Here's a question from one of my readers:

“I just used a mud mask that claims to ‘purge’ pores and I broke out like crazy. Do you think I’m allergic to it?”

That depends. Is your breakout red, itchy and inflamed? Do you have small rash-like bumps? If so, then you are most likely allergic to the mask. I would not recommend using it again. Try to keep your hands off it and avoid putting any makeup on. The irritation should go away on it’s own within 24 hours. If it does not, I suggest seeing a dermatologist.

However, if your breakout is pimples, this is totally normal after using a clay-based mask (mud = clay, BTW). Clay draws impurities to the surface of skin. Trust me when I say, that those pimples were coming anyway. The clay just sped up the process, by pulling them from deep within your pores before they were able to ferment and erupt into a giant unsightly zit that would take a week to clear up! ….the mask says “you’re welcome”.

These pimples are actually proof that your clay mask is working, so keep using it about once a week. The term “purge” is actually incredibly accurate. Your pores were filled and that mask emptied them, but like any purge there’s some debri left over… this is your pimples. After a few uses, there won’t be any impurities left to pull out, which is the intention, right?

Clay masks a an awesome deep cleaning tool… see this previous blog entry for a recipe to make your own.

Send your beauty questions to papmerp[email protected] and I’ll answer them in my next blog.

Thanks for reading!

-Bethany