Taking the time to use a face mask was something that I once felt could only be done once a week. It was something that I did on Sundays as part of my “beginning of the week” ritual. For some reason, “masking” was something that I felt was only to be done on pamper days, and that it was harmful to perform it too often (like with exfoliating).

Then, one day I was on the Youtube looking for ways to heal my terrible, painful acne and I stumbled upon a video from a red-haired esthetician (I HATE that I can’t remember her Youtube name!) who said that what she recommends for those suffering from cystic acne is to use a bentonite clay mask every day for a week, and then 1-3 times a week there after.

every day? FOR A WEEK!?

Isn’t that bad for your skin? It must not be if an esthetician is recommending it, right?

I couldn’t figure out where I had gotten this notion that it was harmful to my skin to use a mask more than once a week. Had I read this somewhere? Or had I just internalized my pamper day to mean that it couldn’t or shouldn’t be performed more frequently.

What the hell, if the lady said this would cure my acne I’M DOING IT.

So that night, I used my bentonite and apple cider vinegar clay mask as I normally would… and then I used it every day for a week. I couldn’t believe it!

My acne had literally completely dried out! Even my really deep, painful pimples had shrunk considerably and I could tell were on their way out. I couldn’t believe that it had actually worked and (by gosh) MY SKIN WASN’T DRIED OUT, CRACKLING, AND PEELING OFF like I thought it would be.

After that I realized that there wasn’t really a reason to be afraid of using a mask more than once a week. In fact, using a clay mask err-damn-day had actually healed my skin.

Since then, I have made it a priority to use a mask at least 3-5 times a week. The key for me these days has been listening to my skin (yes, she speaks to me). If I am having a breakout, then I go for a clay mask to dry them out. If my skin is particularly dry (like after I had my 2nd child) then I go for something more moisturizing. If I am not having any particular skin issue to treat, then I run the gamut: A clay mask this day, a brightening mask the next, a moisturizing mask there after, and a soothing mask for my pampering day.

Since I’ve incorporated this multi-masking, my skin has never been better. My skin is far from perfect, but using a skin product that is allowed to sit on my face for at least 15-30 minutes really helps with its absorption and the effectiveness of the product. Also, making it a point to either concentrate on a specific issue, or address them all, several times a week has helped me with seeing results in my skin much quicker than I had ever seen in the past.

For me, multi-day masking is a MUST.

How often do you mask? What is your favorite mask at the moment?

-Sea