CBD Sheet Masks: Your New Summer Skin Prep Essential

Summer is so close we can almost taste it — cue the panic to start the long process of prepping your skin for the warmer months. Most of us prefer to wear less makeup and let our skin breath when the weather gets warm, but it takes some lead time to get that gorgeous, sunny glow that you’ve been imagining. Still, the process doesn’t have to be expensive, complicated, or difficult. Especially when you introduce CBD sheet masks into your regimen.

Sheet masks first became popular in the U.S. just a few years ago. They looked like something you might wear on Halloween, and it seemed that everyone who used them had a social media story or two about the baffled reactions of their spouse, mail carrier, or pizza delivery person. Before long, these newfangled facial treatments had spurred meme culture into a frenzy that delighted and entertained beauty lovers around the globe.

They’re more than a novelty item, though — in fact, they’re some of the most effective skin care products out there. The premise of the sheet mask is a simple one: a highly porous fabric is cut into the shape of a face, then soaked in oils and water-based skin care ingredients. The mask is then applied where the skin can soak up the liquids for deep hydration. While the original purpose of sheet masks was to treat dry skin, since their introduction to the market this beauty product has become more diverse, with specialized varieties now catering to people with a wide range of skin issues.

Sheet masks enhanced with CBD are the latest addition to the range, and CBD infused Korean sheet masks in particular have become wildly popular in the beauty industry. No matter which kind you opt for, they each promise all of the medicinal qualities of CBD oil for brighter, more beautiful skin (though some are more likely to deliver than others).

But CBD isn’t the only skin-saving superingrediant on the market, and with the choice of sheet masks being so wide, why should you use one as part of your pre-summer skin care routine?

Why You Should Use CBD Sheet Masks

Preparing your skin for the summer months and vacation season ahead is going to mean different things to different people. CBD beauty products boast many medicinal qualities, all of which can cater to different skin types in the lead up to summer.

For one thing, they’re an excellent way to prevent pimples. Now, if you suffer from back acne, a sheet mask admittedly won’t be of much help. But facial acne sufferers could certainly benefit from them. CBD (or cannabidiol as it’s scientifically known) can reduce acne by tackling its root cause — sebum. This is an oil that’s naturally produced in the skin, but when we produce too much of it, it clogs the pores, which is how acne breakouts start. By directly restoring balance to your sebum levels, CBD masks can have a major impact on acne.

It can also treat skin problems thanks to its antibacterial powers. Most people don’t know it, but acne is a bacterial infection. The bacteria breed and fester inside the clogged pores of the skin, and are then spread to other areas of the face with the slightest brush of a hand. As well as lowering the amount of sebum your skin produces, CBD sheet masks can help to kill off the bacteria and stop them from spreading further.

If you’re prone to eczema, then you’ll be happy to learn that a sheet mask that contains CBD will have an anti-inflammatory effect on your skin, both during and between flare ups. You don’t need to worry about the product being too harsh, either, as studies have found that CBD is gentle enough to be used on even the most sensitive skin without causing a reaction.

As a result, these sheet masks could reduce the redness and swelling of affected areas and bring soothing relief to your stressed out skin — although people with eczema should always check through the list of ingredients to ensure that none of the other active ingredients or essential oils will cause irritation.

Even if your skin is acne- and/or eczema-free, it can still benefit from CBD sheet masks. For example, aging skin will benefit from the collagen boosting power and rich nutritional content that the oils provide. CBD products have become increasingly popular as an anti-aging skin care ingredient thanks to its antioxidant effects. In the lead up to summer, infusing the skin with the fatty acids and essential oils found in cannabis plants can be a great way to rehydrate the skin for a brighter, livelier complexion.