Skin care routine hacks you learn at spas

1. Steam To Open Pores

One of the best parts about getting a facial is when you lay under a steam machine to open your pores. Aside from feeling super relaxing and luxe, it really does a great job of opening up our pores. Using steam to open up your pores helps dirt, grime and oil release from skin. It can help you deeply cleanse your skin and combat blemish-causing bacteria and dirt to take up residence in your pores leading to blackheads or whiteheads. Additionally, it helps prep your skin to better accept your other skin products. That means that your toner, mask, moisturizer or scrub can work more effectively once you’ve applied steam to your skin.

2. Double Cleanse

Estheticians at spas work really hard to remove every last bit of makeup, sweat, grime and dirt from your face. They often employ several steps to ensure your skin is completely clean and that’s a technique you can easily recreate in your home. First remove traces of makeup and residue that may have accumulated on your skin throughout the day with micellar water, which is a no-rinse cleansing water that attracts and lifts dirt, oil, and makeup from your skin like a magnet. Saturate two cotton pads with micellar water, press the cotton pads against your skin, the gently wipe them across you skin to remove your makeup and any build-up. Follow this process by using a gentle cleansing milk to hydrate and restore your skin, as well as deep clean your pores.

3. Brown Sugar Scrub

Spas often have exciting scrubs with exclusive formulas but many of them use brown sugar as a base. It’s gentle and exfoliates very well. Make your own sugar scrub at home with honey and brown sugar. Apply to freshly cleansed skin and gently massage to lift any dead surface skin cells. Wash off with lukewarm water to reveal super soft, glowing skin. Now you have a freshly cleansed complexion that is perfectly prepped for your toning and hydrating products.

4. Set A Time For Your Mask

Masks can be hydrating and replenishing for your skin. If you have oily skin there are also masks formulated with kaolin that can help regulate excess oil production on your skin. Masks can be highly effective on skin but one problem that often arises is that people leave masks on for too long. When a masks fully dries it actually starts to remove precious moisture from your skin. A nifty way that spas avoid doing this is by timing every single step of their facials. You can recreate this at home by setting a timer on your phone to avoid the mask sitting too long on your skin. Indulge in your mask and its skin-beautifying qualities until your timer rings and it’s time to wash it off. Five to ten minutes is a good time frame for getting its great skin benefits.

5. Tone Your Skin With Antioxidants

When you get a facial, your esthetician usually applies several serums, oils or essences to your skin. These can have a variety of qualities such as polishing or smoothing, and can target fine lines or dark spots. You can do the same at home without any fancy elixirs by simply enlisting products formulated with antioxidants. Vitamin C can help brighten your skin and reduce the appearance of dark spots over time. Retinol has exfoliating qualities and deeply cleanses pores. It can help address skin issues such as fine lines and skin dullness, making your skin look more refreshed. Antioxidants such as reservatrol, green tea and Vitamin E help protect skin from free radicals and can also make it appear more polished in appearance. You can recreate the effect of antioxidants at home by using moisturizers or peels formulated with these ingredients.