A facial at scrub me skin care studio.
Welcome to a walk-through of a facial at my skincare studio! One of the most important things I have learned throughout my 10+ years working as an esthetician is that in order to get the best results from a facial treatment the facial must be detailed and customized to your personal skin care needs. Even the most basic facial can be fine-tuned and customized to address any current problems or concerns in the skin and help rejuvenate it with the correct products. I always take everyone’s personal skin type, needs, and skincare goals into consideration when choosing a cleanser, toner, exfoliation, or decongestion method, mask, aftercare, and other facial add-ons. I even make sure to be mindful of how long I use the facial steamer, depending on skin type and skincare needs. In this blog post, I am detailing the most basic facial at scrub me skin care studio, the “facial fundamentals” PLUS an added facial massage (because who doesn’t love facial massage).
scrub me secret: my facial menu has many à la carte options so you can easily customize your own facial treatment or ask me to customize a special treatment for you. some of my favorite facial add-ons include facial gua sha, ultrasonic exfoliation, papaya enzyme mask, dermaplaning, and lymph drainage massage. It’s really fun to be able to customize your own facial treatment.
The consultation
At your first visit to the skin care studio, I have you fill out a facial consultation form where you give important info like the current skincare products you’re using, problems/concerns with your skin, and any skincare goals you have.
After taking a closer look at your skin and discussing your skincare goals I decide what facial products and treatments would be best for that day. I always choose products and treatments that will help both achieve future skin goals and give you the best, instant results.
scrub me secret: facials can give some really great instant results but other developments like clearing of acne, fading aging lines, brightening pigment, and smoothing texture take time and consistency with the correct home care and facial treatments. I always try my best to be as honest as possible about what results we will see quickly and what will come with time. Facials are suggested every 4-6 weeks.
Double cleanse
For every skin type, I always start with a pre-cleanse using my nourishing serum. This jojoba-based facial oil with carrot & lavender essential oils softens and helps remove surface debris, makeup, and excess oils. After the pre-cleanse is removed I use either a creamy cleanser or a pH balancing gel cleanser to cleanse the skin fully. Creamy cleansers are better for sensitive or dry skin and the gel cleanser is better for normal, oily, and acneic skin types.
scrub me secret: I use a toner for your specific skin type and skin needs after cleansing, exfoliating, extractions, and right before applying aftercare. Sometimes I use multiple different toners or hydrosols during your facial treatment to give your skin different benefits. For example, sometimes I will use a more astringent toner to prep for detoxification & steam and a more hydrating toner or hydrosol (floral water) at the end of the facial.
Exfoliant and/or decongestant
This exfoliant or detoxifying mask will work together with facial steam to give the best pore-clearing and skin-softening benefits. I love to use my antioxidant powder mask to exfoliate dry, dull, and congested skin types. A physical exfoliation like this scrub is great for both removing dead skin cells and promoting fresh circulation in the face. Detoxifying mask options range from masks that target oily and acneic skin types to ones with both soothing and detox benefits. Based on your current skincare needs I’ll decide what’s best for the facial.
scrub me secret: other exfoliation add-on options for a facial include - papaya enzyme mask, ultrasonic exfoliation, brightening enzyme, and microdermabrasion.
Facial Steam
The steaming part of a facial is relaxing and beneficial for the skin! This warm steam helps to soften skin cells and any debris in the pores, making it easier to remove. While steam does help to slightly open pores it is most helpful for softening blackheads and congestion in the skin. It’s also helpful along with an exfoliation mask or enzyme to amplify the benefits and further soften skin. More sensitive skin types or skin types prone to redness will have a shorter facial steam. During the facial steam, I usually perform a small facial pressure point massage.
scrub me secret: for very dry and dehydrated skin I will sometimes opt to use the facial steam during the hydrating mask portion vs. at the beginning of the facial. using the facial steam to help bind moisture and water to the skin is much more beneficial for someone with a very dry face.
Extractions
I perform extractions using my hands and cotton pads. I find this way is the most gentle on the skin and doesn’t leave any damage or scarring. I only extract blackheads and whiteheads that are ready to come out of the pore. Cystic acne and comedones that aren’t ready to come out of the skin I treat with healing high-frequency light or spot treatments. I do not recommend doing your own extractions at home. Save them for your facial!
scrub me secret: there is a certain CBD toner by ology essentials that I love to use after extractions. This is a super soothing and anti-inflammatory toner that provides great calming relief.
Custom Mask
I have so many ways to tailor a mask to your specific skin care goals and needs. I love adding holistic ingredients to a facial mask to give it a boost of plant-based benefits. During this custom mask, I address specific concerns like aging, dryness, oiliness, uneven complexion, breakouts, etc. I use ingredients like manuka honey, matcha, kaolin clay, oats, and rosewater to name a few. I also really like the clinical line of skincare called PCA and often use their masks as well as the Esthemax masks.
scrub me secret: I’ll decide which mask and/or ingredients I’m going to use for this portion of the facial during the consultation so you’ll know what to expect during your treatment.
Facial Massage
Facial massage is an add-on service to the basic “fundamentals facial” but I wanted to include this because facial massage treatments are my favorite treatment to perform and one of the main reasons clients come to visit me. I offer a facial circulation massage for anti-aging and skin radiance, a lymph drainage massage for puffiness & redness, facial gua sha (SO many benefits), and a microcurrent lifting massage. All of these facial massages provide different benefits and show instant results for the skin. I help you decide which massage is best for your skincare goals and skin type; sometimes I decide to perform a combination of a few of these practices. A facial massage usually comes towards the end of the treatment.
scrub me secret: if you don’t know this already, facial gua sha massage is one of my favorite ways to lift the skin, contour the face, iron out fine lines, relax facial muscles, and treat puffiness & redness. I took a detailed training course on this technique in 2020 and have been loving performing it on all my facial clients. My blog post “Let’s all try facial gua sha” is a great place to learn more about this type of facial massage.
Aftercare
Applying proper toner, serums, hydrators, and defense products like SPF and protectant mist is a really important part of the facial. Without proper aftercare, we won’t be able to achieve optimal results. I take into account time of day, lifestyle, skin type, and current skin needs when choosing which toner, serum, moisturizer, and defense products to apply. I always apply eye cream around the eyes and butter balm for the lips as a final touch for everyone.
scrub me secret: I often use my favorite vitamin C&E serum as part of the facial aftercare. This stable and effective vitamin C serum is so beneficial for most skin types. It provides skin-protecting, firming, and brightening benefits. This is a serum I use daily.
Post facial instructions:
I always suggest for you to leave the post-facial skincare on your skin for the remainder of the day or evening. It’s best to avoid activities where you sweat excessively, try to avoid applying a lot of makeup, and be gentle with your skin for 12-24 hours post-facial. During the consultation, we will have gone over your current skincare routine and I’ll give you any notes on how to adjust it in order to meet your goals. You should leave your facial feeling confident in your skin and knowing the next steps to take in order to achieve the best results and maintain them. Together we work as a team to help your skin feel the best it has ever felt!