Hi Friends! Happy One Year Anniversary to the old “15 Days to Slow the Spread.” Okay, that’s a little sassy, but I handle stress and frustration with sarcasm – so here we are… this COVID pandemic has brought a lot of stress, anxiety, uncertainty, loss, and so many other things… many are far beyond our grasp, and well beyond our control, so today I want to focus on fixing something that maybe I can help with… MASKNE.
Let talk about it shall we – what is maskne? Maskne refers to acne and other facial breakouts that arise from regular use of facial masks. (According to ubmd.com) In essence, those awful and painful little bumps that have popped up along your chin and mid-cheek, those are maskne. The subsurface pimples that are a product of the hot air and bacteria rubbing along your jawline while tucked under a mask? That’s maskne.
Okay, so we have established WHAT maskne is. That’s wonderful, I’m sure every single person reading this has experienced it and didn’t need a synopsis, but for the few whom have not I really wanted to quickly break it down (lol – if you haven’t experienced maskne I’m immensely jealous). Okay, anywho… what should we do?
For starts, PLEASE do not wear makeup underneath your mask if possible. I know, sometimes you want to get glammed up for an evening out after work, or you have an event with family but you want to try and run into the grocery store, try to avoid this as much as possible. The natural oils of your skin can mix with the cosmetic products on your face and the sheer rubbing of the fabric on your chin from the mask can lead to irritation and breakouts, add the humid air and oral bacteria trapped in the mask, and we have a breeding ground for the ickies… So avoid wearing makeup beneath the mask whenever you can!
Also, please, please, PLEASE be diligent about your skincare. If you are someone who has never washed their face morning and night, now would be a really fantastic time to start. Even without the mask, your skin accumulates dirt, grime, grease, oils, and other natural environmental stressors throughout the day – it is critical to wash your face and essentially flush the grime from your pores before bed to ensure your skin doesn’t “suck them up” so to speak, and cause aggressive pimples and breakouts.
Look at your diet. Are you consuming foods that are high in oils, sugar, and carbohydrates but not balancing with fruits and veggies or drinking enough water? You will want to make sure you are balancing a healthy diet to get the best results from your skincare because diet can be a huge factor in all things beauty issues. The way our body digests the food we consume can cause a luminous glow, or a lack luster appearance… think about it, your skin is your body’s largest organ in a sense.
There are so many, many tips and tricks to help in your perfect complexion, but above are just a few to start! Below, I will go through a few supplemental skincare products that you can mix into your current regimen to supercharge your results and help kick that pesky maskne.
When looking at skincare, to start make sure you have all of the basic components: cleanser, mask (of the skincare variety), exfoliator, toner, treatment options, and moisturizer. If you have all of those boxes “checked” next we should look at how you are using the skin care – are you cleansing and moisturizing morning and night, and after any rigorous work outs? Consistency is equally important as ensuring you invest in great products!
So now for the recommendations: I will be focusing on CLN&DRTY and Beautycounter because they are two brands that I love, trust, and feel well versed in so I can give you the best advice. I love both brands as they are safe, affordable, and so effective! So please know the products below have my full stamp of approval!
Cleanser: It is important to have a cleanser that works specifically with your needs and removes all of the dirt, debris, and environmental toxins without overstripping the skin of its natural oils and lipid barrier. Two cleansers I personally enjoy (and are great for traveling as well) are the CLN&DRTY Romantic Rose Exfoliating Cleanser and the CLN&DRTY Clout Stick. I love them both, but for different reasons.
The Romantic Rose Exfoliating Cleanser is formulated with Rose Clay, Rosehip Powder, Jojoba Beads, Lavender, and Lemongrass and does a fantastic job of gently sloughing off any excess dead skin, while also gently nourishing the skin as well!
The Clout Stick Cleanser is formulated with Charcoal and Tea tree oil to help combat excess oil production and combats acne and breakouts. It is gentle but effective in helping detox your pores and leave your skin feeling clean, healthy, and refreshed.
Next, a detoxifying mask/masque is super important. This will help magnetize and pull the bacteria and grime out of your pores, resulting in minimized pores, less breakouts, and healthier skin. Kaolin Clay and Charcoal are two powerful ingredients used in a lot of detox masques, and if they’re responsibly sourced and in their natural and healthy state that can be super healthy and gentle as well. Two detox masques that I like to use are the Beautycounter Charcoal Mask and the Clarifying Mask by CLN&DRTY.
The Counter+ Charcoal Facial is a powerful mask that uses charcoal powder to absorb and combat excess oil production and a blend of salicylic and lactic acids to aid in soft exfoliation revealing healthier skin and smaller pores.
The Clarifying Mask from CLN&DRTY is another awesome option to combat breakouts. Formulated with Bentonite clay, Finely ground coffee, and Tea Tree Oil this clarifying mask pulls impurities from within the pores, works to kill acne causing bacteria, and uses ground coffee to do a wonderful job gently exfoliating the skin and scrubbing excess dead skin away.
Spot treatments are also a great way to combat and kill a pesky breakout. Essentially spot treatments will work to use a concentrated version of the bacteria and acne fighting ingredients to cut down on the amount of time needed to heal and clear the breakout. I enjoy the Beautycounter SOS Acne Spot Treatment and the CLN&DRTY Goodbye Acne Blemish Stick.
Beautycounter offers the Countercontrol SOS Acne Treatment to fight those pimples. It is a clear gel that can be used topically to penetrate deep within the pores to help clear up any breakouts. Another great feature of this gel is that it is formulated without sulfur and benzoyl peroxide to help lessen the potential for irritation and adverse reaction, and helps to ensure there isn’t any additional over drying or damage.
CLN&DRTY also offer a fantastic spot treatment option that uses Tea Tree, Lavender, and Jojoba Oils to not only fight the break out and kill the bacteria, but also soothe the irritated skin and help healing happen more quickly. This product is the Goodbye Acne Blemish Stick and it comes in a roller ball which is great to help regulate the amount of product applied to the breakout to minimize waste.
Again, the products listed above are not the only products on the market that can help to combat your breakouts and/or maskne, BUT they will absolutely help. Good hygiene is so important right now, and implementing these few products can help ensure your skin can remain healthy and clear! If you have questions about additional products, as always do not hesitate to reach out! 🤗