The good news is that this is a wonderful relaxing eye mask you can use to get an at home spa treatment for under £2. The bad news is that it looks like a sanitary towel. Hey ho, sometimes you have to look like a dick whilst in the pursuit of innovative relaxation.
It’s a Japanese product: Kao MegRhythm Steam Eye Mask, and it was part of the mask haul I recently bought from Beautius. That’s what I really like about Beautius – you can buy single masks inexpensively to try them out and hopefully uncover a new fave.
This is how the steam eye mask works: the mask is lined with a heat-generating pad containing iron powder and moisture. Once the pack is opened, the pad comes in to contact with the oxygen in the air. This oxidises the iron powder and produces heat. The moisture is then evaporated by the heat, producing a small amount of steam.
It’s not mega-hot steam – the mask reaches a temperature of approximately 40 degrees Celsius. Once opened, place it on the eyes and secure with the cotton straps which fit around the ears. Relax in the warmth for around 10 minutes. And it’s very, very relaxing indeed. I had set a timer on my phone, otherwise I was in danger of drifting off to sleep with it still on.
There’s no added essence or skincare ingredients. This is one to go for if you’re stressed, having trouble sleeping or want to calm down puffy eyes. There’s something very comforting about the warmth combined with the softness of the mask – it’s like a hug for your face. The top half, anyway.
I used the unscented version, though it comes in a variety of scents including rose, lavender and chamomile & ginger. Definitely going to try one of those next time. Maybe not in public though.
Product details:
The Kao MegRhythm Steam Eye Mask usually comes in boxes of 5 or 14 from various retailers including Amazon. I bought this single mask from Beautius for $1.80 (around £1.43)