You could spend hours each day and lots of money on a facial skin care routine if you believed all the hype spewed forth by the cosmetics industry. In truth, you only need a really basic regimen that includes cleansing, exfoliating and moisturizing, plus a sunscreen for day use. Sure you can add toners, astringents, masks, eye cream, wrinkle cream, cold cream and various other special potions but all you’re after is clean, hydrated skin that’s protected from sun damage, right? None of the extras will necessarily harm your skin but they could be considered superfluous. If they make you feel good, then by all means use them. But if you’d prefer to save time and money, stick to the essentials and leave the others behind.
1. Do it yourself at home
When you wake up in the morning and before you go to bed at night, you should make your facial skin care program a daily must. If you get into the habit of doing it twice a day, it will become as natural and automatic as brushing your teeth and just as essential to your beauty and hygiene. The younger you are when you start, the more your skin will thank you for looking after it for life. But even if you’re in your 30’s or 60’s, it’s never too late to implement good habits.
When you create a facial skin care routine for home, set aside a drawer or bathroom cabinet for your products and keep everything close at hand. If you need cotton balls, face cloths or other items, keep those handy too. Keeping everything away from light is a good idea because light can often degenerate ingredients in transparent packaging. It should be kept in a cool, dry place and used until finished. Anything kept on the shelf unused for months should be checked and/or discarded. Whenever you use anything, try not to dip your fingers into pots or wipe fingers on the opening of tubes. Your hands are covered in bacteria and every time you use the bottles or jars in this way, you’re contaminating the contents to a degree. Keep liquid bottles upright so they don’t spill or leak.
2. Facials in a spa or salon
It’s so decadent booking yourself into a day spa or beauty salon for a facial skin care treatment. Not just a cleansing session, it’s a full-on pampering event designed to make you feel like you’re floating on clouds. You get the facial massage that extends to the neck and shoulders and perhaps even includes a scalp massage. You may be offered aromatherapy oils burning on tea light candleholders. Your skin is cleansed, exfoliated, steamed, smoothed and nourished with the most divine products that feel and smell wonderful. Such a treat is usually reserved for special occasions or given as a gift but it would be lovely to experience that kind of pampering on a daily basis. Still, what you do at home is just as much a treat for your skin as a salon facial skin care treatment is for your body and soul.
3. Treat someone else, and they you, for free
If you can’t afford the time or money to go to a salon on a regular basis, why not offer a beauty care swap with a friend or relative? You meet at yours or their house and perform facial skin care treatments on each other. That way, you get to enjoy the sensation of someone pampering you, they use all your preferred products and it doesn’t cost a cent more than if you’d done it yourself. You reciprocate by offering the same to your friend.
Other than the fact that looking after your skin is good for you, facial skin care treatments are excuses for women to enjoy what it means to be female; to always look and feel your best, whether from the inside out, or the outside in.
