This $26 underarm mask is the weird summer beauty product I didn't know I needed
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- My underarms are probably the most ignored body part and for obvious reasons.
- Buildup from pollution, sweat, and residue from traditional antiperspirants can result in discoloration and honestly, unsightly underarms.
- Lavanila The Healthy Underarm Detox Mask ($26 on Ulta) is designed to help cleanse, clarify, and brighten underarm skin - just in time for summer. It can also help control sweat and is made with natural ingredients.
If there's one body part that no one has ever been excited to show off, it's got to be underarms. Think about it - when was the last time you looked forward to showing off your underarms during summer? Probably never.
That's because, aside from being totally unexciting, underarms are often ignored, under-pampered, and in less-than-peak condition. That's exactly why Lavanila's The Healthy Underarm Detox Mask is such a unique find.
The all-natural mask is designed to remove buildup from traditional antiperspirants and deodorants, brighten dull or uneven skin tone, and help shorten the transitional period between traditional (read: chemical) antiperspirants to more natural picks.
The ingredients
There are three major natural ingredients at play in this product - active charcoal, malic acid, and silica.
Active charcoal exfoliates to remove toxins and impurities, brightening the skin. Malic acid then works like a magnet, binding to and removing aluminum and metal ions - which are ingredients found in traditional antiperspirants. Finally, silica steps in to absorb sweat molecules while nourishing skin, so rough, bumpy skin becomes more touchable.
My experience with the mask
There are a lot of ways a beauty company can mess up the packaging of a product regardless of where it goes on your body. It can be messy. It can be hard to scoop out the product. It can be hard to apply on your skin. It can be even harder to wash off.
It seemed like Lavanila knew all this because there are none of those issues here. The mask comes in an upside-down bottle (so there's no awkward squeezing or shaking to get the last of the product out) with a wide brush that applies the mask smoothly onto your underarms with absolutely no weird angling.
Seriously, the first time I used it, I was ready to spend about 15 minutes just applying the mask onto my skin. It took all of 90 seconds for both arms - and that's me being really slow.
But perhaps the most awkward part is waiting while the mask does its work on your skin. It only needs to sit for five minutes, but you have to spend that time with your arms awkwardly raised above your head or behind your back. I took this time to do some much-needed post-work meditation instead. Seriously, it's the perfect excuse to lie down for five whole minutes and literally do nothing because you don't want to mess up the mask.
Clean up was also surprisingly easy. Just as the directions say, all you need is a washcloth with warm water to wipe the mask off your skin. I mention this in awe because there are so many masks that claim to be easy to rinse and remove, but I find myself needing to hop in the shower in an effort to remove all of the dried out remains. No shower needed here though.
The results
Lavanila's The Healthy Underarm Detox Mask was designed with three major goals - help remove impurities (especially aluminum), shorten the transition period to natural deodorants, and brighten the underarm area.
Honestly, I had no desire to switch to a natural deodorant, but after just one week, I knew why this mask was so helpful for anyone who wanted to take that journey. I noticed that with each use, I sweated less and less. The skin on my underarms also became noticeably softer. It's a weird thing to think about, but for some reason, softer, smoother underarms gave me a tiny confidence boost.
Now, let's get to the real results I was looking for - brightening. Throughout the years, my underarm skin had become a bit discolored - something I knew stemmed from the buildup from my traditional antiperspirant - and had some less-than-desirable bumps. The one hope I had was for the mask to restore my skin to a happier state.
While my skin was not celebrity-level clean - seriously, how do stars get their underarms looking so smooth and even anyway? - I did see a noticeable difference after about two weeks of using the mask. It wasn't a night and day difference, but it was enough to give me a pretty good confidence boost, which is essential since I'll soon be trading in my long-sleeves for tank tops.
Would I keep using it?
In a word - yes. I plan to keep using the mask for the rest of the spring and summer. Its ability to minimize my sweating and brighten my underarm skin gave me a self-esteem boost I never knew I needed. Who knew I can be so emotionally affected by my underarms?
But at $26 for 1.5 oz., it's still a pretty steep price to pay several times a year, so I'll categorize this mask under must-have summer beauty products instead of year-round. I'll use it when I want to flaunt around in my favorite sleeveless sundress and bathing suit, and then save it when the cool weather sets in. It's not like anyone's going to stare at my underarms while I pick apples in the fall.