4 mistakes you could be making with face masks
By: Alicia
A self-care day never feels complete without a sheet mask! Sheet masks are effective, affordable, and easy to use. Slap them on your face, leave it on while you go about your day, and voila! You already look and feel like a brand new person.
Face masks impart plenty of benefits for the skin, from moisturising and brightening to anti-aging and acne-care. Despite all this goodness, did you know that sheet masks can bring nasty side-effects too? Well, only if you use them wrongly, that is. Before we get into the mistakes you could be making with sheet masks, let’s understand how sheet masks work.
How do sheet masks work?
There are two parts of a sheet mask that delivers nutrients to the skin – the sheet mask itself, and the liquid serum. When putting on a sheet mask, the cloth is wrapped firmly around the skin, allowing the serum’s nutrients to penetrate the skin through the mask’s pressure.
It is also said that sheet masks allow the temperature of the skin to rise and capillaries to enlarge, which improves blood circulation and enhances ingredient-absorption capabilities. Plus, by creating an artificial barrier, the occlusive nature of the mask traps moisture in your skin and helps retain it.
cr: iStock
Now that we’ve understood how a sheet mask works, let’s take a look at how they should be worn to reap the full benefits.
Are you wearing your sheet masks properly?
If you do at least one of the following four statements below, then you’re making a mistake with wearing sheet masks!
1. I wear my sheet mask everyday
After seeing how a sheet mask can visibly improve your skin after one use, it’s easy to assume that you can wear it everyday to gradually and quickly enhance your skin. However, wearing a sheet mask everyday can actually oversupply your skin with nutrients, leading to an imbalance in your skin barrier.
Sheet masks are often loaded with preservatives, alcohol, pH adjusters, emulsifiers, and other skin-stripping ingredients that can ruin your skin if applied too often. Wearing sheet masks everyday can cause contact dermatitis, skin irritation, damaged skin barrier, inflammation, and increased sensitivity. It is recommended that you only use sheet masks once a week! If the sheet mask is the gentle hydrating type with mild ingredients, you can use it for up to twice or thrice a week.
2. I wear my sheet mask right after washing my face
It may be tempting to put on your sheet mask right after a refreshing shower, but did you know that doing this isn’t the most optimal way to wear a mask? After washing your face and drying with a towel, your skin will have limited absorption effects because it is dry. It is best to prime and wet your face beforehand with a moisturising toner, essence, or serum. This will help to open up your pores and help your skin absorb the mask’s serum.
3. I leave on my sheet mask for a longer time because it is better for my skin
Another common misconception is that the longer you leave your mask on, the better it is for your skin. However, this is untrue! Although sheet masks are full of rich essences and they remain moist after a while, you shouldn’t leave them on longer than the recommended time. Leaving a mask on for too long can cause the skin to be over-hydrated, and the skin’s stratum corneum can become excessively moist, leading to a damaged skin barrier!
Some of you may also have the habit of wearing a mask until the sheet starts to turn dry. This is also bad for the skin because the dry sheet mask can absorb moisture from your skin, reversing the effects of the moisturizing mask and dehydrating your skin. It is best to leave it on for only 10 to 15 minutes!
4. I don’t wash my face after wearing a sheet mask
After wearing a sheet mask, we usually peel it off and simply pat our face until all the moisture has been absorbed. However, there are some sheet masks that need to be washed off!
This actually depends on the ingredients of the mask and what it is used for. For hydrating masks, you can simply pat your face and leave it as it is. For acne or clarifying masks that may contain exfoliating ingredients such as AHA or BHA, you may want to rinse it off with water to prevent the ingredients from stripping off your skin too much. This is especially important for those with sensitive skin!
New Japanese Sheet Mask at Osakakuma - It’s natural beauty in a box!
Now that you’ve learnt about the possible mistakes you could be making with masking, you can incorporate these tips into your masking routine! If you’ve been thinking about trying a new mask recently or want something different, you should check out the newest addition to our collection of popular Japanese sheet masks in Osakakuma!
SPC’s Earthful Beauty i Facial Mask is a next-generation concept of sheet masks. With 100% unbleached sheets made of pure cotton and special plant ingredients, it is sustainable but not compromising quality!
As you can see in the image above, the mask has small brown grains, which are actually leftover cotton husks because the sheets have not been bleached. The texture of the sheets are soft and smooth, yet thick and sturdy enough to not tear easily!
It is safe for sensitive skin as it is free of parabens, alcohol, colouring, UV absorbers, mineral oils, and silicones. It is packed with 8 certified organic ingredients such as rosemary leaf extract, lavender leaf extract, sage leaf extract, and apple fruit cultured cell extract. Its star ingredients are Pholitect to maintain moisture in the skin, and Apple Stem Cells to firm the skin.
It comes in a box-like packaging, making it easy and convenient to take out of the box. A gentle yet comforting scent of lavender and apple will greet you upon opening the box, and you can simply take one sheet out with ease.
SPC, the brand that created this Earthful Beauty i Mask, adopts the design concept of “light masks” that are suitable for everyday use. Although we’ve mentioned that masks shouldn’t be worn everyday, SPC’s Earthful Beauty i sheet masks are free from additives such as alcohol, making it gentle enough for everyday wear and those with sensitive skin!
Besides the efficacy of the mask, it is designed to conform to the shape of most Asian faces with a high degree of fit, allowing the mask essence to penetrate easily into the skin.
The perfect addition to your nighttime skincare routine
Currently, Osakakuma is having a promotion for the launch of these masks from 23 September to 3 October 2022. By showing that you are a follower of any of Osakakuma’s social media accounts, you can get a special price of $1.90 (U.P $2.90) for 1 piece of the Earthful Beauty i mask, and $19.90 (U.P $22.90) for 1 box!
Don’t miss out on this stellar new mask and follow us on our social media accounts!
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