Sheet Masks
Sheet masks hold a special place in my heart because they're what turned me onto skincare in the first place. I remember peeling off my first sheet mask years ago and revealing hydrated, radiant skin underneath that'd I'd never seen before. After that, I became obsessed with the science of skincare. Sheet masks have been used in Asian skincare for a while now but have finally gained a popularity in the West over the last few years. If you haven't tried one yourself yet, you've probably seen a few sheet mask selfies on Instagram by now. They give you the instant gratification of skin so dewy when you peel them off that you'll be asking yourself "Where have these been all my life!?"
How do Sheet Masks Work?
Sheet masks are shaped to fit your face with cut-outs for the eyes, nose, and mouth - think Phantom of the Opera accessory. They come folded up in flat packaging, drenched in hydration potions with all kinds of lovely ingredients to target any of your skins needs. Used during the Essence / Serum step in your routine, sheet masks acts like an occlusive, creating a barrier on top of your skin so none of those good ingredients stand a chance at evaporating before they sink in. While hydrating is the main purpose of sheet masks, you'll see some aimed at brightening, calming, nourishing, etc., and they come to you in a few different fabric options:
Microfiber Sheet Masks
Microfiber sheet masks are the most common and cheapest sheet masks available, so if you like to pamper yourself multiple times a week - these are for you. They're made out of microfibers that resemble cotton, which is why they're often called cotton sheet masks. Soaking wet with hydrating ingredients, the microfibers seal in nutrients and force it into your skin.
Recommendations: MotherMade Revitalizing Bird’s Nest Collagen Face Sheet Mask, MotherMade Brightening Pure Pearl Face Sheet Mask, Naruko Snail Essence Intense Hydra Repair Mask, My Beauty Diary Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Mask, My Beauty Diary Squalene Restorative Hydrating Mask, Hada Labo Rohto Goku-Jun Hyaluronic Facial Mask, Benton Snail Bee High Content Sheet Mask Pack
Hydrogel Sheet Masks
Hydrogel sheet masks are different from microfiber because they're 100% water-soluble. They're thicker than cotton masks but look kind of transparent on your face because they're made with gels that have all the skin benefiting ingredients built in instead of dripping wet with them like the microfiber masks.
Recommendations: Manefit Bling Bling Hydrogel Mask Set (all variations), Farmacy Coconut Gel Sheet Mask, Mediheal I.P.L. Lightmax Hydro Nude Gel Mask, Tonymoly Intense Care Snail Hydro Gel Mask, Neutrogena Hydro Boost Moisturizing & Hydrating 100% Hydrogel Face Mask Sheet
Hybrid Sheet Masks
You'll also find some sheet masks that are a mixture of microfibers and hydrogels with efficacy somewhere in the middle. The microfibers will be knit lighter and have hydrogels baked in.
Which Type of Sheet Mask?
All sheet mask are good options and you can find one to suit your needs made from any of the materials. One thing to consider is price point - hydrogels are usually the priciest while microfibers tend to be much cheaper. I like to use microfiber sheet masks at night before my moisturizer because they're messy and can leave my skin kind of tacky. And I like to use hydrogel masks during the day before I have something important to go to because they give me dewy skin that's easy to layer makeup on top of.
How long should you sheet mask?
Most sheet masks will instruct you to keep them on for somewhere around 20 minutes but I keep them on as long as I can until they start to dry. Once they start drying, they can actually start drawing the moisture back out of your skin and you don't want that.
How often should you sheet mask?
That's going to vary by skin type and climate. I have really dry skin so during the winter, I'll sheet mask up to 4 times a week and in the summers I'll just do about 2 a week. For a normal skin in a normal climate, sheet masking once or twice a week should be enough.
Should you Sheet Mask Before or After Serums?
Whether you should sheet mask before or after serums depends on the type of serums and sheet mask you’re using. If I’m using a hydrogel sheet mask, I’ll always apply my serums afterwards because they’re not soaking in serums like the microfiber are. As for microfiber sheet masks, I will sometimes apply them before my serums and sometimes after - I don’t think it really matters since they’re soaked in serums anyways! Play around with the order a bit and see what your skin likes best.
Happy sheet masking!