The Ultimate Relaxation Facial

We have shared some fun home-facial routines over the last year, but we wanted this one to be all about relaxation and customization. This is a routine you can do day or night and is ideal when you want some antioxidants, barrier support, and a nice facial massage for a glow-boosting, ‘me time’ skincare session.


Makeup Removal & Pre-Cleanse


It is important to start your home facial off with a clean slate. Removing makeup, excess dirt, oil, and environmental stressors before your cleanse can help ensure your skin is properly prepped for your relaxing facial. This cleansing balm easily breaks down the most stubborn waterproof makeup products without damaging the skin or lashes. Plus, it nourishes delicate, dry skin and can even clarify oily skin types.
 

Cleanse

What You'll Need: Gentle Gel Cleanser & a Clean Towel

Cleansing is important in any skincare routine, but especially that of a routine that includes facial massage and manipulation. Just as the pre-cleanse, this is going to remove any impurities prior to moving forward with the rest of your routine. It is important to choose a mild yet effective cleanser. This cleanser is  a mild, hydrating formula that is suitable for all skin types and can be used day and night. 

Once your skin is properly cleansed it  will also allow you to be sure you are ready to make a proper skin assessment and be able to identify any potential skin changes or issues.

Want all of the cleansing details? Read our Cleansing 101 blog here!


Skin Assessment

Having a proper assessment of your skin allows you to better choose the products to include in your relaxing facial. For example, if you are feeling or seeing any inflammation, you might want to skip the scrub or stronger exfoliants this time.

When assessing your skin, there are a few things you should look out for. You will want to focus on the skin's color, temperature, texture, moisture levels, integrity, and keep an eye out for any acute inflammation, breakouts, or lesions. Again, think, do I need more hydration today? Do I have extra breakouts right now? These are the types of questions you will want to ask yourself as you get ready for an enjoyable facial. 

Steam (optional)

Perhaps one of the most memorable parts of a professional facial is getting your face steamed. While steam is an optional step, it is important to note the steam is not “opening and closing” your pores, rather softening of the skin and its natural oils for easier extraction, increasing circulation, and helping your skin better absorb your skincare products.  

Steam increases skin’s permeability, enabling it to better absorb certain topicals. This means you can get more bang for your buck from skin care products applied after a steam. If you decide to add the steaming step to your home facial, try to keep it no longer than 10 minutes. To avoid any irritation, try to keep your eyes closed as well. You can steam over a bowl of hot water, steam with warm towels, or even an at-home facial steamer.

Esthetician Tip: Be cautious of adding any essential oils to your water when you steam, as they can cause skin irritation.

Exfoliation

What You'll Need: Wake Up Radiant AHA Peel or Refine It! 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant

Exfoliation clears away the build-up of dead cells on our skin that create a rough, dry, congested, aged look. As a whole, this process can enhance your entire skincare routine, allowing other formulas to better absorb. But depending on which exfoliant you choose, you can also target and improve almost any skin concern.

The Wake Up Radiant AHA Peel is formulated to brighten the look of dull, discolored skin, reduce the look of lines & wrinkles, and smooth the look of roughness. Apply at night, 1-3x per week maximum. Do not apply in the same routine as retinol. Always wear sunscreen.

The Refine It! 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant clings to oil, helping visibly unclog pores, improve the look of breakouts and redness, smooth the look of bumpy texture, and fade the look of discoloration. Start by using 1-3x per week, working up to daily use if desired. Do not apply in the same routine as retinol. Always wear sunscreen.

Esthetician Tip: For this relaxing facial, we want to make sure we are nourishing the skin and supporting the skin’s barrier. Over-exfoliation can strip the skin’s natural lipid protection, so please exfoliate responsibly.

Massage

Facial massage is the superstar of a relaxing facial. Massage can stimulate lymph drainage, circulation, and invigorate and relax the underlying facial muscles. Even a simple facial massage can improve the look of puffiness and leave an incredible glow. Learning some basic massage motions can make it easy to add a few massage steps into any skincare routine:

Effleurage: stroking motions that can be linear or circular
Friction: rubbing motions that can be circular, or back and forth
Petrissage: kneading motions
Tapotement: stimulating tapping motions with the fingertips

Start by warming up the product in your hands and begin lightly massaging the lymph areas at your collarbones, move to the neck, under your ears, and back down along the sides of your neck. Use very light pressure to move lymph as you work up the chest, neck, and face and then back down.

Next, move to a more stimulating massage that will engage circulation and relax your facial muscles. Try the different massage techniques above as you work around the face. Try keeping your massage motions in an upward and outward pattern for a lifting effect.

While you can opt for fun facial tools like a quartz roller, ice roller, or gua sha, using your hands works perfectly fine as well here. 

Esthetician Tip: You will want to make sure there is no leftover scrub on your skin prior to starting this step, it can get a little gritty if not! You also want to make sure you have a lot of slip for this step so you are not pulling or tugging at your skin too hard (so grab your Rosehip Oil).


Tone and Balance

What You'll Need: Hit Refresh Hydrating Toner
Using a toner post mask is the perfect opportunity to rebalance your pH and rehydrate your skin post exfoliation. It can also help to soothe any irritation, as well as remove any remaining impurities from cleansing prior to moving on to the next step. This toner is free of drying alcohols and is rich in humectants to hydrate the look of skin and give an instant glow. You can apply your toner with a cotton round or with your hands. 

Esthetician Tip: If you want to leave the serum from the sheet mask on your skin, tone before applying the sheet mask and massage in the remaining serum from the mask.

Serums
You may want to include additional targeted skin serums to your relaxing facial. Since we have already done a bit of exfoliation and skin stimulation in our facial, we will want to make sure we only use hydrating and barrier boosting serums, no retinols. Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide are the perfect serums to consider for your relaxing facial because they will boost the look of hydration, deliver barrier support, even the look of skin tone, reduce visible redness, and give you the ULTIMATE post-facial glow. 

Pat 4-5 drops of your serums around the face, neck, and décolleté.

Esthetician Tip: You can opt for your serums, boosters, and spot correctors of choice here and fully customize it to the needs of your skin. We recommend this facial routine avoid retinol.  



Eye Care

What You'll Need: Advanced Repair Eye Cream 
It is not a proper skincare routine without proper eye care. Dab a pea-sized amount of the eye cream around your orbital bone day and night.

Here's your complete guide to under eye skin care!

Esthetician Tip: You can include a massage to the eye area as you apply your eye care products if you missed it during your facial massage. Be sure to avoid tugging and pulling around the eye area.



Moisturize
Let’s finish off our relaxing routine by delivering a final dose of skin nourishment, locking in our skincare, and protecting the skin’s natural moisture factor. The Brilliant Barrier Water Cream, Vitamin C Moisturizer, or Anti Wrinkle Moisturizer can be applied with relaxing strokes and don’t forget your neck and décolleté by using the Tighten & Lift Neck Cream. Again, remember we already did quite a bit of exfoliation, so I wouldn’t recommend using the retinol cream here. 

Learn which moisturizer is best for you here. 

Bonus: Protect
SPF is essential year-round. The majority of the aging and damage we see on our skin is due to UV exposure. Remember, SPF is your BFF. Not only does applying sunscreen matter, but REAPPLYING matters. The general rule is every 80-90 minutes. Taking additional sun care steps like wearing hats, and sunglasses, and making sure to take a break in the shade can help limit your UV exposure as well.

And that is it! You just did a relaxing facial from home. - now you can admire that extra GOPURE glow! Definitely do not feel obligated to have such an extensive routine daily, but when you are feeling like you want to go the extra mile to pamper yourself, try this out. This routine is also fun to do with your girlfriends, sisters, or even see if you can get your spouses to participate!

As estheticians, we think facials are so much fun and we hope you can try this and enjoy it as much as we do. Happy National Relaxation Day!



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6 comments

Thank You for writing down a facial technique to follow and the ease of it makes it so fun and easy for that
Go-Pure Glow……
The Go-Pure products are the best I’ve ever used and very affordable to treat myself to!!
Thank You Go-Pure🌺😄

Tammy J Waugh

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