Are Red Light Face Masks Worth It?

Nov 15

Throughout the last few years, there has been a significant uptick in wellness products and programs. While the trend towards leading a healthy lifestyle, personal improvement, and longevity are moving in the right direction, especially considering the US still leads developing countries in co-morbidities such as obesity, diabetes, heart attack, and stroke, not all health and wellness trends stand the test time.

Higherdose products have been on the market for a while. The brand launched with a sauna blanket as the infrared sauna trend was gaining steam. It was (and still is) a great alternative for those living in smaller spaces or for people who just don’t have the budget to put a sauna in their home. I have to say that I personally loved using the sauna blanket before we got our full sauna. While the sauna trend is still going strong, heat therapy really does provide a wide variety of long-lasting and very real benefits. Some of the top benefits include increased cardiovascular health, aiding muscle recovery after exercise, helping detox heavy metals through increased sweat, lowering risk factors for brain disease, helping regulate cortisol and the body’s stress response, as well as improving sleep patterns. The list goes on, and because of this, I do believe this wellness trend is here to stay.

Their most recent product is in line with current skincare trends. They introduced the red light face mask (and accompanying neck add-on) as a means to go deeper than traditional, topical skincare. Right light therapy is said to reduce inflammation (which can help with acne), rejuvenate skin by increasing collagen density, increase blood flow and oxygen to promote skin and brain health, and combat the negative effects of blue light that we absorb in front of screens all day long. The red light is also said to produce a calming effect.

I have been using my Higherdose face mask for about a month now and am very happy so far. Obviously, some of the longer-term effects remain to be seen, but I have been struggling with acne pretty much my entire life. While it hasn’t gotten rid of my hormonal acne, I definitely see a difference in the healing time when these blemishes arise, and my skin texture feels a bit softer. I also love that it is easy to use and comfortable to wear. The timer can be set to 10 or 20 minutes per wear and I typically do my morning meditation while wearing the mask. It is a forced 20-minute chill sesh that I look forward to each morning. Overall, this is a device that I would recommend and one that doesn’t have many downsides other than price, for some.. although, I am currently using mine for about 20 minutes per day and if you girl math that over the span of a year, it sure seems worth it! You can also keep an eye on the second-hand market if the price is what’s holding you back from being able to give this next-generation skincare product a test run.

Other reputable brands that make red light masks include Omnilux, CurrentBody, and Solawave.