BONUS! 3 Hacks To Transform Your Skin

DIY facemasks, at-home blackhead removal, and microneedling 101 all in one blog post!PHOTO CREDIT: taken by wolfskull creative for atelier + stone jewelry.

DIY facemasks, at-home blackhead removal, and microneedling 101 all in one blog post!

PHOTO CREDIT: taken by wolfskull creative for atelier + stone jewelry.

I just covered my everyday skincare habits in this blog post, but I also wanted to dig into all the “extra” skin habits that I do when I feel like giving my skin a little extra love. These are NOT part of my everyday skin routine, but I consider them to be equally important in maintaining healthy, glowing skin.

This is for the days when I am relaxing at home, not going in public and feeling like being a self-care guru (AKA when I hang out in my PJs all day, watch trashy reality television, drink a glass of cabernet, and have time to do a face mask or two [Fergie’s song “Glamorous” plays in the background]).

In this post, I’ll outline 3 of my extra special skin routines. By no means do I do these every day, but I do at least one every week to ensure that my skin is blemish free, well hydrated, and cared for properly. They are just a few extra habits that I’ve found work wonderfully in not only treating a few pesky problems (blackheads, irritated skin, etc.), but in maintaining healthy skin overall.

Without further ado, here are my go-to habits when I feel like giving my skin a lil extra TLC. I hope you love them as much as I do!


BLACKHEAD REMOVING REGIMEN:

I probably do this about once a month. I tend to collect some of those pesky little blackheads on my nose no matter what I do. So like any millennial, I googled how to get rid of them and combined every method I found into one supersonic blackhead removing party.  And it WORKS.

Step 1: Use a rag with warm water and hold it to your nose for a while to open up the pores. Lightly scrub your nose with rag to exfoliate.

Step 2: Apply bentonite clay to the nose. Bentonite clay is magic at drawing toxins to the surface and making them easier to remove. This will be important for the overall effectiveness of the next step

Step 3: When the bentonite mask is close to drying, get your next step ready. Mix 1 tsp water with about 1 tbsp baking soda and about 1/2 tbsp toothpaste (yes, really).

Step 4: Rinse off the bentonite mask with hot water and then hold a hot rag to your nose for a while to get those pores wiiiide open.

Step 5: Act quickly! While your pores are still open apply the baking soda mixture to your nose. Once it is on, use an old toothbrush to “brush” your nose and scrub the blackhead area and mix the baking soda mixture around. Don’t brush too hard or you might cause some unnecessary irritation! The first time I did this I was a weeee bit too aggressive with the brushing and was slightly red for the next 12 hours or so, but the redness went down quickly! Just make sure you learn from my mistakes and be gentle to that lovely skin of yours!
Do this for about 1 minute. Note: It may tingle depending on what type of toothpaste you use!

Step 6: After scrubbing the mixture on your nose with the toothbrush, rinse off with a warm washcloth. Then, keeping the washcloth nice and warm, hold it to your nose and squuuuueeze with the washcloth and the blackheads will come out SO easily with zero pain (idk if I have any other pimple poppin’ lovers out here but this part is sooo satisfying #honestyhour).

Step 7: Admire your blackhead-free nose, you cutie! This blackhead regimen is my tried ‘n’ true. For a little extra bonus visual, you can picture me forcing Adam to do this every few months so he can have glowy angel man skin (#marriage).

UPDATE TO THE BLACKHEAD REGIMEN: While the above regimen used to be my standard, I have also added a new step which has been game. changing. Check out this facial tool that quite literally sucks the blackheads out of your face. Nasty, I know… but soooo effective.

FACE MASK PARTY:

Okay, can I just say it—putting on a face mask makes me feel absolutely fabulous. I kinda feel like I have my whole life together and I am a powerhouse woman ready to take on the world. Anyone else? Just me? Okay, cool.

Regardless, since I feel like superwoman with a good face mask on, I have learned to invest in things that make me happy (like feeling like a fabulous diva with great skin, apparently). Like I’ve mentioned before, I change products up A LOT so below are my favorite masks depending on the day and what my skin needs:

FOR ALL MY MINIMALISTS, HERE ARE THE ONLY 3 FACE MASKS YOU NEED (I USE THESE 97.3% OF THE TIME):

FOR ALL OF MY PRODUCT JUNKIES, HERE ARE SOME OF THE RANDOM FACE MASKS I LOVE:

PRO TIP: Use an old foundation make up brush to “paint” on your mask. It makes the whole process so much cleaner and easier to apply. Let it dry (I sometimes re-wet it and let it dry all over again for a lil extra love), and then rinse it off when you’re all done!  Afterwards, I spray with a toner and apply a good oil as the cherry on top!

MICRONEEDLING, SAY WHAAAA?!

Okay, so I am totally copying R+F here, haha. Although I have nooooo interest in putting their chemical-filled skincare on my skin, I think they were on to something with the whole microneedling thing.

Rodan + Fields popularized microneedling which basically means taking super fine needles to puncture the outer layer of the skin (the epidermis). This minor injury to the skin releases growth factors and increases collagen production (AKA two things very, very valuable in keeping skin plump and wrinkle-free). It helps products penetrate deeper into the skin and work from the inside out. This is what makes microneedling such an effective method of minimizing acne scars and signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles.  

Now to get real, professional microneedling, you need an appointment with a doc at the dermatologist, but R+F popularized a way to use a microneedle at home in a much more casual way. While i don’t use any R+F products because they don’t fit my “nontoxic” standards, I was very intrigued by the hype (and science!) behind microneedling.


So I bought one on Amazon to use at home and I absolutely love it. This is one of my “day off” skincare routines as my face is usually a bit red for a few hours afterwards. But the results it’s had on helping heal scars, fine lines, and its wrinkle fighting magic are so, so worth it.

Step 1: Apply whatever magic serum you want that day. Remember: the microneedles will help whatever you are putting on your skin get down deeper, faster. Usually I’ll pick ONE of the following options:


Step 2: Apply the oil of your choice to your face and then start microneedling.

How to microneedle:

  • Start by going up and down on your face with the microneedle tool. It will feel weird, but it definitely shouldn’t hurt! If it does, reduce the pressure you are using!

  • Then go horizontal or “side to side” with the same tactic.

  • Then, heck, go diagonal!

  • What you are doing is mini-puncturing the skin and signaling the skin’s healing through extra collagen production. (Collagen is the magical thing that keeps your skin plump, repairs wrinkles, and keeps your eyelashes long, your fingernails grow, etc.)


Voila! You just microneedled! I would start by only doing this a few times per week to see how your skin does with it. Personally, I have LOVED it. I have focused it preventatively on areas that my family is known to wrinkle (curse of the eyebrow furrow, I’m looking at you). This extra collagen and healing attention from the skin leads to radiant, plump skin that I think my 66-year-old self will thank me for. :)

Alright, folks, there ya be! Skin magic for your next day off! Again, these are my “special treat” skincare routines and I definitely don’t do them every day, but they are some of my favorite lil self-care treats. ENJOY!

ready for more holistic skincare goodness?

ALL BLOG POSTS, SELF-CARE, INTEGRATIVE HEALTHKate Eskuriskincare16 Comments