What is the principle of operation of the mask-film and what results can be expected from its application? Useful properties, precautions, application technique. Best homemade film mask recipes.
A film mask is an effective skin care product with a peculiar consistency and application characteristics. When used regularly, it helps to get rid of acne, blackheads, oily sheen, dull skin color, early signs of fading and many other cosmetic problems. But in order for the mask to show itself in full force, it must be handled correctly.
What is a film mask?
On the photo is a film mask
Ready-made film masks are a substance that resembles a gel or thick cream. Applied evenly to the skin, they quickly harden, turning into a film that can be easily picked up by the edge and removed.
Manufacturers add various substances to the gel to solve certain skin problems:
- an acne peel-off mask will contain antibacterial ingredients like tea tree oil and healing aloe vera;
- in the moisturizer there is probably a cucumber extract or hyaluronic acid;
- in anti-aging - squalane, vitamins C and E;
- in the nutrient - oils;
- in gold mask-films there are particles of the finest gold foil, which should soften, heal and rejuvenate the skin.
It is very convenient to use film masks. They do not require rinsing, do not drip onto clothes during cosmetic procedures, and do not leave dirty spots on the bathroom tiles. In addition, there are separate masks for problem areas of the face - for example, the nose or forehead, which make self-care even easier.
Useful properties of the film mask
Regardless of the goal set by the manufacturer for the cosmetic product, without exception, all face mask-films work as a gentle peeling, capturing and removing dry particles of the epidermis, impurities that are not subject to soap and the tops of sebaceous plugs - the notorious blackheads. As a result, the skin is cleansed, its relief and tone are leveled, and the overall appearance becomes fresher. Of course, all this does not happen instantly, but after several subsequent procedures.
The additional effect of the film mask depends on the components it contains. She can:
- bleach;
- get rid of acne;
- eliminate oily sheen, for example, in the T-zone;
- tone and moisturize the skin;
- saturate the epidermis with nutrients and oxygen;
- spur the production of their own collagen by cells;
- activate regenerative processes.
Film masks for face care often combine ingredients designed to provide a comprehensive solution to several problems at once.
Note! It is important to understand that cosmetic products help to eliminate only the visible part of the problem, without touching on its root causes. So, a mask-film from black dots will erase unpleasant specks on the face, but will not prevent them from forming again. To reliably say goodbye to "cannabis", you will have to reconsider your diet, skin care methods and, possibly, visit a dermatologist.
Contraindications and harm of the film mask
Looking at the ease with which beauty bloggers wield brushes with healing gel, smearing it on their faces, and then remove frozen colored films from their faces with almost no movement, one might think that using a miracle remedy is extremely pleasant and safe. But it is not so.
Cleansing film masks often contain highly aggressive ingredients that can irritate thin and sensitive skin, make it flake, red and itchy. In principle, the mask should be selected according to the type of skin, but you should be especially careful with sensitive and thin ones.
If you have problems with rosacea, do not use film masks - you can aggravate the situation.
Do not apply cosmetic mixtures to open wounds or inflamed pimples.
Before you buy a mask-film for the face, carefully study its composition in order to exclude the presence of an allergen among the components. Better yet, test any new product on a small patch of skin near the crook of your elbow or wrist. Apply a little gel on the body, wait 10-15 minutes, remove the formed film. Does itching and redness appear? Everything is great, you can safely introduce the mask into your usual beauty rituals.
Note! Choose funds from trusted brands and do not strive for total savings. Buying a cheap mask film with a lifting effect, for example, will have a nice impact on your budget, but easily ruin your skin, so instead of one small defect, you can get a whole bunch of new ones.
The most popular film masks
Pictured is Elizavecca Gold CF-Nest Collagen Jella Pack M film mask with swallow's nest extract
Today, many cosmetic companies are engaged in the production of film masks for a variety of skin problems. Some of them deserve attention, while others are better to stay away. Let's take as an example the tools that have earned the highest rating from users on the Russian-speaking Network.
Budget options:
- JM Solution, Water Luminous Golden Cocoon Mask, South Korea … Maintains the required moisture level in the skin, stimulates collagen synthesis, maintains elasticity, freshness and gives a healthy glow. Contains a patented oil enriched with various healing substances, silk essence and vitamins. Costs from 138 rubles. for 35 ml.
- Belita-M, face mask with pomelo and papaya Nice Selfie, Belarus … Vitex, a well-established manufacturer on the market, is famous for inexpensive and high-quality cosmetics. In this case, he suggests nourishing, moisturizing, toning, whitening, mattifying, tightening pores and lightening freckles with a mask based on extracts of exotic plants, olive oil and panthenol. Price - about 200 rubles. for 60 g.
- Skinlite, Skin Renewal Gold Film Mask, South Korea … Cleans the epidermis from dead cells, evens out the relief, tightens pores, promotes cell regeneration and restores complexion. Contains extracts of honey and numerous plants. It costs 280-300 rubles. for 15 g.
Average price category:
- Farmstay, Charcoal Black Head Peel-off Mask Pack, South Korea … Frees pores from impurities and narrows them, fortifies the skin, promotes healing of minor injuries and tissue regeneration. Costs from 500 rubles. for 100 ml.
- Banna, Gold Collagen Facial Mask, Thailand … Cleans clogged pores, smoothes skin turgor, makes wrinkles less and less noticeable. Contains colloidal gold and collagen. Price - 540 rubles. for 120 ml.
- Enjoli cosmetics Marshmallow Dragon mask, peel-off mask, Russia … Shrinks pores, protects against dryness, removes sebum and dead cells. Slows down the processes of wilting, maintains elasticity. Contains plant extracts, glycerin, allantoin. It costs 675 rubles. for 50 ml.
Luxury masks:
- Elizavecca, Swallow's Nest Collagen Film Mask, South Korea … Exfoliates, nourishes, moisturizes, fights wrinkles and sagging, funny changes color during the drying process. Contains collagen, plant and honey extracts, gold and propolis. Costs from 960 rubles. for 80 ml.
- Esthetic House 24K Gold Enveloping Facial Mask, South Korea … Exfoliates and mattifies, nourishes and moisturizes, deeply cleanses and tightens. Contains plant extracts and snail mucus, oils, vitamins, fragrance. In consistency, it is something transitional between a film and an alginate mask. It costs 1200 rubles. for 80 ml.
- Christina, Comodex Extract & Refine Peel-Off Mask, Israel … Deeply cleanses the skin from dirt and toxins, stimulates blood microcirculation, and promotes tissue regeneration. Contains plant extracts, a complex of vitamins, acids. It costs 2400 rubles. for 75 ml.
The best homemade film mask recipes
Homemade face film masks are less effective than commercial ones, but with regular use, they pay off. The role of collagen in them is played by gelatin, vitamins supply fresh vegetables and fruits, activated charcoal is an absorbent that draws out harmful substances from tissues, oils soften the skin, egg white shrinks pores, vitamin C from citrus fruits has a rejuvenating effect, and green tea and decoctions provide toning herbs.
Gelatin film mask recipes:
- Whitening with clay … Pour 10 g of gelatin with 100 ml of warm milk and let it swell. The resulting mass, stirring, warm up in a water bath until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Add 0.5 tsp. white or blue clay and the same amount of honey for softening. Make sure the mixture does not burn your skin, apply it all over your face, wait until it dries and peel off gently.
- Vitamin film mask with berry juice … Pour 10 g of gelatin with 100 ml of freshly squeezed juice of fruits, berries or vegetables suitable for your skin type. Fatty goes well with citrus fruits, currants and tomatoes. Dry loves strawberries and peaches, carrots, cabbage, apples. But watermelon is suitable for any dermis. Hold the mixture in a steam bath, trying not to overheat it, so that the juice retains the maximum of useful substances, cool it and apply to the skin. Remove after dry. A little trick: if you do not have a juicer, chop the selected fruit on a fine grater and use the resulting liquid gruel.
- Firming film mask with sour cream … 1 tbsp. l. Dissolve gelatin in warm water, heat in a steam bath until completely dissolved and cool slightly. Stir in 1 tbsp. l. high fat sour cream and 3-5 drops of vitamin E in oil. Apply to face, wait until dry and remove.
- Toning mask with cucumber juice … Prepare chamomile and green tea infusions in different cups. Take 50 ml of both infusions (you can drink the rest or freeze in tins to make cubes for rubbing your face). Pour the mixture of infusions into 1 tbsp. l. gelatin, let it swell, dissolve in a steam bath and cool slightly. Add 2 tbsp. l. cucumber juice. Stir, apply to face, and after drying, remove. Instead of tea, you can use linden, the effect will be the same. And if you add the same amount of aloe pulp to cucumber juice, the mask will help to cope with acne.
- Purifying film mask with charcoal … Pour 0.5 tsp. gelatin 1 tbsp. l. warm water, let it swell and dissolve in a steam bath, stirring in 0.5 tsp. crushed activated carbon. Apply the slightly cooled mass on the face in the area of blackheads. Wait until dry and remove.
Note! Instead of a water bath, you can use a microwave, but make sure that the water with gelatin does not boil in it.
Egg White Film Mask Recipes:
- Purifying with charcoal … Another option for a charcoal film mask is to crush a charcoal tablet into a powder and beat it with a fork with one egg white. You do not need to achieve persistent foam, your task is to make the mixture homogeneous. Well, after that, it remains only to apply it on the face and wait until it dries completely.
- Whitening with sorrel … Grind a bunch of sorrel in a blender. Mix gruel and juice with protein. Lubricate your face, wait for the required time and remove the dried mass.
- With clay from blackheads … Make a liquid paste from egg white and cosmetic clay - white, blue, pink. Lubricate the nose, cheeks and T-zone in the area of blackhead formation. Wait half an hour and remove the dried mixture. Important: do not apply it all over the face, the mask-film from blackheads dries the skin very much.
- For pigmentation with oat flour … Whisk the protein with 2 tsp.castor oil, add a spoonful of honey and oatmeal and use according to the standard algorithm.
- Nourishing and refreshing with vegetable juice … Combine protein in one cup, taken in 2 tbsp. l. carrot and cucumber juices, add 1 tbsp. l. olive oil. If the mixture is too runny, thicken it with a little oatmeal or starch. Use as in the previous examples.
- Moisturizing & nourishing with cream … Mix until smooth the egg white with 30 ml of cream with a fat content of less than 20%. Spread the mixture over your face, let dry and remove.
To prepare a paraffin mask, melt one portion of the substance in a water bath until the temperature is acceptable for the skin. Add aloe juice, honey, fruit / berry puree, or other favorite ingredients as desired. Stir until smooth and apply onto face with a wide brush. Wait until the feeling of warmth disappears completely and remove the mask.
A huge advantage of paraffin is its ability to retain heat for a long time, opening the pores and enhancing the penetration of healing substances deep into the skin. Masks with it help to improve blood microcirculation, smooth turgor, improve complexion, give the skin a fresher and more toned look.
Rules for using a mask-film
Film masks purchased or made at home are subject to uniform application rules. It would seem that their observance does not play a big role - no matter how smeared, the mask will work! But practice shows that it is precisely following the correct technology that leads to the best results, so you should not neglect it.
How to apply the film mask:
- Cleanse your skin: remove makeup, wash with your regular foam or gel.
- If the mask was sold in powder form, dilute it according to the instructions on the package with clean drinking or mineral water.
- Equip yourself with a flat brush specially designed for this purpose (you cannot borrow a brush from a child's watercolor set, even if you wash the nap diligently with soap and water) and gently spread the gel over your face. Trust me, you can never create an even layer with your fingers! Move along the massage lines from top to bottom, keep the facial muscles relaxed.
- Give the mask time to dry. Purchased mixtures keep as long as indicated in the instructions, homemade film masks - 20-30 minutes. Do not wait longer than the agreed time, hoping to get additional benefits!
- The mask is also removed from the bottom up. To do this, you need to carefully pick it up on the chin and pull it off your face with a smooth, unhurried movement, raising your hands to your forehead. If you acted correctly with a brush and applied the gel in an even layer, you should be able to do this without much difficulty. If any particles of the film remain on the face, slide your finger over them with light pressure, rolling the pieces of the mask off the skin. In rare cases, when the film cannot be removed, it is washed off with warm water without soap.
- Film products, especially lifting film masks, often dry out the skin, so every time treatment should be completed by applying a moisturizing serum or cream to the cleansed face.
Try to make the process of personal care enjoyable. Set aside a separate time for this, preferably in the evening, turn on pleasant music, wait for the mask to dry in the company of your favorite book or TV series. It has been proven that beauty treatments work best when a person is feeling pleasant and relaxed, rather than doing everything in a rush.
If you use masks prepared on the basis of protein, it is not so easy to remove them from the skin: the layer sticks, does not want to stretch, and breaks in small pieces. You have to either wash it off with a lot of water, or resort to little tricks.
How to make a film mask from an egg with maximum convenience:
- Prepare a few thin tissues, a paper kitchen towel, or soft toilet paper ahead of time.
- Using a brush, brush over the face with the first layer of the protein mask.
- Place the paper on top, either by cutting it into small rectangles, or immediately carving out a semblance of a mask with holes made for the eyes, nose and mouth.
- Cover the napkin attached to your face with the second and third layers of protein.
- After drying, remove by holding the bottom edge.
Note! Since protein, by definition, has the property of slightly tightening the skin, all the above-mentioned film masks have a lifting effect to one degree or another.
Results of using the film mask
According to the reviews of women who regularly experience the effect of film masks, this convenient cosmetic very often helps to put the skin in order. It has proven itself especially well as a fighter against blackheads, oily sheen and flabbiness.
However, negative or at least indifferent reviews about film masks on the Internet are also not uncommon. On someone's skin, they do not produce the expected effect. Peeling and dryness provoke in someone. They cause a burning sensation in someone!
The conclusion from all this can be done as follows: film masks work best if three conditions are met:
- First … They must be produced by a trusted supplier who does not skimp on ingredients and technology.
- Second … They should be selected according to the needs of the skin.
- Third … You should not be too zealous with them - 1-2 times a week for owners of oily skin and 1 time in 10 days for dry housewives.
How to use a film mask - watch the video:
