Medically reviewed by Minimalist Health Specialist - Written by Rupali Goswami (Beauty Expert) on 22nd Dec 2020
A Minimalist Exclusive: Are Face Masks Really Effective?
Do you have problematic skin? Are you dealing with acne breakouts? Are you sick of blackheads and whiteheads popping everywhere on your face? Do you want to minimize the appearance of your pores? Are you looking for something to treat the signs of aging? There can be thousands of questions related to skin concerns, and the list can still go on and on.
You cannot always run to the parlor to get a facial or clean up or any professional treatment, so it is sensible to have something at home that can give you similar benefits. Sure they use professional tools and products on your skin, but these can always be replaced with products that you can easily use at your comfort.
Using such products at home might be a good option for your pockets, but it is important to use them carefully as some of them can create an adverse effect on the skin, causing irritation, redness, or certain kinds of allergies.
Different moisturizers and serums are formulated for different skin problems. Just like that, there are other skincare face masks to target various issues related to the skin; whether it is clogged pores, fine lines, wrinkles, dryness, or acne, face masks can help you with anything and everything.
The face mask is not just a random invention! A variety of ingredients, types, and different benefits are associated with face masks. Not every face mask can be proven beneficial for you. The good thing is we are here to take you through all the types to help you understand what you can choose to treat a specific skin problem.
What are face masks?
It is not that easy as the range of face masks is too vast, to sum up in a few sentences. Because of their versatility, face masks can do so much for you. Some people find them useful and consider them an essential part of their skincare routine, while others tend to overlook them as some people believe that their skincare routine would be enough and they don't feel the need to use them as frequently. Face masks deliver some spontaneous results that can leave you with a feeling that you just had a fantastic spa-like treatment.
To get a face mask to work, it is necessary to apply it on clean skin and let it sit on the skin for a while so that all the ingredients of the mask can be absorbed deeper into the layers of the skin and the pores. This is important as it allows the skin to hold on to those essential ingredients for a couple of minutes before removing them. It can instantly give you the desired results that you want. It can help calm the skin if you are suffering from any irritation, redness, or allergies. Face masks can be used in the daytime or overnight.
Face masks can vary in textures, consistency, colors, and treatments. Some of them are gooey while some have a paste or gel-like consistency, and some are like plastic sheets. Their color varies from red to pink to green to black and every color you can think of. The treatment that a face mask offers is similar to a moisturizer. The only difference is that you remove the mask after some time while a moisturizer sits on the skin for a long time. These masks can help decrease pores' size, provide your skin with the necessary moisture, and leave your skin glowy and plump.
Types of face masks you could use in your skincare routine
1. Sheet Masks:
Sheet masks can indeed make you look like a ghost, but they contain many benefits. If you have observed, sheet masks are in demand these days as they are less messy to work with than other masks. Sheet masks are drenched in a formula with a serum-like consistency that helps lock the skin's moisture by transferring the hydrating ingredients from the sheet into the skin.
Ingredients can vary depending upon what skin concern you are using it for. Most importantly, you do not need to wash your face after using a sheet mask because all the essential ingredients will already be inside your skin.
2. Sleeping Masks:
Lack of sleep can make our skin look dull and lifeless. If you are looking for something to properly hydrate your skin while you take that good night's sleep, then a sleeping mask would be the way to go. As our body goes into the repair zone at night, and our skin starts the process of cell renewal and turnover, it is the best time to pack your skin with a lot of hydration. Just replace your moisturizer with a sleeping mask and wash it off the next morning, and you will wake up with extremely hydrated skin.
3. Peel-off Masks:
Besides doing what they meant to do, peel-off masks can be satisfying to your soul. These masks are considered to be physical exfoliants as they work to remove the skin's surface layers containing dead skin cells. As the name suggests, you need to peel them off of the skin, and your skin will instantly look brighter and softer because you will be able to see the new skin on the top. Peel-off masks are meant to sit on the top of your skin rather than penetrating deeper into the pores.
4. Gel Masks:
These types of masks are generally leave-on masks but do not confuse them with sleeping masks. These are supposed to be on your skin for a specific time, and then you would have to wash them off. What makes these gel masks so great is that all the ingredients can soak up into the skin quickly and properly because of their lightweight formulation.
5. Exfoliating Masks:
Exfoliating masks contain chemical exfoliants and acids that help exfoliate the skin. The consistency of these masks can vary from gel to clay to cream to anything. Exfoliating masks are all about the ingredients that contain chemical exfoliants like AHA (alpha-hydroxy acids) and BHA (beta hydroxy acids). These exfoliants are known to eliminate dead skin cells that accumulate in the pores and promote fresh, soft, and glowy skin.
6. Clay Masks:
Clay masks are especially great for people with oily and acne-prone skin because the clay in itself helps detoxify and pull out all the dirt and impurities deeper within the pores. Clay masks contain different minerals like calcium, silica, aluminum, magnesium, zin, copper, etc. Clay masks should be applied on clean skin and are supposed to be there for 15-30 minutes, depending on the masks, and then you can wash it off. It helps suck out the oils from the skin that can make your pores look smaller.
Benefits of using face masks
1. Your skin will be showered with so many ingredients:
No matter what masks you choose to apply, whether it's a sheet, clay, sleeping, or any other, you will be providing the skin with so many beneficial ingredients that can make your skin look as fresh as a daisy. Every face mask includes different components that target a specific skin concern. Some are great with detoxification, while others are better at providing hydration.
2. Help with the purification:
Everyday struggle with the environmental aggressors can fill our pores with dirt, pollutants, and gunk. Face masks like clay and peel-off are specialized in providing your skin with a process of deep cleaning that helps remove all the dirt, impurities, and dead skin cells from the depth of the pores that can also help with lessening the size of your pores.
3. Hydration! Hydration! Hydration!:
We do everything in our power to get that hydration going in our body and skin but somehow end up not having it enough. Sheet masks, gel/cream masks, sleeping masks are sure to give you the extreme amount of hydration that your skin will only glow and look fully energized after that.
4. A face mask can solve all your skin concerns:
Just like every other skincare product, there is no end to face masks. These are available for every skin type, whether normal, dry, combination, oily, acne-prone, and every skin concern ranging from acne, fine lines, wrinkles, clogged pores, dullness, whatever comes to your mind.
5. A therapeutic experience:
Along with all the benefits that face masks provide, it is also a therapeutic process that leaves your skin calm and relaxed. From a soft consistency to a cool effect, it helps relax the skin, and some also contain essential oils that can even help your mind relax a bit.
Conclusion
Beauty stores are filled with a variety of face masks, and they can be effective if you have inspected your skin carefully to know what suits you best.
It is not just specific to face masks, but almost all skincare products contain ingredients that can sometimes irritate a particular skin type.
Different face masks are made up of several ingredients that can help you in many ways and make your skin feel and look its best. But you need a lot of time to get into that zone and start with the process of masking and wait patiently while it does the work. Given how long or how much time it can take, you can't do this every day, but once or twice a week would do the trick for your skin.
