I’ve been sharing pictures of some of my more recent skincare routines on Instagram (join me there if you haven’t @parisbmws), when I was asked an interesting question recently.
I had mentioned in one of my pictures, that I put a thin layer of facial oil on my skin before applying a mud mask. That little tip seemed to intrigue many of you!
I have skin that tends to the drier side of the spectrum (comes with age, I tell you – it’s all downhill from here! 😛 ) so mud masks aren’t the best products for me. Mud masks, or sometimes known as “detox masks” tend to dry out your skin as it sucks all the oil out of your pores. It gives your skin that nice clean feeling, I have no doubt, but if you aren’t careful, they can also make your skin feel tight and uncomfortable after that and even cause flakiness.
Less noticeable when you have oily or combination skin. More noticeable when your skin is dry or dehydrated. Yet, there is a certain joy in doing a mud mask isn’t there? I find it terribly satisfying to let the mask dry and then wash it off thereafter, and it’s especially good for dealing with the occasional pesky spots.
So, here’s my tip for those of you who have dry or dehydrated skin and yet want to use a mud mask or detox mask comfortably. It will also help if you have a mud mask you find too drying.
What I usually do is one of two things:-
- Option 1 – After cleansing, I mist my skin with some rosewater or face spray, and apply a very thin layer of facial oil of choice all over. Just 1-2 drops. I wait a while for it to absorb, then apply my mud mask.
- Option 2 – I add 1-2 drops of facial oil into a scoop of mud mask, blend it together and then apply it all over my skin
To be honest, I don’t know if anyone else does this LOL! 😀 I’ve not come across it personally. I actually discovered it rather by accident.
You see, I like doing my face masks while watching some TV and I like to wash my face when I shower. So, the time between my evening shower and my me-time can be a little far apart. However, I didn’t want to do my whole skincare routine, only to have to remove it before I did my mask. So, to keep my skin hydrated, I’d apply a little facial oil after cleansing. A couple of hours later, I’d apply my mud mask and sometimes followed by a hydrating mask.
What I realised was that the facial oil helps to prevent my skin from drying out too much from the mud mask. Sometimes, I find that mud masks can cause my skin to flake but by using this method, I stopped experiencing that inconvenience. This is also helpful if you find your mud mask too drying for your skin.
Basically, I’d stumbled upon a way for dry skinned ladies to use a mud mask or detox mask or purifying mask, without our faces falling off! 😀 It also helps of course, to pick a mud mask that isn’t drying in the first place. I only have 2 right now – Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Mask and the Bobbi Brown Instant Detox mask. Both aren’t too drying to begin with, but with this little tip, feel much more comfortable. And, you get all the benefits of using a mud mask! 🙂
Have you tried this little tip? Do let me know if you try it!
I haven’t actually come across this as a skincare tip, but I am a little bit of a mad scientist when it comes to my skin, and when I find something that helps me, I try to share in the hopes that it’ll help you too 🙂 Do share if you try this, I’m curious to know how it’ll work for you!
Paris B
Hi Paris… havent tried with oil. But I always generously spray mist before clay mask. I’ve noticed that if claymask without mist or too long using clay mask, my skin tend very dry and tight. Mist before and after masking is necessity for me. And after detox-ing with clay mask – mist – and add layer of face oil – wait 3 mins – then sleeping mask. In the morning I just feel like my face is a sponges that fully absorbs all the goods in oil and sleeping mask.
Just curios.. if u add and mix clay with oil. Do you apply face oil after your remove your mask?
Hi Christina 🙂 I hadn’t tried spraying a mist before a clay mask, but I’ll try that too next time. The oil does a similar thing to what you’ve been doing, except I feel that it holds the hydration better since it’s an oil vs water 🙂 Yes, I do my normal skincare routine after a clay mask and I usually follow up with an oil because I do feel the stripping effects of masks like these, and oils help me replenish the goodness 🙂
How do you like the Caudalie Elixir? Tried (and finished) a sample and didn’t irritate my skin which is great but it’s a dry oil so I felt like I could use the extra hydration for le dry patches. Do you have any recommendations for a more hydrating version of the Caudalie?
Hi Rosie, I really like the Caudalie Elixir! (review here) I didn’t think it to be too dry for a dry oil (I usually stay far away from dry oils) but if you do, under Caudalie, you can try the Overnight Recovery Oil (here) which is very nice too. In other brands, if you like something with an “oil” texture, I like Pai Rosehip (which I need to replenish), La Mer The Renewal Oil (which I know is very expensive), Antipodes Divine Oil, Body Shop Oils of Life, REN Rose oil and this new one I’m trying from Skin Creamy that’s lovely and hydrating! Hmm… That’s quite a lot there isn’t there? LOL
i just had my facial in caudalie spa yesterday … the therapist advised me to use premier cru oil to mix with serum for my face since its dehydrated on cheek area … and use clay mask only on the T zone area.
Ooh do you enjoy the Caudalie facial? I’m due to go back for one soon 🙂 It’s a good tip to mix the oil with a serum or even your moisturiser. And yes, clay masks should be used on oily areas (usually T zone) for those with dry skin. But sometimes, I just like putting it all over as well, just to get some gunk out of my cheek pores LOL 😛
Hi Paris. When you spray mist, does it drip all over or you just let it be? Just curious because I am just so used to soaking a cotton pad with toner and wiping my face all over and was tempted one day to try a spray mist instead (since I believe its suppose to act as a toner right? LOL).
Hiya! Actually, my face won’t drip per se. Most mists spray a fairly fine spray e.g. Caudalie and Bobbi Brown both have a lovely fine mist, so it just kind of sits on your skin. The wetter ones may feel wetter, but it shouldn’t drip. Besides, I like applying my serums or oils straight onto damp skin as they absorb better. As for whether a mist = toner, it’s hard to say. A toner can come in a mist form, but a mist may not be a toner. E.g. A rosewater mist may just be that – rose distilled water. So, it may not serve as good a function as a hydrating toner. But you can decant some toners into a spray bottle and mist it over instead of applying with hands or cotton pad. Did I confuse you? LOL 🙂
Thanks for the explanation :-). I did not realise that a mist spray does not necessarily means it is a toner. LOL. I have been using Clarins toner (the green one) for more than a year now. Any recommendations for a good mist spray?
I haven’t tried that Clarins one, but the mists I use currently are Uriage, Caudalie (I like the Caudalie ones but they aren’t a toner), Melvita Rosewater spray. Previous ones I’ve tried are Bobbi Brown and La mer. Oh there’s one by Hada Labo you can try, if you want something more than just water. It’s quite hydrating. I actually have a post in the works about mists (I just have to get around to getting the products together, photos and text eeps!) I usually use mists as a precursor to my skincare, after acid toners because I read that it helps neutralize the acid especially if you’re putting on serums etc after that. I dunno, it just seems to help with hydration too, coz it acts like a “sandwich” so I’d do a mist, then a hydrating lotion (e.g. HL Premium lotion), then serum, then moisturiser. So for me, it’s an extra step, not a replacement although when I stopped using hydrating lotions for a while, it seemed to fill the gap a little.
Ah..such an interesting piece of information about using a spray mist to neutralise acid if I am putting a serum after that. Thanks for the recommendation on the spray mist. Will definitely give it a try soon 🙂
It’s just what I read haha! I use it primarily because I like applying products on damp skin, and when I acid tone, my skin isn’t damp. So for me, the mist revives my skin a little, and then my serums and oils absorb better. No real skincare science behind my reasons 😉
Oh! Thank you so much for the tip!! My skin is OK even with the mud mask alone, but I have to try it with oil the next time I use it. I’m using the Bobbi Brown one and my skin loves it. I’ll have to remember to apply some oil next time and report back. REMEMBERing is the key word here – placenta brain and all 🙂
I remember only because I tend to do my masks later in the night, after I’ve already done my face, so the oil is just to keep my skin from drying out haha! The BB Detox mask is a good one! I like that too.
Ooh, this is a good one! My skin broke out badly over the festive season and I did plenty of detox mask in desperation to dry up the acne. Then, I suffered from flaky skin when I still have acne on my skin. I’ve been incorporating facial oil into my skincare regime but never with my detox mask routine. I should try this tomorrow! Thanks PB!
Sorry to hear about the breakouts and flaky skin, Kate. Hopefully, this will help you a little, although I’d suggest that you hold off using anymore mud/detox masks until your skin recovers else it’ll just stay dry and flaky! Good luck and I hope this little tip makes your skin feel a wee bit more comfortable 🙂
Just curious – From both options, which would you favour? Why do you have the 2 options? Would Option 2 be the “lazy day” option? You can see where I’m going with this… 😀
I prefer the first option. Oil first, then mask. The 2nd is the lazy option haha! 😉 But Option 2 will change the texture of the mask a little.