The importance of skincare cannot be emphasised enough and facial masks are one major part of your skincare routine. However, this age-old dilemma of whether to apply facial masks before or after shower is a complex one. The quick answer would be, ‘it depends’… however if I was to elaborate then I would say, ‘it depends upon your skin and the face mask you are planning to apply’.

Now this goes without saying that before you apply any kind of mask your face should be free of any dirt, grime, oil and makeup. So, if you are going to apply mask before shower then you’ll have to still wash your face at a sink before application. Another thing to remember is to give your mask enough time to set before stepping into shower as water might trickle on to it and it may wash off before even doing its job. Once you have done this due diligence, you can get on with your showering routine while mask does its thing and assuming your complete showering routine would take about 15 to 20 minutes, you can wash off the mask at the end of it.

Applying mask after shower has one advantage that your pores have already opened up from showering, first with water and then with the steam, practically preparing your skin for the application of your mask. If you are planning a deep cleansing mask for oily and combination skin, then this is a perfect situation for it. However, I can’t stress enough, that you must always take your skin type in account before going for any type of facial mask and regardless of which mask you go for, applying a moisturiser after washing it off is always a good idea.