When people first hear of steaming your face, they might be a little skeptical. But steaming isn’t just for vegetables or potstickers! It has amazing benefits for your skin, whether it’s done at a spa before a facial or at home!
For best results, steaming should be incorporated into your skincare routine after cleansing, but before you apply serum:
Cleanse → steam → serum → moisturizer
Note that if you suffer from informatory skin conditions such as rosacea, eczema, or psoriasis, steaming is not recommended. And, as always, check with your dermatologist before starting any new treatments.
If you’re interested in steaming your face but can’t make it to the spa, you can achieve similar results at home with a portable facial steamer, or just a pot of boiling water and a towel!
So what are the benefits of steaming your face? The answer is many things, including better absorption of serums, increased circulation, and a feeling of relaxation! Read on to discover all the benefits of steaming your face!
Allows products to absorb better
Because steaming applies a gentle heat to your face, it opens up your pores and improves your skin’s ability to better absorb serums and oils that are applied to it. After steaming for 5–10 minutes, immediately apply your serum or sheet mask.
Exfoliates
Steaming provides a gentle exfoliation to your skin, without the use of harsh abrasives. It can help remove dead skin cells, which will give your skin that post-facial glow! While it won’t give you the same results as a traditional exfoliation, in that it won’t slough off dry skin, you will likely see a noticeable difference in your skin’s glow.
Moisturizes
Steaming imparts water into your skin, which is the key to moisturization. The small molecules of steam are able to penetrate your skin to moisturize from deep within, allowing for super moisturization!
Be sure to lock in that added moisture by applying your serum and moisturizer immediately after steaming your face. This is how you’ll see a noticeable difference in your skin!
Relaxes
If you’ve ever gotten a facial at a spa and experienced the steaming experience, you know just how relaxing it is! The warm, gentle steam invites you to relax tense face muscles and enjoy the spa experience.
Of course, you can get a similar experience at home! It’s a similar feeling to taking a hot shower with the bathroom door closed—your skin (and sinuses!) feel hydrated and relaxed.
Promotes circulation
The heat from the steaming treatment promotes increased circulation in your face, which has many benefits for your skin. Better circulation to your face can mean fewer fine lines and wrinkles, a healthy glow, and less active acne.
Allows for easier removal of dirt and oil
Steaming your face softens the dirt and oil that clogs your pores, which is why aestheticians typically steam your face before an extraction at the spa. While you shouldn’t attempt to do an extraction on your face at home, you can use steaming as a way to remove built-up oil in your skin and refresh your face. Steaming also makes your face sweat, which helps flush out toxins as well.
Steam Your Face at Home
While you can use a facial steamer, if you want a budget-friendly, easy solution at home steaming works the same way as a facial steamer. There are only three steps! Bring water to a boil and pour the water into a bowl. Hold your head 12 inches from the bowl with a tool draped over your head, creating a tent for the steam. You can also add herbs to the bowl for increased benefits.