Facials are a wonderful experience, but they often come at top dollar amounts and take time out of our very busy schedules. They also are very intimate, making them difficult to perform during the COVID pandemic. During this time, there are specific things we can be doing to keep our skin beautiful and glowing, without the facial price!
Facial massages are very beneficial. Not only do they help to reduce stress and feel amazing, but they also help to activate our collagen and reduce the chances of wrinkles and inflammation. Giving ourselves a facial massage in a hot, steaming shower can help to open our pores and work the skin upward. I recommend using your pointer, middle, and ring fingers in circular motions, up the face. Taping around the eyes and brow bone can help to reduce puffiness and fine lines. Use your pointer to pull the skin above the brow towards the hairline to help reduce fine lines and wrinkles in the forehead area. Always work upward. Drawing the skin down, over time could result in sagging, which is exactly what we are trying to avoid when caring for our skin.
Silk Pillowcases are beneficial in many ways. They offer benefits to the skin and hair. When it comes to the skin, switching to a silk pillowcase can help to keep your skincare on your face. Cotton pillowcases will soak up any product that you apply as you move throughout the night. Silk pillowcases do not remove the product from your face, allowing for your skin to benefit from the care you are providing to it. Silk pillowcases also do not crease, which helps to reduce any long term creases (wrinkles) in the skin!
Since I began to break out, I have been using ice and metal spoons to reduce inflammation and help draw out impurities in my skin. Recently I have been using sea salt. Sea salt helps to draw out the impurity and reduce inflammation without the cold, wet application of ice, or the skin numbing feeling that comes from a cold metal spoon. Sea salt helps to dry out any infection causing an infected pore, drawing the infection to the top of the skin, allowing for you to eliminate any zit brought on.
DIY Facial masks have become very popular within recent years, every beauty expert has a tried and true mask. However, facial peels are much harder to come by. Facial peels are beneficial to the skin as they help to sluff off dead skin cells, clear out pores and brighten the skin. Want to make your own? Mix two tablespoons of baking soda, three tablespoons of water, and one tablespoon of lemon juice. Rinse your face in hot water, pat dry, and apply this mixture. Let it dry and harden to the skin, and wash it off with warm water. While washing, remove the product in a circular motion (remember, always in an upward motion), this will cause the dry skin cells to clump together and sluff off.
Yes, you heard that right, mouth stretches. It may seem silly, but stretching your mouth helps to tighten the skin around your jawline and help to reduce or prevent fine lines and wrinkles. Practice exaggeratedly saying A-E-I-O-U. In a very exaggerated manner. Repeat this until you feel your jaw physically stretching, it will get tired like your legs do during leg day. Do this once every day, as you age your jawline will thank you.
Honey has many benefits when it comes to skincare. Honey helps to balance the bacteria on your skin, which helps to control acne. If you are prone to acne scars, apply honey to the face once a week as it helps to speed up skin recovery, and plump up fine lines. If applying raw honey to the face seems like a sticky mess, Try a honey-cinnamon-coconut oil face mask. Your skin will thank you later!
Mix one part baking soda, one part water and use it as an exfoliating scrub. Baking soda has anti-inflammatory ingredients and antiseptic properties that help to keep the skin clean and clear and is a less harsh exfoliator for sensitive skin. Baking soda can also help to draw out impurities and dry up acne.
Exfoliating the skin helps to eliminate dead skin cells and keep the skin fresh and bright. Using a slightly rough washcloth can help to exfoliate the skin without the use of harsh exfoliating products. Exfoliating products can cause skin irritation and redness, however using a warm washcloth will exfoliate off dead skin cells and help to close down the pores, reducing the risk of impurities entering the pores of the skin.
Moisture is the skins best friend. Dry skin can cause fine lines and wrinkles to appear, and dead skin cells to cause acne and inflammation. When getting a facial, estheticians will apply multiple moisturizing products to the skin, leaving the skin bright and hydrated. To replicate this, using an at-home moisturizer each morning and night can help to keep the skin baby smooth and bright. When applying your moisturizer, work from the collar bones up towards the hairline, massaging the product into the face until nearly dry. During the day, opt for a lightweight, SPF moisturizer, and at night apply a heavier moisturizing lotion to the skin.
When we sleep, our skin cells turn over to recover and reproduce healthy skin cells, making this the best time to moisturize with a heavy moisturizing lotion. Opting for a deep, sleep moisturizer can correct any dullness and help to brighten and tighten any fine lines and wrinkles. Moisturizing at night is essential to beautiful, glowing skin.
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