Giving yourself a facial at home

Want a facial but don’t have the time and/or money to spend at the salon? We’ve all been there. Although it’s nice to have the pampering, you can get the same benefits by giving yourself your own facial at home. Keep in mind however, don’t do this more than once or twice a week tops – you don’t want to overwork your skin because of the risk of sensitivity and even unwanted breakouts! Read on:

1. Water, water, water! Drinking lots of water flushes out toxins and moisturizes your skin from the inside. It also helps by rehydrating and believe it or not, keeps you from retaining water. Beauty starts from inside.

2. Cleanse. You need to cleanse with a gentle soap to wash off all the oils, dirt and grime before continuing with any facial. Starting with a clean face keeps all that dirt and oil from getting pushed into your pores as you work on making your skin glow and silky smooth.

3. Exfoliate. Your skin is in a constant state of flux – it sheds dry skin, it creates new skin. However sometimes it needs a little help and exfoliating is the way to go. By using gentle sugar or salt scrubs you can rub off the dead skin layer, leaving behind softer, smoother skin and helping to promote new skin growth. Don’t exfoliate more than twice a week, less if your skin is sensitive.

4. Steam. Steaming is a wonderful way of deep cleaning your pores by opening them up and allowing any dirt or oil to be released. You can use a desktop steamer or by draping a towel over your head and keeping your face above a bowl of hot water (add some drops of your favorite essential oil for some added aromatherapy). You can also apply a warm, wet face towel over your face for a minute or two. Personally I love my desktop steamer – feels heavenly!

5. Mask. There are different types of masks for different types of skin. Clays work best for oily skin and oil based masks (like the avacado ones) are best for dry skin. Masks help by removing any additional toxins and otherwise bad stuff that the other steps may have left behind.

6. Tone. Toning helps by closing your pores and tidying up your skin. It finishes the job by removing any surface residue and cools and relaxes. Witch hazel is a great overall toner that works for most skin types. Be careful, some toners contain alcohol that can dry your skin.

7. Moisturize. Your final step to healthy, glowing skin. Cleansing, steaming, exfoliating – your skin is being robbed of its natural moisture with each step and you need to replace it or your skin will over produce oils to compensate – which could in turn cause breakouts. Again, the type of moisturizer will depend on your skin type but a healthy and natural way is by using coconut oil. This oil has smaller molecules than other oils and it will not clog pores if its virgin and unrefined.