6 Step Facial At Home

Getting a facial doesn’t have to mean shelling out hundreds of dollars at a spa. There are plenty of easy, affordable, and ultra pampering facial routines you can do from the comfort of your home! These at-home spa treatments use a range of plant-based ingredients and self-care tactics, to leave you radiant and refreshed. Here we’ve put together a basic outline for a DIY facial that you can use at home, on vacation, or even on an overnight work trip.

The basic outline is flexible, and leaves room for improvisation. And if you have a favorite scent, try adding an aromatherapy boost to the experience: lavender oil if you are in need of a soothing or anti-anxiety tonic, peppermint oil for enhanced energy levels and heightened focus and clarity. Play with these tips to find the self facial that works best for your unique skin type.

Deep Cleanse

The first step to anyone looking to give themselves a self facial is to remove debri and toxins from the pores. This means removing the day’s makeup, oily residue, and anything else that will block the absorption of future product applications. In other words, a deep cleanse is where you need to begin your self facial journey! For an ultra purifying clean, try using a silicone facial brush to simultaneously cleanse your dermis and remove debris from your pores, making them appear smaller and tighter. A facial brush will effectively stimulate circulation in your face, resulting in your skin having sufficient blood flow, meaning more vibrancy and reduced puffiness. In addition to functioning as a cleansing tool, the brush also works to gently exfoliate your skin, enhancing skin cell turnover, and resulting in a more even texture and smooth appearance.

Steam

Steaming your pores is totally possible, even if you don’t have a facial steaming kit – all you need is an environment that has ultra high humidity. Luckily we all have an area that fits the bill in our homes: the bathroom! Try running a comfortably hot shower or bath with the door closed. Let the mirror and window fog up, so the room becomes ultra steamy. If you place yourself a steamy environment post cleanse, the heat will help your pores open and absorb the H20 in the air. Open pores are highly receptive to product absorption, so this is an important step to take before applying any active ingredients later on.

PRO TIP: This is a great time to diffuse an essential oil into the air with skin nourishing benefits, such as lemon oil, which will enhance skin clarity and freshness.

Facial Massage

Giving yourself a facial massage is an easy and ultra pampering step that you can take in your self facial. It’s a great way to stimulate the muscles in your face as well as your lymphatic system, resulting in drainage of fluid and a more even skin appearance. Plus facial massage is a great delivery mechanism for blending a nourishing face oil into the skin. After steaming and opening your pores in the hot shower, perform a facial massage with one of our favorite choices: rosehip oil. This oil penetrates into the deepest layers of skin with nourishing fatty acids and high levels of vitamin C, known to heal scar tissue and fade discoloration. Blend the oil into the skin with firm facial massage strokes and taps.

Serum

So far, the previous steps have prepped your pores for maximum absorption. The combination of cleansing, steaming and massaging will have resulted in pores that are effectively able to synthesize any active ingredients applied. That means applying serum at this point is a way to make your products work harder. Serum is a relatively broad skincare category, that refers to any concentrated product that contains small enough molecules to penetrate deeply into the pores. Serums can be full of moisturizing ingredients like ceramides and collagens, but can equally contain clarifying ingredients like tea-tree oil and witch hazel. Our Vine Therapy Serum is a Puristy fave, thanks to its high concentration of antioxidants (from grape seed extract) and anti-aging benefits (derived from algae).

Warm Towel Treatment

After applying your serum, one way to crank up the relaxation factor while simultaneously reducing the risk of any product evaporating off your face, is to cover skin with a warm, wet towel. After doing so, we recommend that you relax with it covered for 5 to 10 minutes. This will ensure that your serum locks into your pores, and will make your skin ultra soft. It’s a deeply relaxing final step that will loosen any lingering dead skin cells or dirt, and prepare you for moisturizing. You may wipe skin very gently when finished, taking care not to remove your previous products.

Moisturizer and Eye Cream

The final step to a self facial is the application of moisturizer and eye cream, to lock in any previous products and fortify your skin lipid barrier. This helps to prevent new toxins and pollutants from entering into your pores. Remember that the previous steps have amped up the water in your dermis, thereby correcting any skin dehydration, but moisturizer doesn’t have to do with H20. It’s all about regaining healthy oil levels in your face. Choose a moisturizer and eye cream with ingredients like jojoba oil, a lipid with a chemical composition and consistency similar to the skin’s natural sebum, resulting in balanced oil production and a strong and healthy lipid layer.

Play around with these steps and swap in any ingredients or aromatherapy boosts that you want. Aim for a self facial once every two weeks (once a week if you can cram it in), and you’ll see heightened radiance and moisture levels in your skin over time.