During these crazy times, we had to learn to take things into our own hands. Literally. How to do all those things we pay other people to do? Things like our nails, our hair and our eyebrows. Today I will show you, step by step, how to give yourself a facial at home. A proper facial that you would get in a salon.
There is no better feeling than after a nice spa day at home. You feel pampered and like a new woman. And all of your money stayed in your pocket.
We were doing these facials all the time in college, so I think it will forever be engraved in my brain.
Facial at home – step by step
First things first. A base. We need a nice clean, prepared base for our facials at home. That means it’s time for step one. (Technically, it would be step two because step one is actually consultations. But we don’t need to consult ourselves as we know everything already. That includes things such as personal details and then some conditions and allergies that could cause contraindications.)
Step one – cleansing
We need to have a perfectly clean face for a facial to be successful. So we start by removing our makeup.
The first cleanse
Firstly, eyes and lips. In a salon, I would soak two cotton pads with an eye makeup remover. I would leave them on your closed eyes, and in the meantime, I would remove your lip products.
As we can’t do that to ourselves (and standing up), we will take those cotton pads with eye makeup remover, gently press them to our eyes and hold them for 30 seconds or so. After 30 seconds, we will gently pull the pads down in an outward and downward motion. We will gently go across our lashes from the outside corner to the inside to remove the excess mascara.
Once that is done, we will remove lip products with a fresh cotton pad with some eye makeup remover and remove our lipstick in a figure of eight movements.
Then we move on to a cleanse. We will take our pre-cleanse (or an oil/milk cleanser) and gently apply it to our face. We then massage it from the neck upwards. So in straight motions upwards, we gently cleanse our neck. Then in circular motions, we do our chin and around our lips and connect it to the corners of the nose. We focus on the creases around the nose and gently, in circular motions, massage that area. Then we move onto one cheek and, again in straight motions, move upwards, next cheek and then the forehead in the same way. And we finish the first cleanse with slow, gentle circles around the eyes.
To remove all the melted makeup and cleanser, we use cotton pads wrapped around the 3rd and 4th finger, one in each hand.
Again, we move upwards from the neck and follow the same sequence in applying the product, changing the pads as necessary.
(at this point in a salon, we have an idea what kind of skin our client has, and we pick a second cleanser accordingly)
The second cleanse
We repeat the whole sequence, but this time with the gel cleanser suitable for our skin type. Start at the neck and work your way up. After finishing the sequence, we add a few more steps. Start at the temples and move down to the corner of your nose, back up to the temples and down again to the chin. Repeat this twice, and then, using the ring and middle fingers, go over your forehead in zig-zag motions. Repeat with the other hand.
Take the clean cotton pads, wrap them around your 3rd and 4th finger and remove the cleanser.
Related post: Double cleansing – why is it so important?
Step two – toning
This step is short and sweet. We will apply the toner with fresh cotton pads in the same way (movement) we were doing our cleanse. Or, if you have a mist, you can spray it on. This step will ensure our skin is properly cleansed, refreshed, and ready for the next step.
Step three – preheat
By warming and softening the skin with heat, we make it easier to remove comedones and excess sebum from the pores. Be careful. Not every skin will tolerate the heat. If your skin is sensitive, skip this step.
Warm towels
Probably the easiest way to do this step. And very relaxing. Use a hand towel and fold it in half and half again. Then, soak one end of it in hot water. Roll it up from the wet end and squeeze the water around. Open the towel and fold it around your face, leaving the nostrils open to breathe. I recommend doing this in a lying position. It will be easier to keep the towel on your face, and also, it’s more relaxing.
Facial steamer
Alternatively, you can use a bowl of hot water or a small electrical steamer. I wrote more about both in this post. The type of skin will determine how long you should steam dor.
The rules are:
For young skin – 5-10 minutes
Dry or mature skin – about 5 minutes
For sensitive skin 3 – 5 minutes
For oily skin – about 10 minutes
Related post: Facial steaming – key facts you need to know
Step four – deep cleanse
Again, this step will depend on your skin type.
There are three types of exfoliators:
- physical
- chemical
- enzyme
Physical
It includes brush cleansing or exfoliators with beads or pits of fruit (like walnut shell powder). Honestly, I don’t recommend this for any skin type as it causes micro-tears on the skin’s surface.
AHA cleansers
AHAs are a group of acids derived from fruits, milk, nuts or sugar. They will help to loosen dead skin cells on the surface of the skin. And with that, they will improve the texture and condition of the skin. Also, they will reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
There are a few different AHAs. And which one you will use will depend on your skin type. I already have a post about acids on my blog. You can check it here for guidelines.
Alpha hydroxy acids are:
- lactic acid – from milk
- citric acid – oranges and lemons
- malic acid – apples
- tartaric acid – aged wine
- glycolic acid – sugar cane
Related post: 7 types of acids in skincare and which one to choose
Enzyme exfoliation
Exfoliation creams do the same job as AHAs – remove dead skin cells. That improves the absorption of other products. It also makes our skin look brighter and leaves it soft, smooth and clean.
Enzymes essentially ‘eat’ all the dead skin cells and leave our skin feeling soft and smooth.
You usually need to leave your skin damp and apply the product in small circular motions around the face. Start on your chest area and then move upwards, ending on your forehead.
Step five – massage
There is nothing more relaxing than a nice massage. Obviously, it would be more relaxing if someone else massaged your face, but as this is a DIY facial, we’ll do it ourselves.
Usually, there are three types of medium you can use (oil, cream or gel). I find the oil to be the best.
The most commonly used oils are:
- grapeseed
- apricot kernel
- almond
You can also use tools like gua sha or a roller, but I prefer using only my hands.
Rather than writing a step-by-step how-to-move your hands and massage, I will leave you a link to a good video I found.
After the massage, you can either rinse off extra oil or leave it on the skin to absorb completely.
Step six – masks
In this step, we can precisely target our skin concerns.
There are several different types of masks you can use. Those will depend on your skin.
Face masks types:
- clay masks
- natural masks
- commercial
- thermal
- peel-off
Clay masks
Clay masks are the most popular types of masks for oily skin types. But some can be very calming and soothing as well. We usually mix them with an active ingredient or distilled water.
Clay ingredients:
- calamine – sensitive skin (soothes inflamed skin, reduces redness)
- kaolin – oily, congested skin (deep cleanses, removes impurities)
- magnesium carbonate – young skin (refines skin with open pores)
- fuller’s earth – oily, congested skin (deep cleansing, removal of dead skin cells)
- flowers of sulphur – extremely oily skin (very strong drying effect)
Active ingredients:
- rosewater – mature, dry, sensitive skins (mildly toning)
- orange flower water – all skin types (mildly toning)
- witch hazel – oily skin (drying and stimulating)
- glycerine -dry and dehydrated skin (soothing and moisturising)
- almond oil – dry skin (stimulating and nourishing)
All of these ingredients are available in specialised hair and beauty stores. And they work out much cheaper than the regular face masks you buy in the drugstore. Based on the lists above, you can combine the ingredients to make your own, suitable for your skin type.
Apply the face mask with a mask brush from the neck upwards and leave for 8-10 minutes. You can remove it by slightly damping it first and then gently rinsing it off or remove it with wet cotton pads.
Natural masks
There are plenty of DIY face masks out there, so I won’t go into too much detail. I know some people are against putting food on their faces (or some are grossed out by it), but they can have a very positive effect on your skin.
Some of the most popular ingredients for face masks are:
- avocado – dry, mature or sensitive skin (very gentle on the skin, nourishing)
- egg white – oily skin (toning and refining)
- honey – all skin types ( removes impurities, lightens and hydrates)
- oatmeal – sensitive skin, all skin types (soothes the skin, removes dead skin cells)
- yoghurt – all skin types (good as a base for mask)
You can play around with the natural ingredients to find out which combination is the best for your skin type. You can leave them on the face for up to 20 minutes, depending on the skin’s reaction and then gently rinse them off.
Commercial face mask
Commercial masks are pretty straightforward. It always says what kind of skin type they are suitable for and how to use them.
Thermal masks
Thermal masks are also usually commercially available. They produce heat after being applied, which helps absorb face creams afterwards. They are usually suitable for all skin types except for sensitive skin. Also, they are very relaxing and nourishing for the skin.
Peel off masks
As the name suggests, they are peeled off the face, taking dead skin cells and surface dirt with them. Again, they are not suitable for sensitive skin types but are for all other ones.
Step seven – end of your perfect facial at home
To give your facial at home a perfect ending, you will need some nice skincare. We are looking for some gentle and nourishing products to lock in all the good work we did. I would recommend starting with lip balm and eye cream. Then, a face serum dedicated to your skin type. Finally, a moisturiser locks in all the moisture.
And that’s it. You’ve finished your facial at home. How do you feel? How does your skin feel?
Conclusion – Facial At Home
Giving yourself a facial at home can be a great experience. Dedicating a whole day to pamper yourself from head to toe can be even better. I know it might seem too complicated or too long, but for those (like me) that like to pamper themselves can be a great way to spend the day. Also, you don’t need fancy products or equipment. For example, you can use almond oil in your first cleanse, then as a massage oil and blend your face mask. Just a core few products and towels can do wonders for your skin. That is assuming you know your skin type. If you still don’t read my previous post on how to find out your skin type.
TL;DR
Seven steps of facial at home:
- double cleanse – in the first cleanse – remove/melt your makeup; in the second one, remove the dirt and melted makeup altogether
- toning – use cotton pads to apply your tonner or spray a face mist on
- preheat – use a warm wet towel or a steamer or place your head above a bowl with steaming water to prepare your skin for deep cleanse (avoid this step in case of sensitive skin!)
- deep cleanse – you can use a mechanical (brush or exfoliator with beads/fruit pits), chemical (AHA exfoliator) or enzyme exfoliator to remove dead skin cells and deeply cleanse your skin
- massage – using an oil (grapeseed, apricot kernel or almond), gently massage your face with your fingers for about 10 minutes
- mask – apply a mask suitable for your skin type, leave it for 110-20 minutes and rinse
- skincare – apply your favourite skincare to finish off your facial at home
