Facials at Home

Give yourself a luxurious facial at home! This is especially fun to share with your girlfriends, and you will love how soft and radiant skin your skin will be afterwards. Try to set aside some time for a facial once per month, but once per week would be even better.

Wash your face with cold water before beginning. If wearing make-up, you can remove it naturally with Jojoba oil or Hazelnut oil.

Step 1: Exfoliate

Facial scrubs exfoliate the skin, scrubbing away dead skin cells. Some facial scrubs can be rough on the skin, but this recipe is gentle and soothing.

Rose and Oat Facial Scrub

1 TBSP organic old-fashioned rolled Oats
1 TBSP organic raw Almonds
2 tsp dried organic Rose petals
1 tsp Rhassoul clay

Grind oats, almonds, and Rose petals in a clean coffee grinder until finely powdered. Sift through a mesh screen to remove larger pieces; larger pieces may be too abrasive for the delicate facial skin. Add Rhassoul clay, mix thoroughly, and store in a glass jar. To use, mix 2-3 tsp with water, milk, cream, flower water, or tea until a smooth paste forms. Massage the scrub onto your face with fingertips, then rinse with cool water.

Step 2: Steam

Facial steams are amazing for your skin. They moisturize, relax muscles, plump wrinkles, eliminate toxins, dislodge dirt from pores, and are good for circulation.

I love taking a stroll through my garden and picking fresh herbs to use in a facial steam. You can also use dried herbs, especially in the winter months when fresh herbs may not be available. Create different herbal combinations depending on your mood and skin care needs. Lavender, Chamomile, Roses, Calendula, and Lemon Balm are relaxing and calming to the skin. They are good for all skin types and are well suited for dry, mature, and sensitive skin. Rosemary, Sage, Peppermint, Thyme, Lemon Verbena, and Eucalyptus are refreshing and help with congestion. They are best for normal-oily skin types.

Herbal Facial Steam

Place 2-3 TBSP of dried herbs or 3-5 sprigs of fresh herbs into a large ceramic or glass bowl. Boil water and pour over herbs, immediately placing a towel or lid over the bowl so that the oils being released from the herbs do not escape. Steep for 5 minutes. Place the bowl on a table or other surface where you can comfortably sit and hold your face over the bowl covering your head and the bowl with a large towel to make sure that no steam can escape. Make sure to keep your eyes closed and breathe deeply to inhale the therapeutic properties of the herbs. Steam for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Mask

Facial masks are used to deeply cleanse the skin. Clay masks pull excess oil, dirt, toxins, and impurities from pores, while honey masks are hydrating and wonderful for dry or mature skin.

Sometimes I desire the cleansing properties of a clay mask, but my skin feels dry. In these instances, I will do a short clay mask for 5-7 minutes and then follow it with a honey mask. This makes my skin feel fresh and hydrated!

French Green Clay

To use, mix 1-2 teaspoons with water, flower water, tea, yogurt, cream, or milk. Apply a light layer on the face, making sure to avoid the delicate skin area around the eyes and mouth. Leave on for 10 minutes or until the mask feels taut and dry, then rinse off with cool water. For delicate or dry skin, you may only want to leave on for 5 minutes.

Honey

Using your fingers, spread onto your face and gently massage with fingertips. Leave on for 15 minutes or longer (you can’t overdo this treatment), then rinse off using lukewarm water.

Step 4: Tone

Toners help to adjust pH levels, remove any residues left on the skin after cleansing, and moisturize. This recipe will create a calming, hydrating, and healing herbal facial toner.

Soothing Facial Toner

4 oz distilled or filtered water
1/8 cup organic Rolled Oats
1 tsp dried organic Chamomile flowers
1 tsp dried organic Lemon Balm leaves
2 dried organic Calendula flowers

Boil water, pour over oats and herbs, and steep until cool. Strain, and place in a 2 oz. bottle with fingertip mister. Store in a refrigerator for up to a week to ensure freshness. Shake before each use.

Step 5: Moisturize

Facial Oils nourish the skin at a deep cellular level. They are a perfect alternative to facial creams which often contain chemicals and preservatives. The recipe below is for a rich and healing facial oil ideal for mature, dry, or damaged skin. The ingredients have been shown to help prevent wrinkles, scars, and stretch marks. If you are in a pinch, then plain Rosehip Seed or Pomegranate Seed oil are superb when used by themselves.

Rejuvenating Facial Serum

1/2 oz organic Rosehip Seed oil
1/4 oz dried organic Jojoba oil
1/4 oz organic Pomegranate Seed oil
Dash Vitamin E Oil (around 1/4 tsp)
10 drops organic Lavender essential oil
6 drops organic Roman Chamomile essential oil
3 drops organic Helichrysum essential oil
2 drops Carrot Seed essential oil

Drop essential oils, Vitamin E Oil, and Rosehip Seed oil into a 1 oz glass bottle and roll bottle between your palms to evenly mix the oils. Top with other oils and roll again. Use daily for best results.

Recipe written by Irene Wolansky. Irene is the Marketing Director at Mountain Rose Herbs, and when not at work, she is often found in her kitchen creating herbal concoctions.