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Two of my favourite inexpensive clay masks that work wonders for the skin, and go easy on the bank account.
Why you should use inexpensive clay masks if you have blemish-prone skin
Clay masks are staple products for anyone with blemish-prone skin – me included.
This type of mask is perfect as it draws out impurities and absorbs excess oils that otherwise would encourage more blemishes.
At this point, every single skincare brand has their own version of the humble clay mask, all touting different miracle ingredients and magical results, so it can be hard to weed out the average ones to find the stand-outs.
Luckily for me, and you, some of the best clay masks that I have found have also been the most affordable. Proving that good skin doesn’t have to leave you out of pocket.
Today I’m going to be sharing 2 of my favourite inexpensive clay masks, both that come in at under a tenner.
The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Masque
As expected with a clay mask, this product is targeted towards brightening the complexion and deep cleaning the skin to keep impurities at bay.
The mask comes out of the tube as a hybrid jelly-cream kind of texture, but once on the skin, it dries down like your regular face mask.
Although it does dry down, I have never experienced any tightness or cracking – it doesn’t leave my skin feeling completely stripped and parched – one of the main reasons why I love this so much.
Even though it does contain the Salicylic Acid, I can’t see this being too harsh on sensitive skin – my skin can be pretty sensitive but I have never had any irritation or redness as a result of using this mask. If anything my skin looks much brighter after just one application.
I tend to use masks like this no more than twice a week and keep it on for no longer than 10 minutes at a time. You may feel it tingle for a few seconds, but after that, you can’t feel a thing – then I just rinse it off with a muslin cloth and warm water.
Beauty Pie Super Pore-Detox black clay Mask
Can Beauty Pie do no wrong? Apparently not when it comes to this mask. I feel like I’m boring people with my constant praise for the subscription-based brand, but their products are just so. good. Their skincare products especially stand out, purely because of the quality of the ingredients and formulas for a ridiculously low price.
This is very similar to The Ordinary’s mask in that it also contains Salicylic Acid, but also is amped up with additional Glycolic and Lactic Acids.
It promises to de-clog your pores, remove excess oils, exfoliate and leave your skin looking healthier immediately after use – and, spoiler alert, it does just that.
It has a really nice fresh, minty scent and like TO it dries down nicely without making your skin feel tight – it doesn’t hurt to move your face or anything like that.
I notice a huge difference in my skin when I use this product, my blemishes look less red and irritated immediately and after consistently using it once or twice a week I notice my skin really starting to clear up.
Final Thoughts
If I had to pick a favourite between these two masks, it would be very hard. But I think I would ultimately go with the Beauty Pie option, mainly due to it being that tiny bit cheaper.
They perform in very much the same way, they both offer instant results and after prolonged use, real improvements to the skin. Is it worth having both of them? Probably not. I am going to keep repurchasing both of them when they run out? Definitely.