A few days ago, we talked about different natural recipes for healing, brightening face masks. In case you missed that post, you can read it here. And while I hope that post inspired you to try some yummy face masks for your skin, I do realize there’s something I forgot to mention.
That before we get to the face mask step, we first need to think about the exfoliation step. Now, I know a lot of women (and men, I guess) dream of a day at the spa, where they can just relax and feel clean and yummy and all that. But the reality for many is that they don’t have the necessary time or funds for such an adventure. But worry not, my dear beauty-lovers, because I have got the solution for you.
Quick Facial at Home Routine
Right, so the first step you must get to is cleansing, you know, getting all the make-up and daily build-up off your face so that your face is clean and ready to get a little love. So, apply your usual cleanser and gently massage it into your skin.
Photo by Adrian Motroc on Unsplash
Rinse. After you rinse, exfoliate (more on that in a second). Be really careful with this step. Our face tends to be very sensitive, especially if you have problematic skin, so make sure you don’t get rough, otherwise you might cause a breakout and I’m sure that’s not what we’re going for when we think about spas.
Right, after you’ve exfoliated, steam. This step can be a bit tricky, at home. But honestly, all you have to do is set a pot of water on the fire to boil and you either stand above it, or you take it off the fire, put it on the table and hover over it, with a towel over your head (ideally covering you and the pot of boiling water. Be careful with the hot pan and stay like that for 10-15 minutes, until you’ve built up a good sweat.
Once you’re done steaming (haha, or Steeming), pat your face dry and apply a mask. Again, see our previous post for tips on what mask to use. Let sit for another 10-15 minutes, depending on what mask you use. Clean it off. Apply toner, if you have some readily available. And then, moisturize, if you feel the need.
Voila, your very own spa experience right in the comfort of your home!
PS: If you are home alone or with someone who doesn’t mind seeing you naked, you can do this shirtless and go through the same process with your chest, neck and shoulders for a more complete experience.
Right, and now, let’s talk about some easy, healthy and cheap options for exfoliating.
1. Honey, Sugar and Olive Oil
Photo by Chinh Le Duc on Unsplash
This is my go-to natural exfoliator because the olive oil/honey combo is great for moisturizing your skin while at the same time getting rid of dead cells. Add each of the ingredients as you see fit and depending on how much skin you wanna cover. Don’t worry if you have extra mix left, because you can use it on your feet (fabulous for rough heels), legs, basically all-over.
The olive oil isn’t a must, obviously, the mix works just as great only on sugar and honey (and you’re more tempted to eat it, so careful!). I’ve never tried using other oils, if I don’t have olive oil. I suppose they work great, too, but that’s really up to you. What you’re going for is a thick, grainy mix – more sugar than anything else. Oh, and if you’re not using the oil, I suggest adding just a splash of water or wetting your hands while you apply the mixture. Otherwise, it gets a bit rough.
2. Corn flour
This one is another personal favorite, works great both for body and face and usually leaves the skin feeling super-soft and smooth. Besides, it’s an easily available item in many places and pretty cheap. Oh, and you don’t need a lot of it. As they say, a little goes a long way.
This recipe is even easier and quicker than the one before. You just put some corn flour in a bowl and take it with you in the shower and massage it all over on wet, warm skin. And it’s amazing.
Also, I’ve been using this one for years now and I haven’t seen any flare-ups or unpleasant reactions to it. Naturally, this is subjective and can vary from person to person, but I encourage you to give it a try.
Careful though, it gets everywhere, especially in your hair, so wash well afterwards!
3. Coffee
Photo by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash
If you’re anything like me, coffee is your special power-up. But did you know it can also work wonders for your skin?
Yep, ground coffee (even coffee you’ve used to make coffee beforehand) is an incredible exfoliator, as it’s not too abrasive. But it gets the job done. I should mention that if you’re very sensitive to coffee, as some people are (as in one sip and you’re up past midnight), you should use with care or maybe not at all, because the skin absorbs some of the caffeine, I suppose, and it has a tendency of keeping you up after you use it.
This one’s also super easy, just get a small bowl of ground coffee (again, used coffee works just great, so no need to waste more) into the shower with you and let it work its magic.
Again, it varies and I suggest you try, at least once, and see how your skin (and your sleeping schedule) fare.
4. Baking Soda
So much can be said on the attributes of baking soda that I think we’d need a post just for that. It’s great for whitening, to lighten dark patches, even used in deodorant. But right now, we’re going to talk about baking soda as an exfoliator.
This one is a bit more rough and I suggest you don’t use it more than once a week, because it’s very effective, but also can act as an irritant to your skin. Most people have some baking soda in their home, so it’s very handy.
Baking soda is awesome for you because it cleanses, makes your skin feel softer, and at the same time, removes impurities. It’s a known treatment for acne, although that should be up to you. Remember, you are responsible for what you put on your skin, so use with care.
Alternatively, you can mix baking soda with honey to make a paste – can be used as a mask itself, sort of like a 2-in-1 deal and also as a scrub.
5. Oats
We mentioned oatmeal in our post about face masks, as it’s a truly useful item, especially if you have sensitive skin. This one can also be used in combination with honey – either as a mask or a scrub, depending on whether you want a softer or rougher treatment for your skin – or on its own.
A word of advice, if you are going to use it as a honey-oats mask, make sure you do it in the tub or somewhere easy to clean, because the oats tend to fall off, covered in honey, so it can get quite messy. Also, make sure you cover you hair because you probably don’t want to spend the next half hour pulling sticky oatmeal out of it.
There are many other natural, easily-available exfoliators out there, such as salt (though I imagine your skin absorbs some of that as well, and so maybe that’s not ideal), milk (as a chemical exfoliator, but you know, organic milk, from a farm or somewhere, since the one at the store is quite diluted), citrus. I’ve heard some people mentioning rice, and also apple cider vinegar, though that again can be quite rough/irritating.
However, I feel it’s only fair to recommend treatments I’ve used and that I know work, at least for me.
Again, be careful what you put on your face and try to figure out what works for you, as there are so many different skin types out there.
BONUS TIP: Sponge!
Yep, you heard that right. These scrubs are all great, but can get damaging, if used on a daily basis, so if you want a gentle daily exfoliation (really good for you), I highly recommend getting yourself a bath sponge, as it gets rid of dead skin faster and doesn’t actually irritate.
Do you have any exfoliating tips? What’s your go-to DIY scrub? Love to hear about them in the comments!
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