CHRONICLE IV: 5 Steps to Get the Most Out of Your Sheet Mask

STEP 1: PREPARATION IS KEY! 

Like anything in life, preparation is key! And the same goes for your skincare.

By thoroughly cleansing you will ensure your skin is prepped and able to absorb the maximum amount of serum.

Tip: Hold off applying your moisturizer until after you have completed your mask as this will create a barrier and make it harder for the serum to be absorbed properly.

STEP 2: WEAR YOUR MASK FOR THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF TIME

This is one case where longer doesn’t always equal better!

When you wear your sheet mask for longer than the suggested time it can have the reverse effect of what is intended.

The Tencel® sheet acts as a barrier to the environment – think air-conditioning, heating, etc. By creating this barrier, more serum is able to be absorbed into your skin more rapidly than if you were just applying your regular nightly serum.

If you allow this barrier to become dried out, it may actually cause reverse osmosis, which is where it begins to absorb back some of the serum intended for your skin. Nobody wants that!

Fun Fact: a single sheet mask contains 25ml of serum, compared to a bottle of serum, which usually holds around 30ml – more is more!

STEP 3: UNWIND

This is arguably the most important step of doing a sheet mask.

Sheet masks should never be stressful. It should be 20 minutes of your day where you get to focus purely on yourself and your skin.

Tip: Light a candle, turn on your favourite playlist and pour yourself a tea (or wine!)

STEP 4: LOCK IN THE SERUM 

Once you have finished your sheet mask (after leaving it on for the correct amount of time, of course), it’s important that you lock in all of the goodness that your skin has just worked so hard to absorb.

The best way to keep all of the moisture in is by applying your usual nightly moisturizer. Your moisturizer creates a barrier on your skin as the molecules used in creating a moisturizer are usually larger than those used in serum, which need to be smaller so they can penetrate the deeper levels of your skin.

Tip: NEVER cleanse your face after applying a sheet mask as this will only undo all of the benefits of applying a mask in the first place.

Fun Fact: Sometimes after doing a sheet mask your skin can feel “tacky”, a common feeling from masks or skincare products that contain Hyaluronic Acid – this is a good thing! Simply by applying a moisturizer can relieve this feeling. If you want to apply make up post mask, you can also gently use a tissue to remove any serum sitting on the top of your skin to leave the perfect canvas.

STEP 5: MAKE THE MOST OF EXCESS SERUM 

If you have ever purchased a bottle of serum you would know how expensive they can be and how you treat them like a little bottle of pure liquid gold. Well, the liquid serum that your sheet mask is soaked in is made of the same gold.

Use any left over serum and rub it into your neck, décolletage and hands as these areas also have the same thinner skin as your face and deserves the same attention.

Tip: Amelia Clements from luxeeveryday.com.au and @luxe_everyday suggests keeping any left over serum in an airtight snaplock bag. This will allow you to use over the following few days as a part of your regular skincare routine.