If you can’t get to the spa, here’s a way to recreate the experience in your own home. You only need a few things to create a luxurious and deeply relaxing experience and this is also something fun to do with a friend, partner or your children or other family member.
Whenever I go to a spa, it’s the wonderful smell that hits you first. You can recreate this using your favourite essential oils and you don’t even need a diffuser. Pop a few drops of your favourite essential oil blend on to the back of a cotton wool pad and then wipe that on the back of a warm or hot radiator - the heat naturally diffuses the oils and fills the room with a heavenly scent.
My favourite blend is Neroli (orange blossom) and mandarin – I find this uplifting but still relaxing. I also like to use my Spice of Life blend which contains citrus and spicy essential oils including ginger, cardamom, black pepper, lime and lemongrass. These are zingy and warming and make me feel like I’m on holiday.
You could also start your treatment with a foot bath. Fill a big bowl with warm water and add a few drops of essential oil or body wash to the bowl. Soak your feet in the warm water whilst you begin your facial.
Make yourself comfortable: a big fluffy robe is lovely to wear if you have one and use a band to take your hair away from your face.
Step one (and step two) - cleanse and cleanse again!
Start your facial by cleansing your face. If you are wearing make-up or SPF, start by removing this with a wash-off cleansing balm or oil such as Clean Sweep. Use warm water to rinse off the cleanser and then do a second cleanse to clean your skin. You could use the same cleanser or try a non-foaming face wash that will gently cleanse your skin without drying it out.
Cleansing really is vital as it allows you to prep your skin for the treatment parts of the facial and you’ll get the best results from your facial.
Step three - exfoliate
Exfoliation helps to increase brightness; boosting radiance and helping with clarity. Look for an exfoliator that contains natural fruit acids (often referred to as AHA’s which stand for Alpha Hydroxy Acids) and papaya extract.
These acids and fruit extracts work by gently dissolving dead, dull skin and they speed up the renewal of healthy new skin. Try and avoid harsh grains that come from nut shells or fruit stones as these can be quite harsh and can damage your skin.
I like to use natural jojoba grains in my natural facial scrub recipe, as these are spherical so they gently polish your skin. Exfoliation is a great step but if you have rosacea or very sensitive skin, I recommend skipping this step. The exfoliation process leaves your skin looking and feeling fresher, brighter and smoother.
Step four - make time for a mask
This is always part of a spa facial and feels like such a treat but it’s a step I recommend bringing into your weekly routine. Used regularly, your skin will thank you for it.
There are plenty of different masks available to buy: there are deep cleansing masks made from my clay; hydrating sheet masks; rich balms to nourish dry and damaged skin or you could try a mix your own mask which means you can customise each mask, depending on how your skin is feeling.
I love this idea as it means that every week you can mix and match your mask to how your skin is feeling. This is why I developed Look on the Bright Side. It is a powder mask that is made up of 10% vitamin C to brighten and even out skin tone; combined with white clay to clear any congestion and natural fruit extracts from papaya and pineapple to dissolve dead, dull skin.
This is a very brightening mask and when you mix it with other products, you can bring other benefits to your skin.
So for example you could try mixing the mask with some Freshen Up to hydrate your skin and a couple of drops of Bloom & Glow to brighten and calm your skin.
Whilst the face mask is working its magic, finish the foot bath by drying your feet and give yourself a foot massage. If you are giving this facial to someone, you could use it to give them a hand or foot massage.
Step five - make time to massage
After 10 – 20 minutes, rinse off your mask and spritz over you some Freshen Up or Tone Up and then spend at least 10 minutes on a facial massage. Use a couple of drops of your favourite face oil (or if your skin is very dry, you could use some Rest & Regenerate organic night balm instead).
Facial massage has so many benefits: it can help to rejuvenate skin that is dull and lacklustre; it’s good for boosting circulation and can assist with lymphatic drainage, which aids in the removal of toxins from the skin.
We hold a lot of tension and stress in our faces; especially the around jaw line. A great facial massage relaxes facial muscles and stimulates muscle tone. Let’s not also forget how calming and relaxation facial massage can be and it will give your skin a wonderful glow.
Make sure you use a face oil or a nourishing balm for your massage. Start by warming a few drops of face oil or a pea sized amount of balm, in the palms of your hands. If you are using one of my face oils which contain essential oils, gently place your palms over your face and inhale the wonderful aromas first.
Step six - time for a spritz
Once you have finished your facial massage spritz a little Freshen Up over your skin, just to awaken your senses. If you are giving the massage to someone else they may have drifted off to sleep as the massage is so relaxing. Bring them back to a wakened state by gently explaining that you are nearing the end of the treatment. Finally finish with a spritz of Freshen Up (just make sure you shake the bottle well first).
Just writing about this is making me feel deeply relaxed – I definitely recommend making this at home facial part of your weekly skincare ritual. You should find that your skin start to look and feel softer, smoother, radiant and well toned, firmer and tighter. You should also find you have a great big smile on your face too.
PS: I have teamed up with the wonderful ladies at Harmony Massage with whom I did my very first Instagram LIVE. as well as them producing a series of videos on how to bring that spa feeling to your home! Here you can follow a step by step firming facial massage which is amazing to use!
