What do you know about chemical peels?

Not a great deal. 

In fact I don't believe I have ever had one myself. I know I had a "professional" facial one time many many many years ago and there may have been a light chemical peel with that. From that experience, I decided to never do that again. I just didn't see the reward for the discomfort.  My skin was soft afterwards, but I can do that myself with a good natural exfoliate.

The purpose of a chemical peel is to exfoliate the skin. To remove layers so the newest skin is exposed thereby improving the skins luster and minimizing the appearance of fine lines and minor scars. There are varying levels of intensity from a superficial to a deep peel. They all perform the same way, a chemical is applied to the skin which causes it to "blister" and peel away. And this is where they lose me. The thought of painting a chemical on my skin to make it blister and peel is just not worth it for me.

So I stick with the natural stuff.

But no matter which you choose or even if you choose both, it is very important that you care for your face afterwards.  

Here is my personal natural path

I enjoy the entire process of making a facial scrub and I can take as long or as little time in planning, preparing, and executing a facial as I want. If I don't have much time, I may just toss a few quick items together, when I have more time I create a facial scrub that is more elaborate.

Some of my favorite things to make your own fresh facial scrub:

Hemp, calendula petals, fresh lavender buds, rose hips

• Seeds, grains, or oats finely ground ( I grab whatever is fresh in my cupboard but my favorite is hemp nut meat) for their natural scrubbing action.
• Puree fruit or fruit juice (pineapple, orange, grapefruit, melon, lemon, lime, papaya........ ) for their natural acids and enzymes.
• Then you can add any one or more of the following: local organic honey, yogurt, buttermilk, aloe leaf juice (best to get it right from the leaf)
• Toss in my favorite botanicals and the possibilities are endless! Rose petals, lavender buds, rosemary leaves, sage leaves, calendula petals....... on and on the list goes.

You are truly only limited by your own creativity and what is locally fresh. Of course you can use dried herbs and essential oils, but for a facial scrub, I really prefer to keep it all fresh and as local as possible.  I only make enough to be used immediately so that what I use to exfoliate my face is fresh and pure.

Once you have exfoliated that top layer of skin, it is very important that you seize the opportunity to seal it with natural toners and moisturizers. The skin is freshest after a scrub and mask so it is also very vulnerable to external influencers that may cause harm. Like the sun. So take care that you protect the face, neck, and décolleté after facial treatments of any kind!

These are the steps I go through when I give myself a Très Spa facial at home;

1. Cleanse/Exfoliate. This may be one part or two parts depending.  If I have used makeup, I need to use a bit of soap and water to wash this away. If I have no makeup on then I skip right to exfoliation. 
2. Mask I'll use any one of the three masks made by Très Spa. 
3. Tone - always seal the pores with a gentle yet effective toner. 
4. Moisturize I'll use any one of these three choices from Très Spa: Defiance! , Meadow, Sahara.  

When I travel, it's pretty much the same except, I use a Très Spa soap with exfoliates in it to exfoliate my face. My favorite one is Grazinin the grass. It smells like the dickens to me (some people tell me they love the scent)but I like what it does for my face.
Maybe some day I may overcome my apprehension of blistering my face to the point that the skin falls off and be bold enough to try a chemical peel. Then again.....