How To Give Yourself 20 At-Home Facials For The Price Of 1 Pro-Treatment
by Marissa Pomerance
A truly effective professional facial should lift and tone and exfoliate and moisturize. But mostly, it should clean. Like, deeply clean. Like, extract-every-last-drop-of-oil-and-dirt-and-bacteria-trapped-in-your-pores clean.
But sometimes you just can’t wait to see a professional to get all that gunk out. Other times you’re trapped in a self-quarantine which may or may not be an overreaction but feels like the only rational thing to do, which is why learning to give yourself an at-home facial is a skill that any adult with skin would benefit from. Plus self-care, etc etc.
And yes, we know there are a lot of steps below and does anyone have time for this? But think of it this way; every extra minute that each step requires is an extra minute you can try to steal for yourself. And your sanity.
Step 1: Remove Make-Up
Usually, removing make-up is a process done (when it’s done at all) as quickly and joylessly as possible. But using the right product—namely, the Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm—has the potential to make this typically utilitarian exercise into something you might actively enjoy doing.
This cleansing balm will definitely remove your make-up; but, more importantly, it smells so heavenly that you won’t really care what it does. It’s so pleasant and transformative, it might just restore your sanity right then and there.
Step 2: Cleanse
Here’s where you take the time to double cleanse, because Korean beauty tells us to. Though not as transformative as the cleansing balm, a refreshing cleanser will rid your skin of all that BS you encountered today. But don’t rinse off that cleanser just yet, because you’ll need it for this next step:
Step 3: Try This At-Home “Extraction” Hack
This is THE key to an at-home facial. But first, we can’t tell you to do extractions on yourself unless we want angry comments from every derm on the planet. However, we also understand that a very real draw of professional facials are extractions; we’re willing to part with hundreds of dollars just to get a certified expert to pick at our skin until there’s nothing left in our pores.
So while we can’t tell you, an untrained novice, to pick at your skin yourself (unless you want to risk scarring and hyperpigmentation), we’ve developed a safe, easy hack for getting all the gunk out. Enter: this handy silicone scrubber, which gently but deeply cleanses your pores and exfoliates. All it takes is a hearty (but gentle) rub all over the face while you’re still cleansing.
Since it costs $3 and takes 10 seconds, creating an at-home facial around this one, simple tool is really just practical and efficient. And did we mention it also feels so amazing that using it might trigger such deep relaxation, you’ll enter a meditative state?
Step 4: Ice Roll Your Face
Yes, ice roll. Since you just “extracted” your pores, rolling a cool, smooth device all over face will not only help fight any redness, but will also continue your necessary, meditative state of relaxation. This one costs $14 on Amazon; store it in your freezer, and after cleansing, roll it all over your clean face.
It can also help relieve the inevitable headache triggered by the current news cycle, or TMJ pain from grinding your teeth at night out of sheer anxiety.
So really, you’re ice rolling for mental health, not just for puffy skin.
Step 5: Apply A Resurfacing Mask
Most women fall into two categories; those who already own 80,000 masks, and those who’ve never even thought to try one. No matter what kind of woman you are, you will love the Resurfacing Moisture Mask by True Botanicals because everyone loves skin that’s bright, plump, and hydrated. It only takes 5 minutes to work its magic, but why not keep it on for 10, 20, 30 minutes, or as long as it takes for you to feel sane again?
In fact, you should put it on, lay down, and force yourself to watch a few episodes of Friends—it’s what the mask requires, and you’re just faithfully following directions.
Step 6: Apply Favorite PM Oil And Massage
Once you’ve removed your mask, you should apply a facial oil to hydrate. We highly recommend this no-frills, 100% Squalane Oil from Biossance.
After generously layering it on your skin, give yourself a well-deserved facial massage using “upwards” strokes (but also use any strokes you want because who really cares if they’re “upwards?”). Facial massage is great for not only fine lines and wrinkles, but also relaxes muscle tension and aids in lymphatic drainage.
You know what? While you’re at it, you might as well massage your neck. And temples. And scalp. Of course of course; you’re doing this because your mental health demands it, not simply out of enjoyment.
Step 7: Apply An Overnight Hydrating Mask
Applying an overnight mask over the oil left on your skin will seal in all that hard work, and hopefully, all of your freshly-discovered relaxation. The most transformative fall-asleep-and-wake-up-with-the-skin-of-an-infant product we’ve ever tried is Summer Friday’s Jet Lag mask - yes, this cult mask absolutely does what it says it will do. And then some.
Bonus Step:
You just executed a 7-step action plan to perfection. But if you’re an overachiever, treat your lips to an overnight lip mask. Why shouldn’t they feel as amazingly plump and hydrated as the rest of your face?
Similarly, if you’re in the mood, you can finish up the aforementioned massage on the rest of your body using the best drugstore body lotion on planet earth, or any other planet. Because you already started this whole, time-consuming process, so you might as well finish it.
Also, light a candle. Are candles self-care clichés? Yes. Does a candle communicate to your roommate or partner or kids that this is YOUR time, not theirs, and they can kindly leave you the fuck alone? Also yes. So here’s an excuse to finally use one of the 12 candles clogging up your bathroom shelf. The only candle that clogs our shelves is the Maison Louis Marie: No 4 Bois de Balincourt Candle, because it is The Best smelling candle we’ve ever smelled.
We know, all together, that these products aren’t cheap. But you’ll be able to use each of them at least 20 times, if not 50-100. So you’re getting weeks, if not years, of full, effective at-home facials for essentially the cost of one professional treatment. And what’s better for your mental health than saving both time and money?
Marissa Pomerance is the Managing Editor of The Candidly. She’s a Los Angeles native and lover of all things food, style, beauty, and wellness. You can find more of her articles here.
