At home facial- How To

Home Facials

I dont know any woman who doesnt love the way her skin looks and feels after a facial. Sadly the reality is many of us dont have the spare money for a facial, therefore reserve them for a special treat or it doesnt even cross our minds!

So the only alternatives we have are

a)   Hope a family member becomes a beauty therapist and gives you free or mates rates facials

b)   Marry a really rich guy(kidding ladies!)

c)   Do an at home facial

In my case an at home facial is the option I choose!

They are pretty simple to do and your skin looks healthier,smoother and rejuvinated afterwards.

Choose a time of day when you are most likely to be relaxed,when its quiet and your less likely to be disturbed(probably when the kids are in bed)

This a very basic at home facial

For an at home facial you will need

-Washcloth

-Cleanser

-Hot water

-Exfoliant

-Facial Mask

-Toner(optional)

-Moisturiser

- Eye cream(optional)

Step One- First we need to clean the skin to get rid of any dirt or grime.

Using your usual cleanser(for help on finding a cleanser that is right for you here is a link to an earlier post of mine http://simplystunninglygorgeous.blogspot.com/2010/09/technically-day-3-of-7-days-to.html) cleanse your skin thourougly and rinse off using luke warm water. Ensure you thoroughly rinse off your cleanser

Step Two- Take a gentle exfoliant (for more info on exfoliants check out http://simplystunninglygorgeous.blogspot.com/2010/09/welcome-to-day-2-of-7-days-to-beautiful.html)  and use your fingertips to gently massage the product into your  damp face using gentle circular motions,focus more on your problems areas(for me it would be my forehead and nose where I get alot of blackheads). Ensure you thoroughly rinse off your exfoliant.

Step Three- Fill your bathroom basin with warm water ,dip the washcloth in and press against your face,repeat 2-3 times.

Alternatively you can fill a bowl with boiled water,place a towel over your head and put your face over the bowl(not too close!) for 2-5 mins,this is ideal if your chosen facial mask is clay based or fomulated to get rid of blackheads!

Step Four- Apply your chosen face mask. If you have time,set a timer for however long the mask is required to stay on and lie down,play some relaxing music(which you hopefully sorted out before you started) and lie down,close your eyes and relax)

Once the time is up,rinse the mask off,if needed use a soft cloth(I reccommend muslin as it is gentle and as we have already exfoliated a wash cloth/flannel will only aggravate the skin)

Step 5-Now you can apply toner or skip straight to eye cream. Using your  ring finger gently(and I mean GENTLY!) massage the eye cream around the entire eye area

Step 6- Now is time to moisturise.Use a very basic moituriser. Stay away from anything containing retinols or acids as these with over exfoliate the skin.Start from your neck and use a gentle, upwards sweeping motion.Avoid the eye area

Voila! You have just completed your easy peasy at home facial!

Below are some facial masks you can make at home!

Suitable for all skin types

Oatmeal and Yoghurt face mask(smells bad but really works!)

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp oatmeal, finely ground
• 1 tbsp live, organic yogurt (skip the flavored stuff)
• A few drops of honey

Preparation:

Add the yogurt to the oatmeal in a small bowl and mix together.

Warm a few drop of honey. To do this, warm a spoon under hot water for a minute, then add a few drops of honey to the spoon.

Stir the honey into the yogurt and oatmeal mixture.

Apply the mask to the face. Leave it on for 10 minutes, then rinse off with warm water

Home Made Clay mask

Ingredients:

·         A basic fuller's earth clay, also known as bentonite or green clay (if skin is sensitive, French green clay is a good option)

·         1 tsp honey

·         water (oily skin), half and half (combination skin) or jojoba oil (dry skin)

·         Optional: your favorite essential oil

Preparation:

For this use 2 parts liquid to 1 part clay

Choose your liquid based on your skin type. If you have oily skin, choose water. Combination skin, choose milk or half and half and if you have dry skin, opt for jojoba oil.

Mix in a bit of honey.

Add more liquid if clay is too dry.

Add a few drops of the essential oil (this step is optional).

Keep mask on for 15 minutes.

Rinse off with a steaming washcloth (I like to steam my washcloths with a couple drops of the essential oils in the microwave, but make sure washcloth is not too hot).

I personally have not tried this mask but have heard great things about it

Suitable for oily skin

Banana Mask

Ingredients:

• 1 banana, preferably ripe (you can keep ripe bananas in the freezer. Let it thaw before using)
• 1 tbsp honey
• Few drops of Lemon Juice(optional)

Preparation:

Mash the banana and mix with honey.

Add lemon juice

Apply to face for 15 minutes before rinsing

Suitable for dry skin

Avocado Face mask

Ingredients:

• ½ avocado
• ¼ cup honey

Preparation:

A classic recipe for dry skin. Mash the avocado in a bowl, then stir in honey.
Apply to skin and leave for 10 minutes.
Rinse face with a cool washcloth.