GoKawiilThere is one downside to the LightStim, however, compared with some of its brethren: It is not cordless. The upside of this, of course, means you never have to worry about it being out of charge when you need it, but it also means you’re tethered to the 6-foot cord. After several days of grimly standing in front of the bathroom mirror, next to an outlet, I gave up and put it on an extension cord next to the couch, so I could idly use the LightStim while watching TV.
It was here that I came to appreciate its full potential. The treatment time for each area is only three minutes, at which time the device will beep to let you know it’s time to move it to the next area. I found it took about 20 minutes for me to hit all areas of my face, which is twice as long as it would’ve taken with a mask, but after this period of time, it also gets quite warm. This made it feel therapeutic for areas of my neck, chest, and head, and even for sore muscles. I even once used it on one of my cats who came to sit on the couch, to positive effect. I should also note here that despite its lightweight, bare-bones functionality, the LightStim packs an impressive four LED wavelengths, from 605 nm amber to 855 nm infrared. (There is a similar, less-expensive version on offer, for acne, but that one only has 35 LEDs.) —Kat Merck
Specs Number of LEDs 72 Wavelengths (nm) Amber (605), Light Red (630), Dark Red (660), Infrared (865) Irradiance 65 mW/cm² Usage 3 minutes per area, 3 to 5 times per week Return Policy 30 days Warranty Info 5 years
Best Cooling
Courtesy of Shark Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Shark CryoGlow Red Blue and Infrared iQLED Face Mask and Under Eye Cooling $350 Shark $349 Sephora $350 Ulta WIRED/TIRED AccordionItemContainerButton LargeChevron WIRED Integrated cryotherapy under-eye pads help depuff during sessions
Adjustable straps and tethered controller allow for hands-free sessions
Remote tracks treatment time and sessions, making it easy to stay consistent TIRED Noticeably noisier than most LED masks
Bulkier, hard-shell design limits flexibility and makes it less travel-friendly
The Shark CryoGlow is one of the best LED face masks on the market and is a great choice for newcomers, since it holds your hand through the process. There are two main programs to follow—Blemish Repair, which uses a combination of blue light (415 nm), infrared, and red LED (630-830 nm) for eight minutes, and Better Aging, which uses just infrared and red LED for six minutes. It’s recommended to follow one program daily for eight weeks, switching to the four-minute Skin Sustain program afterward to maintain the best results. It comes with a handy controller that counts down your time remaining and also tracks your progress, plus the mask has a party trick of cooling under-eye pads that can be used in combination with the LEDs or on their own, to soothe puffiness.