Sheet masks are many peoples’ favourite kind of skincare mask - and for good reason. They’re super relaxing to use and are a great pick me up to boost skin hydration and put some real bounce back in your skin. They’re packed with a mix of humectant skincare ingredients (for serious hydration) and other gentle actives such as skincare ferments, botanical extracts, and antioxidants to support healthy, naturally glowing skin.

Sheet masks are a great way to boost your skincare routine - here are our six best tips and tricks for getting the most out of these beauty routine must-haves! 

1) Customise Your Mask Fit

We’ve all probably encountered this situation - we’ve put our sheet mask on, ready to relax and let it soak in only to find that the fit leaves a little (or a lot) to be desired. Ideally, a sheet mask should lay comfortably on your skin with minimal bubbles, ensuring that every possible square cm of your skin is in contact with your sheet mask. 

If that’s not happening, try this tip - cut your sheet mask in half (and that’s horizontally, not vertically by the way). This gives you two mask halves, one with the eyes and nose and one with the mouth that you’ll be able to fit better to your face for a closer, more comfortable fit and makes sure that none of your skin misses out on any of the good stuff!

2) Use Your Mask At the Right Time

Sheet masks can be confusing to figure out when to use - they’re not meant to be washed off, when are you supposed to use them? To get the most out of your sheet mask and the rest of your skincare routine, the best time to use them is as your serum step or after your serum - here’s why. 

Sheet masks are soaked with a serum-like formula rich in actives - so on days that you use them, you can actually skip your serum step to stop your skincare routine from feeling too long-winded! 

When it comes to using them in the day vs. at night, the truth is, it doesn’t really matter. They’re great for both morning and evening routines - pro tip, a cold sheet mask in the morning after a late night out feels amazing!

SK-II Facial Treatment Masks | $220
These super-soft sheet masks are infused with Pitera, SK-II’s bespoke fermented anti-ageing skincare ingredient.

3) Don’t Forget to Use the Extra Mask Essence/Serum

Sheet masks contain 10-20ml of serum - that’s a lot, especially when you consider that some skincare products are 30ml full-sized! Whenever you use a sheet mask, you might find that there’s some extra leftover serum in the packet - you can put this leftover serum to good use! 

One way you can use this extra serum is to apply it to your neck and décolletage - basically, anywhere you want your skin to drink up all the goodness that was in the mask! Another great way to use the excess serum is to actually apply it to your skin before using the sheet mask itself. Make a small cut in the corner of the packaging, and gently squeeze out any excess serum. Don’t worry, there’ll still be enough on the sheet mask!

Press and pat this extra serum onto your skin before applying your mask to make sure your skin can absorb as much as possible from the sheet mask formula for glowing, hydrated skin.

4) Leave Them on for the Right Amount of Time

There’s a bit of debate about this one, but there’s definitely a happy medium to please everybody - a good rule of thumb is 20 minutes, although some super juicy masks can last up to 30. That’s enough time for an episode of Friends!

You might be thinking, shouldn’t I just leave it on as long as possible? Technically you could, but leaving the mask on your skin longer doesn’t actually make it work better for your skin. If you leave the mask on your skin for long enough, the mask fibres could start to dry out - and in turn, dry out your skin - the exact opposite of what we’re going for!

Dr Irena Eris Aquality Water-Infused Essential Masks | $59.95
Boost hydration with these infused sheet masks for bouncy, youthful skin.

5) Use Your Mask with a Skincare Tool

One great way to boost your sheet masks is by using them with a skincare tool! You’ve got a whole lot to choose from - dermal rollers, jade rollers, LED masks - and each has its own benefits when used with a sheet mask. 

Jade rollers help to gently massage your skin, potentially boosting the absorption of skincare ingredients to reveal radiant skin underneath. Our tip? You don’t need to use much pressure with a jade roller, or else you’ll tear your mask!

Sheet masks pair especially well with dermal rollers and LED masks - sheet masks help to soothe any possible irritation and restore hydration after dermarolling, boosting your collagen production and enhancing absorption of active ingredients in your sheet mask. LED masks can work well with active ingredients in the mask serum formula, making your skincare routine even more effective. 

6) Apply Your Sheet Mask Whilst Travelling

This is a controversial one and applies once we’re finally back to surgical-mask free travel, but sheet masks are a great way for keeping your skin hydrated in dry aeroplane environments. We all know how drying the cabin can be and keeping your skin hydrated is crucial. 

That’s where a sheet mask (applied with clean hands to a clean face!) comes in. A sheet mask will help plump your skin full of hydration and keep it there if an occlusive or moisturiser is applied over the top, so you’ll arrive fresh as a daisy at your next destination!

However, there are some that argue against this - the rationale is that aeroplane air is dirty, and could stick to the sheet mask and cause breakouts. Some suggest that you don’t ever want to touch your face at all while travelling to avoid contamination and breakouts.

Personally, my skin breaks out from the dryness of the cabin - so a sheet mask while flying is a must-have for me! 

La Mer The Hydrating Facial Masks | $542
Infuse your skin with the goodness of La Mer’s revitalising fermented Algae Miracle Broth.

These six tips should help you get more out of your sheet masks for glowing skin - if you’re still not sure about your skincare routine (sheet masks or not), try our skin quiz to get a completely bespoke beauty routine according to your skin type.