A scrub is a great way to exfoliate but occasionally your skin needs a bit of rejuvenating. This is where a facial mask comes in. These take a bit more time than a quick scrub-down but when you have a bit of time to spend on yourself, use it to pamper your skin.

You should probably use a facial mask at least once a week. One of the best features of a mask is that it tightens pores, giving skin a smoother and finer appearance. Masks usually are applied and left on the face for a specific length of time or until dry, then removed by rinsing or peeling if it is a gel mask.

For deep cleansing a mud or clay mask will clear out pores, eliminate blackheads and exfoliate. In Your Face Pure Intent Clay Masque by göt2b is made with natural avocado, kaolin, clay and rosemary to de-toxify and firm while absorbing extra oils. Daily Facials Intensives Deep Cleansing Clay Mask by Olay provides deep cleansing to remove excess oils to leave skin looking more vibrant. Neutrogena’s Deep Clean Invigorating Cleanser Mask doubles as a daily cleanser and a mask. Rinse off immediately for daily cleansing or leave on for 3 minutex for an oil-reducing mask that unclogs pores.

For more exfoliation and re-texturizing of skin, you might try Swiss Formula Peel-Off Hydroxy Masque by St Ives. This peel off contains an alpha & beta hydroxy complex to leave the skin smoother and more radiant.

Another option is to make your own mask at home, and there are plenty of recipes available on the net. But as the most expensive of the masks listed above is under $7 and the others under $4, I say pamper yourself and use your time to relax.

All skin builds up layers of dead skin cells. Daily grime and oils get into pores, clogging them. Both can give skin a dull look.

A facial scrub will exfoliate dead skin cells to expose new skin as well as removing makeup, dirt and oil clogged in pores. The ingredient that actually does the “scrubbing” can be synthetic or natural, ranging from “microbeads” to old-fashioned oatmeal. The price of a scrub isn’t necessarily a good indication of its efficiency.

For the most reasonably priced facial scrub, choose one you make yourself. I found several recipes for facial scrubs available on the net, and the basic ingredients are probably in your kitchen now. This recipe in Woman’s Day magazine is easy to make using everyday ingredients and a blender.

I have two or three facial scrubs, one I use only when giving myself a total facial treatment (can you guess that this is the expensive one?) but let’s face it, most women are too busy and pressed for time for a long facial regimen every day. That’s why for everyday use, I like to keep a tube of St Ives Apricot Scrub right in the shower. The steamy shower opens pores which makes the scrub more effective in unclogging them. I like the St Ives Apricot Scrub because it’s effective, reasonably priced and easy to dispense from the tube in the shower. It comes in a formula for all skin types but is also available in special formulas for oily and sensitive skin.

Regular use of a facial scrub will banish the dullness and bring forth a shiny, new you.