How to Take Care of Your Face at Home

Proper facial care can give you smooth, glowing, and healthy skin. While visiting a spa for facial treatments is a delightful experience, you can achieve similar fantastic results at home without spending money. Start by cleansing your face and exfoliating, followed by steaming and applying a mask to draw out impurities from your pores. Finally, apply a toner and moisturizer to keep your skin soft, smooth, and radiant.

Tie your hair back. Use a headband, hair tie, or small metal clip to keep your hair (including bangs) out of your face, exposing your entire face. This will prevent your hair from getting in the way while you care for your skin.

Cleanse your face with a gentle facial cleanser. Use your favorite facial cleanser to remove makeup and wash your face. Use warm water instead of cold or hot water, as warm water is the ideal temperature for the delicate skin on your face.

• Be sure to thoroughly remove makeup before proceeding to the next steps.
• If you want to try something new, you can try cleansing with oil. Apply almond oil, Jojoba oil, or olive oil to your face, then rinse with warm water. This is a great way to remove makeup without damaging your skin.

Use an exfoliating product or other ingredients. Dead skin cells can make your face look dull. Exfoliating is an important step in any skincare routine to brighten your skin. Use your favorite exfoliating cream to gently scrub away dead cells. If you don't have an exfoliating product, you can create your own using simple ingredients like:

• 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of honey, and 1 teaspoon of milk
• 1 teaspoon of oatmeal, 1 teaspoon of honey, and 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of oatmeal, 1 teaspoon of honey, and 1 teaspoon of water

Wash your face thoroughly and pat it dry. Wash your face one more time to remove any remaining residue from the exfoliating product. You may need to use a warm, damp cloth to remove the exfoliating product around the eyes and nose. Finally, use a soft towel to gently pat your face dry.

Facial massage. Massage helps improve circulation, giving your skin a healthier, brighter appearance. After cleansing your face, you can massage it before moving on to the next skincare steps. Use your index and middle fingers to massage your face in gentle, circular motions.

• Massage the forehead, starting from the center and moving towards the temples.
• Massage the nose and cheekbones.
• Massage the lips, chin, and jawline.

Steam your face. Boil a small pot of water on the stove. Turn off the heat and place your face over the pot, draping a towel over your head to trap the steam around your face. Steam your face for about 5 minutes, and feel free to remove the towel if you need to breathe. Steaming opens up the pores, preparing your skin for a mask that will draw out impurities.

• For a more luxurious experience, add a few drops of essential oils to the water. This way, you can steam your face while enjoying an aromatherapy session. Try adding lavender, lemongrass, rose, or grapefruit essential oil to lift your spirits.
• If you don't have essential oils, you can drop a few herbal tea bags into the water. Chamomile, mint, and chai tea all contain aromatic herbs.

Apply a face mask. The next step is to apply a mask that will help remove impurities (such as dirt and dead skin cells) from your pores. You can buy a ready-made mask or make your own easily and enjoyably at home. Try one of these masks:

• For dry skin: mash 1 banana and mix with 1 tablespoon of honey
• For normal skin: mix 1 tablespoon of aloe vera with 1 tablespoon of honey
• For oily skin: mix 1 teaspoon of clay (the kind used in skincare) with 1 teaspoon of honey
• For all skin types: use pure honey, which has antibacterial and moisturizing properties suitable for every skin type.

Leave the mask on for 15 minutes. Apply the mask evenly to your skin and wait for it to take effect. During this time, you can treat your eyes. Lie down, close your eyes, and place two cucumber slices on your eyes. If you don't have cucumber, you can use two cold tea bags instead.

Wash your face and pat dry. Use warm water to remove any residue left from the mask. Make sure to wash away the honey around the eyes and nose, as leftover honey can feel quite sticky.

Apply homemade toner. Toner helps brighten the skin and restore its natural balance. You can either purchase a store-bought toner or make your own at home. Here are a few simple toner recipes to try:

• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar mixed with 1 tablespoon of water
• 1 tablespoon of witch hazel water mixed with 1 tablespoon of water
• 1 tablespoon of rose water mixed with 1 tablespoon of water

Finish with moisturizing cream. The final step is to apply a moisturizer that suits your skin type. Moisturizer helps prevent dry skin and locks in the benefits of your skincare routine. Opt for a moisturizer that is alcohol-free, as alcohol can dry out the skin.

• If you prefer an all-natural moisturizer, try using Argan oil, almond oil, or Jojoba oil.
• Aloe vera is another fantastic natural moisturizer with healing properties. It's especially helpful for skin recovering from sunburn.

Wait a few hours before applying makeup. After completing your skincare routine, it's best to give your skin some time to absorb all the benefits before applying makeup. Skincare products can take a while to fully penetrate the skin, and applying makeup too soon—especially since many makeup products contain alcohol and chemicals—could irritate your skin.

• Avoid scrubbing your face too harshly while exfoliating to prevent skin irritation.

• Facial cleanser
• Exfoliating product for the face
• Pot of water
• Facial mask
• Skin toner
• Moisturizer
• Towel