Living with nine roommates seems crazy, but our once-a-month facials create peace amidst the craziness of navigating college in our twenties.Â
Our monthly wellness ritual started one year ago, when my roommate’s mom, who is an esthetician, visited SLO. Her housewarming gift was a bag full of skin care products. We sat around our kitchen table and took turns running back and forth from the sink as we followed her skin care routine. Â
After our first facial, we were collectively surprised at how easy it was to dedicate an hour of our time to focus on wellness. A house full of ten girls means ten different schedules and busy lifestyles, so these nights dedicated to health and wellness are truly special.Â
Facials with Friends 101
The perfect self care night consists of friends and fun, as well facials. Dedicating time to skin care and wellness does not have to be boring. I recommend turning on music to create a relaxing vibe. Whether it’s calming spa music or your friend group’s favorite songs, good music is essential for a successful facial night.Â
Having fun should also be a huge priority. Some of my friends wear their facial headbands to keep their hair out of their face during our facials. Their headbands have different animal ears and others have fun patterns. My roommates and I love to drink tea during our spa nights too. It’s so cute to look around the table and see everyone with their different headbands and mugs.Â
Prioritizing Peace without Ditching the FunÂ
It is important to find a good night that works for everyone to schedule facials. It can be hard to find one night when all my roommates are home. We have been successful when we make a plan ahead of time to spend one hour together.Â
Some of my favorite facial nights have been after stressful midterm weeks or busy weekends. I think that scheduling facials after an exhausting week makes the quality wellness time with friends feel much more authentic and rewarding. Â
Sometimes our monthly facials begin without a plan. I remember a few times when we’ve been so busy, but wanted to do some self care, so we did facials around 11:30 p.m. It’s all about balancing wellness with your daily routine.Â
Our Facial Routine
What matters most about a facial night is that you feel relaxed and rejuvenated. It doesn’t matter what products you use or even if it is as simple as sitting down with face masks and talking to each other. What matters most is the memories you make with your friends and the healthy skin care habits you are developing.Â
Our routine begins with a gentle cleanser to remove any build up or makeup. We use the Sei Bella The Basic Collection Gentle Daily Cleanser or the ZO Skin Health Hydrating Cleanser. Â
Next, we incorporate an exfoliator which is my personal favorite step. We use products like the SkinCeuticals Micro-Exfoliating Scrub and the ZO Skin Health Exfoliating Polish to exfoliate our skin. Afterwards, my skin feels super renewed and soft.Â
After exfoliating, we sometimes like to add in a glycolic cleanser. This step we incorporate or skip depending on the state of our skin and how we are feeling that night. The Glycolic Renewal Cleanser works wonders, and you can instantly feel it get to work within seconds.Â
To finish it off, we use the lightweight SkinCeuticals Daily Moisture  moisturizer. I love how this moisturizer leaves my skin feeling and looking fresh. It also gives my face a nice pearly glow.Â
When we finish our facial routine, we like to add in extra skin care remedies like Doctor D. Schwab Rescue Cream on our lips or the Face Reality Sulfur Spot Treatment for pimple treatment.Â
We also like to use the Melaleuca Renew Intensive Skin Therapy Lotion on our hands to give them extra care after handling the products and water. This lotion makes my hands feel super soft and I like how it doesn’t leave an oily residue like other hand lotions.Â
Whether it’s collectively sharing the same products or individually using personalized skin care routines, spending time together is the most important part of facial nights. I know when I look back at my college experience, I will be grateful that I had these special nights dedicated to wellness and growing my friendships.