The ever-innovating field of smart beauty tools and techniques (plus some old faves – hello, gua sha) means it’s easy to transform our skin – no trip to a facialist required. If you’re stuck at home, have had to cancel your next facial, or simply want to indulge in some TLC during this time of heightened anxiety, here’s how to up your DIY salon game with some of our favourite at-home skincare treatments.
Blue Light Treatment
Fight acne, take down inflammation, and wipeout whiteheads with a blue light session. Used in the correct way, blue LED light has an anti-microbial effects that can decrease flare-ups by killing the P.acnes bacteria that cause mild to moderate acne. The non-invasive treatment is easy to do, takes just a couple of minutes, and often shows results within hours.
HOW TO
Use the Foreo Espada on clean, dry skin. Activate the device and target the blemish with the red light. Hold the device on the blemish for 30 seconds (it will beep when done) to activate the blue light. Repeat up to four times on each spot.
Facial Massage
Mimicking the hands of your facialist is so much easier once you have a gua sha involved. This sculpting tool contours cheekbones, drains toxins, massages away tension, and helps products to penetrate deeper into skin.
HOW TO
Massage a generous amount of oil into the skin to provide the ‘slip’ that the tool needs to travel smoothly. With a light-medium level of pressure, sweep the tool over your skin – hold it at a slant rather than using the edge – following the contours of your face and moving outwards.
Ice Rolling
Puffy skin and redness are no match for an ice roller. Once chilled, this nifty tool combines the benefits of massage with cold temperature to constrict the skin, resulting in a shrinking effect and, over time, smoother and more even-toned skin with reduced inflammation, irritation, and sensitivity.
HOW TO
Start by rolling the Kitsch Ice Roller across the forehead and temples, over the eyes, down the cheeks, around the mouth, then along the jaw and finally down the neck. If you have a particularly swollen breakout or a patch of sensitivity, focus on that area for a few minutes to reduce pain and swelling.
Cupping
Based on an ancient healing practice, this lo-fi treatment stimulates blood flow and lymphatic drainage, tones muscle tissue, and relaxes tightness, giving a lifted, sculpted look. The process feels like a cross between massage and suction, and though it will leave skin red to begin with, this will soon fade into a healthy glow.
HOW TO
When it comes to facial cupping, it’s best to follow correct instructions and techniques rather than going free for all. Before touching the cup to your face, squeeze the open base and then place it onto your skin before releasing. This creates the required suction and allows the cup to easily glide over your skin in sweeping strokes. Hold skin taught with your free hand to prevent pulling.
Chemical Peel
They might sound scary, but these days chemical peel formulas are refined and designed to ensure that no actual peeling occurs. Best for those experiencing pigmentation, discolouration, textured skin, or acne scarring, a good chemical peel provides a deep exfoliation process that stimulates collagen and increases cell turnover to reveal bright, new skin.
HOW TO
Apply a thin layer of Peter Thomas Roth Firm X Peeling Gel to skin and gently massage in with your fingertips to roll away dead skin cells – you will see and feel them lift off. Leave on for up to five minutes for extra exfliation before rinsing well with water.
