Relaxing at Home Ritual
I Dr. Varshini Reddy, am a dermatologist and cosmetic skin expert. My clinic “Glow” will be opening it’s doors this year. I’m available for consultation online on Instagram at @theglow.edit. I love reviewing skincare on my page and trying out new products and treatments and love breaking barriers in beauty.
I will be sharing simple and effective beauty & skincare routines here that you can easily follow at home. 
Ambience
Your facial is not only about skincare but it’s also about setting the right mood and right ambience to elevate your experience . Light a few scented candles around you with fragrances that help you relax.
Some of my favourites are Diptyque, Jo Malone, Cire Trudon. The Style Salad has some great some great luxury scented candles, healing crystal candles, aroma bars & fragrance sachets.
Here are some of my favourites
Grapefruit & Mangosteen Candle
Healing Crystal Candles
Serenity Tin Candle
Mystique Candle
Eternal Romance Candle
Moonlight Candle
Cleanse
A thorough double cleansing method ensures that you remove all traces of makeup/ skincare and particle pollutants and helps whatever you apply next to get Into your skin.
A cleansing balm/ oil/ milk is my choice of first cleanser as they are able to dissolve makeup and sunscreen completely and you can also give yourself a nice massage while working in this cleanser as it has a lot of slip.some of my favourites are biologique recherche Lait vip 02, Clinique cleansing balm, Estée Lauder cleansing balm, tatcha one step camellia cleansing oil.
The second part of the cleansing ritual is using a lighter gentle cleanser to remove any traces of oil/ product from the skin and leave it squeaky clean but never dry. Never choose cleansers that excessively dry out your skin and have sulphates in them as they destroy your skin barrier.
Some of my favourites are BIOLOGIQUE recherche Lait cleansers, is clinical cleansing complex , tata Harper , fresh, allies of skin, Sarah Chapman.
The Style Salad has some great options as well.
Rose Ash Face Polish
Green Tea Cleanser
Peppermint Black Soap with Wild Honey
Exfoliation
It’s essential to remove all the dead skin cells from the surface of your skin to help it function better. Exfoliating liquids/toners are my favourite. Gently pat them in with the help of the cotton pad in upward motions. The combination of alpha hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids help you remove the dead skin cells and also penetrate into your pores to help clean out excess sebum/ oil. I like the BIOLOGIQUE recherche P50 as it’s gentle enough to be used everyday but effectively exfoliates.
Some of these also work really well
Hibiscus & Tea Tree Sugar Scrub
Coffee & Moringa Scrub
Facial steam
You can use a professional at home steamer or fill a bowl with hot water and add in some plant botanicals. I like the botanical face steam from style salad and earthwise beauty facial steam. It helps you take in the benefits of these herbs along with gently opening your pores and stimulating your skin for the treatment part.
Masking
This is my favourite part and you can easily do this with any kind of mask you have at home. It could be a cream based mask, a sheet mask , or a DIY mask . For cream masks my favourites are VIP 02 , Vivant, Biomagic from BIOLOGIQUE Recherche ,Tatcha Violet C , Fresh , Sisley Black Rose.
For sheet masks 111 skin, Sarah Chapman , DR. Jart, Tony Moly, Limese, Peach & Lily and some Anti stress Chocolate mask, Toning cucumber face mask, Bio Cellulose Brightening Mask
DIY masks that you can do at home are
For brightening : A mixture of curd, a pinch of turmeric , honey and few drops of lemon juice . It brightens and removes a sun tan too.
For sensitive skin is a mixture of oatmeal, honey and yogurt. You could even slather on just Manuka honey on your skin as it’s antimicrobial and the enzymes present in it help your skin become smooth and hydrated.
If you suffer from dry chapped lips and darkening of lips, try this mixture of a fruit like strawberry, papaya or grapes make a pulp and mix it with some sugar and coconut oil and gently buff your lips with it.
You could leave on any of these masks for 20-30 minutes and remove with a gentle Muslin cloth or wash off.
Essences/ serums
You could use a hydrating essence to amp up hydration levels in your skin as they help flood your skin with nutrients and hydration. Essences like fresh kombucha tea essence and SKII are great. This is great for those of you who want something light to hydrate your skin instead of heavy creams. Post this you can use a serum tailored to your skin concerns. There are a wide variety of serums and so I can’t pick just a few but make sure you use an antioxidant serum to help protect from free radicals, hydrating Serum for hydration and something with salicylic acid, niacinamide for acne prone skin.
You can use a Rose Quartz, Jade or Amethyst facial rollers to massage the serum onto your face.
Massage with cream/ face oil
If your skin is very dry you could use a heavier moisturizer and if your oily/ combination gel based would be a good option. To seal in the moisture and give a good massage to lift and firm facial muscles a good face oil is essential. I like vintners daughter active botanical serum for this as it smells great and also great for a massage. Also Kama Ayurveda moringa oil or any rose hip oil would do. Do not use heavy oils like coconut oil for this.
You could use your fingertips or use a tool like a Jade/ Rose Quartz Gua Sha or Facial roller. The Style salad has some great ones. Just make sure to gently move your tool along your jawline to release tension and along your cheekbones towards your temple. From the ears down to the neck . Around your eyes in circular movements and upwards on forehead. Never drag or pull your skin. Take your time to really work on the muscles and relax.
Hands/ Feet
Since we have all been washing our hands way too much it’s also essential to restore, moisture and hydrate them. Use a good hand cream and foot cream or body lotion and take time to massage it into your skin. The Style Salad has some great Hand & Foot Hydration Gloves and Socks, and an amazing Peeling & Exfoliating foot mask.
The Style Salad also has some great bath and body products like bath salts and fun flavoured body whips & creams. You could use this extra time to really make skincare ritual a relaxing experience.
I hope you follow & enjoy this ritual and hope all of you make self care a part of you always.
- DR. Varshini Reddy