Dr. Hauschka's Soothing Mask

If you've gotten a chance to read what this blog is about you'll know that I've struggled with overly sensitive, red, constantly inflamed skin my whole life . Up until DR. HAUSCHKA SOOTHING MASK I had tried everything under the sun to soothe my skin and calm the redness with no success (except of course for cortisone, but that unfortunately has some nasty side effects, aka fine lines, which I talk a bit about here) . So it was really an amazing surprise when after having given up on even looking anymore, I received a sample of this mask and decided to try it . Honestly, I tried it because it was there and I try to make a point to use any samples I get when making a purchase (I have made some good discoveries through samples) . After 25 years of failures (even my parents failed in finding something and were instructed to "hairdry" me after a bath instead of using a towel because my skin became so easily irritated!) I had very low expectations . However, as you see from the full size in the picture, this product was a total success for me! This mask ACTUALLY DOES what it's supposed to . It soothes your skin calming down any redness and leaving this super supple feeling with no greasy residue: it absorbs beautifully . It is pricy like every Dr. Hauschka product, so I waited a loooong time to find this item on sale before I bought it, and I'm so glad I have it now : I can stop begging for samples at whole foods ;)


The irritation in my skin has calmed down significantly since discovering the right daily moisturizer for me : Dr. Hauschka's Rose Day Cream (regular and light). However, occasionally my skin still acts up . Sometimes out of the blue, other times because of all the abuse product testing I still do . When my skin is particularly irritated for whatever reason, I cleanse it with the mildest cleanser I have around (Weleda Almond Soothing Cleansing Lotion is great for these occasions and so is Bioderma Micellar Water), and add a pea size amount of this mask for about 30 minutes before wiping my face with a cotton pad dampened with warm water . My application time might be a bit longer than recommended but that has never caused any problems . In fact, in the past several plane flights I've been in, I've applied this mask without removing it for several hours, ranging from 6-12 hours without any problems . I make sure to do a post soon on my long flights skin routine, which might be helpful to some of you . By the way, other than in the plane flight scenario, when I use the mask as more of a preventative method, I usually pull out this mask when my skin is quite sensitive, so I don't really massage the mask onto my skin, I just gently spread a thin layer of it allover my face and neck and around the eye area as well . Yes, IT IS safe to use around the eyes (yay ! ) , and it works really well to soothe that extra sensitive area . I have very dry skin, so I can't vouch for how well this would perform on oily skin . I believe it would work just as well to calm redness, but I'm not sure if it would be too heavy . I personally don't find this to be super oily or the most moisturizing mask I own . It does remove any feeling of tightness from when your skin is dry and sensitive, but it's certainly NOT what I reach for when my skin is just dry (this is expensive folks, gotta save it for extreme scenarios ), so my gut feeling would be that this could still work or oilier skins. If you have oily skin and have tried this, let us know what your thoughts on it were!

This has become a must-have for me since discovering it a year and half ago. If you've tried it, let me know what you thought of it and if there are any other products out there that you would recommend! I could certainly use a cheaper option :-/ 

I hope this review is helpful to you if you also suffer from sensitive skin :) 

INGREDIENTS: Water (Aqua), Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Water, Pyrus Cydonia Seed Extract, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Alcohol, Glycerin, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Beeswax (Cera Alba), Anthyllis Vulneraria Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Arachis Hypogaea (Peanut) Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Bentonite, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Alchemilla Vulgaris Extract, Borago Officinalis Extract, Polygonum Fagopyrum (Buckwheat) Leaf Extract, Verbascum Thapsus Extract, Fragrance (Parfum), Citronellol*, Linalool*, Geraniol*, Limonene*, Farnesol*, Benzyl Benzoate*, Eugenol*, Citral*, Benzyl Salicylate*, Coumarin*, Xanthan Gum, Lysolecithin *Component of natural essential oils

PRICE: $52.95 (1oz.)

CONS: Expensive.

BOTTOM LINE: I cannot say enough good things about this mask, it is one of the best products for sensitive skin I have ever used and will be a staple for me for as long at it and I exist . 100% Sensitastic recommended!

WHERE TO BUY: Whole Foods
                               www.drhauschka.com
                               www.pharmaca.com