The beginner’s guide to a weekly pore-cleansing ritual.

Written by Nica Dobles

Anyone with oily or acne-prone skin who’s ventured into the world of skincare has probably tried a facial mask — particularly a clay mask. It’s an easy way to squeeze in a bit of DIY pampering into your week, after all, and your skin often at least feels much cleaner right after.

Clay masks basically draw out toxins and bacteria to the surface of your skin and soak up excess oil and sebum. The result is unclogged pores (and thus smaller-looking ones) and cleaner skin.

If you’re using clay masks incorrectly, though, you could be doing more harm than good — use it too much and the drying effects could compromise your moisture barrier and irritate your skin even more. You should be clay masking at most only twice a week. If you have sensitive skin, stick to once a week or even biweekly until you’re sure your skin can handle it.

Here’s how to apply a clay mask:

1. Use a gentle cleanser to wash your face.

This is especially important if you’re using the clay mask at the end of the day — while it is technically a cleansing step, you still need to get rid of the makeup, sweat, dirt, and other impurities that have accumulated on the surface of your skin first before using it.

Use a gentle cleanser or micellar water for this step, as you don’t want to be overly harsh on your face.

2. Optional: Apply BHA.

This is an optional but recommended step to make the most out of your clay mask. Oil-soluble BHAs like salicylic acid and betaine salicylate penetrate your skin to further dissolve oil and loosen up all the other impurities clogging up your pores. This will help the mask remove all that dirt more effectively.

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Remember to wait 20–30 minutes after applying your BHA before going on to the next step.

3. Apply your clay mask.

There are tons of clay mask options out there, in different colors like green, gray, white, and reddish. The most common types of clay you’ll see are bentonite, kaolin, and rhassoul, which have varying degrees of potency (and conversely, potential to irritate your skin).

Some masks require you to mix the product with water or raw cider apple cider vinegar (for example: the cult fave Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay Mask), while others are good to go straight from the jar — so make sure to read the instructions carefully.

Apply a thin, even layer to dry skin. You can choose to use it all over your face for a general cleansing, or only in your most problematic areas like your T-zone.

Some clay masks to get you started:

4. Rinse off after 10–20 minutes.

Different masks will have different wait times, but generally you should keep it on for around 10–20 minutes (again, it’s important to read the instructions).

You might think that keeping the clay mask on for too long will make it more effective, but in reality it might be dehydrating and irritating your skin, so make sure to follow the wait time religiously. Rinse off under lukewarm water, as extreme temperatures can also irritate your skin.

5. Optional: Use an oil cleanser.

Another optional but recommended step, especially if you’re specifically targeting blackheads — this will serve to make sure all that gunk in your pores is really gone, as well as give your skin an extra dose of moisture after the drying effects of the clay mask.

Pat your skin dry and then apply a pea-sized amount of the oil-cleanser. Massage in small, gentle circles for only 1 minute (note that overdoing the massage can overexfoliate your face), then wet your hands and massage for another couple of seconds to emulsify the oil and rinse off your face.

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6. Continue with the rest of your skincare routine.

Go ahead with your normal routine! Bear in mind that your skin could use a little extra TLC after the mask, so if you use any other actives, it might be a good idea to skip it for the night. Don’t skip on hydrators like your serums and moisturizers, either — in fact, consider treating yourself to a soothing sheet mask to cap off your night.

And that’s it! You should see an immediate (albeit temporary) improvement in your pores and skin tone, plus continued regular use should keep your skin clean and healthy. More beauty hacks for you read here!