Masque 101

Alright all of you party poopers, listen up! For those who only wear face masks on Halloween, you're doing it wrong. 

Face masques (also spelled as masks) are made up of ingredients such as oils, vitamins and herbs that are combined with hydrating bases, clays and different types of seaweed that help treat the skin. Depending on what type of masque used they can help do the following:

• tighten and tone the skin
• clear up acne prone skin
• draw out impurities found in pores
• hydrate
• smooth out fine lines and wrinkles
• nourish
• calm, soothe and heal compromised skin
• rejuvenate the skin
• brighten skin complexion 

You can typically find masques premixed and ready to use in the form of tubes but others need to be mixed with water to be usable. There are two types of masques. One type of masques is a setting masque. These are very tightening and are designed to dry out impurities. These setting masques are great for treating oily and acneic skin. The second kind is non-setting. They appear moist and are generally used to nourish and hydrate the skin which are perfect for treating sensitive, dry or aging skin. Face masques are simply used to treat various skin conditions and are another step designed to maintain skin health and heighten results!

Now don't get me started on homemade face masques. I'm all about the homemade goods but in this case I'm not the biggest fan. Most homemade masque recipes call for popular ingredients such as honey, fresh lemon juice, milk, almond milk, oatmeal, different types of fruits and veggies as well as fresh eggs. All of these ingredients are considered healthy but are unpredictable with the results they will give one's skin. Think of combining all of your ingredients to create a masque but each strawberry is different, some more ripe then others. The acid content may vary from strawberry to strawberry.  Think about how they are washed. Do they still contain harmful pesticides on their surface? Unpredictability of each ingredient is the reason why homemade masques are not near as potent or effective as professionally made masques. Professional products tend to offer higher results and are lab tested. 

My personal favorite masque to date is Glymed Plus's Ultra-Hydrating Enzyme Masque. It's my little slice of heaven. It is great for ANY skin type and can be used at any time. It's a non-setting masque that feeds your skin with hydrating botanicals while exfoliating it with enzymes. Enzymes are little guys that munch away at dead skin cells revealing brighter, smoother skin. Bromelain (derived from pineapple) and Papain (derived from papaya) are two popular enzymes found in this product. My little secret I share with just about everyone is that this masque can also be applied to chapped lips to help hydrate and smooth rough lips. It can be used just as a lip treatment, face treatment or both! Another little secret is when wearing this masque it's best removed with heat or steam. Heat and steam help to reactivate enzymes so they can have one last chance to remove dead skin cells. Personally, I wear this in the shower usually with constant heat and steam exposure and it works like a dream. When used twice a week it leaves skin smooth, hydrated and radiant! It's a must have for everyone's beauty regimen. 

Oh, and you may or may not look like Hulk while sporting this product. Here's my Halloween get up for this year! Enjoy!