I have been such a sucker.

I used to think I needed a facial at least once a week, and if only I would just stop shopping I would be able to budget for this much needed, wonderful luxury of pampering my skin and my face.

….then I thought about it some more and started Googling how to do facials at home that would be effective.

Aside from the fact that you get that luxurious pampering ritual to just lie there for an hour and have nothing to worry about except your skin, facials are kind of a ripoff in hindsight.

THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR A HOME FACIAL

EXFOLIATE BEFOREHAND

Before you use any masques or do anything, exfoliate your skin beforehand so that you get rid of the old dead skin cells and your NEW skin cells underneath get all the benefits.

You can buy your own exfoliant, or use a face towel to manually exfoliate your skin.

I don’t like physical exfoliants (little bits of shell, baking soda etc) because I feel like they are a little harsh on the skin, but some people love physical exfoliants because of the super soft scrubby feel they get afterwards.

PHYSICAL EXFOLIANTS MY FRIENDS SWEAR BY

I prefer chemical ones because I feel like they're gentler on my skin, and my hands down favourite is O.R.G. Mineral Skincare. You can FEEL the skin peeling off, and I use it liberally. I LOVE THIS STUFF. I will never ever run out of it if I can help. To each their own though! If you want, you can also make your own physical exfoliant if you are into DIY scrubs.

CLEAN YOUR SKIN IN PREPARATION FOR THE MASQUES

I always wash my skin with a nice cream cleanser right after I exfoliate to remove any dirt or old pieces of rubbed off skin. Your skin should be CLEAN not dirty when you put a masque on it, otherwise what's the point? You'll end up trapping in dirt and old skin cells under that masque. My favourite cleanser hands down for being effective and cheap (a great value), is from Paula's Choice. ALL of her cleansers are awesome.

USE A CLAY MASQUE FIRST BEFORE THE OTHER MASQUES

I would suggest using a clay masque right after exfoliating before trying to apply any other moisturizing masques or moisturizers. Personally, I ruled out clay masques because my skin does not need to be 'detoxed' (I have a slight issue with this because no science has yet solidly proven that your skin holds any toxins or impurities that can be removed with some clay..) Anyway, I find that clay masques do more harm than good on my skin because they dry it out and it throws my skin off balance, forcing it to produce more oil and thus, causing mini breakouts. For some people though, it is THE #1 THING TO DO to their skin. You just have to give it a shot to see.

Don't let the masque dry on your skin!

I would also recommend not letting the clay masque dry. When it is soft and wet, wash it off. Don't wait until it dries on your skin and crackles, that's just sucking out all the moisture for no reason and the worst way to do a clay masque. If you are interested in clay masques though, it is very simple to just.. buy..a clay masque already pre-made, or make it yourself with some clay, I found these 5 clay masque recipes you can do at home.

CLAY MASQUES MY FRIENDS SWEAR BY

NOW APPLY A RICH FACIAL MOISTURIZER AND A SERUM OR A MOISTURIZING MASQUE

This is the point where I just go all out and slather on a thick layer of my moisturizer and let it seep into my pores. I'm done right after I do this. I let my skin soak in all the moisturizer (sometimes it surprises me at how thirsty it is), and then I can apply a serum if I want. OR not. Sometimes I use a moisturizing masque instead of moisturizer and a serum but more often than not to save money, I just slather on some moisturizer.

MOISTURIZERS THAT DO THE JOB

SO THE FINAL ROUTINE IS...

Every third day or so:

1. Exfoliate
2. Cleanse skin
3. Apply a hot towel twice until it cools down on the face
4. Do a clay masque [Optional: I opt out of this]
5. Apply a thick moisturizer / serum / moisturizing masque
6. Revel in your soft, supple, clean, clear skin

It has made a huge difference in my skin. As of late, I have had less minor breakouts and my skin feels so soft and moisturized. Sometimes, you need to give it a break. All of the above can be done in under 5 minutes if you don't do the masques. It is literally NOTHING in a day, and I work it in as a way to relax and give my skin a break.