the ones that are mandatory these days but the ones you knew before the covid-era. A face mask is a great way to soothe and nourish your skin, and also feel relaxed at the same time. Although squeezing out a face mask from the tube and applying it directly to your face may be convenient, a lot of clean beauty brands these days are opting to keep their face masks dry, as a powder. One main reason to do this is not just avoid the use of synthetic preservatives, but also it gives you the freedom to customize your face mask as you control the medium which you may use.
Clay has pore cleansing properties. It literally acts as a vacuum cleaner for your pores. Dried botanicals are added to the clays to provide added benefits and target specific skin issues.
These are some ideas for the medium with which you can mix a face mask, as per your needs. These are items found in your kitchen pantry easily.
- Plain water - You can never go wrong with filtered or distilled water for your masks. Mix in a clean bowl with a mask brush, and let it bloom for sometime, usually under a minute. Blooming is basically letting the mask sit for a few seconds- up to a minute, to allow the dried botanical powders in the mask to get rehydrated and provide maximum benefits. Water is perfect to be used for all skin types.
- Milk- Dairy or plant milk provides an added nourishment to dry masks. If you feel that clay masks overly dry your skin, you may use milk to add a moisturizing effect.
- Yogurt- It contains a low amount of Lactic acid, which can act as a gentle exfoliant, in addition to the nourishing and cleansing properties of a clay based mask.
- Honey- Raw Honey is an excellent emollient and humectant, meaning it helps retain moisture in your skin. Honey can be used straight up as a mask, but adding a few drops of honey to water as a base in clay masks elevates its emollient properties. Our Blush Face Mask already has dehydrated honey powder in it.
- Floral Waters/Hydrosol - The next best thing to water in dry face masks is plant and floral hydrosols. Rose, Lavender, Hibiscus, Citrus, mint, whatever you can get your hands on. Floral hydrosols take your masking experience up a notch.
Practice caution - A lot of DIY’s use Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) straight on the face. If you have normal or oily skin, you may add a few drops of ACV to water as a base. I would not recommend using them neat on the face if you have sensitive skin. It has natural Alpha Hydroxy Acids and has a very low PH (2-3), hence people with sensitive skin may experience redness and over exfoliation which can remove the protective top layer of skin.
Do not recommend Oil - Clays and dried floral and herbal powders are best activated with water or anything containing maximum water component. Mixing your clay based mask with oil may negate the purpose of the mask. Oil does not activate your dry mask, it just sits on top of your skin and does nothing. You may use a good quality face oil after using the mask, if you feel dry after a clay mask to ease the tight feeling.
Hope you enjoyed reading this. At Areesa Botanicals, we make 2 different types of face masks,
Blush Face Mask - This is a Kaolin Clay based mask with floral powders, coconut milk and honey to cleanse gently, soothe, calm and nourish the skin.
Luminous Face Mask - This is a Bentonite Clay based mask with herbal powder like Neem and Turmeric, to provide deep pore cleansing and target acne, dark spots and oily skin.
You can still use code Areesa20 for 20% off your entire purchase. Free shipping for orders over $50.