9 Ways To Prevent Skin Problems Caused By Your Face Mask

By Bold Commerce Collaborator

9 WAYS TO PREVENT FACE-MASK SKIN PROBLEMS

Wearing a mask can be hard on your skin but gentle skin care can prevent it from causing skin problems.

We never dreamed that one day we’d all be told to wear masks daily to try and prevent the spread of a virus.

Some people hate them. Nobody loves them. Most people simply tolerate them. The one thing we can probably all agree on is that masks can also be hard on your skin, causing problems that range from acne and peeling skin to rashes and itchiness.

To help prevent skin problems from developing under your mask, dermatologists recommend these nine tips.

1. Cleanse and moisturize your face daily.
Gentle skin care can prevent skin problems. When washing your face, use a mild, fragrance-free cleanser. Dry skin is a common face-mask skin problem. Applying moisturizer adds a protective layer that can reduce dryness.

2. Apply moisturizer

After step one above, you want to apply moisturizer immediately afterwards. The problem is choosing the best one that will add to or preserve your skin’s natural moisture without adding skin-drying chemicals.

We recommend My Skin’s Friend or similar products that are organic and contain no alcohols or other chemicals.

My Skin's Friend Sweet Potato, Honey Aloe and Melon Fresh are all excellent ways to inexpensively keep your skin moisturized organically.

You can prevent breakouts from your moisturizer by using a moisturizer formulated for your skin type. When selecting moisturizer, follow this guide:

Oily skin (or when weather is hot, humid): Gel moisturizer
Normal or combination skin: Lotion
Dry to very dry skin: Cream

Any of My Skin's Friend lotions mentioned are made for all skin types. Apply moisturizer before and after wearing a mask. Moisturizer can prevent problems, especially if you have dry or sensitive skin.

3. Protect your lips by applying an organic lib balm. Dry skin and chapped lips are common face-mask skin problems. You can prevent chapped lips by applying the balm to your lips:

After washing your face
Before you put on your mask
Before bed

To prevent breakouts, take care to apply the balm only to your lips.

4. Skip the makeup when wearing a mask.

Beneath a mask, makeup is more likely to clog your pores and lead to breakouts. If makeup is necessary, use only products labeled “non-comedogenic” or “oil free.” These kinds are less likely to clog pores.

5. Avoid trying new skin care products that can irritate your skin. Wearing a mask for even a short time can make your skin more sensitive. To reduce skin problems, avoid trying harsh products, such as a chemical peel, exfoliant, or retinoid for the first time. Retinoids can irritate your skin

TIP: “If you’ve been using a retinoid (or retinol), apply it at bedtime and don’t increase the amount that you apply.

6. Use less of certain skin care products if your face becomes irritated. When you cover your face with a mask, some skin care products that you’ve used in the past may irritate your skin. If this happens, you might want to cut back on products that can irritate your skin, such as:

Leave-on salicylic acid
Retinoid you apply to your face
Aftershave

7. Wear the right mask. To reduce skin problems, look for masks that offer the following:

A snug, but comfortable fit
Soft, natural, and breathable fabric, such as cotton
Fabric on the inside that feels soft if you have sensitive skin
Cotton material inside if you have acne or oily skin

If you must wear a mask, wearing a mask that offers a snug, but comfortable fit. You want a snug fit across your nose, on the sides, and under your chin.

A snug, comfortable fit also reduces skin problems. If the mask feels too tight or slides around on your face, it can irritate your skin. You’re also more likely to adjust a poorly fitting mask. When you touch your mask, you can transfer germs to your mask and your face.

The fabric is also important. Avoid synthetic fabrics, such as nylon, polyester, and rayon. These are more likely to irritate your skin and cause breakouts.

8. Stop behind-the-ear soreness

Find masks with different types of ties and ear loops and wear a different type each day.

Take a 15-minute mask break every 4 hours. Health care workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic have found that this helps save their skin. Of course, only remove your mask when it’s safe to do so and after washing your hands.

Safe places to remove your mask include:

Outdoors, when you can stay at least six feet away from people
Inside your car when you’re alone
At home

9. Wash your cloth masks. Many health care organizations now recommend that you wash a cloth mask after each use. Washing it also removes oils and skin cells that collect inside the mask, which could lead to a skin problem.You can wash a cloth mask in a washing machine or by hand. Both ways remove germs and other particles. Just be sure to:

Washing your face mask tips

Follow the washing instructions on each mask.
Wash the masks in hot water unless the instructions say otherwise.
Use a fragrance-free, hypoallergenic laundry detergent.

After washing your mask, check its shape. If a mask no longer fits snugly (and comfortably), it is less protective.

Continue the treatment plan that your dermatologist created for you. If you have a skin condition, such as acne or rosacea, it’s especially important to follow your treatment plan. This can help keep the condition under control.

What if you develop a face-mask skin problem

Life gets busy. Sometimes, it’s hard to care for your skin as planned. If a skin problem develops despite all you do to help prevent it, see your dermatologist. They’re trained to recognize and treat skin problems, even those caused by the very thing being used to protect your health.

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...Organic Sunless Tanner

Stopping here first was a good call.

We used to enclose a printed version of this booklet with our tanner but we continually get suggestions and recommendations from the hundreds of customers who love this tanner so we decided to convert it to a more dynamic forum so you always have the latest information for getting the perfect tan.

One you learn these simple secrets, you can keep that sexy, natural looking tan all year long while you're also pampering your skin.

You'll get more than just a tan.

My Skin's Friend Sunless Tanner is on of the very few liposomal tanners on the market. It actually helps moisturize your skin as well as tanning it so it's like getting two products for the price of one.

These simple secrets will guarantee an even, natural looking tan

Getting an even, natural looking tan shouldn't be difficult yet we hear from customers who have tried so many sunless tanners on the market only to be disappointed in the look of their tan.

We set out to make the best organic tanner on the market and from the emails and customer reviews we get, looks like we've accomplished it.

If you don't get the perfect tan, let us help

Sure, we occasionally get a customer feedback that says they got streaks or some uneven spots but even then, we work with them to help correct those issues and start over. Without exception, the outcome is positive so I urge you to write to us if you experience anything but a perfect tan and let us help.

Getting an even, natural looking tan is definitely possible without covering your body with chemicals, baking in a tanning bed or enduring the funky smell most tanners leave you with.

If you follow these simple steps, you too will be sporting a tan so natural looking that your friends will ask you where you just vacationed!

First things first.

Don't rush the process o.k.?

You want a natural looking tan, not a cheap paint job right? Just like getting a real sun tan, it takes a little time and patience but the outcome will be well worth it.

My Skin's Friend doesn't tan you, it causes your body to tan itself. In fact, when you spray it on, you won't see any color because there isn't any in it. That's why it doesn't look fake like a lot of others but there are "secrets" to getting the best, most natural looking tan with it.

Before you spray, make sure your skin is clean and exfoliated.

Use a regular wash cloth, loofah or anything else you might already like to exfoliate with. I discovered this helps speed up the process because it starts with new, fresh skin cells, not the old dead ones. Don't scrub so hard that you cause an abrasion. Just a nice firm scrub.

Exfoliate before using My Skin's Friend sunless tanner

There are two reasons for this.

One, the organic tanner interacts with your skin to create the tanning process so the more fresh, clean skin it can contact (without oils or creams between) the faster, deeper and more even your tan will be.
Secondly, dead skin cells tend to get darker than fresh cells and may cause some spotting so your outcome will be much more even once you properly clean and exfoliate your skin.

When your done, dry off and go to the next step.

I put plastic grocery store bags on my feet from the ankle down to keep the tops of my feet from getting tan from the falling mist.

Some customers have told me that they apply a thin layer of cocoa butter or other natural lotion like MSF Sweet Potato, Melon Fresh or Honey & Aloe to theirs.

They also apply to elbows and knees because those areas tend to get darker faster and the lotion acts to help avoid that.

O.k. with those bases covered, it's time to apply the spray.

It is much easier if you have a friend who can spray you but almost all of our customers report they spray it on themselves with little problem. It might take a little practice to perfect it but it's done every day.

My Skin's Friend organic sunless tanner application

I apply it to myself most of the time but when I can get my husband to do it, it is easier to maintain a more even coverage.

VERY IMPORTANT. The main cause of streaks or runs is OVER SPRAYING.

Because My Skin's Friend sunless tanner is clear (no colorants or staining chemicals), it is hard to tell where you've sprayed.

For this reason, it is important to plan to cover in a methodical way to make sure you don't over spray and get runs or streaks.

Do right leg, left leg to thigh front.
Right arm, left arm front and sides.
Abdomen front (pubic bone to under neck unless you want au natural all over tan).
Then back from hairline to butt. Then back of left leg, back of right leg.

If you have someone applying the spray to you, have them hold the bottle about a foot from your body and spray evenly from side to side, making sure to get an even coat. Applying too much each time will cause runs and you don't want that or you'll have streaks. Just a very light coat works like magic.

RUN REPAIR TIP!

If you see a run or large droplets during or after spraying, don't panic. It can be fixed before the streak shows up.

Once you've finished your third and final application for that day, simply let the last coat dry a few minutes and then apply an organic lotion to the entire area to blend the overspray into the rest of the area. In almost all cases, this will completely eliminate any spots or streaks and you'll wake up with a very nice, even, natural looking tan.

Over spray also happens because you will swear you're not getting enough on you but I assure you that you are. We chose the very fine mister pump to make sure you get a very light application each time to prevent runs or streaks.

When one coat dries (which is very quick and can be accelerated with a blow dryer set to cool), apply the next one until you've sprayed three consecutive coats in one treatment. I know you won't feel like anything is happening but trust me, it is.

Once the third coat is dry, you're ready to get dressed. My Skin's Friend tanner won't color hair or clothes so don't worry about having to cover your hair or having it rub off on your clothes or bed linens.

Cover your whole body or the areas you want tan with that first coat and wait 3 minutes or so for it to dry. One of the things people love about it is that it dries very fast.

Repeat this process no more than three days straight.

Once you've done if for three days, STOP and wait for 48 hours for your tan to “mature” and show you the final shade. If you want to be darker, simply continue to apply it as above until you reach your ideal shade. Once that happens, you can usually maintain your tan with a once or twice a week application. Remember, you won't see the final results for 48 hours
after the final coat.

That's it! That's all you need to have a cool looking tan. And when people ask where you got your beautiful tan, tell 'em Tahiti!

If you have any problems, questions or tips you'd like to share with us and your fellow tanners, please contact us at support@myskinsfriend.com. We love hearing from our customers and always appreciate tips you've learned to help get the best looking organic tan under the sun.

Want to share what you've learned? Click here to send a link to this page to your friends!

Now, go show off that beautiful tan of yours!

My Skin's Friend Organic tanner

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