Top 10 Masks That Prevent “Maskne”
2020 brought us many unexpected circumstances--including the unfortunate gift of "maskne." Maskne is skin irritation and breakouts brought on by the friction of your mask rubbing against your skin and trapping moisture. Thankfully, my “maskne” hasn't been TOO bad overall but the more I wear a mask, the more I've noticed small pimples popping up around my chin.
For anyone else who may be in the same boat, I'm rounding up ten masks at different price points that are helping to keep my skin as clear and healthy as possible. After all, not all mask materials are created equally!
The Secret to Healing “Maskne”
What a long decade this year has been! At the top of the Pandemic (seemingly years ago!), I was wearing A LOT of medical masks. I loved that I could breathe relatively well through these--especially while running and working out! That said, I was reusing them MUCH too often and it was getting expensive to constantly switch them out. And of course, as I shared above--there was the “MASKNE.”
In terms of healing “maskne,” there are a couple of things I've done that have been a big help:
1) I've come to learn how important it is to find masks that come in gentle, breathable materials. This helps to keep “maskne” to a minimum and your skin will be so much happier.
2) I've also been slathering TONS of aquaphor on my face before wearing my masks and before going to bed at night. Aquaphor is literally a miracle lotion. In high school I used to over use zit cream at night to try to heal pimples and if only I had this on hand!
Overnight, it truly works wonders. It's the most affordable, most underestimated salve ever.With all of that said, sharing my top ten favorite masks below that are cute AND better for your skin. I'm hoping they'll help you too!
When It Comes To Masks, It’s All About The Material…
In purchasing your masks, make sure you pay attention to EXACTLY what they're made of. After all, many of us are wearing them for hours at a time so we need to make sure our skin is happy and healthy under there! For this reason, I've been living in silk masks recently.
Unlike cotton masks which pull moisture from the skin into the fabric, silk’s tightly woven threads are much less likely to do so. Since there is less moisture constantly stuck to your face in wearing silk, this reduces bacteria’s ability to grow and populate in the mask.
Silk masks, like the one I'm wearing in this post, tend to cost a bit more. That said, I've found a number of affordable options too (here and here and more below). This silk tie dye mask is especially cute and looks great with basics. Also obsessing over this bright pink statement mask.
Overall, silk masks are better for your skin, they're washable, and reusable and either way, I believe they're totally worth it.
What are your fave types of masks? How about for working out?
I'm still on a quest to find the perfect workout mask. Tell me all the things and as always, thanks for stopping by! XO, Arielle
Photography: Azusa Takano