Ultimate DIY Facial for Glowing Skin

In these hard times we can't all afford an expensive spa facial , that doesn't mean we still can't pamper ourselves a little at home! This facial came about when I took a look at my face one day and felt it looked really dull (*ehm* just that ONE day my skin is actually AWESOME ALL THE TIME! *cough*) so I thought I should try a DIY facial because I hear great things about them all over the web. Hence my 6 easy steps to glowing skin facial was born!! TA DA!

All of the products I've used in this facial are available in Middle Eastern markets at most pharmacies, drugstores and even supermarkets and I'll link to the products so you can see descriptions and more pictures. If there is anything you can not find just shoot me a quick email at farah.dessouky@gmail.com  and we can figure out some alternatives. So read on to get amazingly glowing skin from the comfort of your own home (too much infomercial talk?? *blush*)

Step #1 Squeaky Clean
The first step of your facial is to make sure your face is free of make up, dirt and oils so just wash or cleanse your face as usually would.

I  used the 'Seba med' cleansing bar soap to wash my face and neck just because it's my ABSOLUTE favorite facial cleanser and it works really well for my skin type (I have combination skin) but you can use whatever works best for you. 

Step #2 Steam time
So after we've made sure that our face and neck are nice and clean then we need to get all of the dirt and grime out of our pores, I apply Neutrogena's Visibly Clear Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub on my T-Zone (forehead , nose and chin) and then start steaming my face so the pores open up and the product can work its magic properly (if there are any gentlemen reading this: Women don't have oily skin or blackheads this is just a hypothetical exercise! *wink wink*) .

Anyways back to our hypothetical facial now to steam your face you can either take a hot shower and let the steam from the shower do the magic OR the way I prefer is to get a bowl of HOT steamy water and hold my head over it. To trap the steam from the water I hold a towel over my head and the bowl.  Just make sure the water isn't boiling hot and your face is not too close to the water so you don't burn yourself. 
Sit in front of the steam for 10-15 minutes and then wash off the product with warm water (you can just use the edge of the towel you were using with the steam dipped in warm water to remove the product from your t zone)  and DO not rub it in because the yummy scrubbing part comes next!
Farah's TIP: please e careful when steaming your face if you have dry, sensitive or broken skin because the heat from the steam irritates all of the above skin types. If you have any of those problems please avoid the steam.  

Step # 3 Scrub, Scrub Scrub! 
Now comes my favorite part of the entire facial: Exfoliating! This will remove all the dead skin cells and the dirt and excess oil that we just steamed out of your pores. After removing the Neutrogena product, I apply some of my homemade scrub all over my face and start rubbing it in in circular motions gently.  Please do not go to harsh with the exfoliation because your skin is now pretty sensitive after the steam and we're not trying to remove one of it's layers (did you just picture that in your head too? *ouch*).
Let the scrub sit for a couple of minutes then again with the edge of your towel dipped in warm water just remove the scrub gently from your face and by now you should start noticing how refreshed your skin looks and feels !

Step # 4 Tone it up! 

After all of the steaming and exfoliating your skin now needs a little refresher so I use some strongly brewed cooled pure green tea applied on a cotton pad as my homemade toner .  If you feel like using a store bought product my two absolute favorite toners are the Body Shop's Cucumber Water and Bioderma's Sensibio H2O, just apply a little on a cotton pad and use all over your face.

Step # 5 Facial Mask: Funny or Scary?
I guess it depends who you ask!! HAHA. Regardless of whether you think you look like monster or  just plain hilarious facial masks do your skin a world of good. You can either make your own masks at home from this incredible list depending on your needs or you can just be lazy that day like I was and use a store bought mask.

I personally prefer a clay based mask and Mudd products are just great, I used their Original Mask and left it on for about 15 minutes or it has completely dried. It does get REALLY dry so don't worry it's normal if you can't frown when it's on. Again with a towel dipped in warm water remove the mask after it has dried and you'll uncover baby soft glowing skin.
Farah's tip: Always use a mask that is suited for your skin type, for example I would not recommend the Mudd mask to women with dry skin because it will dry it out even more. This mask s best suited for oily to combination skin. When you find the right mask for you stick with it because it really does make a huge difference. 


Step #6  Moisture-tastic! 

The Final step in our now almost complete facial is to moisturize our lovely refreshed skin. Moisturizing your skin is probably the most important part of any beauty regimen and especially after a facial because it restores all of the moisture that was lost during the process as well sealing it in so you don't lose anymore. Again always use a moisturizer that is best suited for your skin type, you can make a homemade one from one of my recipes or you can just use your daily moisturizer although I do recommend using something with a slightly richer texture because your skin will need it after the treatment. I used my almond oil and rosewater moisturizer but if you do go for a store-bought moisturizer, I love Nuxe's Reve de Miel Day Creme as well as The Body Shop's Vitamin E Moisture Cream. If you use an eye cream this would also be the time to use it, I prefer just a couple of cooled tea bags on my eyes for 10-15 minutes before I apply the moisturizer but there is no right or wrong here, do whatever works best for your skin.
Farah's Tip: Make sure to moisturize the skin on your neck and décolletage as well because most people neglect them. The skin on these areas is thin and can show signs of aging faster than you face so please show it some love too! 


So turn off your phone, shut down the laptop and relax for an hour. Take some 'me time' and give yourself a refreshing DIY facial and see the difference in your skin! Try it out and let me know in the comments box below how it worked out for you! 


As always if you have any questions about any of the info in this post  just let me know BELOW or email me at farah.dessouky@gmail.com and if I have the answer I'll be sure to get back to you or write a post for your specific request.


Lots of Love,