As a woman, I say it is a must to be pampered once in a while all the time!
Don’t know about you, but manicures, massages and facials for me are in the ‘once in a while’ category – it’s far too pricy if I go regularly. Well, no one said you can’t get great skin at home – so why not try a DIY facial in the comfort of your own home? Here’s how.
What you’ll need:
- A headband to keep your hair away from your face
- A gentle cleanser
- An exfoliating scrub
- A bowl of just-boiled water
- A fridge nearby!
- A cleansing mask
- A light moisturizer
- A clean towel
- Facial Tissues
The very first tip of your at-home facial: RELAX.
This is your time to enjoy and pamper yourself. Do your at-home facial on a day where you are alone and will have no distractions. Hide your cellphone and remove yourself from the world and its stresses for a while.
What to do:
1. First things first, pull your hair away from your face (I also put it in a low bun) and put your headband on, making sure there is absolutely no hair near your face. Trust me, this makes everything much easier – you wouldn’t want to be fussing over your hair this whole time!
2. Start by cleansing your skin to remove all dirt and makeup. Take a squirt of cleanser in your palm, dap two fingers in it, and pat it in these areas: chin, nose, cheeks and forehead. From those points, rub the cleanser in circular motions all ober your face, concentrating on those parts. Rinse your face with luke warm water and pat your skin until it’s not wet, but damp.
3. Next, smooth your exfoliating scrub all over your face. And most of all – enjoy it! I always love how the grains feel on my skin. Massage your skin with the scrub in gentle circular motions. Remember to keep it gentle – too rough and your skin will become very irritated, breakout, and peel off. Then rinse your skin.
4. Warning: Be very careful when you do this next step. In fact, make sure there is someone with you. Take a bowl of hot water on a secure table, away from you. Hold your face away at least 30cm (about a foot) away from the water, above the steam. Put your towel above your head and hold it over the bowl, creating a “tent” over the bowl. This will allow the steam to go straight to your face, and really go into your pores, instead of the whole ‘open your pores’ stuff you hear (remember, pores can’t open or close) so that the next step will go deeper down into the skin! Stay there for about 3 minutes. After that, carefully pour away the water (or get someone to do it for you) so that no accidents happen. While you’re cleaning up the bowl, take your moisturizer and pop it in the fridge – you’ll see why later!
5. Now it’s time for your deep cleansing mask. Your skin should now feel warm, clean and ready to “suck” it all the product. Apply your face mask in a thin layer all over your face, and leave it on for as long as the label says to leave it on – some masks take longer, some shorter.
6. Relax! Lie on the bed and start day dreaming – this is your pampering time. :) Once your time’s up, rinse the mask off. Make sure to get every trace of the mask off. If you want, use a small drop of cleanser to help get rid of the mask. Rinse well and pat your skin dry with some facial tissues.
7. Now it’s time for my favorite bit. Take out your moisturizer that you’ve left in the fridge, and apply it. Isn’t it heavenly?! The cool product will absorb into your warm skin. Massage gently and enjoy the tingling feeling.
Extra Tips
After your facial, it would be even better to try avoiding makeup for at least a few hours, if not the whole day – try to do this facial on a day you’ll be staying in. Here are some tips for making your facial even better in your ‘relaxing’ room, where you are waiting for your mask to work:
- Play soft, relaxing music
- Close the shades or curtains – it’s always so much cozier when your surroundings are dimly light
- Wear thick, comfy clothes – how about a thick robe?
- Lie in your bed! What’s more comfortable than that?!
- Lie still. Keep your body straight
- Concentrate on breathing deeply and slowly
And that’s all you need for a relaxing at-home facial and pampering session. Remember the first rule of your at-home facial? Enjoy yourself – relax, woman! No thoughts about what’s going on in your life allowed – this is your time. Do you do at-home facials? Let me if you have any tips on how to make your facial even better, I’d love to hear! :)
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
i do this at home, although some of the steps are inverted, like i exfoliate my face after the steam session…but anyway, to save on gas/electricity in boiling water, i sometimes boil a lot and use the rest for a foot spa while waiting for say, a clay mask to dry up. i also try to soak my hair in some hot oil or hair mask and shower cap while steaming my face. so that after everything is done, i’ve pampered almost evey bit of me! :)
Sunmom, that’s a great idea on saving water. I’ve never tried a foot spa before, you’ll have to tell me how you do it!
I too sometimes do a deep conditioning treatment on my hair at the same time and then get in the shower, and when I come out every bit of me is all “clean” and fresh haha. :-P
i used to do that alllll the time when I was in school. But I use natural oat as scrub after steaming. I used some hot water, mixed it with the oat. Spread it across the face and leave it in for a while before scrubbing it off.
I also used paper mask instead of wet mask.
Janis, are paper masks good? I once tried one at a facial but there were so many other stuff going on I couldn’t tell if a paper mask is better than a normal wet one!
the way i do my foot spa is i put a foot soak on a tub and add warm water to it…at times when i don’t have a foot soak, i try to work with any lathering and moisturizing wash…you can also add a tea bag for an added deodorizing/disinfecting effect…keep it soaked for at 10-20 minutes (over-calloused feet may take a longer time, hehe!) and then rinse. gently buff soles with pumice after rinsing and you’ll see that dry skin/callouses are easily removed. apply foot scrub and scrub away. rinse and follow with foot moisturizer. this is also the best time for a pedi! i try to do this in the bathroom because i’d like to rinse one foot at a time so that the callouses are softer before buffing and easier to remove. :)
Ooh, thanks Sunmon for the tips! I remember now that in pedicures they normally do this for you beforehand. I’ll have to try an at-home one though, it would be fun! :)
Great tips Renee.. You just save me from creating a hole in my wallet. :) Thank you. By the way, do you recommend queen helene mint julep mask for home facial?
Thanks, Rachel! (By the way I love your avatar.)
I’m really glad to hear you found my article useful! I’m afraid I can’t tell you about the mask though, I have not tried it myself (I must admit I’ve never heard of that brand, either. Oops!)
I do know that a really great mask is Clinique’s 15 minute turnaround mask (something like that! haha), I haven’t used it myself, by my friends all swear by it. Another good one that is raved about by all magazines is Kose’s Mask White. Eeek…I’m sorry, I don’t know much about masks for now, but those are the two I know about. I also know clay masks are recommended, especially for deep cleansing. Hope I helped a little! :D
I’m glad to hear that you like my avatar. :) Many thanks for your prompt reply, Renee. I always find your posts helpful. Especially those hair-related articles like (coconut oil tip, Pentene 3 minutes miracle, how to deep condition your hair the right way and many more!!!)
I’ve been using Queen Helene mask for quite a while and I must say it works for my combination skin. The mask’s texture is pretty much like Clay mask with minty fragrance. I just love how the texture glides smoothly on my skin :)
I’ve heard a lot about Clinique mask from makeupalley.com and other youtube gurus. I’ve not tried it myself either. :D Thanks for your recommendation on great stuff. You helped me heaps!
Much love from M’sia,
Rach xoxo
Aw, great Rachel – I’m glad to help! I’ll be having more hair stuff so look out for it :D
That’s great you found a mask that you like! I still haven’t heard of the brand and doubt they sell it here, there’s hardly anything here! :(
As for Clinique, go to a counter and ask for a sample first. I know Clinique is known for their samples!