Clay mask application: using fingers or a brush?

Many people apply masks with their fingers, but I prefer to put a serving [of clay] onto the back of my hand, mix it up with a flat foundation brush and then “paint” it into place.

It feels like heaven, brush bristles being much more gentle than my fingers, and it allows me to get the mask into all the right areas like nose creases, marionette lines, etc.

I also find that I’m able to keep my masks lasting longer in the tube or jar because brushing them on is more efficient than globbing them on with my fingers. Bonus: it feels like a spa treatment and really elevates the whole experience. 

   

This was taken from a skin care blogger I found online recently. I wanted to use her comments in order to tell my story and give my take on using brushes vs. fingers to apply a clay mask. I’ll tell you right now: I hate using a brush to apply clay masks! And I equally dislike it when I get a facial and a mask is applied with a brush. I use my fingers to apply this product both at home on my own skin as well as in my facial treatment room.

Early in my career I used a facial brush. I’m sure I did this because that is how I was taught to apply a mask in skin care school. I remember never really liking using a brush and eventually, not too long after I began my professional career, I opted for the gentle touch of my fingers over the sometimes sharp feel of a facial brush. The bristles of a brush are stiff and scratchy—even a soft brush. And to me the touch of a finger(s) is soothing in contrast, especially in “nose creases” and other sensitive areas.

This blogger says that using a brush “feels like heaven, brush bristles being much more gentle than my fingers.” I couldn’t disagree more! Perhaps this lady has a heavy hand, so to speak. For me the brush is an unfeeling extension of my own human hand and gives me much less accuracy; I cannot feel from a brush on someone’s skin what I can tell from my own fingers.

I had an employee who thought it was strange not to use a brush. She wouldn’t think to ever use her fingers with the clay. She thought it felt weird and that using the brush was a cleaner operation. Point taken. As these things go, to each his or her own. Whether you prefer human touch or that of a bristle brush, using clay masks are a huge benefit to your skin. In the end, it truly doesn’t matter how it is applied—just as long as it is applied!

For more information, see:

• What is a clay mask and why use one?
• How NOT to apply a clay mask
• Finding a Great Clay Mask