There are a plethora of at-home facial tools to help you level up your skin care regimen, but none as equally simple and luxurious as the facial steamer. Relish in standing over a sink-sunken colander as you liberate a freshly boiled pot of pasta? Wish the steam would never clear after unlatching the dishwasher door? We feel ya! Lucky for you, that sensory experience is one that can be had whenever you wish, while bringing about innumerous benefits for the look and feel of your skin. Keep reading for more on how to use a facial steamer at home.
IN A NUTSHELL
Main Takeaways: A quality facial steam does not need to be reserved for your visit to the spa. At home steamers are great additions to your big bag of skin care tricks and can make an enormous difference in the way your skin looks, feels, and behaves.
Good to Know: Despite how luxurious facial steamers may make you feel, affordable and DIY options exist, helping you amplify your routine without breaking the bank.
Recommended Products: So Clean! Facial Cleanser and H2 Oh Yeah Hydrating Moisturizer.
What is a Facial Steamer?
If you have ever indulged in a facial, then you are no stranger to the luxe, illustrious glory of a facial steam. Often the first step of any spa skin treatment, a facial steamer envelopes your skin in a balmy, soothing vapor, swiftly opening your pores and ultimately helping dislodge impurities and excess oils. And despite the incomparable minimalism of warm wet air, facial steaming offers an array of amazing benefits for your skin. It’s also great for everyone, no matter your skin type, but is especially effective for those with oily, blackhead-prone, or cystic skin.
The best thing about facial steaming is that despite how fancy and “pro” it feels, you no longer have to reserve an appointment with your esthetician to reap all the benefits. At home facial steamers are all the rage. More importantly, while they definitely run the gamut on price, a decent one could cost you less than a trip to the spa.
Benefits of Using a Facial Steamer
- It helps to clarify the skin and purge pores - Steaming opens the pores, dislodging impurities. The warmth also activates your sweat glands, helping to extricate your pores from the inside, out. Trapped bacteria, dead skin, sebum, and dirt are no match for a good steam.
- It increases hydration - This one might seem obvious but flooding your face with a wafting vaporous cloud helps to hydrate the skin. Our skin needs water to look, feel, and behave its best… that’s why spending a weekend in the desert, though wonderful for the soul, can wreak havoc on your skin. The opposite is true when you encounter a healthy dose of humidity. The wet air is absorbed into your pores, giving your skin life and helping it maintain a youthful and plump appearance. Further, the water tends to soften the skin for a touchable feel and resilience.
- Facial steaming helps make your skin care products more effective - Want your carefully selected skin care products to work even harder for you? Yeah, you do! Well, since facial steaming opens the pores and softens the skin, your products are inevitably going to travel deeper, leading to greater absorption! After a steam, things like your cleanser, toner, and especially your moisturizer can almost feel like new products, as they may in fact BE new to deeper layers of the skin. The added hydration brought about by steaming also increases the permeability of your skin so that active ingredients can crush it even harder.
- It promotes circulation - Another way that steaming can help your skin look and feel more youthful is through an increase in blood circulation. The steam and warmth, which open your pores while activating the sweat glands to encourage perspiration, dilates blood vessels, thereby promoting circulation. With this boost of blood flow, the skin receives an extra dose of oxygen and all the pep and perk that comes along with it! Proper blood flow also contributes to the skin’s ability to produce collagen and elastic, which are the building blocks of your skin’s bounce! So, if you want to pump up the plump of your skin, give steaming a try.
- Facial steaming helps soothe the skin - There’s a reason these babies swarm the spa. The warm mist, when used properly, can really soothe and calm the skin with a comforting sensory experience that will naturally help you relax as well. Stress can totally mess with your skin, so finding ways to decompress both your spirit and your face is critical. Why not diffuse your favorite essential oils, put on some chill tunes, and get steamy!? Bring the spa to you for some much needed skin AND self care.
How to Use a Facial Steamer
1. Hydrate
Drink a glass of water to hydrate from within. While steaming hydrates the skin, it can also make you sweat; so be proactive about your overall hydration levels.
2. Cleanse
Wash your face with a solid cleanser to remove any surface impurities. Be sure to select a product that is neither too heavy nor too abrasive, like our So Clean! facial cleanser.This baby clarifies and moisturizes for the perfect pre-steam cleanse!
3. Steam
Now apply your steamer. After you’ve filled the tank and it’s come to temp, position it about 6-10 inches from your face (no closer or you could scorch your skin; not cute!), and rest in its wake for no more than 10-15 minutes.
4. Detox
When the time is up, rinse and pat dry with lukewarm water. Consider applying a detoxifying clay mask at this time to take advantage of those open pores.
5. Moisturize
Finally, apply any serums or other products as you normally would to experience even better results. But be absolutely sure to slather on a rich and nutritious moisturizer, like our ultra-hydrating H2 Oh Yeah, to seal in all that incredible hydration.
Note: If your skin is irritated or you have a sunburn, it may not be the right time to use a facial steamer. Adding heat to irritated or burnt skin can exacerbate the issue, so wait until your skin has healed to bring on the steam.
Top Facial Steamers
Pure: 3 in 1 Nano Steamer
Through all our research, this cult favorite kept ranking number one for functionality and ease. It also converts to a towel warmer and room humidifier! It does come with a set of extraction tools, but we’d toss those if we were you. Leave that to the pros.
Dr. Dennis Gross: Pro Facial Steamer
This one may be a splurge, but its popularity speaks for itself, garnering press across innumerous publications and outlets like Good Morning America! Board Certified and celebrity derm Dr. Gross has designed a sleek and intuitive facial steamer to get you glowing in no time!
Kingsteam: Facial Steamer
If you’re looking for an experience that mimics the spa, reach for one with a boom wand like this one here!
ORDIY Your Own Facial Steamer!
Similar to the pasta pouring scenario, start with some boiling water. Transfer the H20 to a heat safe bowl and feel free to add a drop or two of essential oil or dried or fresh herbs. Try to reach for things you might actually encounter at a true day spa; things that have clarifying and calming benefits like peppermint, eucalyptus, tea tree, lavender, or chamomile. Then draping a towel large enough to cover both your face and the bowl, hover over the steam, maintaining a proper distance (6-10 inches) for about ten minutes.
So, when a spa is out of reach, give at home facial steaming a try! Vaporize dullness and clogged pores for a revitalized complexion that’s as steamy as you are!
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