Natural Face Masks: Brands and Buying Tips

Making time for face masks is one of the biggest favors you can do for your skin; regular use lets key ingredients have time enough to really sink in, remove impurities, or both. And while it will do your stress levels good to lie back and relax while masking, you can also enjoy a mask while watching TV, checking email, or doing laundry.

While there are plenty of great homemade recipes for facemasks, most of us won’t take the time regularly to whip them up; having them ready to go in the medicine cabinet assures that the weekly ritual will happen. (Once-a-week masking is what most dermatologists recommend; more often can be stressful to skin). Look for whole-food ingredients in our masks, as well as potent herbs and seed derivatives, said Dr. Jeannette Jacknin a Scotsdale, Ariz., holistic dermatologist and author of Smart Medicine for Your Skin ($38 at amazon.com, or $10 for Kindle edition). "Turmeric has natural cleansing properties and makes the skin appear more radiant and smooth, and ginkgo biloba stimulates circulation and helps give a rosy complexion," she said. Other ingredients she recommends:

> Oatmeal soothes dry, irritated skin
> Cucumber, yogurt, avocado and honey moisturize
> Aloe vera, also a moisturizer, helps protect the skin from the sun’s UV radiation
> Jojoba, also a moisturizer, is an antioxidant
> Tea tree helps treat acne and oily skin
> Kaolin and clay help cleanse pores in oily skin
> Sugar and honey are exfoliants
> Soy is an rejuvenator

Jacknin recommends avoiding facials that contain these ingredients:

> Propyl-, butyl- and ethyl-paraben
> Diethanolamine (DEA) and triethanolamine (TEA)
> Diazolidinyl urea and imidazolidinyl urea
> Sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate
> Petrolatum
> Propylene glycol