“At Home Facials” are facials that you can do in the comfort of your own home. But, it’s more than just smearing on a mask while you binge watch your favorite Netflix show. It’s more than just a mask. A proper at home facial is all about the preparation before the mask and the things you do after the mask. Below I will detail exactly what steps to do for a bomb dot com at home facial.
THE PREP
You are going to want to prep your skin first. Prepping is key to start off with a clean sleight and set a nice foundation for your products to penetrate your skin, thus, you reaping all the benefits that come with them.
First Cleanse: Remove all of your makeup with a non-comedogenic oil-based cleanser. In my opinion, this is the best way to remove makeup since oil is great at breaking down stubborn makeup. A reliable makeup solvent is crucial especially nowadays when pretty much all makeup is formulated to be longwearing or altogether waterproof. Secondly, oil attracts oil—the cleanser bonds with the makeup and pulls it off and away from your face and down the drain as it washes away. Easy peasy. No rubbing like crazy with makeup removing wipes and adding to the landfills. (Mother nature says thank you in advance by the way.)
Second Cleanse: After removing any makeup, cleanse your skin with an appropriate cleanser. Generally speaking, a gel cleanser is good for oily to normal skin types, and a creamy cleanser works well will skin types that are more on the dry side.
Exfoliate: I’ve got to say, exfoliation is KEY if you want your products to penetrate. There’s no way around it. Dead skin cells and excess oil build up onto the skin causing a barrier to form between your precious (and probably expensive) products you apply and the deeper layers of your skin—where you want most of your products to go. If they don’t reach the level they were intended to work at, there’s really no point anymore; you won’t reap the full anticipated benefits. You can exfoliate with a manual scrub (No St. Ive’s please! More on this later…) or with my favorite, a chemical exfoliant. A chemical exfoliate is formulated with acids such as, glycolic, lactic, and/or salicylic acids, so that it can break down the “glue” that holds the dead skin cells together. With the glue broken down, the dead cells are able to slough off and away from your face.
THE MASK
Now it’s time for what you’ve been waiting for. The mask! Pick a mask that best suits your skincare needs and goals. For example, if you skin is dry, apply a mask that is heavy, creamy, and moisturizing. If you are struggling with acne, apply a mask that is formulated for acne that is clay based. Leave it on for the directed amount of time and remove if necessary. NOTE: These are just examples; masks come in many formulations. Best is to read the packaging and ingredients to determine what is best for you or better yet, ask your esthetician—you can’t go wrong.)
NOURISHMENT
Now that your skin has been fully prepped, cleansed, exfoliated, and masked, your skin is better equipped to absorb anything you put on it. Your skin is asking for and ready to receive nourishment.
Tone: Apply a toner to return your skin to its optimal pH. Additionally, toner’s can also have beneficial ingredients that you want your skin to absorb to help keep the skin soft, supple, or degreased and break-out free.
Serum: While your skin is still damp from the toner, apply serums that are best for your skincare needs and goals in an upward motion. Serums are so important. They are the “worker bees” of your facial that help you specifically achieve your skincare goals by targeting specific concerns and correcting them. Serums are potent formulations that are able to penetrate deeper into the skin than a moisturizer. If you think about it, besides the toner and possibly a sheet mask, the serum step is the first step we do not wash off. This is because serums are meant to stay on your skin; great serums let you reap their intended benefits all day!
Moisturizer: Apply a moisturizer that targets your skin’s needs. Yes, even if you are oily you STILL need to apply a moisturizer—just one that is made for oily skin. Moisturizers seal the deal. They seal in all of your hard work and powerful ingredients you just applied. They create a barrier between your precious skin and the harsh environment (i.e. harmful solar rays, drying air, pollution, free radicals etc.)
PROTECT
Immediately following, apply an SPF of at least 30 if it is still light outside, regardless of the weather or season. It’s an all too common misconception that SPF is only necessary during the summer and not necessary when it is cloudy or raining. Harmful solar rays are still very strong on cloudy or rainy days and pose a threat throughout all of the seasons. It’s best to get into the habit of apply SPF daily in the morning.
Voila! Your “At Home Facial” is complete! “At Home Facials” can be done once a week, so long as you are not receiving a professional facial that week. Enjoy your beautiful skin and live beautifully!
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