The Collagen Mask

Collagen Mask.

Let’s start out with what exactly collagen is. Collagen is a type of protein naturally found in the body. It can be most commonly found in your skin and in your body’s connective tissue. As we age, collagen production decreases in the body and our collagen stores start to deplete. You know what that means… decreased elasticity and wrinkles.

There are collagen supplements out there in the world, internal solutions to your collagen decline, but they will not reverse the effects. They are fantastic for helping keeping your skin moist and lubricating your joints (double whammy!).

Now, regardless of what your collagen products claim, collagen is too large of a molecule to actually penetrate your skin. Those fancy-pants collagen products are NOT going to make your skin look younger, and they will especially NOT increase the production of your skin’s collagen. What it will do is provide a temporary little boost to your skin’s moisture and fine lines, creating a great short term effect. Please also be aware that many commercial collagen-containing products also have many chemicals in them, leaving a high risk of drying out the skin after prolonged use, or simply an allergic-type reaction making your skin puffy. Please be sure to read the labels!

Now for some fun stuff…

I got the idea from a vendor at a trade show about using an internal collagen product externally. I didn't really put too much thought into it until I received a glorious collagen facial. (This thing was FANCY, 24k gold, south sea pearl, the works… Lord knows I can’t ever afford that on the regular, but my skin sure was purty that day).  I decided to read the label of my collagen powder and noticed that there was no flavors or sweeteners or anything added in. It was simply bovine collagen (oh yeah, most collagen products are marine or bovine). I needed sunglasses, the light bulb that went off in my head was that bright. I didn’t need to splurge on this thing! I just needed to take the time to do it myself!

I decided that I would mix my concoction (ingredients are down below) and apply it, let it sit for 20 minutes and see what’s up. Holy Beautiful Skin Batman!  It didn’t irritate my skin or cause it to look red, my skin was smoother than a baby’s ass, and I felt good. I would highly suggest this thing the morning of a fabulous evening out! Please make sure you do a test run ahead of time though, no two people are created equal, but I’m fairly sure nothing bad will happen.  I do this every Sunday (once a week I like to spend a little extra time in the bathroom to deep condition my hair and face… I like to feel pretty).

Ingredients:

-NeoCell Collagen powder

-1 probiotic capsule (open it up and dump the powder in, this is some good bacteria for your body… I would also recommend taking one of these bad boys on the daily for your body’s health)

-Sea buckthorn oil (rich in essential fatty acids and help heal skin)

-Rosehip oil (high in Vitamin A to help damaged skin)

-100% pure aloe gel (please make sure there are no other ingredients! This is very soothing and moisturizing; also helps build the desirable texture of the mask)

Sorry there is no method to this madness, but mix 1 scoop of the collagen powder (this brand comes with a little scooper inside) and eyeball the aloe gel (you can always add more… so start small). Then I put in about 10-20 drops of each oil and mix it. Seriously, just use what’s in your kitchen. I use a small mixing bowl and that weird rubber spatula thingy that is where all the wooden spoons are. (If you know me, the kitchen is NOT my forte) Please, please, PLEASE do not use metal mixing bowls or utensils. Seriously, don’t. The metal messes up the ingredients in just about everything you want to put on your face. So put the regular spoon away. I like the texture to be jelly-like. Keep in mind it is going to be sitting on your skin for a little bit so you don’t want it to be too runny.

Clean up your face, just use some regular face wash and then use a wet washcloth under warm-hot water to steam your face a little bit. Then apply your mask. Now I just use a cheapie foundation brush (I think it was $1 at Target… that ELF brand they have) but it paints on the mask very smoothly. Don’t be skimpy with your bowl of lovely radioactive yellow-orange jelly (it’s a HIDEOUS color). Your skin needs to be suffocated by this glory in order to absorb it. You are giving it no choice. Paint on the mask really thick all over. I put it close around my eye area, don’t be silly and put it on your eyeballs… I trust you know the routine.

Once you’ve made yourself look like a crazy orange person, relax. Put on your favorite tunes or a tv show, time to chill for 20 minutes or so. The mask will solidify a little bit, but it will still be flexible on your skin.  Once you are ready to remove, take your washcloth and wet it up with warm water. I would recommend using a darker color washcloth because my white one I used is now stained radioactive yellow-orange. Wipe off your collagen mask and rinse your face off. Once you pat it dry, enjoy the baby softness that is your beautiful skin! 

 Enjoy!

XOXO Kayla Rae