The Only Mask To Use For Oily & Acne Prone Skin
My oily skin and I have a love hate relationship.
I love it cause I often get that dewy glow without even trying - it’s not highlighter it’s my oily ass face but thank you for the compliment!
I hate it because my face breaks out so easily thanks to all the gunk gets stuck to it.
In an attempted to control the amount of oil my face produced and to give my large pores a deep clean I tried the Aztec Healing Clay mask. Now I’m sure you’ve seen it or at least have heard about it with its cult following and such. I’ve tried this mask and have since regularly started using it as apart of my skin care routine for about a year now. At first I was skeptical to try a mask that claims to pulsate as it drys on my face but for a whomping $10 on Amazon it was hard to turn down.
Since finding the mask it has worked wonders for helping me get a handle on the amount of oil my face produces, maintaining a clear complexion, and will even help me get rid of acne spots that have popped up out of nowhere.
I mix the clay mask with Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar instead of water the reasoning behind this is because apple cider vinegar has a lot of great skin care qualities. Cider is made with fermented yeast and other helpful bacteria. During the fermentation process a compound in the vinegar is created called, acetic acid, which is known for its antibacterial and anitfungal benefits. This is great for acne prone skin considering most of your breakouts begin and get worse because of clogged pores that consist of bacteria. Apple cider vinegar is used in beauty practices mainly because of the fruit acids it contains like acetic acid and malic acid. You may recognize malic acid as it’s used in skin care products as a common anti-aging ingredient to help brighten and smooth the texture of skin.
Can you imagine the greatness that come with using apple cider vinegar with this Aztec Healing Clay mask?!
But what is it about this clay mask that works so well?
It all comes down to the fact that it’s 100% natural calcium bentonite clay. What the hell is that? Well it’s one powerful type of clay. Calcium bentonite clay works to draw out impurities from your skin by working as a sponge to absorb dirt, oil, like sebum which often leads to acne breakouts. It can also help to heal inflamed acne on your face helping to treat acne while also reducing acne scaring.
How I use this mask:
For me I use this mask twice a week, usually on a Monday and a Thursday or Friday depending on how my skin looks. I let it sit on my face until I start looking like a mud monster which ends up around 10-15 minutes, anymore than that and my skin starts to itch. The tub- yup, I said tub cause that’s what it comes in - of Aztec Healing Clay says the mask will pulsate when it drys but honestly I don’t really feel the pulsating, maybe faint hints of it but it’s definitely nothing extreme. As it drys it will tighten and the feeling of everything gross being sucked out of your pores will happen...it’s the best!
Hint, if you have a pimple that is still under the skin but you can totally see and feel it use this mask. When I get a pimple or two that don’t seem to be going away a lot of the time this mask with bring the pimple to the surface and either turn it into a white head or it will make it disappear all together.
After rinsing the mask off your skin will be red but DON’T WORRY the redness fades in about 30 minutes, because of this I always use this mask at night.
Not only is this mask extremely affordable but it freakin works! My face experiences less breakouts and even has less oil throughout the day. When I go too long without using it my face definitely looks it and feels it. For me a good indication of when I’ve gone too long without it is those lovely little white heads that pop up out of nowhere.
I use to just use the mask and follow it up with my regular nightly routine however I started to use Secret Key’s Lemon Sparkling Peel Gel right after. My thought is that the mask is sucking out all the impurities and gunk in my clogged pore but that I needed to also exfoliate. Key with oily skin is that you must exfoliate, reason being is that dead skin cells tend to stick to your face, which often causes a lot of your breakouts.
I started using the Lemon Sparkling gel and it has made my skin look and feel amazing. The citric acid of lemon removes dead skin cells while nourishing and brightening my skin with vitamin C and pectin. It’s also incredibly satisfying to use since you can literally feel the dead skin just ball up on your face. My face always feels so soft afterwards! Plus with unclogged pores and freshly exfoliated skin all my other night time products are able to be easily absorbed.
Important thing to know with the Secret Key’s Lemon Sparkling Peel Gel is that you MUST use it on a dry face or it won’t work. Trust I made this mistake before and was completely unsatisfied plus it didn’t work.
Since both of these products will leave your skin feeling dry is imperative that you follow up with a Ph Balancing toner like Klairs Supple Preparation Facial Toner which also deeply moisturizes. Then continue with your regular night time products.