Like many people, I get the occasional break out. But nothing has made my skin feel or look worse than face masks. At the beginning of quarantine when we first starting to wear masks out in public, my skin was absolutely terrible. I got deep cystic acne that lasted for weeks, and was left with scars all along my jaw line and where the mask touched my face. I washed my masks after each use and wore a fresh clean mask each time I went out, and thought I was doing everything right. But the mascne (mask +acne) just got worse. Now almost a year in to quarantine starting, I have finally found a few ways to keep the breakouts at bay.
- A silk face mask
Switching to a silk face mask from a cotton one or a disposable one was one of the dramatic changes to my face. I get much fewer break outs, and when I do, they’re not as bad and tend to heal much quicker. I love the ones from Slip, I own their pillowcases and eye masks and have zero skin issues so I was excited to try their masks. They’re EXPENSIVE, but you can usually find them on sale online. I use the Laundress silk wash to wash mine, and because of the fabric it dries within a day! Amazon and etsy have a ton of options as well, this is just the one I use regularly.
- Summer Fridays Soft Reset
I cannot recommend this product enough. It has AHAs and niacinamide to gently exfoliate your skin, and glycolic acid to help unclog your pores. After just 48 hours of using this product I noticed a difference in my skin. My acne scars began to fade, and my skin looked brighter and the bumps on my face started to disappear. It is now part of my nighttime skin care routine and I don’t go a day without it.
- Clean skin
Don’t wear make up where it touches your mask! It’s the fastest way to clog your pores, and cause break outs. When I know I’m going out, I’ll wear a little concealer under my eyes, mascara and brows, but don’t put any make up on anywhere near where my mask will go. Let’s be honest, no one will see you anyways, so why risk it??
- Acne patches
Despite my best efforts, I still get the occasional mascne break out. If I feel congestion or a break out about to happen, I like the Peter Thomas Roth masks that help get rid of the break out before it really begins. If it’s already formed, I love the mighty patch ones and you can see all the gunk get sucked out (sorry, I know it’s gross). If I have a break out and have to wear a mask, I’ll throw on an acne patch so the mask isn’t rubbing directly against it.
- Tea Tree Oil
I absolutely love the Biossance Squalene + Tea Tree oil. It’s a hydrating oil which is perfect for dry skin during the winter, but also purifies and calms the skin, which is perfect for breakouts. Basically it’s perfect for everything. I use about 1 drop as the last part of my skin care routine and let it do its thing over night.
I took me a longgg time to figure out what works for my skin, and I think it’s the combination of everything above. My skins not perfect and it definitely has some bad days, but it’s much much better than it was before!
Shades and Stripes 
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