The Mask Crack'd from side to side...

“The mask crack’d from side to side;

I think I’ve left it too long!” cried

The Lady of Scrubalot”

I’ve already documented how I abused the cleansing cream, but I think the abuse of masks is more common. I remember my friend once telling me that she liked “to feel that tightening, drying sensation”, so that she knew “it was really working”.  We all tend to want to see some proof that a product is having an effect; largely mistrusting anything that has a simple, gentle action. It puts me in mind of the following quote from J K Rowling’s The Half Blood Prince (No, I’ve not flipped out, quoting from Harry Potter in a beauty blog…honest!)

“Harry did not ask how Dumbledore knew. He had never seen a wizard work things out like this, simply by looking and touching; but Harry had long since learned that bangs and smoke were more often the marks of ineptitude than expertise”

True, some magnificently scary effects can be achieved by leaving a mask until it dries and flakes and contorts your face, a brightly coloured mask combined with hennaing your hair can send unwanted callers screaming into the night.  However, with regards to achieving something beneficial for your skin, take a leap of faith and try Dr.Hauschka’s Cleansing Clay Mask, it will give you glowing results, and is well worth the extra time involved in mixing it up yourself.  

So here is what you need to know..

Sizes Available

90g jar @ £24.51 Refill pack @ £19.15 Trial size of the mask available in the Daily Face Care Kit for oily skin (the kit retailing at £16.09)

Ingredients

Loess, Tropaeolum Majus Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch Note: these ingredients are produced either by biodynamic or certified organic agriculture whenever possible, or are wild-harvested.  Further details are available on the ingredients page of the website.

Retailers	Direct from Dr. Hauschka via the website (for which you can earn loyalty points : )
	Via a Dr. Hauschka esthetician (again can earn loyalty points : )
	John Lewis and other licensed retail outlets (which you can locate using the Dr. Hauschka website store locator)

I must admit, when I first opened up the jar to see the contents I was a little disappointed -over £20 for something that looks like I’ve dug up and dried from my own garden and they haven’t even bothered to make it up for me?!?  But this is now something I love about the mask, and in fact the whole range, it is about rhythm, taking time, finding something that works for you as a whole- not just about slapping on face mask pêle-mêle

To make the Mask

Mix one rounded teaspoon of mask with 1 to 2 teaspoons of water and a splash of Facial or Clarifying Toner Author’s note: go easy on the water!  It is always possible to add some more, but not so easy to undo having created a mud soup. You can of course increase the quantities of clay mask, but you end up with entirely more than you need and waste your precious product.  One jar will last a longtime, so easy does it.

Frequency of Use

The instruction leaflet states once to twice a week, but I use it fortnightly.  See how you go and what works for your skin

Application

Apply after cleansing with Cleaning Cream and/or after using Dr. Hauschka Facial Steam Bath.

How long to leave?

·      Oily, impure skin leave for 10 to 15 minutes ·      Dry or normal skin leave 5 to 10 minutes ·      Sensitive skin 3 to 5 minutes Rinse off thoroughly using warm water (a sponge can also help to remove the product). Don’t let the product dry out (see tips below)

Tips

If you feel you’re cracking up…

Spritz a small amount of Facial or Clarifying Toner onto the mask if you feel it is drying out.

Dry/Sensitive Skin

2 Pumps of Cleansing Milk can be added to the Clay Mix

Oily skin

1 Pump of Moisturizing Day Oil can be added to the Clay Mix

Special Treat

I have found that making up the mix with Rejuvenation Mask and no water works really well for me.

Shaving Brush it on..

The mask can be a little bit messy, a shaving brush is a really nice way to apply it to your face.

It might not be the most flashy of products, but it is a wonderful product that leaves skin feeling nurtured and vitalized.