The beauty landscape is awash in tools, gadgets and gizmos promising to upgrade your routine from the comfort of your own bathroom. But while many home use beauty tools might feel like a waste of money (or just a little wack), there are some that truly deliver on their promises, and work well as a supplement to your skincare routine.
That’s because, unlike in-office treatments, these tools “provide benefits on the surface of your skin,” says Joie Tavernise, a facial plastic surgeon and founder of JTAV Clinical Skincare on the Upper East Side. She says the most important thing to remember is that these gadgets must be used regularly and in conjunction with your regular routine. That means using them once or twice a week (and not letting them collect dust in your cabinet), and following the brand’s instructions to avoid overuse, which could cause dryness and irritation.
Some of the best beauty tools for home use are jack-of-all-trades, such as the multifunctional TheraFace, which offers microcurrent, LED light therapy and facial massage, while also coming with swappable attachment heads for different results. For example, the cooling roller head can help reduce puffiness and fine lines, while a more intense version helps clear acne and treat hyperpigmentation. The dermaplaning blade that comes with the ledmask device, on the other hand, replaces your disposable razor and provides peach-fuzz removal, exfoliation and gradual lightening of age spots for a smoother complexion.
For those who want a more targeted approach, SBLA Beauty’s simple-genius Rollerball Eye Lift Wand dispenses a measured dose of peptide-spiked anti-aging serum on the spot for instant smoothing and tightening. Or, if you’re into Traditional Chinese Medicine, try a gua sha tool, like Omni Hiraya’s 24-karat gold-plated Ginto or Osmosis Beauty’s Epic Duo, which massages to relax stiff muscles and stimulate lymphatic drainage.
Other great at-home beauty tools include a cleanser with built-in brush attachments, such as NuFace’s Cleansing Brush, which sucks up blackheads and other gunk without squeezing or irritating the skin. There’s also a high-frequency zit zapper by Glossier, which zaps breakouts and prevents tiny spots from turning into angry cysts. And, finally, there’s a pore-cleansing sonic pore brush by Clarisonic that provides an exfoliating scrub and hydration in one.
While some of these beauty tools led mask can seem intimidating, they’re actually fairly easy to use. Just make sure you splash your face with water, turn on the tool and stroke it gently over your complexion, and be sure to wipe down any attachments before each use. Lastly, always use a good cleanser before and after using any of these gadgets. Otherwise, your hard-earned dollars might be wasted. And, for those with severe acne or other conditions, it’s a good idea to visit a board-certified facial plastic surgeon or dermatologist who can develop a safe treatment plan. “I’ve had to repair skin damage from at-home devices that were misused or overused,” says Dr. Doshi. “Overuse of certain modalities can break down the skin’s natural barrier, causing redness, inflammation and even scarring.” That said, these eight new gadgets might just make it worth upgrading your bathroom.
