The Body Shop Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask Review

I haven't blogged about a Body Shop product in a while, and these pictures were sitting on my hard drive, calling out to me. So I whipped out the face mask and gave it another whirl, just to refresh my memory before writing about it and my immediate reaction was 'ooh seaweed bits' and 'this is brilliant for oily/combination skin'. It's a thick, clay like mask, which I love as you can slather on a thin layer and let the clay/seaweed do its thing, whilst enjoying the smell, which has seaside written all over it. Nothing like the smell of seaweed whilst you're in the bath to make you miss Summer holiday trips to the coast. This mask does apply to the skin quite thickly, so I do it in sections, otherwise I end up using too much product... and I'm not a massive fan of wasting good quality clay/seaweed goodness. 

I apply this to cleansed skin (I double cleanse with an oil and then a hot cloth cleanser) and then leave for ten minutes, whilst either soaking in the bath or going about my business (blogging, shaping my nails etc) and then take it off by rinsing a muslin cloth under warm water, and laying that on my face for 20 seconds or so to loosen the mask, before taking it off as gently as possible. Once its all off, I splash my face two or three times with warm water, before rinsing everything off with two or three splashes of cold water, just to close my pores. Then I go about my nightly skincare routine, and bam! you're sorted for the night, with skin that's going to be clarified and feeling fresh. Whilst the mask is on, it's totally normal to get that tingly feeling, but if it feels like it's burning, take it off immediately. Thats's the same with any product you use. If it hurts, take it off as quickly as humanly possible. If you have sensitive skin, this may not be the product for you, as it's quite strong with its Bladderwrack Seaweed and clay - I totally recommend trying it on a small area of your skin before applying to your entire face. Better safe than sorry, right? Anyway, back to the product. I'd forgotten how much I really, really like it. It's got that wonderful seaweed, fresh smell to it, and it leaves my skin feeling smooth and soft, ready to absorb all of my oils and serums, which I think is a perfect base for your evening skincare. It says to use once or twice a week, and I'd definitely suggest that for those who have a lot of oil on their skin, as it aids with oil control as well as refining pores, which for me is brilliant as the pore/oil situation on my nose is terrible. 

It can also be used just on only the t-zone, if you find yourself with an oily/combination nose, chin and forehead but sensitive skin on your cheeks. I think it's all about finding what works for you, and using it all over does the job for me, but I think I'll be using this on my t-zone as well, just as a pick me up, trying to get rid of all the excess oil, and all that. I might even use this on my boyfriends skin, as he's prone to blemishes and oily skin. Watch this space for a selfie with two terrifying looking people, complete with green faces and an unimpressed look from him. The Body Shop's Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask is £13, and available here from their website.