Home facials are fun and easy to do. In most cases the ingredients are in your kitchen and the rest can be easily found in drug stores or in health food stores. Follow the skin care tips and pamper your self with these do-it-yourself recipes for beautiful and healthy results.

Step 1 - Cleansing

Remove all makeup from your face. Place a hot washcloth or towel (not too hot) over your face to help open your follicles and allow for a deeper cleaning. This also helps to soften dead skin cells making it easier to wash them away. Leave the cloth on for a few minutes. Using your favorite cleanser or one of our soaps, gently cleanse your face. Don’t scrub as you don’t want to irritate the skin. If you have them, use cotton cleansing pads instead of a washcloth.

Step 2 - Steaming

Steaming your skin helps to further open follicles, increase blood circulation to the skin, and soften it. It is also believed to help pores eliminate toxins. Place one Facial Tea bag in a bowl and add boiling water. Let it steep and cool for a few minutes. You can also use just plain water. Lean over the bowl and drape a towel over your head. Make sure to keep your face at least 15-24 inches away from the water. If you have sensitive skin or enlarged pores, keep further away. Remain under the towel for a few minutes, up to 5.

Step 3 - Toning

Applying a toner or astringent helps to clear the skin of soap film, any remaining dead skin cells, and mask residue. Do not use an alcohol based toner as it will dry out your skin. Aloe vera makes a good toner as does witch hazel. Use an herbal toner with a witch hazel base or make your own (see recipe below). Use cotton balls to apply the toner and wipe the face in upward and outward strokes.

* Store in refrigerator for best results and use within 3 weeks.

Step 4 - Moisturize

Moisturize your skin using Aromatic Facial Oil, which contains a host of soothing ingredients to add moisture and nutrients to your skin. For dry skin: apply olive oil or sweet almond oil. To seal in the moisture, be sure to apply the oil while skin remains damp from applying the toner. Gently apply the oil to your face and neck using patting motions. For oily areas of skin, one application of oil should suffice. Apply twice to dry areas of skin, waiting about 2-3 minutes between applications, and being sure to moisten the skin slightly with water or toner before the second application.

Aromatic Facial Oil

• 3 tablespoons jojoba oil
• 3 tablespoons rose hips seed oil (or 3 tbsp. hazelnut oil for oily skin)
• 2 drops rose essential oil
• 3 drops lavender essential oil
• 2 drops geranium essential oil
• 2 drops palmarosa essential oil

1. In a glass bowl or dish, combine oils with essential oils.
2. Stir with a clean pop sickle stick or plastic utensil to combine.
3. Pour into a clean bottle, preferably one with a medicine dropper so you can apply the oil using the dropper.
4. After cleansing and toning, and while skin remains a bit damp, apply a bit of the moisturizer using gentle patting motions.
5. Do not rub the oil into the skin. Instead, just gently pat it onto the skin and it will absorb readily within a few minutes.

Steps 5 and 6 Exfolitation and Masking

On occasion, you may wish to add a gentle exfoliation and mask to your treatment. You can try the recipes here, or make up your own using ingredients you have in your own kitchen. Persons with oily skin may find exfoliation beneficial once or twice a week, while people with dry skin may wish to exfoliate only once a month.

Oats & Aloe Exfoliant

• 1 tablespoon finely ground oats
• 1 tablespoon finely ground almonds
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon aloe vera gel

1. Combine ingredients in a bowl and stir until well mixed.
2. Apply to face and neck skin after cleansing and before toner is applied, using gentle circular motions.
3. Rinse well with warm water and gently pat excess moisture from face.
4. Follow with a facial mask.

Creamy Facial Mask

• 2 tablespoons white clay (I recommend and use kaolin)
• 3 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon rose hydrosol

1. Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and stir until a paste-like consistency is achieved.
2. If mixture is too runny, add a bit more clay and stir.
3. If mixture is not smooth enough, add a bit more hydrosol.
4. Spread over clean face as the step immediately preceding application of facial toner, avoiding eye area and lips.
5. Rest for 10-15 minutes then rinse with warm, water and pat excess water from face.

Valerie Gladstone:

People have been misled into thinking “natural” indicates good and safe and that preservatives are always bad. In fact, there are many “natural” poisons and preservatives in cosmetics that actually make them safer to use. That doesn’t mean someone with sensitive skin might not have a bad reaction to the preservatives in a cosmetic. But generally preservatives kill or at least inhibit the bacteria, mold, viruses, and other nasty things that might otherwise thrive in our cosmetics. Commercial preparations usually contain some preservative to make these products safe for use. The only downside of these mixes is that they don’t keep. Leave all these masks on your face 15 to 20 minutes, then rinse off.

For Dry Skin - Combine

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon plain yogurt

For Oily Skin - Combine

• Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4-cup ground oatmeal
• 1 Tablespoon yogurt

For Normal Skin - Combine

• equal parts honey and natural plain yogurt

Exfoliating Masks

Facial Masks - There are clay, food, herbal, and gel masks. Here are a few simple recipes.

Dry Skin Honey Mask

• 1 tsp. honey
• 1 tsp. aloe vera gel (you can get this at any pharmacy or health food store)
• 1 vitamin E capsule

Mix together honey and aloe gel.
Slit open vitamin E capsule and squeeze out contents into mixture and stir in. Spread on face making sure to avoid getting too close to your eyes.

1. Leave on for 10-15 minutes.

Gently rinse off with warm water.

Oatmeal Mask

• 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup mashed banana (optional)

1. Mix all ingredients together to form a paste.
   Spread on face, making sure you avoid the eye area, and leave on for 10-15 minutes.
2. Rinse off with warm water.

One or Two Ingredient Mask

• 1/2 avocado mashed
• optional addition 1 tsp. honey or jojoba oil

1. Spread on face, watching out for that eye area.
2. Leave on for 10-15 minutes.
3. Rinse off with warm water.

Gel Mask

• 1 package unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup chamomile tea

1. Make chamomile tea using 1/2 cup boiling water and 1 tea bag.
2. Let tea steep for a few minutes.
3. Add gelatin to tea and stir until completely dissolved.
4. Chill until almost set, about 30 minutes.
5. Spread on face, avoiding eye area, and leave on for 10-15 minutes.
6. Rinse off with warm water.

China Clay Mask

• 1 Tbs. China (Kaolin) clay
• 1/2 tsp. of any or mixture of the following:
  • jojoba oil
  • vegetable glycerin
  • olive oil
  • water
  1. Mix ingredients together to form a paste.
  2. You may need to add extra liquid ingredients to make the mixture moist enough.
  3. Spread on face, avoiding eye area, and leave on for 10-15 minutes.
  4. Rinse off with warm water.

  Lavender and Yogurt Mask (sunburn relief)

  Lavender has a soothing effect. It helps diminish redness. Yogurt will cool the skin down and relieve the pain.

  • natural plain yogurt
  • several drops of lavender oil
  1. Combine ingredients.
  2. Spread evenly on the face avoiding the eye area.
  3. Leave on the face for 15 minutes.
  4. Rinse with warm water.

  Soothing Mask (chapped, irritated or sunburned face)

  • 1 cup of cold natural yogurt
  • 1/2 cup oatmeal
  1. Combine ingredients.
  2. Spread evenly on the face avoiding the eye area.
  3. Leave on the face for 15 minutes.
  4. Wash face clean with a warm washcloth.
  5. Rinse with tepid water.

  References:At Home Facials Step by Step by Donna Marie and Scenter of the Mind Facials

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