Make Time For Self-Care

At-Home Facial Tips

At AskCares we believe that our skin looks its best when it is healthy. We don’t believe in fighting our skin’s natural, but rather in nourishing it so that it can return to its natural, healthy glow. 

Heal the skin naturally, use organic ingredients, keep it simple, and take good care of yourself. With extra time on your hands, why not give your face a little extra attention?

Since we can’t get our regular facials, masking once or twice every week makes a huge difference. You’ll thank yourself later for taking care of your skin now, and you’ll feel super confident and refreshed when you go back to work with glowy gorgeous skin.

Think of your skin-care facial routine as consisting of three main steps: cleansing, toning, and moisturizing.

Cleansing: Washing Your Face and Exfoliating  

The right formula cleanses your skin without stripping essential, healthy oils. Take it easy with exfoliating scrubs (use once a week) and avoid those with crushed walnut shells or abrasive ingredients. 

For a glowing skin cleanser, try a frozen facial scrub: Cooling Lemon Cucumber Ice Cubes. Cucumbers are naturally cooling while they gentle clean and moisturize the skin. Puree a cucumber, add a squeeze of one lemon juice, pour into an ice tray and freeze until the cubes are formed.

Before using, let the cube sit for 30 seconds or so to soften slightly. Gently rub the cube over your face and neck, using the icy slush to exfoliate. You can let the juice sit on your face for 5-10 minutes before rinsing or let it dry naturally. 

Looking to deep cleanse your skin, then Deep-Cleansing Clay and Egg White Mask will work best. You will need 1 egg white, 2 tbsp white bentonite clay, and a drop of your favorite essential oil. Blend the mask ingredients in a bowl, apply an even layer to your face and allow it to dry. Wash off with a warm soft towel.

To create a basic mask, take the powder clay and add water. If you have oily skin, stick to just water. Jojoba oil is a great additive for those with dry skin, and milk will reduce drying effects for those with combination skin.

Don't use a metal utensil or bowl when working with and mixing your clay. The metal reacts to the clay, reducing some of its clarifying properties.

Toning: Balance The Skin

It can be a good way to add specific ingredients that you may not have in your other products or add another layer of skin replenishment. If you have the time and inclination, here are some hero ingredients to look for: alpha and beta hydroxy acids, hyaluronic acids, rose water and green tea, vitamin E, and C.

Moisturizing: Hydrate and Soften The Skin

You can try Avocado Honey Face Mask that uses only 2 natural ingredients, that work wonders for dry, mature or wrinkled skin. Take 1 fully ripe fresh avocado, remove the skin as well as the seed, and mash it up into creamy pulp in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of honey and stir in honey until it turns into a uniform paste. Apply to skin and leave it on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse off the mixture with warm water and pat dry your face with a soft towel.

For oily skin Avocado Yogurt Face Mask will do the trick. Take 1/4 ripe avocado and mash it up in a bowl until it turns lump free. Mix into the pulp 1 teaspoon of plain organic yogurt and 1/2 teaspoon of honey. Stir them well until you get a paste of uniform consistency. Apply the mask onto your skin for 10-15 minutes or until it dries out. Rinse it off with warm water and pat your skin dry with a soft towel.

The above additional ingredients are optional. The avocado face masks are effective even when they are made with avocado alone. The optional ingredients you may add for their specific additional properties that may improve skin health.

Don’t forget to use SPF!

We would like to remind you to wear SPF even if we’re staying indoors because the blue light from our computers and cell phones can be damaging to the skin. And with all of our added virtual communication, it’s worth taking into consideration.  

At-Home Eyelash Tips

If you are struggling with remaining eyelash extensions, there are a few options to remove them at home. When you feel that the last of the lashes really must go, we suggest that you try face steam to loosen the glue followed by applying a layer of coconut oil to loosen the bond. Wipe the excess oil off with a warm cloth so that it doesn't run into your eyes. (leaving a layer of oil on the lashes). You might have to do this for 2 or 3 days and might still have 3 or 4 left on but it’s the most effective “safe” way to do it.

Please don’t pull. If you decide to order a professional remover, get a cream remover as opposed to a liquid. You need just be very careful because it will really burn your eyes if any gets inside. When you are done with removing the extensions, the best thing to do is let your eyelashes grow out naturally. The more natural lashes you have the more your lash artist has to work with after. 

At-Home Brow Tips

Our eyebrows are one feature that can quickly get out of hand. Reshaping brows is just never a good idea to do on your own. To maintain, brush them up and over with a brow brush. Then, using a magnifying mirror if necessary, pluck the strays from below your brow line and only tweeze the crazies between the brows.

Don’t try to shape them! 

If you have long, curly or unruly brows, you could use small scissors to trim the hairs that are most out of line. If you have gray or white brow hairs, instead of tweezing you could use a colored brow gel to cover the hairs, or a shadow that matches your brow color or hair color, then follow with a clear brow gel to hold them in place. A little hairspray on a brow brush can work, too.

Do not spend more than five minutes per eye to avoid doing too much. Too much time and attention often lead to over-plucking. Try not to touch your brows for as long as possible.  If you do manage to overdo it or you mess up your brow line, you’ve got time to let it grow back out.

At-Home Nails Tips

If you go to the salon for frequent manicures and pedicures, especially you have gel on your nails, you might use a few simple tips to treat your nail right at home. AskCares advises to file your nails from the outside to the center — not back and forth, as that can separate the layers. The correct file to avoid nail damage is one that’s not too coarse.

Don’t cut your cuticles. Instead, soak them in warm soapy water for five minutes, wrap cotton around an orangewood stick, and gently push them back. To remove gel polish, place a cotton ball soaked in acetone on each of your nails, then wrap the tip of your finger in foil to hold the ball in place. Be patient, as it may take 20 minutes or so to soak your nails in order to remove the polish effectively. Once the material is soft, you can use an orangewood stick to gently scrape off the residue, followed by a light file-buffing.

Clean everything off with alcohol and cotton. Once all the polish is off, add moisture back to your nailbeds with an oil cuticle serum. Also, hydrate and nourish your skin and nails with rich hand cream.