The Many Faces of Overnight Face Masks

You’re good to your skin. You wash your face thoroughly every day. Use moisturizer. Never go out without sunscreen and you drink plenty of water. But if you’re not using overnight face masks, then you’re missing out on an important aspect of skincare. As New York Dermatologist Dendy Engleman says “When the body is in a deep sleep, the skin’s metabolism increases and cell turnover and renewal escalates”. This is a fancy way of saying that night time is the perfect time to engage in some intense skin restoration. That’s where the best overnight face masks come in.

What is an Overnight Face Mask For?

An overnight face mask is for helping skin recover more completely from the environmental and physical stresses of everyday life.

What areOvernight Face Masks and its Benefits

The primary purpose of the overnight face mask is to fend off premature aging of the skin. It provides a range of benefits toward that end. Those benefits include:

• Advanced hydration – The overnight face mask is designed to draw moisture from deep inside the skin tissue toward the surface. This mitigates the effects of wind, sun and extreme temperatures on the skin and allows it to emerge in the morning feeling soft and supple.
• Reduced irritation – Chemical pollutants in the air can work their way deep into the pores and stay there. Causing all kinds of long term problems. Many overnightmasks are designed to remove these types of deep-seated irritants.
• Brighter, glowing skin – Another benefit of the exfoliant properties of many overnight face masks is brighter, more supple skin. While you sleep, the mask removes not only irritants, but dead skin cells too. When you wash it off in the morning you’ll see and feel the difference.

When Should You Use Overnight Face Masks and How do They Work?

Different masks exhibit different capabilities. Some specialize in exfoliation, others focus more on hydration and still others on reducing blemishes. Some products, such as Clarafuse by Dermaclara, work by creating a nurturing micro-climate between the medical-grade silicone pads and the surface of the skin. This enables the skin’s own healing mechanisms to get to work while you sleep. When you wake up, your skin feels clear, clean, smooth and supple.

How Often Can You do an Overnight Face Mask?

You can do an overnight face mask once or twice a week. In between, it’s suggested you use other anti-aging products to ensure your skin doesn’t backslide between mask applications.

Top 7 Overnight Face Masks to Try

Here are 7 of the most popular DIY overnight face masks:

1) The Cucumber Face Mask

Cucumber juice can reduce inflammation, reduce wrinkles and improve hydration. The cucumber overnight mask is a simple mask and is comprised solely of cucumber juice. Here’s how it’s done:

• Skin a cucumber, chop it up and put the pieces in a blender
• Blend on high for 20 seconds or until all chunks are gone
• Place a strainer over a bowl and pour the blender contents into the strainer
• Dip a cotton ball into the resulting juice and apply to your face
• Give it time to dry thoroughly before laying down to sleep
• Wash off with warm water in the morning

2) The Watermelon Face Mask

Watermelon is rich in a compound called lycopene. Lycopene itself is rich in antioxidants. Applying watermelon juice to your face will enable these antioxidants to do their work, preventing free radicals from undermining the integrity of your skin. Here’s how you do it:

• Cut up the red flesh of your watermelon into cubes
• Put them in a juice press and extract the juice
• Dab a cotton ball into the juice and apply it evenly to your face
• Let dry thoroughly before going to sleep
• Rinse with lukewarm water in the morning

3) The Coconut Face Mask

Coconut oil is full of antioxidants, has anti-inflammatory properties and contains beneficial medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). The only cautionary note with coconut oil is that people with naturally oily skin may want to take a pass. That said, here’s how you make your coconut oil mask:

• Take a dollop of your regular night cream
• Mix it thoroughly with a teaspoon of coconut oil
• Massage it gently into your face
• Give it some time to absorb before you go to sleep
• Rinse off in the morning with lukewarm water

4) The Aloe Face Mask

Aloe vera is rich in amino acids, salicylic acid, and antioxidants. It also has anti-inflammatory properties and can promote collagen production. In addition, it contains vitamins A, C, and E and can help protect your skin from the ravages of ultraviolet light from the sun. If you really want to ramp up the benefits of this mask, add the contents of a vitamin E gelcap. Here’s how it’s done:

• Place a spoon of aloe vera gel into a small bowl
• Squeeze the contents of a vitamin E gelcap into the bowl
• Mix the two together
• Apply it evenly to your face and let it soak in
• In the morning, rinse your face with warm water

5) The Turmeric Milk Face Mask

Turmeric milk has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties that make it especially useful as a skin mask. It’s also rich in antioxidants that promote greater overall skin integrity. Here’s how you make this mask:

• Mix a tablespoon of milk with half a teaspoon of turmeric powder in a bowl
• Using a cotton ball, apply the resulting mixture to your face
• Give it half an hour to dry before going to sleep
• Make sure you use old pillowcases since turmeric can stain
• Rinse thoroughly in the morning

6) The Almond Oil Face Mask

Almond oil does an outstanding job of enabling your skin to retain moisture. It also has the ability to improve skin texture and tone. And it is full of antioxidants to address the problem of free radicals. Here’s how you make this mask:

• Put 1 tablespoon of aloe vera gel in a bowl
• Add a teaspoon of almond oil
• Blend the 2 thoroughly
• Apply evenly to your face
• Give it time to be absorbed before laying down
• Rinse with lukewarm water in the morning

7) The Potato and Green Tea Face Mask

If you have oily skin, this is the overnight mask for you. Potato juice is good for oily skin and for irritated skin too. Green tea has anti-inflammatory properties and can reduce oxidative stress caused by free radicals. Here’s how you make this mask:

• Brew a cup of green tea
• Let it cool, then take a tablespoon and put it in a bowl
• Add a tablespoon of raw potato juice and blend
• Apply it evenly to your skin using a cotton ball
• Let dry thoroughly before going to bed
• Rinse with warm water in the morning

Best 5 Alternative Products to Overnight Face Masks

If you are not keen on making your own overnight face masks, here are some other products to try in their place.

1) Silicone Fusion™ by Dermaclara Beauty

The Silicone Fusion™ Patches for Face kit utilizes medical grade silicone patches that adhere gently to the skin and promote rejuvenation. The effect is very similar to that of the overnight masks we just looked at above. But without the muss and fuss. The clarafuse system is the result of years of intensive scientific development. A nourishing micro-climate is produced under each pad that helps draw moisture to the surface and enable the body’s own healing mechanisms.

2) Vichy Aqualia Thermal Mask

Vichy Aqualia contains hyaluronic acid that helps induce collagen and elastin production. It’s included here in very modest amounts so that it doesn’t do damage to the skin when left on all night. Nonetheless, this is a once or twice per week facial cream at most. Use it if hydration is your most important concern.

3) Dior Hydra Life

The name “Dior Hydra Life” pretty much says it all. This is another night cream that’s intended to optimize hydration so that you wake up with your skin feeling plump, soft and refreshed. The centerpiece of the ingredient list is anjou flower, which Dior chemists believe has the ability to brighten skin while providing a mild exfoliation benefit.

4) Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Overnight Hydrating Masque

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Overnight Hydrating Masque nourishes the skin, encouraging collagen production, while at the same time maximizing hydration. It’s very gentle and extremely pure with no allergens or artificial ingredients. It may feel a bit tacky going on, but the feeling typically goes away once the cream is absorbed by the skin.

5) Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask

As we saw with one of our DIY masks, watermelon is full of lycopene which is a natural antioxidant. The makers of this sleeping mask add a bit of hyaluronic acid to the mix. That’s key because according to New York Dermatologist Dr. Jessica Weiser: “Hyaluronic acid is important for structural support of collagen and elastin in the skin.”

Where Can You Buy Overnight Face Masks?

Most of the above-listed face mask products are available at Amazon. We would caution though to make sure you always buy from the manufacturer’s official Amazon shop. And not from an unknown 3rd party reseller. All but one can also be found at brick and mortar as well as online beauty retailers like Sephora. And you will also find them in the beauty products section of most fine department stores. Our top choice, Silicone Fusion™, can be purchased through the official Dermaclara website of Dermaclara.com

Final Tips: Why You Should Add Face Masks in Your Current Skincare Routine

There are many high-quality skincare products on the market that will help you retain a youthful appearance. However, the best overnight face masks provide unique benefits you cannot get from a common moisturizer or serum. Your skin needs time to recover from the stresses of the day just as your mind and muscles do. So it’s important to make the most of your sleep time. The value of the rejuvenating environment created on the surface of your skin by a product like Silicone Fusion™ cannot be overstated. It allows for more intense skin restoration than any simple moisturizer ever could. Adding an overnight mask to your skincare routine will pay enormous dividends as the years pass.