Hand Mask

A moisturising hand mask is usually fifteen to twenty minutes and often bundled into a manicure, sometimes with a warm mitt over the top. Peel-type masks are worn for a specified time — commonly an hour or more depending on the brand — and then rinsed; nothing visible happens at first, and shedding typically begins a few days later and runs for several days. Salons should tell you which type you are booking, because the two have very different social calendars.

Neither is a dramatic service. A moisturising mask makes hands feel supple and looks its best immediately afterwards, with the effect fading over a day or two; a peel-type mask leaves the surface feeling smoother once the flaking has finished, roughly a week after the appointment. Formulations vary widely between brands and product lines, and how much any given product does varies from person to person, so a mask a friend loved may behave differently on your hands.

Moisturising masks work by occlusion and contact time: the glove holds humectants and oils against the skin so water is not lost to the air, and the outer layer softens while it is hydrated. Exfoliating masks use acids such as lactic or glycolic acid, often with fruit-derived ingredients, to loosen the bonds between dead surface cells so they release over the following days. The visible peeling is that surface layer letting go, which is why the effect appears late rather than in the chair.