A spa facial is a pampering experience, but not everyone has the time or money to treat themselves. Beyond the relaxation, facials have far-reaching benefits for the skin and they can be customized to meet its needs of at any given time, whether lines need smoothing, acne needs clearing or radiance needs boosting. But you don’t need a professional for an effective facial: with the right products and proper technique, you can make every night a spa night!
Step 1: Cleanse
The first step in any facial is always cleansing—in fact, double-cleansing is commonplace. Start with an oil-based or balm cleanser to remove makeup, dirt and debris, then follow with a gel cleanser to make sure every last trace is gone and give the skin a dose of hydration.
Step 2: Exfoliate
Now that your skin is squeaky clean, it’s time to target those dead skin cells that might still be sticking around. Depending on your skin type and preference, you can use a scrub to physically remove cell buildup or a product with enzymes or acids to gently melt them away.
Step 3: Mask
This DIY facial step that should target your most pressing skin concerns at that moment. To make this possible on a whim, start building a mask wardrobe that includes options for hydrating, soothing and detoxifying. You can use one mask on one area of your face (say, clogged pores in the T-zone) and another elsewhere (like dry skin on your cheeks), and if you have the time, feel free to double up and perform back-to-back masks.
Step 4: Treat
Similar to how you select your mask based on the current state of your skin, the same goes for the serum(s) you’ll use to treat your skin. And this is a great time during your facial to take care of some other business. Add a bit more product than you’d use on a daily basis and keep yourself busy while it absorbs by treating your feet to a smoothing session or applying self-tanner.
Step 5: Moisturize
Now that your skin is as soft as a baby’s bottom, keep it that way with a nice helping of moisturizer. Like icing on a cake, this final step gives your skin another dose of nourishing ingredients, extra radiance and an bonus shot of plumpness that will have people asking, “Did you just get back from the spa?”
Leave a Reply