Facial Steam to Avoid Acne
If you have acne-prone skin, facial steam once or twice a week will be very beneficial. Acne often begins with oil, dirt, and bacteria becoming trapped in skin pores leading to infection or inflammation. Steam can open pores and allow them to “breath”. Additionally, the heat itself (be careful to avoid burning your skin) helps to destroy bacteria while the latent humidity re-hydrates and soothes skin that may be inflamed or irritated.
You can DIY a steam facial at home, easily with a pot of boiling water and some easy ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen.
Bring a pot with 4 cups of water to a boil before reducing to a simmer. Steep 2 chamomile tea bags for 5-7 minutes before removing from heat. Remove tea bags and transfer water to a medium bowl. Add ¼ cup mint leaves.
Hold your clean face 10-12 inches from the bowl with a towel draped over the back of your head to hold in the steam. After 15 minutes, cleanse your skin and follow with skin-appropriate toner, serum or mask. With your pores opened, your favorite facial products will penetrate more deeply and work more profoundly.
Some points to note:
- Hydrates the skin and soothes irritated and inflamed skin and gives your skin a relatively smoother texture.
- It increases the production of collagen and slows down the process of aging.
- If you steam your face, the veins underneath your skin dilate to allow more blood flow. That is why the skin appears dewy and pinkish right after steaming.
- Steam treatment is extremely effective and it does not come with a price tag.
- It unclogs the pores and clears the skin.
- It does not let you come across the problem of dry or flaky skin.
- If you use a metal blackhead remover, right after steaming, then you can easily get rid of them to get clear skin.
- It helps you to relax.
- It not only cures but also helps to prevent an acne break out.
- It easily removes toxins from your face.
- It helps to get rid of excess product build-up, and that also helps you to get rid of pimples and acne.
- It helps your skin to absorb other skin products better.
- It gives you instant relief from sinus congestion.
- You can either use a facial steamer or just keep your face covered with a warm towel to do facial steaming at the comfort of your home. Scrub your face after steaming to get a squeaky clean face.
- However, do not steam your face for too long or else you may burn your skin.
- If you are using a container and a towel to do steaming at home, then make sure you cover up with a towel, if the steam escapes, you may not be able to reap the maximum benefits.
- Use a drop or two of your favorite essential oil in your diffuser while steaming your face. If you have acne-prone skin, then use tea tree essential oil or else you can choose lavender essential oil or rosemary essential oil.
Different Ways to Steam the Face
Now, in this section, we are going to look at a few different methods to steam the face other than the bowl of hot water. You can utilize these methods to steam your face and they will work just as well as any other methods.
Facial Steamer
Facial steamer streamlines the process of steaming the face and makes it much easier and quicker and more convenient to perform. Its benefits and effects on the skin won’t change much from before though. Depending upon the product, some steamers can be more effective than other methods as some can produce ultra-micronized steam droplets which are more effective in cleaning out the pores by getting in them easier than normal steam. Moreover, many such steamers can be timed and will give just enough steam to treat your skin without harming it or anything like that. Some other benefits of a facial steamer are: it is easier to maintain and operate. It is much more convenient like it will shut off by itself if it ran out of water. You can also utilize a steamer as a room humidifier to supply adequate moisture to the air in the house.
Hot Towels
You can steam your skin and pores using just towels too. This is not as effective as the others here but still will get the job done and provide you with the benefits and effects you wanted from a steaming session. To perform this method, just take some clean and soft towels and then soak them in hot water. Then, wring out the excess water from the towel so that they are just damp. After that, tilt your head back and place the warm damp towels over your face. Keep them there for a while to steam the face efficiently. Replace the towel once they cool down fully. Also, be careful with the temperatures, let the towels cool down a bit until it feels comfortable on the skin.
Essential Oils for use in Steaming
Essential oils are a boon to the health and wellness of people all over the world. Their extreme versatility allows them to be utilized in a variety of ways, pretty much in any way you want to use them, you just have to dilute them. Thus, essential oils can be used in the process of steaming too. You can add some drops of the essential oils in the hot water to infuse their beneficial effects onto the steam. Consult the following information to learn which essential oils to use according to the ailment.
- For stress relief: use Passionflower, bergamot, or sandalwood essential oils as they possess very soothing aromas which calm people right down.
- For Acne treatment and prevention: Tea tree and rosemary essential oil due to their anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties.
- For the treatment of cold and stuffed nose etc: Using mint, eucalyptus or bergamot essential oil will help with relieving the congested sinuses due to the cold or flu.
- For helping dry or mature skin: Try using Rose or jasmine essential oil for such skin as they possess potent regenerative properties for the skin.
- For soothing sensitive skin: Geranium and Lavender essential oil work great for this type of skin due to their calming and soothing effects on the skin.
- For help with the sleep: Steaming before bed with Lavender, patchouli, geranium rose essential oil can help you achieve a more restful and peaceful sleep due to their relaxing nature.
