Mask applications can improve the skins condition in many ways know as actions:

• Refining
• Nourishing
• Soothing
• Stimulating
• Desquamating
• Deep cleansing
• Peeling.

A skin analysis is performed after cleansing the skin to determine accurate ingredients for different masks before application.  Masks come in different forms:

• Non-setting
• Setting
• Specialised.

Non-setting masks do not tighten/harden after application, but stay soft to the touch.  They can be made from many ingredients:  Natural ingredients – fruit, oatmeal, honey and eggs etc.  Biological masks – vegetable and herbal extracts, plants and fruit.  There is also the warm oil mask – almond oil etc, although this is classed as a specialised mask.  Other ingredients can be from the setting mask range, but added with oil this makes them non-setting, e.g. chamomile powder.

Setting masks – once the mixture is made it is then applied to the face and neck thinly as with all masks.  It is then allowed to semi dry, although not thoroughly as this would be uncomfortable for the client.  Setting masks ingredients can be from a wide range e.g. fuller’s earth, kaolin, chamomile, flowers of sulphur etc.  These masks are mixed with another ingredient, e.g. rosewater, orange flower water or witch hazel – then made into a liquid paste for application.  There are other setting masks, e.g. peel off masks, they can be made from latex, paraffin (although this is also classed as a specialised mask) or gel, also a thermal mask is a setting mask.  Some of the above are classed as clay masks, which absorb sebum and debris from the skins surface.

Specialised masks – Warm oil mask, gauze soaked in warm oil and then applied to the face and neck.  Paraffin wax, gauze is laid over the face with eye pads underneath and warm paraffin wax is applied over the face and neck.  Thermal mask – same as paraffin wax, paraffin, gel and latex masks are all also classed as peel off masks.

General effects of a facemask on the skin:

• Cools the skin – evaporation of water content.
• Improves the skin colour – increased circulation, can also aid desquamation.
• Turgence – because of the increase of circulation fluid draws to the skin and plumps out the skin and minimises wrinkles although this is temporary.
• Refining and toning – pores can appear smaller.
• Moisturising – effects of some ingredients.
• Restful as the treatment is therapeutic and relaxing.