How to Do Facials on African American Skin

A facial can be done at home by yourself or you and your husband could do facials on each other and massage each other's faces. The process for doing a facial on African-American skin is not that different from doing a facial on Caucasian skin. Some things to avoid are pure alcohol, peroxide unless you are tending to a wound and witch hazel.

Things You'll Need

• Cotton facecloth
• Face brush, as long as it is does not contain rubber
• Pure cotton balls or pads
• Facial tissues, but only the kind that do not contain wood pulp, and only use facial
• tissues if you don't have pimples or a lot of facial hair
• Facial cleanser
• Facial toner
• Facial moisturizer
• Facial exfoliate
• Facial mask
• facial skin toner or astringent
• facial moisturizer
• exfoliating facial scrub, gel, cream, or lotion
• deep pore cleansing mask

Instructions

How to Do facials On African-American Skin

1. Massage your facial cleanser into your face with your hands or facecloth using upward and outward strokes, except under your eyes. Under your eyes you should only use your ring finger and gently stroke from the outward corners of your eyes towards the inner corners of your eyes.

2. Apply facial skin toner in the same way that you applied the cleanser, but use a cotton ball. Be sure to be gentle around the eyes and work from the outer corners of the eyes inward.

3. Moisturizing your face using your fingers is best so that cotton balls and cloths don't soak up some of the key ingredients in the moisturizer.

4. Twice a week you should use an exfoliate--an exfoliating gel, cream, lotion or scrub. If you use a scrub make sure that it is not too harsh, you don't need anything harsher than the consistency of salt for your face.

5. Twice a week you should use a mask--a clay mask or any other favorite mask you know of is good. If your skin is dry or sensitive, apply a thin layer of moisturizer before you apply your mask.

Tips & Warnings

• The eye area never needs a scrub applied to it. If you feel your eyes need a little extra care, use a special eye cleansing product and remember to be gentle.