One of my favorite self-care rituals for healthy glowing skin is exfoliating with a mask! I mean come on, who doesn't like when your face mask can be multi-functional! There's nothing I love more than unwinding at the end of the day with a mask and a facial massage and going to bed with smooth, soft glowy skin!

What's the deal with exfoliation anyway?

Have you ever dealt with dull, rough skin and wondered how to get that glow back? ME TOO!!

The top layer of your skin is made up of a protective layer of dead skin cells that naturally sheds every few weeks (that's our skin cell turnover). But your skin cell turnover slows down with age and other factors like diet, stress level, sun exposure, and environmental changes.

When your skin turnover slows down, it can cause an excess of dead skin, and you'll notice that dull, rough complexion we talked about earlier. Before you go cursing Mother Time and booking a one way ticket to the Fountain of Youth, there's an easy way to give your skin a hand in this shedding process.

And that's where exfoliating comes in to save the day!

Exfoliating is a process that helps to speed up this shedding of dead skin cells and leaves you with radiant, smooth, and healthy skin.

Using an exfoliating mask 1-2 times a week will have your skin softer, smoother and glowing in no time!

Exfoliating Ingredients

You're probably wondering what types of ingredients you should look for in your exfoliating mask. There are three types of exfoliants you can look for to promote healthy skin turnover:

• manual exfoliants
• enzyme exfoliants
• and chemical exfoliants.

Pro tip: Berry Bright is the perfect brightening fruit smoothie that provides all three types of exfoliation!

Gentle manual exfoliants like kaolin clay, oat flour, and fruit powders gently buff away dead skin cells to reveal a brighter, smoother complexion.

Enzymes are a type of protein sourced from ingredients like fruit, vegetables, and honey. They work by breaking down the proteins between dead skin to help them shed.

And gentle chemical exfoliants work to speed up the skin turnover process, clear pores, and smooth skin. The honey in Berry Bright naturally contains polyhydroxy acids (PHAs), a gentle chemical exfoliator!

Elevate your masking experience with a bit of alchemy!

Everyone's skin is unique, and mask-mixing is a fantastic way to boost and customize your masking experience to give your skin exactly what it needs!

After cleansing your skin, use the "recipes" below to try out some of my favorite multi-masking rituals:

Brightening Smoothie Mask

Use this mask when you're looking for a glowy, even complexion! In addition to the exfoliating benefits of Berry Bright and Clay Play, the Vitamin C in Phyto Tonic is the ultimate multi-tasker that helps to deeply hydrate, brighten skin and even out skin tone. 

Combine:

• 1/2 tsp Clay Play
• a dollop of Berry Bright
• A few mists of Phyto Tonic

Leave on for 15 minutes, then remove. Follow up with your skincare routine.

 

Pro Tip: Remember, your face stops at your boobs.

Detox and Relax Mask

Use this mask when you need to draw out impurities, absorb excess oil, and protect your skin by neutralizing free radicals.

Combine:

• 1 tsp or so of Clay Play (if you like a thicker mask, add more Clay Play)
• 5-6 Mists of Phyto Tonic (or several drops of water).

Leave on for 10 minutes and mist skin throughout with Phyto Tonic to rehydrate the mask.

PRO TIP: Don't let a clay mask dry and crack because it might be too skin stripping. You can also add a bit of yogurt or aloe to help keep it hydrated longer. 

Multi-Tasking Moisturizing and Brightening Mask

Use this mask when your skin is feeling dehydrated, dry, and dull. Our multi-functioning Clean Slate balm and Berry Bright brightening mask make the perfect team - they plump, brighten, nourish, and moisturize your skin! I've been really loving this combo for softer, brighter, supple, soft skin.

Combine:

• A dollop of Clean Slate 
• A dollop of Berry Bright

Add a dollop of each to your fingertips then rub your hands together to mix. Massage onto face, neck, and chest. This is one that you can wear for HOURS while working in your home office, lounging as you netflix and chill, or even when you're folding that laundry that's been giving you the stink eye for the past week.

 

Demystifying masking and exfoliating isn't that difficult. You just want to listen to what your skin is telling you, follow your skintuition, and play around. The good thing is all of Me Time Botanicals products play nicely together. 

I hope these tips leave you with bright skin days ahead of you! After you mask, try this facial massage as your last step in your night time skincare routine.