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Indulge Your Body, Mind & Spirit
With Take-Home Spa Experience

By David Steinman, from Healthy Living

Baby boomers are experiencing higher stress levels, and health and beauty are a major concern as a means of countering their stressful lives. Not only are facial masks wonderful for pampering body and soul. These cosmetic preparations applied to the face to tighten, clean or refresh the skin are much like "take-home spas," relieving stress, enhancing well-being, and allowing a little bit of pure indulgence in luxury while offering an enhanced sensory experience. You may not have a spa attendant but you can still take advantage of the spa experience when you use facial masks. "There is a heightened interest today, among both and women, in pampering themselves, and at-home spa products are an easy and affordable alternative to actually going to the spa," notes an expert in the November 2000 issue of Happi, a publication of the household and personal products industry. "Most people are looking for ways to connect with themselves and their spirituality and disconnect from the frenetic, high-tech world. We believe that multi-sensory products and experiences will help fill this void."

Uncovering Health Benefits of Masks

Most of all, facial masks offer profound skin benefits, helping to moisturize and purify the skin — especially when you select formulas packed with pure vitamins such as A, C and E, and rejuvenating botanical extracts (e.g., blue-green algae, seaweeds, sea buckthorn, green tea).

Beauty writer Suzanne Biallot calls facial masks "the most effective and economical way to build and maintain healthy skin. Add that to the fact that new formulations make application a breeze and deliver multiple benefits in minutes. Today, masks are the single best way to deliver targeted treatment for your skin on a regular basis."

Think of masks as the ultimate nutrient delivery system. Because a mask is much more thick than a moisturizer or topical treatment and because of its extended application time and the inner warmth generated, which opens the pores, passage of nutrients into the skin occurs far more quickly and efficiently. When necessary, masks can also remove excess oil and environmental debris and pollutants much more gently than astringents, toners or scrubs. (Not that you always want masks to remove oils from the skin. Especially in the wintertime, masks can help to replenish necessary skin oils.)

Mask Basics

Masks are important to use year-round. But wintertime's extremes — frigid winds and chapping with immersion in heated, indoor temperatures that are as dry and hot as summer in Arizona — make this time of year an especially important season to enjoy the replenishing, exfoliating, rejuvenating benefits of masks. Frequency of use depends on skin type. Once a week is about right for dry to normal skin. Oily skin may require twice-a-week applications. Sensitive skin may be best with once or twice a month. Beauty experts usually recommend that you apply to cleansed skin — just after a shower in the evening is ideal. Different masks may be used on different facial areas and for combination skin. Your T-zone may be more oily and require one type of mask, while a firming, smoothing mask may be best for the corners of the eyes and forehead, if crow's feet or furrows are problems.

Special Benefit Masks

Puffy eyes in the morning or chapped lips may require specialized masks, says Ms. Biallot. Such masks for use in the area of the eyes often contains soothing herbs such as chamomile and cucumber to help relief puffiness. Lip masks nourish and exfoliate the dry skin that causes chapped lips, she adds.

References

Boehnlein, J., et al. "Metabolism of retinyl palmitate to retinal (vitamin A) in skin during percutaneous absorption/metabolism studies." Pharm Res, 1994;11:1155-1159.

Ji, H.G. & Seo, B.S. "Retinyl palmitate at 5 percent in a cream: its stability, efficacy and effect." Cosmet Toil, 1999;114:61-68.

The Doctors' Prescription

Facial masks are important because they not only provide important rejuvenating and beautifying benefits for the skin; they rejuvenate our senses, relieve stress and enhance well being.

We want the products we purchase to contain beneficial nutrients and botanicals; however, because of enhanced skin penetration, we also must be sure to avoid irritating and toxic ingredients. After all, this is a time for pampering ourselves, not adding more environmental toxins. Fortunately, facial masks from Aubrey Organics, Burt's Bees, Dr. Hauschka, Kiss My Face and Weleda all fulfill these high standards for purity.

Other masks that we have reviewed from more mainstream companies do not meet our standards because of their use of ingredients like polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and artificial colors and fragrances; these substances may be irritating or even contain possible cancer-causing impurities.

Our recommended masks are available at health food stores and natural product supermarkets.

Choosing the Right Mask

Dr. Hauschka Moisturizing Mask
Dr. Hauschka Moisturizing Mask and Weleda Almond Facial Masque are also good choices for deep cleansing and soothing sensitive skin.

Beauty experts say three basic types of facial masks predominate: moisturizing; deep cleansing; and purifying/invigorating. (There are also masks for targeted areas like lips and eyes.) Each formulation provides benefits for different skin types or skin problems, with ingredients that range from vitamins and natural botanicals to marine extracts, clays, and muds. To reap the benefits of a good facial mask, use regularly and only according to the directions, especially if the mask contains alpha hydroxy acids (such as lactic acid).

Moisturizing Masks

For skin that feels taut or is flaking, moisturizing or hydrating masks infuse water into the top layers of the skin with ingredients like vitamins A and E, coenzyme Q10 and hyaluronic acid that work to immediately plump up dehydrated skin. "Used once a week or more, moisturizing masks are great for older skin and can keep fine lines and wrinkles from rearing their ugly heads," says Ms. Biallot.

In one study, the combination of vitamins A and E applied topically significantly increased skin moisture and stimulated healthy cell renewal, while reducing wrinkling. Most often, the form of vitamin A used will be retinyl palmitate, a combination of vitamin A and palmitic acid, which has been shown to enhance skin elasticity, minimize roughness, and enhance the skin's antioxidant protectors.

Vitamin C is highly beneficial for its antioxidant, rejuvenating, anti-inflammatory and skin-lightening properties. For use in cosmetics, vitamin C should be neutralized by minerals such as calcium and esterfied for greater stability. The best form of vitamin C to use is called Ester-C®. Look for it on labels.

Sea buckthorn may well be considered the natural health cosmeceutical of the year. Sea buckthorn oil is one of the richest herbal sources of vitamins A and E. Its ability to rejuvenate aging skin, moisturize, correct various skin disorders, inhibit blotching and lighten the skin is well documented throughout Asia; finally, American consumers are able to take advantage of this important new botanical from Aubrey Organics. It is really worth trying.

Almond oil is rich in vitamins, minerals, and proteins. It is an excellent lubricant that is softening, revitalizing and nourishing to all skin types. It has excellent penetrating properties and is great for sensitive skin, as well as dry, itchy skin.

Canadian willowherb and blue camomile oil also are excellent for their soothing anti-inflammatory benefits.

Deep Cleansing Masks

If you have skin that breaks out frequently with blackheads, if you have acne, oily skin or broken blood vessels in the area of your nose or near the surface of the skin, deep cleansing masks can help. These masks are almost always clay based, using ingredients such as kaolin to draw out impurities. When allowed to dry, clay naturally extracts impurities from the pores of the skin and helps to constrict broken blood vessels, making them less noticeable, say experts. Deep cleansing masks may also contain seaweeds and exfoliating ingredients such as papaya that stimulate renewal by gently removing dead skin cells from the top layers of the epidermis. Algae and seaweeds such as fucus, laminaria, seaware, and bladderwrack are rich sources of trace minerals, providing both detoxifying effects and nourishment. Most suitable for oily, combination and acne prone skins, jojoba oil has excellent moisturizing and emulsifying properties. Jojoba is rich in vitamin E, proteins and minerals, as well as myristic acid, which is an anti-inflammatory agent. It is one of the most versatile oils. It is good for all skin types and helps unclog the pores. It is excellent for inflamed or irritated conditions and for helping to heal all types of skin disorders such as eczema, psoriasis and inflamed skin.

Purifying & Invigorating Masks

Purifying and invigorating formulations are like a brace of ice cold water on your skin. Ingredients like blue green algae extract can make a tired complexion glow and radiate luminous warmth. This is the type of mask to use after a long, tiring day of work, before going out on a date. One great mask that combines both purifying and invigorating qualities is Blue Green Algae Herbal Antioxidant Clay Mask from Aubrey Organics. Its blue green algae is excellent for both nourishing the skin and drawing out impurities. Milk thistle is a powerful detoxifying herb in this formula. And grape seed extract is a powerful antioxidant.

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