Who doesn’t love a good facial? Well, if you want a good one, you’ll probably spend about $50 on average. Sure, that’s not the worst price in the world, but you could pay a lot less to do a facial at home. Let me just say, I am not an esthetician. I am just a broke college student that likes to get the most bang for her buck. Obviously, you could go to Walmart if you really wanted some top-quality products, but what if you went somewhere like Five Below? I risked my skin so you don’t have to. I took a trip to the Five Below in my hometown of McDonough, GA, and picked up a few tools and products for an at-home facial. Here’s how it went:

So I did a little research to find what steps I should include in an at-home facial. After a couple of articles, I came up with the following. First, you cleanse. Ideally, you should double cleanse. The first cleanse should be with an oil-based cleanser to gently remove any leftover makeup or other particles that may be clogging up your pores. Then, cleanse a second time with a foam or cream-based cleanser. Unfortunately, the Five Below that I went to didn’t have either of those things. For some reason, I convinced myself that a gel-based cleanser would be some kind of mixture of both, and I could kill two birds with one stone. Nothing bad happened, but if you really want that luxury experience, I’d say try to find two cleansers. Bonus if you already have both types of cleansers, because then you won’t have to pay for that.

Next, exfoliate. Recently, it feels like a lot of skincare accounts on social media have been condemning physical exfoliation, but that about all that Five Below has so….that’s what we’re working with here. I’d recommend using an exfoliating silicone brush. That way it won’t feel so abrasive and also, not using your hands will probably enhance the experience.

After that, it’s mask time. This is the step everyone already knows about. You can pick up any kind of mask that you want, but I went for sheet masks because they’re a little more convenient. Also, the next step is to steam. I think it would be a really good idea to steam while the sheet mask is on, because…how fun. Everything about that just says “luxury” even though it didn’t cost more than five dollars.

As previously stated, the next step is steaming. You could always get a steamer, which they do have at Five Below, but if you don’t want to spend that money, you coil always use the bowl method. All you need to do is fill a big bowl with hot water, hover over the bowl, and then cover your head with a towel. It’s super simple and really effective. 

Finally, moisturize and massage. These two steps are fused together because you are supposed to really work the moisturizer into the skin in order for it to really be effective. You could just use your hands to massage the product in, but there are tons of options for massagers at Five Below. I went for a vibrating rose quarts massager, but a roller will work just as well. They even had a microneedle roller at the one I went to.

TWO DAY UPDATE: So it’s been a couple of days since I gave myself the facial. Immediately after, my skin felt really smooth and I did have a bit of a residual glow the next morning. I continued with my skincare routine as normal the next day and I think my skin is really happy that I treated it with a facial. You should absolutely give it a shot. 

Product Review

So now that you’ve seen my process, I’m going to give you a rundown of the products I used and whether you should try them or go for something else.

Tools

Ultrasonic Face Steamer $5

This “facial steamer” is not a necessary purchase. It’s more of a mister than a steamer. I put hot water in it specifically to see if that would make the difference and somehow the mist still came out cold. If you really want to steam, try the bowl method I mentioned earlier.

Pro Beauty Facial Massager $5

This facial massager is actually so soothing. It’s super easy to use and it’s a lot less work than your usual rose quartz roller. It’s definitely worth purchasing and it really is great for an at-home facial.

Vivaspa Facial Brush Cleaner with Exfoliator $4.25

This double-sided brush was so worth it. The soft bristles were so soothing against my skin while cleansing and it really helped me get a good lather from the product I used. The silicone side was really great for exfoliating. I’m really glad I bought this.

Spa Savvy Adjustable Headband $3.25

This headband wasn’t super necessary nor was it super helpful. It kept my hair out of my face, but if you have long hair, you’ll still have to tie it up. It also wasn’t that great for keeping me from getting the products into my hair. Overall, it wasn’t a necessary purchase.

Products

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Cleansing Gel $3

Neutrogena is always a safe bet and I’m really glad I bought this. I will be buying a full-sized bottle of this in the near future and with summer coming up, I’m going to need to keep my skin hydrated.

Variety Pack Viola Vann Sheet Mask $5

I haven’t used all of them, but the one that I did use was really good. It was really comfortable and soothing. I only left it on for 15 minutes as the directions said, but it was really gentle, so I probably could’ve left it on for longer. Definitely worth buying!

Freeman Indonesian Coconut Face Scrub $5

This scrub was a lot more gentle than I expected. It didn’t feel harsh at all and it smelled really good. It did have fragrance in it so it probably isn’t the best for you in that regard, but my skin did feel really soft after.

Pond’s Crema S Moisturizing Cream $2

If you don’t know the greatness that is Pond’s, please get on this train. Pond’s has some of the best moisturizers in the game and the fact that you can get some for $2 at Five Below is a MUST!