5 Tips to Adapt Your Beauty Routine to Wearing a Mask

Cleanse and Moisturize as if Your Life Depends on It

You’ve probably tired of hearing that cleansing and moisturizing are essential for any skincare routine, but this is especially true when you’re wearing a face mask for hours every day. In addition to washing your face every morning and every evening as you would normally do, you should cleanse it before and after wearing a mask. If you have no access to running water and facial cleanser, use makeup remover wipes or at least face blotting paper to remove excess skin oil.

Keeping your skin hydrated is also extremely important because wearing a face mask for a long amount of time may cause skin dryness and flaking. Apply a non-comedogenic moisturizer after washing your face and reapply it as often as needed during the day. Keep in mind that you should wait for it to absorb before putting your mask on.

Check this out: How to Choose the Right Moisturizer for Dry Skin

Avoid Harsh Products

Since the mask increases the risk of skin irritation, you should avoid other possible irritants as much as possible. Lay off of harsh cleansers, face scrubs and chemical peels, heavy and oily moisturizers, and products that contain alcohol or retinol. In other words, you should steer clear of ingredients that may dry your skin or clog your pores.

Check this out: 5 Ingredients to Avoid in Your Face Wash

Wear as Little Makeup as Possible

Your skin sweats more under the mask and breathes less. If you wear makeup, it will mix with the sweat and create the perfect environment for bacterial growth, resulting in clogged pores and acne breakouts. To keep your skin as clear as possible, you should skip makeup altogether or at least stick to eye makeup. If you absolutely need to wear makeup under the mask, check out the link below for a few tips on how to do it safely.

Check this out: 6 Tips for Wearing Makeup with a Face Mask

Don’t Skip Sun Protection

Even though most of your face is covered by a mask, you still need to protect its top half from UV radiation. Not only will sunscreen protect your skin from UV damage and its consequences (photoaging, skin cancer), it will also prevent tan lines. If you’re going to take the mask off at some point, you should apply sunscreen under the mask, too. Just like with moisturizer, let it absorb before you put the mask on.

Check this out: How to Choose the Best Sunscreen for Your Face

Use Zinc Oxide Where the Mask Rubs Your Skin

Ideally, your mask should be snug, but not too tight in order to prevent skin irritation and chafing. However, even a properly fitted mask can rub the skin, for example, when the weather is hot and you sweat a lot. To protect your skin from chafing, apply a zinc oxide cream or ointment where the mask rubs your face. By the way, zinc oxide is the active ingredient in many diaper rash products, so if you have diaper rash cream at home, you can totally use it.

Check this out: 5 Tips for Treating and Preventing Skin Irritation Caused by Wearing Face Masks