I Tried A Boob Mask After Exclusively Pumping For A Year

Since I became a mom almost three years ago, I’ve gone through hormonal, emotional, and physical changes, not to mention suffering through sleep deprivation. Perhaps out of all of my body parts, my breasts have gone through the most, postpartum, and I never thought there was anything I could do about it. My daughter had latch issues, so breastfeeding wasn't an option for us. I was determined to provide breastmilk for her anyway, so for an entire year I exclusively pumped. It really took a toll on me and my breasts.

I had been so used to my breasts being engorged and firm while pumping, that afterward I stopped pumping, they looked like deflated balloons, and I was bummed. I didn't really know what to do with them. So I shoved them into ill-fitting bras. I tugged and pulled and did what ever I could to get them to at least resemble what they once had been. After a while, I just ignored them.

It's hard to give your boobs love. So when I heard about a "boob mask" from Anese (cleverly called Calm Your Tits, available for $34 on Anese.co), I quickly ordered it and was anxious to see how this whole experience would be.

I have tried face masks in the past but never once did I try a product specifically made for breasts — well, besides nipple cream if that counts.

According to the description, this mask "is an intensely nourishing boob mask enriched with collagen, green tea, and organic honey. Kaolin clay removes boob sweat, oil and debris, while marine collagen leaves your boobs feeling firm, perky and glowing."

It's not a great idea to do this with your kids around. I'm not sure what I was thinking.

This mask has great reviews so far and even some from moms like me who have had similar issues postpartum. So I was ready to try this out for myself.

When it finally arrived, I was thrilled. I opened it up, not really sure what to expect. The smell was pretty on point with the description. It smells like green tea. And it looked like a typical mask that you would apply to your face. I was ready to get started. I set everything up to begin, but let me just tell you, it's not a great idea to do this with your kids around. I'm not sure what I was thinking, but the first time I used this, my toddler was with me. I guess because I used face masks in the past with my daughter around, I assumed I could still function and get things done while I had a boob mask on too. But I was wrong. This mask is meant to be used when you're not doing much of anything. I applied the mask and felt nothing at first.

Shortly after applying it, I felt a cooling sensation. After a few minutes I needed to deal with a tantrum, and I got the mask all over my arms and hands. Things got messy. But I was able to keep it on for the recommended time, which is 10-15 minutes. When the mask dried completely, I washed it off.

I didn't expect to see any results right away but I did. Well, sort of. My breasts looked similar to the way they are when I'm freezing, hello shrinkage! They were less droopy. I'm not sure if this was just due to the cooling sensation or the actual mask working its magic. But after a few hours my breasts looked the way they had before the mask. The instructions are to use the mask 1-3 times a week. So for the next few days I tried to do that. Truthfully, that was the hardest part. With a face mask, the only drawback was having to explain over and over again to my toddler that it wasn't Halloween and we were not getting ready to go trick-or-treating. But with the boob mask, I needed to find an optimal amount of boob time to carry out the operation.

The first week I only used it once but by the second week, I made it my mission to use it three times. I have to say, this mask forced me to take time out for myself. And with each use I saw some results. The results were not extreme, but my breasts are more moisturized and seemed to be more lifted. Considering how messy it could be and how much time is needed to see results, I'm not sure if I can keep this mask as part of my routine although I definitely would try — I have to admit the packaging perks me right up.