Whenever I’m beauty shopping I always keep an eye out for the next big thing to help me with my skin problems, in my case: acne. Even though things are much better since I had my Roaccutane treatment (I might do a post on this, if anyone’s interested), I still occasionally get a breakout. Mostly around my period (eeek) or when I’m testing a product my skin doesn’t like. A while ago I got this seaweed clay mask at The Body Shop to help me out when times get rough.
The Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask was specifically created for people with combination/oily skin. The active ingredient in this is the bladderwrack seaweed that grows wild in clean waters off the south-west coast of Ireland. Bladderwrack seaweed is known to have powerful antioxidant and antibacterial properties. The mask looks like thick green/gray-ish mud and has a thick grainy consistency that goes a long way. Only a little product is needed to cover the entire face. The scent can come off rather strong so I’m guessing it’s not for everybody.
The mask dries fast onto the skin (about 3-4 minutes) and make your pores look ginormous. Immediately I start to get a tight & tingling feeling which turns to a stinging sensation when I try to rub it off. This makes me believe this one is not for sensitive skin types. If you have combination skin, only use it on your T-zone, as the mask will be too drying for normal zones. I only keep it on for 5 minutes before rinsing it off (instead of the recommended 10 minutes).
The Body Shop states that it can be used up to twice weekly, but I find that once a week is definitely enough for my skin. After applying my skin has some red areas so I wouldn’t recommend to use this right before you need to go out. It’s best to let the skin rest for at least one night. After my skin is calmed down it feels refreshed, matified and smooth. Pimples seem to dry out faster which is definitely a major plus (and the biggest reason I keep on using this mask).
Forgive me my blank stare, but when using this it’s preferable to keep a poker face as bursting into laughter (which happens when people make fun of you for looking like a ghost/zombie) will result in clay gunk all over the place.
Pros
- purifies, refreshes and smoothes the skin
- gets rid of excess oil
- helps dry out pimples faster
- reduces blackheads
Cons
- stinging sensation (sensitive skin), can be too drying because of the alcohol
- some people might get a breakout afterwards (I didn’t have any problems with this, only some redness)
- strong chemical-like scent
- takes a long time to wash off and it’s kind of a big mess (or is that just me?)
Conclusion: This mask works great as a detoxifying and clarifying mask for people with combination/oily skin (and those that are prone to acne). Skip it when you have sensitive skin as it will only get irritated. Only use it on areas that are (very) oily!
You can find the Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask at The Body Shop stores and online for € 18 ( 100 ml)
(I picked it up for € 15 so keep an eye out for discount actions)
You’re rocking the blank stare! 🙂 Ik heb nog nooit maskers in zo’n grote pot gekocht, meestal zo van die ‘zakjes’ of zo van Lush. Benieuwd naar meer!
xoxo
Grietje
Author
Ik kocht vroeger ook meestal zakjes, maar tegenwoordig laat ik me wel al meer verleiden door een potje. Ik kan echt genieten van een maskertje, dus heb er ook liefst genoeg van in huis 🙂 Nu ben ik ook sheet masks aan het proberen en das weer een hele ervaring op zich 😀
Ik sluit me helemaal aan bij je review, ik heb dit masker ook eens geprobeerd (helaas de aangeraden 10min :D) en mijn gevoelige huid zag compleet rood en brandde. Enkel te gebruiken op minder gevoelige delen van het gezicht dus 🙂
Naomi, x
Would you repurchase it?
Author
I left that out of my review because I think it’s a tough decision to make. It does what it promises, but sometimes it just felt a little too aggressive for my sensitive skin. In the end it’s all about balancing the pros and cons, but I wasn’t exactly blown away by it so I won’t be like “oh you’ve got to have this in your beauty cabinet!!”.
It’s worth to give it a try but I’m still looking for a perfect mask that won’t give my skin a hard time because I believe it’s better in the long run. I’m currently testing another clay mask that I’ll be reviewing soon to compare.
Bought it recently and used it for the first time, this past weekend – and my skin feels so wrinkly and wrong! Even though I have combination/oily skin, this mask dried my face out so bad. Really disappointed to have spent Rs. 1295 on this one! I will probably space its usage between every two months, or when it’s summer and my face gets super oily.
Author
Yeah, it’s really drying. I only use this on my acne spots now. It helps clear breakouts fast.