8 Types Of Skin Care Face Masks To Know

For the last year or so, many of us have found that change is the only constant in our lives. We are all trying to cope with a new normal, and that new normal is a stressful one, and that stress can manifest itself is in our skin. We can't all get to the spa these days, but one great way to show your skin a little TLC is by applying an at-home face mask.

A beauty mask is a wonderful way to de-stress, but which type of mask is for you? When choosing a skincare face mask, the first question is what you are hoping to accomplish. Is your skin dry and desperately in need of moisturizing? Or maybe you have the opposite problem and have very oily skin you can't seem to control and are constantly breaking out.  Do you want to look just a tiny bit younger, minimize those fine lines, or find a way to get rid of the bags under your eyes?

Once you know your skincare goals, it will be easier to figure out which mask is best to help you achieve them while still working well with your skin type. Keep reading as we discuss eight different options when choosing a mask and give you a rundown on what you can expect from each type. After learning about the different types of masks and what they do, you'll choose the best one for you!

8 Types Of Skin Care Face Masks

Not only will a face mask calm your skin, but the process of applying the mask forces you to slow down, creating an opportunity to calm your stress with a relaxing at-home spa treatment.

1. Exfoliating Masks - Remove Dry Skin

Exfoliating masks remove dry skin and help even skin tone to avoid discolorations. They also unclog pores to avoid break-outs and remove dead skin cells to make your skin more accessible to other skin products, allowing them to penetrate deeper.

If you didn't remember to pick up an exfoliating mask at the store, you can make a home version quickly and easily using simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Just blend honey, lemon juice, and baking soda. The moisturizing properties of honey will combine with the anti-inflammatory effects of baking soda to clarify and moisturize your skin. The added lemon juice has exfoliating properties helping to remove dry skin.

If DIY beauty isn't your thing, you can try this Blue Sea Kale Grapefruit Deep Pore Exfoliating mask by Vitamin Sea Beauty. Blue sea kale has antioxidant powers and can make your skin healthier and more resilient. Best of all it's not tested on animals so you can be good to yourself and good to the environment at the same time. Click here to find it on Amazon.

2. Clay Masks  - Draw Impurities From Your Skin

Clay masks soothe and detoxify. They can also tighten your skin, clean out your pores and brighten your completion; making you appear more youthful. A clay mask is also a great choice if you are dealing with acne because of the minerals deep within the clay and their pore cleaning properties. These minerals are also believed to help remove excess oil and detoxify down to the deeper layers of your skin.

However, since some clay masks can also dry out your skin; after you remove the mask it is really important to make sure you are moisturizing appropriately. Find out more about moisturizing in combination with applying masks, read "Should You Moisturize After a Clay Mask?"

This Erno Laszlo Pore Cleansing Clay Mask is specially formulated for mature skin and minimizes the appearance of pores while boosting the skin's natural defenses. Click here to see it on Amazon.

3. Mud Masks - Instant Results

Slapping mud on your face to clean your skin may seem a little counterproductive, but mud masks really do leave your skin cleaner than it found it. Like their clay counterparts, mud masks remove impurities from the skin, unclog pores, and remove excess oil. One big difference between the two is that while clay masks are believed to have some long-term effects, the results of a mud mask, while still worthwhile, tend to be short-term and instant.

Majestic Pure's Dead Sea Mud Mask is made using natural Dead Sea mud, which is known worldwide for its high concentration of salt and other minerals.  These minerals are believed to play a part in helping skin maintain proper chemical balance while also stimulating circulation and removing toxins. Click here to find this on Amazon

4. Gel Masks - Refresh Dry and Sensitive Skin

Infused with collagen and antioxidants, a gel mask can help your skin recover from all the things it is exposed to every day. Using a good gel mask can help your skin recover from everyday pollution like smog and less common things like wildfire smoke. This type of mask also rehydrates the skin so it gets plumper and looks fresh. Many Gel masks also include aloe vera and cucumber, both of which help to soothe and calm your skin.

This Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Mask includes papaya and chamomile to soothe and soften the look of the skin. This can be especially helpful when you've gotten a bit too much sun. Click here to find it on Amazon.

5. Cream Masks - Extra Deep Moisturizing

Cream masks may be the dark horse of the mask world. While many masks can give you a variety of skin benefits, cream masks can offer the opportunity to treat different areas with the same mask by altering the ingredients.  Additionally, a cream mask allows you an extra level of saturation that you can't get from other masks. When you gently massage your face as you apply, it can help you relax while rejuvenating your skin and making you look younger.

This Ahava Hydration Cream Mask can be used in a few different ways. It can be used as a three-minute mask to remove impurities and oil as part of your normal cleansing routine. However, if you need more intense hydration, you can also wear it overnight. Either way, it will help soothe your dry skin. Click here to see this on Amazon.

6. Peel-Off Masks - Reveal a Fresh New You

Peel-off masks are a great way to reveal fresh, dewy skin, but they're also really fun. As with the exfoliating masks, a peel-off mask removes a layer of dry skin. They can also diminish the appearance of fine lines and leave skin looking firmer and, as a result, leave you looking younger.  In addition to making your skin look better, the antioxidants in peel-off masks actually help make your skin healthier. One reason for this is that peel-off masks have astringent properties, so they remove oil and clean pores, giving your skin a fresher look while eliminating the shine of oily skin.

This I Dew Care Sugar Kitten Hydrating and Holographic Peel-Off Mask is another one that is perfect for a girls' night. In addition to being cruelty-free, it is also made without gluten for those who have a  sensitivity to it. Not to mention how cool it looks; don't forget the selfies. Click here to find this on Amazon.

7. Charcoal Masks - Detoxify Your Skin

You may have noticed many personal care products these days have incorporated charcoal into their formulas. A lot of this may be due to charcoal's detoxifying properties. Charcoal's use in beauty face masks is based on the same idea of removing impurities, and because activated charcoal binds with these toxins, it is able to remove them from your skin and has become a go-to ingredient in many facial treatments. However, since activated charcoal can draw out various impurities, it can also take nutrients and dry out your skin. If you have dry or sensitive skin, you might want to limit the use of charcoal products to a few times a week and always follow up with a good moisturizer.

This Kale Charcoal Mask is described as having a refreshing kale and lime scent. It can clear up oil and clogged pores and give you brighter skin. It is also vegan and cruelty-free, so you can feel good about using it. Click here to see this on Amazon.

8. Sheet Masks - Endless Possibilities

Since, in many ways, a sheet mask is more of a delivery system for skincare treatments than the other masks on our list, they are kind of in a spot by themselves on this list. These treat specific skin complaints. There are other benefits to the sheet mask in addition to the wide variety of problems they treat.

Sheet masks are simple. All you need to do is open the package and place the sheet mask on your face. It really is a no-brainer. When you add in the fact that it's much less messy to apply and that cleanup consists of patting the remaining serum into your skin, the sheet mask is perfect for that 20 minutes you have between Zoom meetings.

As sheet masks have become more popular, they've also become more fun. A great example of this is the Epielle Character Sheet Masks set. Since it contains masks that give you an animal face or mermaid scales, along with a few other fun looks, they're perfect for a slumber party, whether you're a teenager or an adult. A few fun selfies with the girls and great skin to boot. How can you lose? Click here to find this on Amazon.

In Closing

Now that you know a little more about the different types of face masks, you have a better idea of which might work best for you. So take some time for yourself and have a mini spa day. Even if the only time you have for your mini spa day is 15 minutes between virtual meetings, you definitely deserve it!

If you're looking for a little more information on how to care for your skin, you should also check out 'What To Apply On Your Face Before Sleeping?' If you don't already have one, this will help you establish a nightly skincare routine so you can wake up and face the morning looking your best every day.