Moisture Mask for Oily Skin?

Until around 6 months ago, my skin would have been quite firmly in the oily skin category. Then something odd happened. I noticed that my skin was starting to feel tight after washing my face and I was starting to get some dry patches of skin on my forehead, yet around lunch time my skin was still looking as oily as ever.  I had to accept that my skin maybe didn’t like the constant stream of oil controlling cleansers and purifying masks and was starting to need some extra moisture. After reading Caroline Hirons talk about how people with oily skin shouldn’t avoid oil, I had a revelation. Not only did I start looking into facial oils (more on that later), I started looking into moisture masks thinking that this may help balance everything out. And of course, a perfect excuse to try some new face masks. 

Origins Drink Up Mask

Now this mask is aimed at dry skin so it was a bit on the heavy side for my skin if I was applying the same amount as I would with any other mask (I probably use about double the amount necessary), however when I used a pea size amount for 5 minutes following a purifying mask the results were entirely different. My skin was left feeling plump and still felt clean. It has a lovely light, fruity smell and would be a great choice for people with normal/dry skin. As much as this didn't overwhelm my skin, I do only reach for this mask if my skin is feeling particularly dehydrated or if a little patch of psoriasis has popped up on my face. 

The Avene Soothing Moisture Mask

I’m very much in love with this mask. It’s designed for slightly more sensitised skin and has a lighter texture which means that it doesn’t feel heavy or feel like its clogging pores. I pop this on and leave it for 5-10 minutes then use a damp cotton pad to remove the excess; really you could just tissue this off though. It leaves my skin looking visibly nourished and not at all oily. It also has a lovely fresh smell which isn’t overwhelming - always a plus in my books. I mainly use this after a purifying mask but it still works perfectly on its own without breaking me out. It seems to be the perfect balance of a moisture mask which hydrates deeply but doesn’t overwhelm the skin.

What’s your favourite moisture mask?

A Hagrid Worthy Hair Treatment - Ojon Rare Blend Deep Conditioner

I've had to deal with dry, frizzy hair for 22 years. It doesn't really help that I used to use bleach regularly and that I still use heat on my hair a lot more than I should. Although, if I didn’t I’d make Hagrid look he belongs in a L'oreal advert… Saying that, I do try to take care of my hair and over the years have tried a lot (and I mean a lot) of shampoos, conditioners, hair oils, conditioning treatments, leave in conditioners etc in an attempt to calm the frizz and keep my hair moisturised and manageable. The frizz isn’t going anywhere, but I have found a number of great products which have reduced breakage and keep my hair well nourished.

The Ojon Rare Blend Deep Conditioner is without a doubt, the best hair treatment I have tried. Ojon products are fab, although be it a bit on the expensive side. I wasn’t a massive fan of the original Rare Blend Oil, as I found it was too heavy for my hair (which is quite a statement considering I prefer to use the amped up version of hair oils to try to tame the beast that is my hair), so when I ordered the Rare Blend Deep Conditioner I wasn’t too sure what to expect. If anything, I was convinced that it would be reserved for the very ends of my hair. However, I was very pleasantly surprised. It’s considered a dual phase treatment –

The amber is a restorative blend of 7 rare oils including pure hair-repairing Ojon Oil plus African Shea, Brazilian Muru Muru, and Indian Kokum butters.

And the Ivory is a moisture-rich cream infused with deeply nourishing plant-derived conditioners.

So it’s definitely doing a lot to the hair and unlike a lot of conditioning treatments, it isn’t just smoothing over the cuticle while doing very little to help repair and moisturise the hair in the long run. I’m certainly not a hair expert but what I do know is that it leaves my hair feeling so silky and hydrated but without feeling heavy. I can get a comb through my hair while it’s damp even without using a leave-in conditioner and I’ve found that I can even get away with not using a hair oil on the my ends and surprisingly my hair doesn’t end up looking like it’s badly needing a trim.

It is a thick texture but not a lot of needed to full coat the mid to end lengths of my hair. With hair treatments, I pop them on after washing my hair; I cover my hair in a shower cap and take a book into the bath for half an hour. I do look a tad ridiculous but it means that the heat from the bath is helping the conditioning treatment to penetrate deeper in to my hair.

At £29, it certainly isn’t cheap so I’m definitely still on the lookout for something a bit more purse friendly. 

The Gentle Approach to Dry Shampoo - Klorane Oatmilk Gentle Dry Shampoo

I’ve always been a dry shampoo fan. When I was blonde, I used to get away with washing my hair once a week due to my excessive dry shampoo consumption (if you came into my room in the morning, it’d pretty much look foggy…). Batiste was always my go-to when I was blonde because you couldn’t see the white residue; in fact, it helped hide my roots if my hair needed coloured (great tip right there). Now that I’m a brunette, being lazy with my hair isn’t as easy. For a start, because I’m not bleaching my hair, my hair isn’t as dry so I’m not able to get as long between washes. But also, it left me in a bit of a pickle with dry shampoo. If you have darker hair and have tried the original Batiste Dry Shampoo, you’ll know that even vigorous ruffling doesn’t really get rid of the white power. The Batiste Dry Shampoo for Brown and Dark Brownhair was a good option for a while; it absorbs oil and adds a bit of body to the roots and blends in well with darker hair. However, recently I’ve been having issues with my scalp. I have psoriasis on my elbows and knees permanently but as well as this, patches randomly decide to appear on random parts of my body. A few months ago, my psoriasis decided to move to my scalp and I’ve found that Batiste isn’t really agreeing with it. It’s leaving my scalp really itchy and quite dry/sensitised. After some searching, I came across Klorane Oatmilk Gentle Dry Shampoo on Escentual which promised a softer approach to dry shampoo and so far I’ve been very impressed.

I followed the instructions and sprayed the dry shampoo in to my roots; left it to do its thing for a couple of minutes then brushed it out to find freshly washed looking hair. It has a light, fresh fragrance too which is always a plus. Oil was absorbed, body was added, and most importantly for me, it was very gentle and my scalp didn’t feel aggravated. I’ve been using this religiously for a few weeks now and although the psoriasis on my scalp doesn’t look like it’ll be moving any time soon, it does feel a lot less dry and itchy. I’m still not able to get a week between washes (long gone are those days for me), but with the Klorane Oatmilk Gentle Dry Shampoo, I’ve been able to get in an extra day and it’s perfect for adding a bit of body without using drying texturizing sprays. Yes, it is more expensive than Batiste at £6.35, but the price is on par with the likes of Tresseme and Charles Worthington, plus the ingredients are a lot gentler so for me, I'm happy to pay that little bit extra.