With all of us still enduring lockdowns in varying different forms, you’d be forgiven for thinking that your skin undoubtedly needs to suffer when our beloved Aestheticians remain closed but, you’d be wrong! Believe it or not you can treat yourself to a professional-quality facial at home with a few killer product recommendations and handy hints and tips. Facials are one of the most relaxing and luxurious things that you can do for yourself and right now, many of us need to take care of ourselves and destress more than ever before. Here at Young LDN, in our minds to call something an at-home facial means going beyond your daily skincare routine. Something you potentially do once a week to really treat your body and mind and to tackle with any skincare concerns you may have. As we all suddenly have a lot more time on our hands, now is the perfect time to recreate your favourite facials at home. We recognise that our clients want to remain loyal to their favourite treatments and that’s why we’re so happy to announce that you can now purchase the exact same products we use in our infamous facials for you to be able to use from the comfort of your own home! Whether you’re after a pre-party (in the living room) glow up or a specific treatment to tackle acne, we’ve gone one better and gathered all our exclusive facial tips to help you go above and beyond to keep your results consistent during lockdown 2.0…

1. CREATE A RELAXING ATMOSPHERE

When you can’t physically go to the Young LDN Facial Bar, you can bring the studio to you by creating some relaxing vibes at home. This may seem like an unnecessary step but channelling the intimate environment of the Young LDN studio and erasing as much stress as possible to help you unwind will make your facial that much better. How does this work at home we hear you cry? All over relaxation is the goal, so running a warm bath to sink back into is a great place to start. Go one further and add either some Epsom salts or essential oils, light a scented candle and pop on your favourite Spotify playlist for top to toe indulgence. The Golden Fords No1: English Lavender & Dead Sea Minerals candle is the perfect way to unwind after a busy and stressful day, week, 2020. If you’re not in the mood for a full-body dip, you can soak your feet for all that same destressing feeling. It alleviates all the complex pressure points in the foot and is a real relaxer.

2. CLEANSE YOUR SKIN (PROPERLY!)

Did you know that so many of the most common skincare complaints come from not cleansing your skin properly? Unfortunately, you guessed it, giving your face a once over with a face wipe does NOT count. Before you do anything else to your face, you need to start with a clean canvas. Any makeup, SPF (yes you should be wearing it daily) or excess product left on your skin will result in a less effective facial, not to mention bacteria build up over time. To make sure your skin is as clean as possible before you start the facial process give double cleansing a try. The first cleanse simply removes excess build-up and sweat (gross) and the second really cleanses the skin. The Circadia Lipid Replacing Cleansing Gel is perfect for revitalising your skin using second generation AHA technology, antioxidants and hydrating botanicals. Simply add to the face and cleanse in circular motions, adding water to enhance foaming.

3. GET STEAMY

If you’re a facial enthusiast, you know that most facials worth their salt will include some kind of steaming process. Steaming you face helps to soften pores and the top layer of your skin allowing it to better absorb product. Now there is a BIG caveat to doing this at home. BE. CAREFUL. If you want to steam your face at home, take extra care not to either over-steam your skin (this can lead to dryness) or make sure to have the steam too hot (otherwise you can burn yourself!). There are two ways you can (safely!) try steaming at home. You can either hover your face over a bowl of warm (not boiling) water and cover your head with a towel to trap the steam in, or soak a towel in warm water and put it over your face. If we say it once, we’ll say it again – don’t make the water too hot. Please!

4. EXFOLIATION IS THE WAY

Our facials at Young LDN generally involve exfoliation to gently remove dead skin cells to reveal that radiant Insta-glow skin. Using an exfoliator in your at home facial creates a perfect canvas for the rest of your steps as it paves the way for smoother skin texture and a brighter complexion. We would always recommend using an enzyme or chemical exfoliator instead of a physical one (like a scrub) as scrubs are often used too vigorously and leave micro-tears in the skin which can irritate it and lead to break outs. The Circadia Caviar Lime & Passionfruit Enzyme Mask is perfect for exfoliation with a pampering difference. Apply to the face & neck with the Circadia fan brush and leave on for 10 minutes, removing thoroughly with a warm cloth to reveal instantly illuminated fresh skin.

5. MASK IT UP

A facial just wouldn’t feel right without some form of mask. This is where you can get technical. You can pick whatever mask you want based on your skin’s needs and this can change from week to week or session to session. We always think there is room for a heavy dose of hydration and the Circadia Marshmallow Whip Hydrating Mask sounds good enough to eat (although please don’t!). 1 tsp delivers a complex blend of hydrating ingredients directly to the skin whilst delivering healing and soothing botanicals to improve overall skin health. To amp up the spa factor, spend a good amount of time rubbing your mask gently into your skin before you let it sit and get to work.

6. PROTECT

One of the biggest keys to achieving a radiant glow is well-moisturised skin. How we hear you cry? It’s all about your moisturiser. Putting your moisturiser on at the end of your routine is like wearing a raincoat over your outfit, it protects what’s going on underneath. Once you remove your mask, lock in the hydration with your favourite moisturiser and for the ultimate ‘close your eyes and pretend you're there’ moment add a few drops of your favourite serum into the mix for added indulgence. The Circadia Vitamin C Reversal Serum and the Post Peel Balm are absolutely perfect at protecting the skin and for those of you concerned with the first signs of ageing, it’s got your back!

7. SKIP EXTRACTION

Now if there is one area of a traditional facial, we would advise you to NOT perform at home it would be this. Unfortunately, as satisfying as it may be this step really is best left to the pros. Aside from the fact you may not be aware of exactly what you’re doing, nothing is as clean as clinically sterilised equipment and attempting to pick at your own face is never a good idea. Following the above steps should be more than enough to keep you ticking over until you can get back to seeing one of our Tribe in person. That being said if you really must take action yourself, please ensure your hands are squeaking clean before going anywhere near a blemish. Take a tissue, rip it in half and wrap it around the forefinger of each hand and using the pads of your fingertips only (no nails here people) put your fingers either side of the blemish so that you can still see it and push gently downwards then upwards. As soon as you see pink or even the tiniest hint of any blood STOP.

Finally, the observant amongst you will notice we have been recommending products from one of our favourite professional brands: Circadia, and with good reason. Right now if you purchase 3 Circadia products you also receive an entirely free (and aptly named) Staycation At-Home Facial Kit containing a full professional routine to use at home. 

To get your hands on a Circadia Staycation kit or order any Circadia products (they aren't available online), simply hit us up or slide into our DMs on Instagram. We can’t wait to see your continued results until we are able to welcome you back to Young LDN.

We want to thank each and every one of you for your unrivalled support during this difficult time and are wishing you health and happiness until we can meet (in person) again.

Until then, keep safe (and sassy)!

Young LDN

xoxo