How to Do Steam Facials at Home

Give yourself a clay facial mask at home.

Pamper your skin at home for a fraction of the cost you would pay for a salon facial. While you may not be in a luxurious spa or seaside resort, your skin won't know the difference. An at-home steam facial is a deep-cleansing treatment that opens up your pores and removes dirt and oil. You don't need a fancy machine to give yourself a steam facial; you need only to know how to boil water on the stove.

Things You'll Need

• Cotton pads
• Toner
• Large cooking pot
• Exfoliating cleanser
• Moisturizer
• Clay mask

Instructions

1. Soak three cotton pads in toner and refrigerate them for several hours before your facial. Inexpensive toners that are gentle to your skin include witch hazel and rose water.

2. Boil a large pot of water. Turn off the heat and allow the water to cool to the point that it is still steaming but is comfortable enough to lean over.

3. Wash your face with exfoliating cleanser. Look for a cleanser with microbeads, ground apricot kernels or ground coffee beans. Exfoliants remove layers of dirt and dead skin cells.

   Work the cleanser into a lather in your hands and massage it into your face with your fingertips. Rinse your face with lukewarm water and pat it dry with a clean, soft towel.

4. Wipe a refrigerated cotton pad soaked with toner across your face to remove any excess cleanser.

5. Drape a large towel across your shoulders and lean over the pot of steaming water as far as is comfortable. Steam your face for 10 to 15 minutes.

6. Wipe your face with another cold toner pad.

7. Apply a facial mask according to your skin type. If you have problem skin, you can use a peel-off type to get rid of blackheads. For combination skin, try a bentonite clay mask.

8. Wash off the mask with warm water and wipe your skin with toner once more. Allow the toner to dry, then follow with a light coat of moisturizer.

9. Steam your face once a week to keep your skin looking its best.

Tips & Warnings

• Add a few drops of tea tree or lavender oil to the boiling water for problem skin or loose chamomile tea for skin in need of soothing.

References

• "The Washington Post"; Do Your Own At-Home Facials; Diana L. Carswell; November 2004
• Lindisima: Facials at Home
• Joanna Vargas Salon; How to do a Simple At Home Facial; July 2011

Resources

• Taaz: The Ultimate Do It Yourself Facial