Dermatologist’s DIY Home Facial

Are you in the mood for a spa escape but can’t manage the time or expense right now? There is something you can do. Knowing the key steps in professional spa treatments can help you get great spa-like results at home.

As a dermatologist, I know why spa treatments work. 

This is the second part of my DIY At-home Spa Skin Treatment series.  Part 1 set the stage with a hydrating and exfoliating soaking tub treatment for your body:

DIY Exfoliating and Deeply Hydrating Body Treatment – Taking the Waters

By adding a mini-facial to your hydrating and exfoliating body treatment, your facial skin can get some spa TLC too.  Here’s how…

First, draw your bath and prepare your space as I mentioned in the first post of this series.

Gather what you’ll need for your facial and bring those items to your tub.  You’ll want to have:

• A Clarisonic Skin Cleansing Brush, an exfoliating Facial Buf Puf Sponge or Replenix Scrub
• Your favorite facial cleanser such as Toleriane Cleanser or Glytone Mild Gel Wash
• A clay mask product
• Thinly sliced and chilled cucumber slices or moistened and chilled green or black tea bags for your eyes
• Therapeutic products to soak into your super-clean skin such as Replenix CF Cream with ultra high concentration green tea antioxidants or CRS  Serum with liposome encapsulated vitamin C and growth factor TGF beta
• Your favorite facial moisturizing cream such as one of the Glycolix Face Creams
• A richly hydrating lip balm such as Ceralip

The DIY Petite-Facial

Step 1:  Deep Facial Skin Cleansing

While you’re soaking and hydrating in your aromatherapy-infused tub, you can pamper your face too.  The rising steam from the tub, infused with lavender, is similar to the steam skin treatment that’s part of a professional facial, so you’re partway to a facial just being in the tub!  The steam softens and prepares you skin for deep cleansing, which I like to combine with gentle exfoliation.

Cleanse and exfoliate your facial skin with a Clarisonic Brush (if you have one), a Facial Buf Buf Sponge and your favorite facial cleanser, or an exfoliating scrub like Replenix Scrub.  Rinse your skin well.

Step 2:  Facial Clay Mask.

Next, apply your clay mask.  You may already have one in your bathroom cabinet.  If not, there are many good masks available online, at your drug store, or at a beauty supply store.  Why the clay mask?  You should use the mask because the clay helps soften your skin and will draw out oils from your pores.  Pores always look tighter after a clay mask and your skin will have a healthy, clean sheen that says “spa day.”

While your clay mask soaks down into your pores, treat your delicate under-eye skin by applying cucumber slices (thinly slice a cucumber and pre-soak the slices in ice water for 5 minutes) or chilled green or black tea bags (steep them briefly in boiling water then chill on ice).  Lay back in the tub, breath in the lavender-infused steam, and let the clay soak deeply into your pores while your eye treatment works a little magic reducing puffiness around your eyes.  Follow the instructions on your clay mask, then rinse well.

Step 3.  Therapeutic Cream or Serum and Moisturizing

Deeply cleaned and exfoliated skin is “open” and ready to take in the goodness of antioxidants or vitamin C.  When you are ready to step out of the tub, towel off and first apply your therapeutic facial skin care products. For example, after a facial, my skin loves Replenix CF Cream, which calms and soothes, followed by CRS.  I let that soak in while I apply my Glytone Body Lotion. I then apply Glycolix Fortified Cream or pure jojoba oil to my face.  If you have oily or acne-prone skin, finish with an oil-free moisturizer like Glycolix Ultra Lite Face Cream.  Don’t forget your lips: apply a richly hydrating lip balm such as my favorite healing lip balm Ceralip.

Ahhh… tight pores, glowing exfoliated and deeply hydrated happy skin,

Stress washed away ….

And, you can do it anytime you want, no appointment or big cash outlay necessary. 

Enjoy!

Photo:  Thanks and Gratitude to Dennis Wong and Luz A Villa