Today's Korean cleansing maks are nothing like those of yesterday.
Let's confront some stereotypes! When you think about a skincare routine, do you think of a girl in a bathrobe, with her hair tied back and a green or white product all over her face? If this is the image you have in your mind, you already know what a wash-off cleansing maks is. Today's Korean maks have nothing to do with those old-fashionend products. We'll bring you up to date.
Usually made from some type of clay, cleansing masks peneteate the pores to remove impurities and excess sebum. Their objective is to cleanse pores deeply and make them less visible. They have the texture of a paste and usually come in tubes or jars. As they dry out, they solidify and absorb impurities from the face (including blackheads and spots). When you remove the mask with water, everything you don't on your face is washed away.
Bubble masks are a new type of prodcut - a foam applied to the face so that its oxygen bubbles enter the pores, before being rinsed off. They are much lighter than clay masks anf great fun! However, whatever type of cleansing mask you choose, always deep-clean the skin before using one (once or twice a week).
There are many different cleansing masks, so it's very important that you read the product instructions carefully.
How to use a cleansing mask:
01After double-cleansing, make sure you apply the mask to dry skin, without massaging.
02Leave it to work for the time recommended by the product, then rinse off with tepid water. Goodbye forever, blackheads!
If you have dry skin, you might worry that a cleansing mask of any type will leave your skin as dry as the Sahara Desert. Wrong! As with all Korean beauty products, the ingredients are carefully chosen to give the results. Many clay masks are formulated with nutritive ingredients so that your skin will be full of life after using them. And don't forget that the remaining steps of beauty routine will be adding whatever you think your skin needds in hte way of moisture.
If a mask can reduce pores and remove blackheads, skin should feel tight afterwards, right? Wrong! Tightness indicates that your skin has lost too much hydration. This doen't happen with Korean masks, which are light years ahead of cheaper products sold in supermakets.
The star of the Korean skincare routine.
If we had to choose a product to define Korean cosmetics, without doubt it would be the single-use face masks! We're now accustomed to using these masks, but just 5 years ago it was very rare to hear about them, let alone use them. Nonetheless, Korean women have been using them fot the past 10 years, at least 3 times a week (sometimes even daily), and it has become an essential step in their beauty routine. Nowdays, every brand produces its own range of different masks, so there are thousands to choose from. Some tips are needed in order to choose the best one, right?
There is such a variety of masks avaiable that it is practcally impossible to provide a general description. However, they all share the same design feature, as they have been created to completely cover the face and incorporate a thin layer filled with essence. This layer creates a barrier that prevents the product from evaporating, thus allowing the active ingredients to penetrate the skin effectively.
The treatment provided by a mask is very concentrated, so results can be seen rapidly, even though it's not a fleshy product. Did you know that a mask contains between 20 and 35 millilitres of essence? In many cases, the ingredients are similar to those found in serums. What a luxury!
Whatever your skin type, age and needs, these will be a perfect mask for you. Their principal function is to hydrate the skin, but increasingly you can find masks that have other functions too: highlighting, anti-ageing, anti-pollution, anti-acne - you name it! For this reason, it is important to check the ingredients carefully before trying them.
Masks can be classified according to their composition, rather than their cosmetic ingredients:
Cotton masksare the best known. They are usually white and their texture are similar to cloth. They are soft and porous so that the skin can breathe. Their adherence to the skin is not perfect, so it's difficult to do other things while using them. This means you get 20 minutes of compulsory relaxation!
Hydrogel masksare made with biocompatible polymers and have an extensive system of absorption. The material itself helps to refresh and deongest the skin. Unlike cotton masks, hydrogel masks aren't porous, but they do adhere perfectly to the face, which means you can move around and do other activities while wearing them. (Despite that, our favourite option is stil to relax for 20 minutes without doing anything other than spoiling ourselves.) Generally, hydrogel masks are separarted into two pieces: one covering the upper part of the face and the other covering the lowerpart. For ease of application, we recommend beginning with the upper part.
Bio-Cellulose masksare halfway between hydrogel and cotton in terms of their adherence to the skin. They were designed to improve some aspects of cotton masks and are made from cellulose microbiome, a completely natural fibre offering good absorption. Sheets with the highest bio-cellulose content offer hermetic (airtight) adhesion to the skin, which allows them to transfer cosmetic ingredients very efficiently.
There are no specific rules, but there are some things that should always be remembered when applying a single-use facial mask. First, it's important to put the mask on clean skin, generally after using toner, essence or serum. This depends on the steps included in your routine.
Second, single-use face masks usually have hydrating properties, so they should never be applied before toner. However, they shouldn't be confused with cleansing masks, which are always applied before any step offering hydration.
Finally, while you can use up to seven single-use face masks a week, the ideal is between 3 and 4, but do always ensure that the ingredients your masks contain are complatible with the rest of the products in your routine.For example, if the mask contains acid, it's better to use it only once a week and look for hydrating masks with hyaluronic acid or collagen for the other days.
How to apply a single-use facial mask:
01After double-cleansing and using toner, place the mask on the skin.
02Leave it to work for the amount of time indicated on the product package, then remove it.
03Massage the product into the skin until fully absorbed.
'If I leave the mask on for longer, I will obtain better results.' Wrong! Increasing the length of time the mask is left in place won't increase the effects. Masks must work for the time indicated, generally 10-30 minutes, no more.
'Masks can be used again.' Actually, this is wrong too. After using them, masks must be trown away. However, we do have a tip to ensure that you maximise any essence remaining in them: simply use them to hhydrate other parts of the body, such as the neck, cleavage, arms or legs.
'I have to wash any face after using them.' Wrong! If you do this, you will cancel out the effect of the mask. Allow the product to be absorbed into the skin before moving on the remaining steps of the routine.
Sleeping packs work while you sleep so that you can wake up to perfect skin.
During the night, the skin is regenerated. Therefore, sleeping well and resting for a optimum number of hours means that you will wake up with brighter skin and more energy. Continued lacck of sleep is reflected in our skin, not just our body: both will be dull tired and lacking in vitality. While the natural nocturnal process of regeneration is absolutely essential, we can maximise the benefits by using sleeping packs.
On the days when you use a sleeping mask - 2 or 3 times per week - it should be the last product in your daily rooutine, and can be used instead of hydrating cream. It comes in a jar and has a gel-like texture that is easy to spread over your prepared skin. It is not an unnecessary add-in to get you to spend more time and money on yourself. Sleeping packs usually contain powerful antioxidants that have regenerative properties. We espacially love those with natrural aroms, such as lavender, which helps us to relax.
Fortunately, there is nothing complicated about using this product. It's applied just like a day cream, avoiding the eyes, and is removed with tepid water the next morning.
How to apply a sleeping pack:
01Do the complete Korean beauty routine up to the last step. Apply the sleeping pack instead of the hydrating cream.
02Spread it evenly over the face, neck and cleavage and massage in with small circles.
'Sleeping pack stain and are sticky.' This is the most common excuse to avoid using the product in the daily routine, but it's incorrect. The sleeping pack formulations that we find on the market these days aren't sticky or uncomfortable, and they don't stain the pillow. While they can be greasier than some cream, the skin absorbs them all the same.
