The At-Home, One-Step Facials That Will Deep Clean Your Pores

Korean beauty brands are lightyears ahead when it comes to one-step, at-home skin care. They’ve got everything from sheet masks soaked with active ingredients to bubbling face masks that blast away impurities, and it seems like there’s an innovation weekly.

You don’t have to be into newfangled products, however, to appreciate deep-cleaning at-home treatments that yield results similar to those you’d get in a salon. Brands like Dermalogica and Murad also have one-step facial buys that most beauty experts consider essential for healthy skin, particularly as seasons change.

“Skin care should be adjusted based on your skin’s specific needs, and we can track those more easily with the seasons,” says Di Medlock, who works in spa operations at Exhale. “While changing your full skin care regimen four times per year might not be an option, masks are a fantastic way to address these types of situational problems.”

For those prone to oily skin (especially during the humid summertime), she recommends a charcoal- or clay-based mask to clear pores and reduce breakouts. For dry or sensitive skin during winter, Medlock recommends reaching for sheet or gel masks with hyaluronic acid, aloe, honey or turmeric.

Skin cells turn over about every four weeks, says Medlock, so give masks time to work by using them consistently. But more isn’t always better; you don’t want to irritate or suffocate skin. “Overusing stronger skin care like masks, exfoliants or serums can strip the skin of its natural lipid layer or drown the pores with more moisture than they could possibly absorb; if you’re finding that a once-per-week mask isn’t doing the trick, it’s time to see an esthetician or a dermatologist for help,” says Medlock.

And that goes for skin of any gender. Men’s skin may be thicker and more oily, but it, too, suffers as seasons change. “It’s equally important for men to use masks and peels, especially around the eye area,” says Mimi Luzon, the facialist behind the Victoria’s Secret Angels. If you’re not seeing results from a weekly mask, another option is to add a serum booster like vitamin C to your routine. “Boosters and masks have a high concentration of active ingredients in them, but boosters can be used daily.”

These are the at-home, one-step facials that will help with a myriad of skin care battles while revealing your freshest, glowiest skin.

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