Dealing with incessantly oily skin is a drag. Your skin may show up shiny in photos, it may feel heavy or it may even feel like an oil slick! One of the most frustrating side effects of excessively oily skin, is acne. Acne issues aren’t limited to oily skin, as there are many different types of acne, some of which are completely unrelated to excessive oil production, but that is a discussion for another day off.
While you may have oily skin year round, many people experience oily skin only in the hot summer months during which you may be more active, sweating more, and creating an increase in pore activity. If this is what you deal with, the Strawberry Spearmint Mask is for you. It is a wonderfully soothing mask that will pull out the impurities in your pores and create clearer, less oily skin. There are 5 active ingredients in this mask, all of which are extremely important and play a role in clearing out the overproduction of oil, and in this particular instance, all of them are the MVP’s of this mask.
Strawberry Fruit Extract, Spearmint Extract, Kaolin Clay, Mushroom Extract, & Yogurt Extract are the active ingredients that I’ll focus on below.
The main ingredient in the mask is Strawberry Fruit Extract. Strawberry Fruit Extract is astringent and tonic and helps tone, combat wrinkles, lighten freckles, and soothe sunburn. We all know about strawberries because let’s face it, some of the best desserts include strawberries. I’m talking the likes of Strawberry Shortcake, Macerated Strawberries, Strawberry Cheesecake, Strawberry Ice Cream (or sorbet!)… but this is not a post about dessert! This is about skin care, so let’s return to the original discussion.
Strawberries offer skin some amazing benefits, so let’s jump right in. Strawberries contain Ellagic Acid which is an antioxidant that prevents collagen breakdown. Collagen breakdown is a major cause of wrinkle formation, so helping to prevent this breakdown will help keep your skin plump and wrinkle-free. The Ellagic acid also works to protect the skin from UV rays which can damage the skin. Ellagic acid reduces dark spots on skin, so this mask is helpful at lightening freckles and other discolored spots on the skin.
Strawberries also contain alpha-hydroxy acid, which is an important substance that helps eliminate dead skin cells and cleanses the skin in the process. The acidic nature of Strawberries helps remove excess sebum on the skin, which is a major cause of oily skin.
Spearmint is my favorite flavor of gum. It’s sweet, minty, and delightful! But again, this is not a post about food or gum. So let’s get back on track. As mentioned in the name of this mask, Spearmint is one of the main ingredients. Spearmint extract acts as an antibacterial and antioxidant ingredient in this mask. It relieves itching and helps with acne, dermatitis, and congested skin. One major component to Spearmint is Vitamin A, which has various skin benefits, including the following:
Decreases sebum production, creating less oily skin and helping to treat acne.
Normalizing blood flow which in turn helps to reduce rosacea symptoms.
Exfoliates the skin.
Repairs cellular structure of the epidermis, which optimizes UV protection.
Increases the rate of wound healing
Reduces sun spots or other types of uneven pigmentation by decreasing clusters of melanin granules.
While mushrooms are usually reserved for eating (yum!) they also play an important role in skin health, and mushroom extract makes an appearance in the Strawberry Spearmint Mask. Mushroom extract improves skin tone and firmness, tightens pores to minimize the visible appearance of skin suffering from excess sebum secretion, and does not cause excessive dryness.
Mushrooms contain a polysaccharide that is very beneficial for hydrating and plumping the skin. They also contain high levels of Vitamin D which has healing properties when applied to acne lesions, therefore, helping to treat acne. Kojic acid (naturally occurring in mushrooms) is a natural skin lightener, which inhibits melanin production on the surface of the skin and lightens the new skin cells that form after the dead ones are exfoliated.
Another very important ingredient in the Strawberry Spearmint mask is Kaolin Clay. Now, you may be wondering what exactly Kaolin clay is, so here’s the story. Kaolin Clay is a naturally occurring clay mostly found in soils developed from the chemical weathering of rocks in hot, moist climates. When used in cosmetics it absorbs sebum and prevents pores from getting clogged. It is used to draw out impurities and toxins and thereby clears the skin of excess oil, pollution, and debris. Kaolin clay has a high silica content which helps to remove dead skin, allowing for quicker cell regeneration.
One of the major components of the Strawberry Spearmint Mask that gives it its creamy and smooth consistency is yogurt extract. Yogurt moisturizes, smoothes, and stimulates cellular regeneration. Yogurt naturally contains lactic acid, which, when used on the skin, works as an exfoliant and removes dead skin cells. Lactic acid is also very beneficial in helping to rid the skin of acne, helps with dark circles under the eyes, and helps to even out uneven pigmentation of the skin. Also present in yogurt are probiotics, which fight skin infections, and high levels of zinc that help with acne.
Is the heat this summer causing your skin to overproduce oil? Call or email me today to schedule your Strawberry Spearmint Mask facial and combat that oil!
Email me: carabdrescherlmt@gmail.com
Call me: 215-601-0840
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