Maskne  
Chins and cheeks spotted and dotted with acne and rashes are on the rise now that the current virus has brought the world to a less-than-fun daily masquerade ball. “Maskne” is the newly coined word describing skin issues resulting from fabric-friction, extra humidity, and sweat and environmental pollutants trapped under a mask. These mask-induced conditions can cause shifts or deficits in the skin microbiome resulting in redness, chapping, bumps, dry and flaky patches, blackheads, and whiteheads.
Mask wearers with maskne may need to give their skin some extra TLC, and a few tweaks to your daily routine will give your tender tissues the extra care they need.

 

Maskne Protocols

  1. Soft and Aromatic - If possible, wear only soft, natural fiber, organic cotton or silk-lined masks. If the fabric and elastic rub the skin, the friction can cause chapping or disrupt the top barrier layer of the skin, disturbing the skin’s innate protective layer and its friendly microbes, which can lead to acne and rashes. Soft masks that fit well are gentler on the skin and are less likely to rub. Our Air Purifying Essential Oil Breathing Masks are super-soft for all day comfort and a drop of an essential oil like Frankincense, Black Spruce, Ravensara, or Peppermint can be applied to the inside to make the mask microclimate much more aromatic.
  1. Extended Wear - If wearing a mask for an extended time, switch to a clean mask after a few hours to give the skin a fresh start. Apply Zippity Dew Dab Ozonated Beauty Balm for a beautiful barrier on acne prone areas under the mask. Also, quickly spritzing the skin with a toner every time you don a clean mask may help to strengthen and hydrate taxed skin. Our Frankincense Face Tonic is a little pick me up in a bottle; the aqueous solution revitalizes the skin and revives the spirit with a hydrosol of frankincense.
  1. Wash and Go - Wash all of your masks with warm water and a skin-friendly, fragrance-free detergent such as Borax, and consider adding a few drops of bacteria-balancing essential oils to the rinse. All essential oils are bacteriostatic, so any oil that you have on hand will do the trick.
  1. After a Day of Masking, Bask in Soothing Skincare - Rebalance the skin with botanical skincare after a day under a mask. Skin-soothing botanical oils are perfectly poised to cleanse and moisturize your face. Washing the skin with oils effectively and gently removes makeup, extra oils, and environmental pollutants without stripping the top layer of the skin or dislodging the friendly microbes that are our skin’s first line of defense and keep skin strong and smooth.

Organic, golden jojoba oil is brilliantly beneficial to skin with its abundance of botanical compounds, nutrients, and vitamin E tocopherol. Jojoba is a lightweight moisturizing cleanser and an ideal carrier for skin-loving essential oils. Our favorite essential oils to heal and seal the skin are seabuckthorn, rose, frankincense, and sandalwood. You can mix your own serum or try one of our Best Skin Evers: Seabuckthorn Best Skin Ever is a super-hero for skin with acne (blackheads and white heads), and Sandalwood Best Skin Ever is ideal for soothing rashes and dry, sensitive skin.  

  1. Spot On - When you have a spot, you want it gone! Spot treating blemishes with botanicals will bless needy areas of the skin with extra care.
Repair rashes, redness, and dry, damaged skin with microbe-friendly hydration with Frankincense Honey Mask. Wild, wondrous honey paired with fortifying frankincense returns skin to a sublime supple state. Add another layer of ahhhh to raw, chapped skin, rashes, and dry patches with a dab Jewel Dab Ozonated Beauty Balm; rockrose, sandalwood, chamomile, and immortelle ease discomfort, calm redness, minimize puffiness, and smooth bumps and patchiness.
For acne prone skin, after washing at night, apply a clay and activated charcoal mask, such as Rosemary Reset Powder, to soothe and purify the skin. The sacred clay and activated charcoal in the masks absorbs impurities while the rosemary clears and stimulates the skin. You could also try using a powder brush to lightly dust the mask zone with Rosemary Reset Powder in the morning to keep sebum and humidity stabilized. To treat existing acne spots, reduce redness, and tone and clarify the skin, apply a dab of Zippity Dew Dab Ozonated Beauty Balm. This extraordinary balm banishes blemishes, purifies pores, and clears the appearance of scars and spots. An extra dab of Manuka essential oil applied neat to spots will micromanage the microbial species associated with acne.
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Nadine Artemis, the founder of Living Libations, is the author of Holistic Dental Care: The Complete Guide to Healthy Teeth and Gums, and Renegade Beauty: Reveal and Revive Your Natural Radiance, which was named one of “The Top 10 Books on Skin Care” by The Strategist of New York Magazine.  She is a respected media guest and contributor, and her products have received rave reviews in the New York Times, LA Times, Elle, People, Vogue, and Hollywood Reporter. Described by Alanis Morissette as “a true-sense visionary,” Nadine crafts elegant formulations and healing creations from rare botanicals that have skin glowing around the world. Her concept of Renegade Beauty encourages effortlessness and inspires people to rethink conventional notions of beauty and wellness.