A good facial works with your skin type, your health and any concerns you have. You do not need a salon or a cupboard full of products to get many of the benefits at home. Advanced clinical facials are carried out in person. A simple at-home version, though, is a fuss-free way to keep your skin healthy, smooth and glowing between professional treatments. Here is a low-maintenance routine you can put together in under an hour, often with ingredients from your kitchen. Avoid the delicate eye area throughout, apart from the first cleansing step.
Step 1: Cleanse and Remove Makeup
Start by removing all makeup and grease with a gentle cleanser and cotton pads. A micellar water works well, since it cleanses and lifts makeup in one step and is usually gentle enough for the eye area. To make your own cleansing oil, mix lukewarm water with a little olive, castor or argan oil at roughly nine parts water to one part oil. Shake it in a clean bottle, then apply with a cotton pad. You can swap in oils like jojoba, or replace the water with rosewater. You can also massage the oil straight onto the skin and wipe it away with cotton pads soaked in lukewarm water.
Step 2: Steam to Open the Pores
Fill a bowl with hot water and lean over it with a towel over your head, taking care not to get too close. If you are short on time, a warm shower does the same job while you multitask. Five to ten minutes is plenty.
Step 3: Exfoliate
A gentle exfoliant lifts away dead skin and preps the surface, and you only need a minute or two. To make your own, mix fine raw sugar with a little olive, argan or jojoba oil into a paste, massage it on, then rinse. For sensitive or acne-prone skin, mix finely ground oatmeal with honey and yoghurt instead. Once a month, you can swap this step for one of our homemade peel recipes.
Step 4: Apply a Mask
Choose a mask to suit your skin type and concerns. Clay masks help clear pores and calm inflammation in acne-prone skin. Sensitive skin does better with a gentler cleansing mask, whilst dry skin benefits from a rich, rehydrating one. To make your own, beat an egg yolk with a little olive oil for dry skin. For oily, acne-prone skin and larger pores, use egg white with a squeeze of lemon instead. Mashed banana with a spoon of honey suits all skin types. Half a mashed avocado with a teaspoon of olive oil suits dry skin, whilst yoghurt with blueberries works well for oily or acne-prone skin. Leave the mask on for around fifteen minutes, then rinse off with lukewarm water.
Step 5: Tone and Moisturise
Finish by toning and moisturising. Toning tightens the look of the pores, and you can use a dedicated toner or let your micellar water double up. Moisturising keeps the skin hydrated, and massaging it in stimulates blood flow, so choose something that suits your skin type. There is no need for expensive products. To make your own, witch hazel works as a toner for oily skin and almond oil suits dry skin. A face oil like argan or jojoba moisturises most skin types. Avocado oil is best for dry skin and sweet almond oil works well for oily skin.
That is all there is to a bespoke facial at home. It takes less than an hour and only a handful of products, many of which you may already have in your kitchen. Once a week is ideal, or every other week if you are short on time. Whatever you do, keep moisturising regularly and wearing sunscreen, since daily protection does more for your skin than any single treatment.
At City Skin Clinic, we are passionate about personalised skincare. Through our online clinic, our doctors create bespoke prescription-strength treatments using ingredients like tretinoin and hydroquinone where appropriate. We treat concerns including acne, hyperpigmentation, melasma and skin ageing. To start your personalised plan, book a video consultation or use our online consultation form. The journey towards great skin and hair starts here.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult a qualified medical provider for any medical concerns or questions you might have.
