Committing to a daily skin care routine is like an investment you're making in yourself. Spend a little time and effort now, and you'll reap the rewards for a lifetime. The science of skin care has come a long way, but no matter how advanced the products on the shelves are, the basics stay the same: cleanse, tone, treat, moisturize, and protect. However, within those parameters, there's a lot of room to customize how you take care of your skin. Your at-home skin care routine should be something you look forward to every day. It's also an essential complement to any aesthetic treatments you get, keeping your skin healthy and enhancing the results of facial treatments like photofacials and skin resurfacing. Read on to get excited about what an at-home skin care routine can do for you.
Your Foolproof 5-Step At-Home Skin Care Routine
These are the daily steps that keep skin healthy and looking good for life.
- Cleanse: Use a gentle cleanser morning and night, and remember that tepid water is the easiest on your skin.
- Tone: Toners help to soothe, treat, and prepare skin for the next steps on this list. You can choose a toner to help you deal with certain skin issues, like dryness, redness, or acne.
- Treat: This is where your serums come in, and any other concentrated topical treatments that address a specific skin concern like aging skin, sun damage, or acne.
- Moisturize: Hydration is the first rule of healthy skin. We recommend wearing a light moisturizer during the day and a heavier one at night, for extra quenching.
- Protect: Always wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher, this is the best way to prevent sun damage and the signs of premature aging it causes.
As you can see, even a simple skin care routine takes a commitment—but it's worth it. If you treat your skin well, it will look good for a lifetime.
DIY At-Home Skin Spa Recipes
If you feel like your skin could use some extra TLC, you can pamper yourself without leaving home. You'll find the best ingredients for masks and facials right in your kitchen. Here are a few recipes that harness the power of natural nutrients to nourish your skin.
Soothing Oatmeal Honey Cleanser
With their anti-inflammatory properties, oatmeal and honey are soothing skin-care staples. This mask is ideal for calming skin and can used as a cleanser.
Recipe: 1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal, 1 tbsp raw organic honey or Manuka honey, 1/4 cup hot water. Blend in a blender or food processor and scrub gently into the skin. Let sit for ten minutes, then rinse.
Revitalizing Cocoa Mask
Cocoa is packed with powerful antioxidants, making this mask great for hydration and anti-aging. The lactic acid in the yogurt has a gentle exfoliating effect.
Recipe: 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon yogurt, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 egg white. Mix thoroughly until ingredients form a thick paste. Apply all over the face and let dry before rinsing.
Coconut Oil Hand Wrap
Your hands work hard and deserve a spa treatment of their own. Coconut oil is amazing for long-lasting hydration and will leave your nails and cuticles looking good as well.
Recipe: Coconut oil, as needed. Apply all over the hands, taking care to rub into each nail. Wrap in a warm, moistened washcloth and wait ten minutes before washing and following up with a regular moisturizer.
Sugar Scalp Scrub
Taking care of your scalp is the first step to keeping your hair shiny and healthy. Doing a scrub once a month removes dead skin cells and product buildup, invigorates circulation, and rosemary oil is known to encourage hair growth.
Recipe: 1/4 cup coconut oil, 3/4 cups sugar, 10 drops of rosemary oil. Mix to form a thick paste, then scrub gently into the scalp using fingertips. Scrub for 3-5 minutes, then rinse and shampoo hair as usual.
Exfoliating Soda Soak
Not recommended for the face, this two-ingredient scrub is great for smoothing rough spots like the soles of the feet, the knees, and elbows.
Recipe: 1/2 cup baking soda. Add water a teaspoon at a time until the mixture forms a thick paste. Smooth onto feet, knees, and any other rough spots in a circular motion and let sit for a few minutes before rinsing. Follow up with a moisturizer.
Enzyme-Rich Papaya Mask
The alpha-hydroxy acids in papaya work as a natural exfoliator. Add the hydrating and skin-tightening properties of egg whites and yogurt, and you have a powerful anti-aging mask at home.
Recipe: 1 cup fresh papaya, 1 tablespoon yogurt, 1 organic egg white. Blend in a food processor or blender until the mixture forms a paste. Apply to face and neck and let sit for up to 20 minutes before rinsing with lukewarm water. Follow up with your usual skin care routine.
Cucumber Eye Mask
The ultimate spa accessory, cucumber slices are a go-to for their soothing and depuffing abilities. This recipe takes it to the next level.
Recipe: Take a cold cucumber and grate it over a paper towel on top of a plate. Once you've finished grating, fold the paper towel to enclose the cucumber and compress it. Rest your head back and apply to closed eyes for an instant soothing effect.
Green Tea Brightening Mask
Do this at-home alternative to a chemical peel when your skin needs a quick pick-me-up. Green tea brightens, while honey and yogurt hydrate and replenish.
Recipe: 1 tablespoon matcha powder, 1 tablespoon organic honey, 1 tablespoon yogurt. Mix to form a paste. Smooth all over the face and let sit for 10 minutes, then rinse and follow up with a moisturizer.
Protein Hair Mask
Your hair needs love too, and this is a quick fix for sleek, shiny locks. Egg yolks are packed with protein, honey brings the shine, and coconut oil locks in moisture. Add essential oil(s) of your choice for extra oomph.
Recipe: 1 egg yolk, 1/4 cup coconut oil (or jojoba oil for finer hair types), 1 tablespoon honey, 2-3 drops of essential oil like rosemary or peppermint. Mix and apply to hair from root to tip. Let sit for ten minutes, then follow up with shampoo and conditioner as usual. Double the recipe for longer hair.
While DIY recipes for at-home skin and hair care are good in a pinch, nothing beats the scientifically proven results of professional aesthetic treatments. Facial aesthetic treatments restore and revitalize skin, keeping it healthy and youthful inside and out. Use the search field below to find a Venus Treatments spa near you.
