In April, I challenged myself to use a sheet mask every day. For the most part, I was successful! Aside from making an obvious dent in my sheet mask supply, I also gained some insight about my own skincare habits and overall willpower.
Why did I put myself through this?
I was adding sheet masks to my collection at a much faster rate than I was using them. The hoarding made me feel guilty. Plus, I only have so much storage space. Instead of continuously scrolling through Instagram and coveting sheet masks other people were using, I snapped out of it and realized that I had plenty of new masks I had yet to discover…right in my very own skincare cart!
Breaking down the figures
- Prior to this challenge, I had 105 sheet masks.
- In April, I used 27 unique sheet masks.
- One mask I used thrice (part of a multi-pack)
- Twenty-two masks I used for the first time ever.
- Most masks were either for brightening, hydration, or pore care. But several were multi-functional.
- I only missed sheet masking one night.
- Instead, I slathered on a sleeping pack.
- As for the quality of the masks I used…
- Poor: 5
- Okay: 9
- Good: 5
- Great: 7
- God Tier: 1
The pros to sheet masking every day
I obviously made a dent in my sheet mask supply. Now my stock is no longer in triple digits, and I’m fine with that. It also helped that I stopped buying masks regularly so my efforts were not in vain.
My skin looks great! Seriously. My skin is the best it’s been in months, knockonwood. I know using a single type of mask consecutively can yield noticeable results. Apparently, so can using any type of sheet mask daily. However, it helps that the the sheet masks I used, even if they were poor, did not have an adverse affect on my skin. Also, I’ve fine-tuned my routine and am now using Jumiso’s All Day Vitamin Serum twice a day.
The cons to sheet masking every day
It felt like a chore. That’s likely because I was chronicling my journey on Instagram Stories every night. Some nights, I was either too tired, lazy, or even sick to muster up the energy or desire to slap a sheet mask on my face. On those nights, I resorted to duplicate masks or even a sleeping pack instead. However, I’m glad I persevered. (See the points above.)
What I learned about my own sheet masking habits
The great @yayayayoung recently posted a video about how anyone can sheet mask every day. He suggested multi-tasking — masking while doing chores, taking a shower, or even…doing business on the toilet.
I appreciate his advice, but for me, sheet masking is a means of relaxation. I often like to mask at night because it’s when I’m winding down from my day. (Although I sometimes wait too late and run the risk of falling asleep before I finish my routine.) I’ll mask in the morning on some weekends, too.
I could very well mask while I dust my furniture, cook dinner, or scoop the litter box. But…I just don’t want to. Masking is my reward. I don’t want to feel obligated to do it, nor do I want to associate it with non-chill activities.
I prefer to park myself in front of the TV, a good book, or my laptop/phone and sheet mask.
Will I continue to use a sheet mask every day, even if my skin is looking damn fine these days? No. At most, I think I will go for a week straight. However, if I can help it, I want to try not to go too long in between sheet mask sessions.
Others’ sheet masking habits
Recently, I took to my Instagram Stories to ask my followers about their own sheet masking habits. Granted, this is a small sample size relative to the skincare/AB community at large, but the results are still quite interesting.
- Do you sheet mask every day? (35 responses)
- No: 94%
- Yes: 6%
- If not every day, how often do you mask? (37 responses)
- Never: 8%
- Once a week: 46%
- Twice a week: 27%
- Three to five times a week: 19%
- When do you prefer to sheet mask? (41 responses)
- Day: 15%
- Night: 85%
- When you sheet mask, you prefer to…? (44 responses)
- Chill: 66%
- Multitask: 33%
Some even shared why their sheet mask routines work for them.
“[Sheet masking is] a way [for me] to wind down and relax after I put the kids to bed,” says Deanna of @straight_to_the_beauty_section.
@skindeavor uses her sheet masks “after essence and serum to seal it all in before moisturizer.”
Meanwhile, writer MsMerriam explains, “My skin is dehydrated & bad at absorbing thick layers like oils. Daily masking helps with both of those problems. I see big improvements with regular use.”
As for beauty blogger Kelly Driscoll: “I use masks more as a way to treat than prevent, [for example, when] my skin is extra dry from exfoliation.”
Finally, @sumomosuki of the KBeauty Collective laments, “I should [sheet mask] more because I have a ton to review but I never have enough time to sit down and relax!”
So…should you sheet mask every day?
Well, more frequent masking will yield noticeable results. But if you can’t — or even don’t want to — sheet mask every day…that’s totally fine. Obviously, many people don’t. Several even regard sheet masking as a once-a-week occasion.
If you want to mask more often, however, partaking in a challenge — whether self-imposed or hosted on Instagram — is a good place to start. Keep in mind that heavy rigidity can tend to take the fun out of doing that, however. Do what you can, when you can.
Honestly, I’m a bit hesitant to give up the daily masking routine I’ve cultivated over the last 30 days because my skin has been looking absolutely flawless. Then again, there are several components to my skincare routine. It’s doubtful that the heavy lifting is done through daily masking. However, we’ll wait and see how my skin fares when I return to a more inconsistent schedule.
What are your thoughts?
How often do you sheet mask? And do you like to multi-task while you mask, or is it purely a chill activity? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.
Coming up next…
Obviously, there were some sheet masks I really liked, including one that I considered GOD TIER. That’s not a term I use loosely. Next time, I’ll share my favorite sheet masks from April.
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I am not a professional. All opinions are my own.
I’m really obsessive about the fit of my a sheet masks and some sheet masks at here to every nook and cranny and others slip and slide or 10 to buckle on the skin so for me sheet masking is definitely a sit down and relax kind of time though I wish it was more suitable more often for multitasking
Yeah. Most sheet masks actually don’t fit my face very well at all – they’re often too big! At the same time, though, I always associate them with relaxation. Even if I had masks that were better fitting, I dunno if I’d be keen on wearing them while I did other things.
Although masking in public would make for an interesting social experiment. I’ve already done so on a plane, if that counts.
Yay, I’m so glad you stuck through with this experiment! The most I’ve ever done was 7 days straight and I did feel like there was a difference in my overall hydration levels. My struggle with continuing to mask like that is finding the time. Like you, I prefer to reserve my masking time for relaxation but that isn’t always easy to come by! Mostly I use masks to help treat what’s happening on my skin right at that moment and they do help in that sense!