Homemade Facials For Glowing Skin

Off late, homemade facials have gained a lot of popularity; mostly thanks to the Covid situation. When I say homemade facials, I mean ingredients used from your kitchen or whatever is available at home, and not the “home facial kits” that are available in store or online.

Obviously, facials done in a parlour seem more satisfying, but it need not suit everyone. There are high chances of breakouts, skin getting drier, reactions to certain products used etc. this could be a nightmare especially for people with the sensitive skin type. And of course, it is expensive; especially in these days when most of us are on a tight budget due to layoffs or pay cuts.

Conversely, homemade facials give us the control to choose the ingredients that go on to our skin. It works the best for people who have sensitive skin or those who are prone to breakouts. One might find countless recipes online and every time you could simply try a new recipe and have a fresher, brighter looking skin.

Here, I must add that if you opt for slightly complicated recipes that involve certain kind of acidic peels, then it is advisable that you first try a patch test and then proceed, irrespective of the fact that it is all natural and homemade. The other important thing is that homemade facials could be time consuming and slightly tedious for all the lazy ones out there! But hey, it is safer, you get a variety of combinations and the best part is that your skin wouldn’t get “used to a particular kind of facial” which eventually stops showing the results the way it initially did.

So, guess it is time for a little “ME” time.

Here is a Homemade facial for Glowing skin.

Before you start your facial, make sure that you have all your ingredients nearby. I personally prefer certain ingredients be refrigerated before starting the facial but that’s totally your choice.

1. CLEANSING

Mix a spoonful of chickpea flour or regular flour with sugar and dilute it in water to obtain a paste like consistency. For people with dry skin, you could use rosewater/milk instead of normal water. Apply the paste on to the face and leave it on for 2 to 3 minutes. Gently scrub and wash off.

Benefits: Chickpea flour or the regular white flour is excellent for deep cleansing, helps in tan removal (if used over a period of time), reduces sebum production. Sugar acts as a scrub and exfoliator which helps remove dead skin.

2. BLEACH

This is an optional step. I prefer using homemade bleach as it removes facial tan, and the facial hair doesn’t end up turning golden. This mixture is a great addition to the final result of the facial.

To prepare the bleach, take 2 spoons of aloe vera gel (I prefer it refrigerated as it is soothing to the skin), a pinch of turmeric or saffron essence if available, 2 spoons of orange juice (ideal for sensitive skin) or lemon juice and half a spoon of baking soda.

Mix the ingredients together to obtain a paste like consistency and apply it on the skin. Leave it for 15 to 20 mins and wash off. You will notice that the face looks bright and feels squeaky clean.

Benefits: Baking soda is a great exfoliator and gets rid of the dead skin as well as the black and whiteheads on the face, although not permanently. Orange juice and turmeric act as skin brightening agents.

3. STEAM

Taking a steam can be a boring process but it is great to open up the pores so that the ingredients that are used during the massage and the face pack are well absorbed.

Here, I would like to add few drops of any essential oils such as lavender/bergamot/peppermint.

Take the steam for at least 5 minutes. If possible, 10 mins.

For those who have severe blackheads or white heads, you could opt for extraction right after the steam. But be gentle, else it might leave marks behind.

4. MASSAGE

This is the best, although tedious, part of the process. You can use a variety of ingredients as per your skin type for the massage. Here I have listed a couple of options. You could choose any combination as per your liking.

1. PAPAYA AND PINEAPPLE PULP
2. AVOCADO AND KIWI
3. STRWABERRY AND POMEGRANATE
4. BANANA AND HONEY

Mash any of the above-mentioned combination into a pulp and massage it on to your face. If possible, for 10 mins. Next, if you have a cling wrap at home, take the remaining pulp and pat it on your face and wrap your face with the cling wrap. Cut out a small section around the nose and eyes. PLEASE DO NOT FORGET THIS.

Using of the cling wrap helps in better absorption of the enzymes and makes the facial more effective. Keep the cling wrap on for around 10 mins and then wash off your face.

Benefits: The above-mentioned combinations are rich in nutrients like Vit C, Vit E, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and skin brightening ingredients. You can also mix up the ingredients depending on your preference or skin type. Whatever you choose the final result would be a glowing skin.

5. EYES AND LIPS

Something we often tend to overlook while doing a facial.

For the eyes:Take a small amount of coffee powder and mix it with almond or olive oil. Massage this mixture around your eyes. Coffee is excellent in dealing with dark circles and puffy eyes. The oil provides hydration to the delicate skin around the eyes and helps in dealing with fine lines.

For the lips: Take a small amount of honey, sugar and cinnamon powder and scrub your lips. Here, cinnamon improves the blood circulation and gives the lips a ‘plumping’ effect.

Then take some honey and squeeze few drops of lemon juice and if possible, a few drops of beetroot juice. If the mixture gets too watery, add a pinch of turmeric powder to obtain a thick paste and apply it on the lips in a thick layer.

6. FACE MASK

Again, few of my favourite combinations for a face mask:

• MANGO AND MINT
• OATMEAL, HONEY AND MILK
• ORANGE PEEL POWDER OR JUICE AND SANDALWOOD POWDER
• BLUEBERRY AND YOGURT
• HONEY, CINNAMON, NUTMEG (this combination might sting a bit, so people with sensitive skin type might want to add extra honey)
• PUMPKIN AND NUTMEG

Take adequate amount of the ingredients to obtain a paste like consistency and apply it on the face and neck. Keep it on for 20 mins and was off. Finish off by using a toner. People with sensitive skin type could skip the toner and use an ice cube instead.

 All these combinations are excellent to achieve a brightening effect and a glowing skin.

Hope you try this homemade facial for a glowing skin and let us know how you liked it.