7 of my favorite facial masks✨

While face massage might be my favorite way to elevate a skincare routine, masking is in a close second. Adding a therapeutic facial mask to your skincare routine once a week is a great way to make your skin even better than it already is! It’s like giving yourself a mini facial at home. Just think of your #1 skincare goal; is it to be more hydrated and have softer skin? To clear pimples? Balance oils and diminish blackheads? Brighten your skin? There’s a mask for every skincare need and I’m listing my favorites below!

scrub me secret: I find that masking fits best into my PM skincare routine because that’s where I have the most time. But a long AM skincare routine on the weekend is always fun too! Masking fits into your routine after cleanser and toner and before serums and/or moisturizers. Choose a time when you have 10-20 minutes of extra time in your routine.

Herbivore - Blue Tansy mask

Amazing mask for oily/congested skin and skin that’s experiencing a lot of breakouts.  Willow bark (BHA) and fruit enzymes (AHA) work together to clear complexion and smooth skin. Healing and calming ingredients like blue tansy and turmeric add great benefits for the skin.

Benefits:

Softens and minimized blackheads

Refreshes and balances oily skin

Helps reduce breakouts

Ology Essentials Essential - CBD Masque

This is my favorite clay mask.  Detoxifying green clay is blended with anti-inflammatory CBD so it can successfully balance oil, soften debris in the pores, and reduce breakouts all while giving skin the calming effects it needs. It’s one of the only clay masks I’ve found that doesn’t sensitize the skin.

Benefits:

It’s a great clay mask for all skin types

Reduces redness/puffiness around pimples/breakouts

Softens and removes debris in the pores

scrub me secret: I love CBD in skincare. I find it to be really helpful for reducing red bumps, unevenness in complexion, and puffiness that occurs around large breakouts. When I’m performing an acne facial at the skin care studio I often use this CBD clay mask and CBD toner as well.

Maya Chai - The Refresh Mint Mask

A really lovely enzyme mask that’s gentle enough for most skin types. Brightening azelaic acid, softening lactic acid, pore-clearing salicylic acid, and hydrating hyaluronic acid all work together to treat the skin.  Wintergreen leaf extract provides a cooling sensation. I love this mask for when I’m feeling dry, dull, and/or slightly congested.

Benefits:

Softens the skin and evens skin tone

Great enzyme mask for most skin types

Leaves skin radiant and glowing

PCA - Hydrating Mask

A creamy, moisturizing, and soothing oat hydrating mask that’s great for all skin types.  Especially great for sensitized (red/irritated), sensitive, and extremely dry skin.  Oat milk extract provides soothing and calming properties, added arnica is VERY healing, and glycerin helps skin lock in moisture.

Benefits:

Rebalances skin that’s red, irritated, or sensitive

Softens and moisturizes dry skin

Smoothes and heals dry/flaky skin

scrub me - antioxidant powder mask / nourishing serum

A mask I make myself! For a truly effective and non-skin-damaging facial scrub, you need a product with just the right texture.  This powder is made using crushed grapeseed and crushed rosehip as the exfoliants; these ingredients are super finely crushed and have soft edges that won’t damage the skin while scrubbing.  The blend of antioxidant-rich grapeseed, rosehip, and green tea gives this powder make its skin protection and anti-aging properties.  Added activated charcoal provides detoxification and cucumber extract aids in strengthening the skin.  Mix with the nourishing serum to create the perfect facial paste. I use this facial scrub in like 80% of my facials.

Benefits:

Effectively buffs away dead skin cells without damaging the skin’s barrier

Creates anti-aging circulation and oxygen flow in the skin

Prevents signs of aging like dark spots and fine lines

scrub me secret: for a facial scrub you need exfoliants that have soft, cylindrical edges. Anything with jagged or sharp edges like salts and roughly ground nut shells will create micro-tears in the skin that cause damage that results in a sensitive looking or uneven complexion.

Josh Rosebrook - Cacao Antioxidant Mask

A really unique skin-stimulating and detoxifying facial mask.  This antioxidant mask uses a synergy of plant derivatives like ginger, ashwagandha, cacao, cinnamon, rosemary, rose petal, and SO many more ingredients to create circulation in the skin and provide radiance benefits.  This chocolate-colored creamy mask goes on smoothly, creates a warming effect on the skin, and leaves it clearer, stronger, and more radiant.

Benefits:

Creates oxygen flow and circulation in the skin to create radiance

Strengthens and firms the skin

Clears complexion and evens skin tone

scrub me secret: theres a difference between your skin feeling warmth or a “tingly” feeling and a stinging burning feeling from a product. Feeling warmth or a “tingle” means the product is doing its job in creating circulation/ blood flow in your skin, resulting in a flushed looking face for a little bit after the mask is removed. This is a good thing! If you feel a stinging or uncomfortable burning sensation, thats not the reaction we are looking for from a product and it should be removed.

Josh Rosebrook - Advanced Hydration Mask

My favorite moisturizing mask because it contains ingredients like aloe and Indian Sienna Seed extract that replenish skin with water-based hydration plus ingredients like mango seed butter and shea that provide oil/nutrient-rich moisture.  Blue tansy, blue chamomile, and marshmallow root (some of my favorite ingredients) are also included in this mask. I love this mask for all skin types but especially ones that need moisture, softening, and/or healing.

Benefits:

Firms and softens skin; is a great sleep mask

scrub me secret: a sleep mask is a facial mask you apply at the end of your PM skincare routine after cleansing, toning, & serums. You apply this mask and leave it on while you sleep.

Diminishes redness while providing hydration

Leaves skin plump, glowing, and glazed looking

These are all masks that I have used myself personally and/or in the skincare studio on my facial clients. I feel like every time I use one of these masks (the Maya Chai works especially well for my skin) I get compliments on my skin the next day!

These product recommendations are my own thoughts and are not paid endorsements.

Katherine M StribakosComment