Skin Expert Shares the Easiest Face Mask For Dry Skin

Slugging the viral beauty trend may just be the thing that can save your dry, flaking skin! This social media hack involves applying a thick layer of petroleum jelly on your face as a face mask and then washing it off. 

However, you can do the same with your favourite cold cream that may have some extra benefits for your skin. Yup, you heard it correctly. The smooth, buttery cream that your grandmother swears by can actually be just the thing to help you get smooth, glossy and supple skin. 

"A cold cream is useful for sensitive skin, dry itchy skin. Using it daily helps to improve the texture and appearance of the complexion. It can also be used as a cleanser, makeup remover, lip balm and as a nighttime moisturizer for extremely dry skin," says Dr R Anup Dhir, cosmetic plastic surgeon, andrologist and senior consultant at Apollo Hospital.

Dr Dhir explains that a cold cream is an emulsification of water in oil which is cool to touch when applied to the skin and generally consists of four main ingredients - water, oil, an emulsifier, and a thickening agent, with the amount of water and oil being in approximately equal proportions. This helps cold cream act as a moisture-boosting, uber-nourishing face mask, especially for dry skin types. 

Blossom Kochhar Aroma Magic Cold Cream, Rs 175

He adds, "The modern resurgence of cold cream, however, has left many of us wondering, what is cold cream used for and does it actually work. The ingredients in this allow the cream to penetrate the outer layer of skin, however, it cannot be absorbed as deeply into your skin as water-based products. Because of the high concentrations of mineral oils and waxes, the cream tends to sit on your face more like a face mask than a face moisturizer, making it a good choice for slugging." 

The Body Shop Vitamin E Night Cream, Rs 1,195

Bioderma ABCDerm Cold-Cream, Rs 882 (approx)

A word of caution though...

Despite all its benefits, you must exercise use this cold cream face mask rather judiciously. Plastic and aesthetic surgeon Dr Shilpi Bhadani, founder of SB Aesthetics cautions, "Cold creams contain an emulsion of certain fats and can be thick on the skin and clog pores. They should be used judiciously or they can lead to breakouts. Their usage should be limited to winters. If one is using it to clean makeup, they should use a face wash post to clean off the clogged pores."