As much as I’d like to call myself a skin care addict, I literally can’t remember the last time I got a facial. Sure, facials are an excellent way of sloughing off dead skin, destroying blackheads and combating acne, but there’s something about paying a ton of money for a treatment you need at least every month that I’m just not about. So believe me when I say my little beauty-product obsessed heart sang when I discovered a new game-changing solution: at-home facials.
More: What Is My Skin Type: How to Find the Best Products for Your Specific Concerns
Nope, these aren’t DIY masks filled with the contents of your refrigerator or hardcore chemical peels that leave your skin red and sensitive for three weeks after. Instead, at-home facials are powerful yet surprisingly gentle formulas loaded with skin-fixing ingredients like brightening and smoothing fruit acids, acne-fighting beta hydroxy acids and dark-spot- and discoloration-fading alpha hydroxy acids. Yes, it all sounds kind of intense, but we promise these acids are nothing like, well, whatever comes to mind when you hear the word “acid.”
Instead, fruit acids (like papaya and lemon) tend to be the gentlest and most well-tolerated of the acids followed closely by low-percentage BHAs (commonly known as salicylic acid, aka the ingredient you’ve been slathering on your zits since puberty) followed by low-percentage AHAs like lactic acid (the gentlest) and glycolic acid (the most potent). Of course, this is just a super-basic guide, because when it comes down to it, choosing the right acid totally depends not only on your skin type, but what you’re trying to target, the concentration of the acid that you’re using and how you’re using it. (Sound totally overwhelming? Check out our skin care guide to figuring out the exact products to use for your skin type).
But don’t worry, we aren’t suggesting you become an at-home chemist. Instead, we made it as easy as possible for you by rounding up the seven best at-home facials, including Drunk Elephant’s cult-favorite Babyfacial and Beauty Pie’s brand-spanking-new fruit peel, broken down into categories that fit each and every one of your skin care needs. Just layer one on your face at night for a few minutes (make sure to read the instructions — some work in as little as five minutes, while others can chill on your skin for 20 minutes), and let these straight-up miracle workers leave you with a softer, brighter and clearer face by bedtime. See our favorites below.
To fade dark spots & smooth bumps...
Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial (Drunk Elephant, $80)
To unclog pores & curb blackheads...
Beauty Pie Fruitizyme Five Minute Facial (Beauty Pie, $60)
To smooth roughness & brighten skin...
First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Intensive Peel (Ulta, $40)
To get a dewy, super-hydrated glow...
Derma E Overnight Peel (Derma E, $18.75)
To soften rough patches & prevent breakouts...
Boscia Charcoal Deep-Pore Exfoliating Peel Gel with volcanic sand (Boscia, $34)
To brighten dullness & fight zits on super-sensitive skin...
Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2 Percent BHA Liquid (Paula's Choice, $29)
To brighten dark spots & minimize fine lines...
Ole Henriksen Instant Transformation Lemon Facial Peel (Ole Henriksen, $48)
Originally posted on StyleCaster.