DIY skin care therapies by Chizu Saeki
If you’re serious about skincare, The Japanese Skincare Revolution by Chizu Saeki is a must-read! It’s suitable for all ages because like what the book stated, it helps you to maximize your skincare products. I find the methods covered in the book particularly good for arresting wrinkles and expression lines so if you start early with some of the recommendations and are consistent, you may even be able to evade having early wrinkles.
Today, I’ll like to discuss my thoughts on two of the methods covered in the book. One is the popular DIY lotion mask and the other is the water massage.
DIY lotion mask
This is a much loved mask and is really easy to use. If you have watched the video I posted here, you should have a good idea on how to make the most out of this lotion mask. The objective of this DIY lotion mask is to allow our skin to absorb the active ingredients in our toner or lotion as the cotton pad will allow the lotion to sink into the skin.
Based on experiment, the key to having a successful mask is finding the right cotton pad. The ones recommended by Chizu Saeki – her own brand plus Miss Webril – are not readily available for most of us. The best ones available to us here are from Muji. The size is good and the material is sufficiently absorbent. The only problem is that they do leave some lint on your skin, which may or may not be a problem depending on your level of fussiness.
As for the main ingredient – based on my personal experience and comments from fellow readers – it seems that most of the toners should work but of course, the better ones are those with hydrating or moisturizing properties. I used Lavera Toner for this purpose and I found it was quite effective when I used the right cotton pad. My skin appeared moist and looked hydrated after the 3-minute mask. However, this method uses too much toner and if yours is expensive, I think it’s really wasteful. Since Chizu Saeki’s objective is for us to maximize our skin care products, I find that this is good in so far if we use an affordable toner. This is why I would never use my True Bio Skincare Tonic Lotion for this DIY lotion mask because it is not necessary as it is already formulated to penetrate into our skin.
Facial water massage therapy
Another interesting DIY facial therapy recommended by Chizu Saeki is the facial water massage. The objective of this method is to tone our facial muscles by activating them using mineral or distilled water and hence, miminizing any stress on our skin. I managed to get a swan-neck squeeze bottle from Muji for this experiment and so far I’ve tried it twice but not finding this particularly useful. Perhaps I’m not adept with this but the toning effect is minimal to me even when I tried to be more forceful with the squeezing and I still think that a facial massage using fingers work better.
Effective methods for not so problematic skin
Overall, I find the book useful even though I do not agree with some of them. I like the fact that she’s teaching us how to maximize our products although I have to say that they work well if you don’t really have a lot of other skin issues. Her facial massage techniques are also interesting and I believe, good if you’re thinking of minimizing your wrinkles and lines. However, to be effective, one has to be consistent of course.
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Interesting! Especially for the mineral water to activate the skin…
i think her massage methods may need some technique and skill… i decided not to use them as i think i perform the procedures wrongly and end up with more wrinkles instead!
Looks like an interesting read. I’ll look the book up when I’m out shopping next =).
The mineral/distilled water approach is quite interesting!
I wana check this book out soon! great recommendation!
i find the book useful..but i find some of the techniques troublesome…I am too lazy to massage my face unless someone does it for me. ?
i’m interested int he DIY lotion mask.. just wondering, so do you put moisturiser straight after? if so, it’s easier than those mud base mask that you have to wash out ? i’m very lazy
oh and have u ever tried using hydrosols for the DIY lotion mask? they are quite affordable:)
About the muji cotton pads, there’s a kind of cotton pad that muji sells, where it is meant to work as a lotion mask too after soaking it in toner. In every piece of cotton pad, it can tear into 4 pieces. Have to look quite carefully because it can be easily dismissed as their regular cotton wool.
Yes, it’s an interesting concept but I’m quite doubtful of the effectiveness.
Your worries are not unfounded. I only tried her pinching methods…those for the eye area need more care.
Yep, interesting but I don’t feel much toning effects. Maybe I’m not doing it right. But there are other info within the book that you should find useful.
Hope you’ll enjoy the book.
Haha…I know what you mean…it takes some effort to follow her recommendations.
Yes, you can moisturize right after.
I’ve tried hydrosols but didn’t find them working too well though. Maybe it was the cotton pad I was using then.
Oh that’s interesting! I haven’t noticed. Is it also non-bleached type? I must go and check the next time. Thanks for highlighting this!
Its the non bleached but bigger piece. ?
Where did you get the book? I have been searching in a lot of bookstores but yet can’t find it
Oh okay…I think I saw it at Muji in Marina Square but I didn’t looked at it closely. I’ll take a look again next time. Thanks for telling me! ?
I got it from Kinokuniya a couple of months back. But a reader told me she couldn’t find it there and it was out of stock. Leon also couldn’t order the book online awhile ago…not sure if it’s available now.
Hey sesame, I’m going to tokyo in dec. If you want, I can help you cp stuff. Just email me.
Hey thanks Pei Fang! ? I’ll bear that in mind. ?
For the lotion mask, can you pour a serum onto the cotton instead of lotion?
You shouldn’t have to use a serum with a cotton pad as it should work to penetrate your skin unless it’s really of poor quality. However, based on what I’ve read, the lotion mask can replace your serum if you find the results good enough for you.
I have been adopting Chizu massage technique to apply serum, moisturiser and everything else. I’m hoping Im using the right techniques! I found this youtube video of this girl adopting Chizu massage technique, not sure it’s accurate but it gives me a better illustration. Just not sure how much pressure we apply when we do the massage technique.
You can find the link here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tF2hPQKVt4
I have been using the DIY lotion mask for 2 weeks now but I dont find it any difference or it moisture my skin. Am using Namerakahonpo Moisture Skin Lotion. The texture after applying is kinda strange, not sure how to describe but I am guessing it’s a right toner. But it doesnt improve my skin.
I am also getting lazy to do the lotion mask. I find it nice to do. Especially when I’m using P&J’s toner which contains orange flower and its so calming and soothing. But it doesn’t seem to have much effect. Unless I’m not doing it enough. But its kind of expensive hobby to keep up with. hahaa…
Anyway, I find that the Muji unbleached cotton weird. It somehow changes the product.
I’m glad I use my Phytocean cleansing lotion with it as it reduces lint on my face as compared to normal cotton. It doesn’t have the soapy feel if I use just 2 drops. Doesn’t absorb the lotion until I don’t feel it on my skin even though I use very little.
However, when I use it with my Clinique Take the Day off eye makeup remover, the makeup remover becomes really soapy and oily. When I use normal Watsons cotton pad with this remove, it works just fine!
So, now I have so many packs of cotton crowding my bathroom space for various purposes!!!
Wahaha…you indeed have many different types of cotton pads. I have 3 different cotton pads but I usually only use one type.
What kind of cotton is best for this without leaving lint? Preferrably organic and unbleached!
I haven’t come across any other brands with the sort of size that is suitable for this. Muji’s is unbleached and the size is good to me. Maybe Miss Webril that is recommended in the book does better…not sure.
Oh oh oh!!! I found my japanese cleansing oil. Sorry, random comment because I’m so excited!!!
Its here!!
http://www.beauty-net.co.jp/interface/index.shtml
Can you order from the site?
I don’t understand that much Japanese to order online. hahaha…but I guess I shall buy in a few bottles when I go in Dec. Its at the regular drugstore.
I think its not very cheap at 1890yen for 175ml bottle. About S$30. But I quite like it.
Would you like to try it? I can help you pick up a bottle if you want.
Thanks for the offer! ? I still have a full 200ml Muji cleansing oil so I’ll stick to that for now.
hiwhere did u buy the swan neck bottle from? thanks
I got it from Muji store.
anyone who’s still looking for the book, i got mine from kino last weekend. it was on the shelf but hidden behind the row fo books, so you had to search for it
Hi from PR!
Will Anna Sui makeup cotton pads work for the lotion mask?
I haven’t see those around so not too sure. If it’s large and absorbent, should be okay.
Fufufu….Actually, the techniques are very very good! You don’t really need much skill, it’s enough to follow the instructions properly…I don’t think that by doing these ‘incorrectly’ can actually make you have more and more wrinkles…cause you’re still masaging and the common sense tells you to stick to some rules…SO as long as you keep the basics in mind, nothing’ll go wrong and no ‘skill’ is needed. I’ve been doing these for something like a month and the massage DOES smoothes out early signs of aging(eyes especially), I heard people saying that the shape of my face changed, i.e. instead of a ‘squary’ face, it became more oval, slim, shape of temples is accentuated. Although I’m not using lotion masks(cause I can’t find a lotion where I live..><), the massages and the techniques are working!! RECOMMEND the book – oh God, it's relatively cheap #k8SjZc9Dxk#k8SjZc9Dxk
That’s great to know. I believe that it’ll work. Just that some pple may use too much strength and instead pull the skin, causing more wrinkles or perhaps they’re not using enough lubrication. Otherwise, I think her recommendations are great.
mineral water can do wonders for the skin and I’ve experienced this myself… I went hiking with a big pimple and only had the mountain spring water to wash my face–not even facial wash. My pimple disappeared! It went back after I came back to the city, LOL. I think the mineral water needs to be potent enough, though. I don’t know whether the bottled ones are potent ’cause I’m sure they’ve already been processed somehow.
That’s an interesting experience.
how frequent is the usage of this diy lotion mask?
Everyday is fine. If you find that too much, then on alternate days.
erm when we should use it? after cleansing? should we still apply toner after this mask?
thank you
Yes, after cleansing. It’s like a toner except that you use the method she recommended so that the toner is better absorbed. No need to apply toner afterwards…
i chanced upon a japanese cotton at Meidi-ya supermarket at Liang court. u can tear a piece into 5 pieces. i havent used it yet, so i cant tell if u if it’s stretchable like Chizu saeki’s.. it cost me $4.50 for a box of 80..
Oh? Sounds interesting! I will check it out the next time I head there! Thanks for sharing. ?
I would like to know this massage must be done during cleansing or moistrurizing method? Toning? And how many times we need to do this?
thanks.
You can do this when your face is well lubricated – during cleansing or when you moisturize well enough. Doing every day will yield better results.
A better facial massage I would recommend is this one I wrote about here:
https://www.vivawoman.net/2009/12/28/hisako-tanaka-face-contouring-massage/
Thanks Sesame! I’ve been looking for the swan neck bottle for quite some time, obviously I wasn’t looking hard enough! Was about to ask you and lucky for me, another reader already posted that question.
Thanks for all your blog posts, stayed up last night and couldn’t stop!
Glad you found some info here interesting. ?
May i ask what page of the book is the last picture with the illustrated directions and numbers? Thanks!
Hazel last post is: Weekly Reads #03 + a little something from my heart
On my copy, it’s on page 113.
I took “the Japanese skincare Resolution” book from the library and I really liked it except the lotion mask method which I considered it is really wasteful. I loved Tanaka self face massage. I am doing it everyday in the morning and I can see the results already. The key is do the facial massages everyday if you really want to see the results.
Amazon.com also sell it. I took mine from the public library!
Lulu last post is: Qlabo Collagenerous: Time Travel For Skin In 15 Days