March 19, 2019

10 Common Clay Mask Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make

Clay masks are easy to apply and a simple way to naturally rejuvenate your skin. To ensure you’re maximizing the benefits of glacial oceanic clay in your skincare routine, we’ve compiled a list of common mistakes to avoid while using a clay face mask.

Mistake #1: Not Doing a Patch Test

Even though the glacial clay in our NENA Clay Mask is dermatologist tested to be hypoallergenic and non-irritating, everyone’s skin may have a different reaction, even to natural ingredients! Like with every new skincare product you try, always do a patch test for skin irritation on a small clean surface of your skin.

We recommend doing a patch test of our clay mask on your chin, leaving on until dry, and removing to ensure you don’t have any adverse reactions.Note that a mild tingling sensation can be expected due to the osmotic action of the clay.

Mistake #2: Not Shaking the Product Before Use

NENA’s Clay Mask has been reviewed as being more liquidy than expected. Don’t worry, that’s how it’s supposed to be. Our Clay Mask contains 99% of pure Canadian Glacial Oceanic Clay. The fluid, almost yogurt-like texture comes from the natural water content in the glacial clay.

Our clay is naturally wet rather than coming in powder form like other clays such as Kaolin or Bentonite.

Natural water separation can occur if your glacial clay mask sits too long on the counter. To maximize the benefits of our clay mask, we recommend to shake, shake, shake, shake, shake, well before use. (We mean the product, not yourself!)

via GIPHY

Mistake #3: Applying a Clay Mask While You’re in a Rush

From start to finish, give yourself at least twenty minutes for a clay mask routine. Depending on the surface area of your skin and how thick you’ve applied the product, our clay mask should take 10 to 15 minutes to fully dry, before you remove with warm water.

As a visual indication, the wet, dark green clay should turn into a light turquoise colour when it is dry. Don’t forget to leave time to cleanse your skin (or shower!) before applying the mask, as well as time to moisturize after removal.

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A post shared by NENA Glacial Skincare (@nenaclaymask) on Feb 5, 2019 at 11:28am PST

Mistake #4: Applying the Clay Mask before You Shower

As much as we’d love to step into the shower to wash off that clay mask, we actually recommend applying our clay mask after you shower.

Why? The natural steaming properties of being in the shower will help open up your pores, allowing our clay mask to even more effectively draw out the impurities from your skin.

Mistake #5: Not Using Clean Tools to Apply Your Face Mask

Brush tools can often harbour bacteria and other gross germs we don’t want anywhere near our skin. We recommend using clean fingers or a fresh brush to apply your mask.

Mistake #6: Rubbing in the Clay Mask

The clay mask should sit on top of your skin; the natural osmotic properties of the clay will naturally draw out any skin impurities to the surface. There’s no need to rub in a clay mask like you would with a moisturizer.

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A post shared by NENA Glacial Skincare (@nenaclaymask) on Mar 3, 2019 at 3:58pm PST

Mistake #7: Using a Clay Mask as Your Only Skincare Product

Masking should only be one small part of your skincare regime, a clay mask is not a replacement for toner, cleanser, or moisturizer. Be sure to cleanse your skin prior to applying our clay mask, and tone and moisturize after removal.

Mistake #8: Over-Masking

If you mask too often with a clay product, there may be adverse effects of drying out your skin. As a rule of thumb, we recommend masking 2 - 3 times per week for oily skin, 1 - 2 times per week for normal-to-dry skin, and spot treatment as required for best results.

Mistake #9: Using an Expired Product

Most cosmetic products should be used with in six month of opening. With NENA, our products are shelf-life stable for up to three years. Any longer than that, and we recommend replacing with a new product. Most of our clients, however, love our products so much, it never gets to the point where they have to toss us out....unless it’s an empty package!

Mistake #10: Not Having Fun

We know masking looks silly -- how often do we as adults get to put on a strange green goop on our skin and call it self care? Let’s have fun with it!

Put on your favourite shower cap, mask together with a friend, take a silly selfie...do whatever it is to make your clay mask experience fun.