Skincare Tools & Devices
Being stuck at home during Covid, without the same access to professional facials, is what actually got me into facial tools and devices for home use. They're also genuinely useful for maintaining results between professional treatments, and you'll notice a difference with consistent use.
There are a lot of these tools on the market now, but they're worth using carefully. I learned how these actually work in esthetician school, but if you're starting out, read the instructions and watch the brand's own tutorials before using anything on your face.
Skip these entirely if you have extremely sensitive skin, active acne, rosacea, a sunburn, irritation, open cuts, abrasions, or sores. I personally cap myself at one or two devices a day so I'm not overloading my skin, and I stick to the recommended time limits, a few minutes max for high-frequency devices, and a day off if I've used a microcurrent device every day that week. Pay attention to how your skin actually responds and adjust from there.
Here are a few recommendations, grouped by category.
1
Facial Massage
Facial massage has real benefits, whether it's just your hands or a tool like a gua sha stone or jade roller. Gua sha itself is an old Chinese healing technique. The stones are cool to the touch, which helps with brightening, reducing tension and puffiness, encouraging lymphatic drainage, and improving circulation, studies show by as much as 400 percent, clearing out toxins and bringing in oxygen and nutrients in the process.
2
Cryo Therapy
Cold tightens the skin, which helps with puffiness, inflammation, redness, and the look of pores, and it's also good for facial tension, headaches, or sunburned and irritated skin. I use ice globes most mornings after my routine, before sunscreen. Just don't use raw ice directly on your skin, it can slow blood flow enough to deprive the tissue of oxygen and cause real, permanent damage.
3
Heat Therapy
Heat helps with detoxification and lets your skincare actually absorb more deeply, right after a serum, or at the end of your routine, is the best time for it.
Usage time: few min, daily
SOLARIS LABORATORIES It's Lit LED Gua Sha ™ Facial Massager
$85
4
LED
LED effectiveness has actual research behind it, including NASA's light technology studies. It can help with dark spots, scarring, breakouts, collagen production, and general skin repair. The real difference between masks comes down to the number of LEDs, whether it's consumer or medical-grade, and how many treatment modes it offers. If your skin concerns are mild, you may just not use it often enough to see a real difference.
Red: collagen and elastin production, firms and plumps skin, reduces fine lines and wrinkles
Blue: targets acne-causing bacteria, treats breakouts
Green: treats hyperpigmentation, brightens skin
Blue & green: calms irritated or sensitive skin Infrared: boosts skin healing and blood flow
Usage time: 20-30 min, daily
SOLAWAVE Advanced Skincare Wand with Red Light Therapy
(Use ECHOI for 15% off!)
$149
HIGHERDOSE Red Light Face Mask
(Use CHOI15 for 15% off!)
$299
CURRENTBODY Skin LED Light Therapy Mask
(Use CBLED for 15% off!)
$299
5
Microcurrent
Microcurrent firms, tones, and lifts the skin, low-voltage electricity that stimulates muscle and raises ATP in skin cells. In practice that means fewer fine lines, firmer skin, better defined features, less puffiness, more collagen production, and tighter-looking pores.
NuFACE and ZIIP are the two I'd point to. ZIIP uses nano current, lower but more potent than standard microcurrent, and it's the one I actually reach for most, comfortable, easy to use, and it's become a real habit rather than something I have to remember to do.
Usage time: 5-20 min, 5x week
NUFACE Trinity Facial Toning Device
$325
ZIIP BEAUTY Ziip GX Device
(Use ZIIPERICA for 20% off a device kit!)
$495
6
Dermaplaning
Dermaplaning uses a sterile surgical scalpel to gently shave off the top layer of dead skin. It's physical exfoliation, clearing out built-up debris and kicking off cell regeneration. It also gets rid of peach fuzz, the fine hairs that tend to trap dirt and oil, which is part of why skincare and makeup both go on more evenly afterward. Over time it can help with fine lines, acne scarring, and dark spots too.
Usage time: 15-20 min, 1x week
DERMAFLASH Mini
(Use ERICA for 15% off!)
$69
7
Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion is minimally invasive, a type of exfoliation using an applicator with an abrasive surface to sand away the thick outer layer of skin. It can help renew tone and texture overall, and it's often used for sun damage, wrinkles, fine lines, age spots, acne scarring, and melasma. There are crystal and diamond-tip versions, diamond-tip is more common now. At-home tools do work, but you have to be genuinely careful with them, too much pressure or too often and you risk bruising or overexfoliating.
8
High Frequency
High-frequency, sometimes called Tesla high frequency current, actually goes back to Nikola Tesla in the late 1800s. Argon (violet) gas releases oxygen on contact with skin, which kills acne-causing bacteria, helping treat active breakouts and prevent new ones. Neon (orange) gas works differently, encouraging blood circulation, cellular turnover, and better product absorption.
You can use these for 3 to 5 minutes on a specific area, or up to 20 minutes across your whole face. Argon works fine as a daily spot treatment, though daily use can dry out your skin, so back off if you notice that happening. This has genuinely been my most effective method for spot-treating acne, more than anything else I've tried.
Usage time: few min, occasionally
9
Facial Steamer
Steamers soften dead skin cells, sebum, makeup, and dirt, and expand pores so products can actually penetrate and cleanse more thoroughly. They're also believed to help with toxin elimination, blood circulation, and cell metabolism.
Use these sparingly if you have sensitive skin (or just hold it further from your face), acne, rosacea, couperose, sunburn, irritation, open cuts, abrasions, or sores. Use purified, distilled water only, otherwise you get mineral buildup both in the machine and on your face.
