His First Facial: 10 Steps, and Why I Picked Every Product

Caleb is an actor, a model, and he runs his own business in New York. When he got on my table, it was the first facial of his life. He didn't ask to look shiny. He asked for one thing: clean.

So that's what we did. Ten steps, about an hour, and every product picked for his skin specifically. I filmed the whole thing, so if you'd rather watch than read, it's right here. Below is the written version, with the reasoning I didn't have time to say out loud.

What I saw before touching anything

Every facial starts with reading the skin. Here's what Caleb's was doing:

• On the drier side. Not flaky, but tight, and not holding water well.
• Dull. A layer of dead skin sitting on top, which is what makes skin look flat even when it's healthy underneath.
• A few microcomedones. Tiny, early clogs. The kind that aren't ready to come out yet.
• A basic routine. Which already puts him ahead of most guys.

The goal was to get all of that buildup off without drying him out any further. Every choice below comes back to those two things.

Step 1: Double cleanse

First cleanse: an oil. Purebb Bare Beauty Cleansing Oil, with baobab, moringa and squalane. Oil melts off sunscreen and the day without stripping skin that's already dry. I forgot to film this part, so you'll have to trust me.

Second cleanse: a cream. Kizo Lab Moisture Renewal Cleanser + Shave. Hyaluronic acid and blue tansy, so it cleans without that tight feeling afterward. It also works as a shave cream, which means one less bottle in his bathroom.

Everything comes off with Jadé Complexions spa mitts. One side is soft and lifts the cleanser. The other side has a little texture, so we're already starting on the dead skin. A towel would just push everything around. The mitts go in the wash after every client, which is more than I can say for most bathroom towels.

Step 2: Exfoliation and deep cleanse

This is the Zemits Verstand HD Pro. The tip is a diamond, which exfoliates, while the suction pulls up whatever is loose.

I paired it with two serums. First, Zemits HydroClear Pro, which has lactic acid. Lactic acid exfoliates, but it also holds water, which makes it a good match for skin that's dry and dull at the same time. Then Zemits SalicPure Pro, with salicylic acid. Salicylic acid dissolves in oil, so it gets into the pore instead of sitting on top of it.

You'll notice I'm not squeezing anything. Those clogs were early. If I dig at them now, all I get is a red, angry face. The serum loosens them, and the suction takes only what's ready.

There's a reason I'm careful on a first facial. My very first male client was sent in by his girlfriend. He'd never had a facial. Then he disappeared for three years. When he came back, he told me the extractions had been too rough. He never said a word at the time. So now I don't wait for a guy to tell me.

Step 3: Cold skin toning

After exfoliation the skin is a little warm and a little pink, so the next step cools it down. Zemits FirmingGenius Pro gel goes on first: aloe, centella and cucumber to calm and hydrate, plus a peptide for firmness. It also gives the cold tool something to glide on.

The cold head is on the same Verstand machine. It takes down redness and puffiness, and it feels like putting your face in the freezer, in a good way. I go cold here instead of hot for a simple reason: his skin was already dry, and heat dries things out even more. Cold keeps it calm and keeps the water where it is.

Step 4: Mask removal

The gel comes off with a Kasey Boone facial towel. It has a hole for the face. It's basically a hoodie.

Step 5: Oxygen

First, Zemits RevitaOx Pro serum gets sprayed on: hyaluronic acid, argan oil and blue tansy. After everything we took off, this is where water goes back in, and dry skin needs that part more than anyone.

Then the Zemits OxiVelour dome goes over the face and neck and fills with oxygen while he lies there. He looks like he's being delivered somewhere. He's fine. It's one of the most relaxing parts of a facial, because nobody is touching your face and nobody is talking to you. Including me.

Steps 6 and 7: Sheet mask and ice globes

A Le Mieux Bio Cell+ sheet mask, soaked in hyaluronic acid, marine collagen and a form of vitamin C that helps with dullness.

And then, as promised in the video, the frozen metal balls. They're ice globes: stainless steel, filled with a liquid that stays cold. They go right on top of the sheet mask. They calm things down and press the mask into the skin.

Step 8: Face, neck and shoulders

While the mask sits, I work on the face, neck and shoulders. Quick note: I'm not a massage therapist. This is just the part of the facial where I remember the face is attached to a person.

Caleb acts, models and runs a business, so his face is basically always at work. Most guys carry tension in the jaw and neck without ever noticing it's there. I use an estheSKIN collagen cream here so my hands slide instead of drag, because dragging dry skin is the opposite of what we're here for.

This is also the part where most guys stop talking. Which, honestly, is the goal.

Step 9: Toner

Le Mieux Iso-Cell Recovery Solution, sprayed through the Le Mieux Ionized Oxygen Infuser, which turns it into a really fine mist. It's full of minerals, potassium, magnesium and zinc, and it calms everything down after all that work.

Step 10: Serum, moisturizer, SPF, lips

• Serum: Le Mieux TGF-Beta Booster. Ten kinds of hyaluronic acid and some peptides. Dry skin, meet water.
• Moisturizer: Le Mieux Essence Moisturizer. Fragrance-free, with ceramides and shea butter, which help keep all that water from leaving.
• SPF: Kizo Lab UV Defense Clear SPF 50+. A clear gel, no white cast, so he'll actually wear it.
• Lips: Circadia Lip Renewing Hydrator, because nobody ever remembers the lips, and dry skin usually means dry lips too. He'll thank me in January.

What he didn't get

No squeezing. No shine. And nobody tried to sell him anything at the end. Ten steps on one face, and he left clean, which is what he asked for.

If this would be your first facial too, the studio is in Old Town Pasadena, and you're welcome to show up with questions. I'd rather answer five questions about your skin than have you lie there wondering.

I'm a Zemits brand ambassador. Every product here is one I picked for Caleb's skin.