You may need to know how to cool your face down after a clay mask. Some will experience redness after using a bentonite clay mask, so here’s what to do to reduce facial redness.
The redness you see after applying a clay mask is quite common as bentonite clay is rich in minerals like magnesium and potassium, which can draw blood to the skin’s surface while providing nourishment to damaged skin cells.
Most of the redness after bentonite clay mask will go away on its own after about 30 minutes. However, if you are really concerned about it and need to do something about it right away then you can try the following methods;
1. Cool Water Or Ice
If you need immediate relief, splash or wash your face with regular cool water. Get some ice wrapped in a clean face cloth and lightly dab the cold compress over the redness to cool it down and provide skin relief.
If you have some time to spare, soak some cotton pads in cool water to make a facial cotton mask. Leave them on for about 10-20 minutes to further reduce redness after bentonite clay mask.
In my experience, applying a bentonite clay mask about 20 minutes BEFORE your bath or shower is ideal so you can wash it off completely without making a splashy mess over your bathroom bench top.
After washing off the clay mask in the shower, switch to cool water and allow it to run over your face for several minutes to reduce bentonite clay redness.
2. Green Tea Toner
Once you are out of the shower, use a green tea toner. Green tea contains polyphenols which are anti-inflammatory that can help cool down your face. However, if your facial redness is more serious, then proceed with the following;
Use square cotton pads soaked in some green tea and apply them onto the affected areas of your face, creating a cotton facial mask. Leave on for about 20 minutes before removing and rinsing off thoroughly.
You can use MUJI Peelable Cotton pads as they are made up of four peelable thin layers that can be easily made into a facial cotton mask.
3. Aloe Vera
Aloe vera has a soothing and cooling effect offering relief for facial redness. It consists of 99% water and the rest is made of vitamins, enzymes and other minerals.
3.1 Aloe Vera Stem Cutting
If you’ve ever grown an aloe vera plant and cut off one of its fleshy stems, it gives off a yellow slimy residue. This middle layer is a bitter yellow sap that is secreted when the aloe vera stem detects that it has been cut. It is a defence measure for the plant to seal up its broken part to prevent further exposure to environmental elements. This process is very similar to how our skin seals off a wound or a cut.
You need to wash off this yellow snap under running water before directly applying the cutting to your skin. If you have never used an aloe vera cutting before, please do a patch test on the side of your neck below your ear or a patch under your fore arm close to your elbow. Wait for about 20 minutes. If there are no adverse effects, redness or irritation, apply the rest of the gel from the stem cutting all over the affected red areas of your face. Leave on for a further 20 minutes before washing off with cool water.
When you apply the gel from the fleshy aloe vera stem cutting, the gel has cleansing and antiseptic properties they will help to disinfect and heal your skin.
Refrigerating the cutting beforehand will provide for more effective cooling.
3.2 Aloe Vera Gel
If an aloe vera plant is not at hand, you can try using commercially packed aloe vera gel. It works in soothing redness around my neck as part of my external treatment for my dermatitis.
Try to get the highest concentration of aloe vera extract you can find in a container as much as possible. The one I use is called Miseoul Aloe Vera Soothing Gel that is 98% made from organic aloe vera and has provided the soothing and cooling effect that I needed while I was overseas in hot and tropical South East Asia.
Aloe vera gel has high water content that is held in a form of a viscous mucilage. This helps moisture to remain longer in the skin providing hydration and absorption of minerals into skin.
Refrigerating aloe vera gel before use gives an extra cooling effect which will help greatly in cooling down your face after bentonite clay mask.
4. Blended Cucumber
Cucumber has undeniable cooling and hydration properties which makes it an excellent choice as one of our methods on how to cool your face down after bentonite clay mask.
Dice up half a cucumber and throw them in a blender. Pour the contents into a clean bowl.
Soak some cotton pads into the blended cucumber. Then apply the cotton pads onto your face to make a facial mask. Leave on for about 20 minutes then wash off thoroughly.
A commercially packed cucumber mask or gel will work just the same.
5. Witch Hazel
Witch hazel (hamamelis) has been shown to be effective as an anti-inflammatory for irradiated skin. It can help soothe redness caused by the dilation of the blood capillaries, which is very similar to what causes face reddening after a bentonite clay mask.
If you are already using witch hazel, then using it as a toner after your clay mask will help to cool down your face. You need to be aware, that witch hazel has astringent properties making it slightly bitter and acidic that may cause some slight tingling on a reddened face, so use it sparingly.
6. Avoid Sunlight Or Wear A Hat
Avoid going under the sunlight right after your bentonite clay mask as your face may not be ready to face the sun just yet. If you have no choice, then wear a dark colored, broad rimmed, UV resistant hat that is capable of covering your entire face.
7. Drink Water
You need to drink at least a cup of water to fully rehydrate yourself after a bentonite clay mask. Using aloe vera or cucumber are good to cool and moisturise your skin externally so give yourself a boost of hydration from the inside too. Dehydration can cause irritation and inflammation both externally and internally in your body so a glass of water is going to help stop that.
When Should You Do A Clay Mask?
If this is your first time using bentonite clay mask, it is probably best, NOT to use it, just before a date or a night out, or when you are about to go under the sun. Some users have experienced extreme redness that can be quite confronting and alarming on your first use of clay mask.
That is why using a bentonite clay just before a shower is the best time for me or when you are about to go to bed. This allows for the facial redness to soothe and calm down on its own as it typically only needs about half an hour for your face’s natural glow to return. Going to bed at night after your facial clay mask also means that your face will not be exposed to the sun’s harmful rays.
Do not be tempted to fall asleep with your clay mask on. There are some clay masks that are fine to wear when you go to bed but bentonite clay face mask is not one of them. When it comes to using a bentonite clay mask, longer isn’t better.
The packaging does state that you only need to leave it on your skin for 10-20 minutes and use it for about once or twice a week, in order to get the full benefit. Therefore, please follow the instructions carefully.
If you are using bentonite clay mask to detoxify your skin and body, then read our calcium vs sodium bentonite clay post on which is better for that.
How To Cool Down Your Face After Bentonite Clay Mask Summary
Steps on how to cool down your face after bentonite clay mask is not hard to do but it depends on what is on hand to quickly provide relief. The fastest method would be using cool water or a cold compress. Any one of these will immediately help to soothe your facial redness.
If you have some spare time, a more effective step is to use a facial cotton mask soaked in cool water or cucumber extract for about 20 minutes. Provided that you are not allergic to cucumber, aloe vera, green tea or witch hazel, any one of our aforementioned moisture inducing methods is sure to cool your face down significantly.
Clays are often recommended for people with acne-prone skin, but there is always a risk of inflammation if you use too much. These ingredients work together to exfoliate dead cells, unclog pores, and clear up blemishes. However, while clay masks do work well for most people, they can sometimes irritate sensitive skin. If you notice any redness or swelling after applying a clay mask, stop using it immediately. You could end up causing yourself more harm than good.
If you have sensitive or delicate skin, it is more advisable to start off with once a week before working your way up to a more frequent use. Give your face a break from a clay mask for at least one to two days before going for another application.
Most clay masks are not intended to be used daily. Clay masks improve your skin when used sparingly, but they can be quite strong exfoliants that draw out too much of your skin’s natural oil, leaving your skin dull and dehydrated instead of the supple and radiant glow you are expecting.
