- no shortcuts. for an at-home facial that yields truly professional results, you can't skip steps or skimp on products. every true facial should include exfoliation, clay to cleanse the pores, and products that rehydrate and calm the skin.
- take off. look for a gentle scrub (e.g. tea tree squeaky clean scrub - $15.00, seaweed pore-cleansing facial exfoliator - $15.00, neutrogena oil-free acne wash daily scrub, or dark angels face cleanser - $12.95 for 100g) or an enzyme peel, to slough dead skin and degunk the pores. But don't rinse it off just yet!
- steam cleaning. run a washcloth (e.g. camomile range muslin cleansing cloth - $5.00) under really, really hot water, wring it out, and drape it over your face. let the cloth sit for a few minutes.
- masked ball. a clay mask (e.g. seaweed ionic clay mask - $23.00) cleanses the pores and removes impurities from skin. let the mask set for 15 minutes, but don't let it get to that completely crumbly, mummified stage. repeat the steaming-washcloth routine from above to remove the clay.
- bare naked. a hydrating mask (e.g. vitamin e skin-in moisture mask - $22.00) after a clay mask allows for the moisturizing properties to better penetrate the skin, since all the impurities and debris have been thoroughly removed. rinse it off with cool water.
- ever upward. after using a hydrating mask, seal it in with a moisturizer. use your normal moisturizer (e.g. moisture - seaweed mattifying day cream - $18.00), but take your time applying it—this is where the massage comes in. the key to massaging the face is to keep moving the hands up, never down. you never want to pull at the skin.
- no digging. even if you really want to, ignore the urge to squeeze or pop your blemishes. if you do an extraction yourself, you have a better chance of breaking out or even causing an infection. even professionals have a hard time performing extractions on themselves, because you can't see at the same angle on your own skin as you can on someone else's.
apr 21 2015 ∞
apr 22 2016 +
apr 22 2016 +