Published on November 12th, 2022

Last updated on January 24th, 2023

Face Steaming Benefits And How To Do It At Home

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
a girl is having face steaming procedure

Steam baths are a great way to enhance your skincare regimen in any year’s season. Skin steaming is an excellent addition to a beauty regimen at any time, but it’s especially beneficial on warm summer days. Warmer weather means pores tend to be more open, which means there’s a greater chance of them becoming clogged with dirt, excess sebum, and sweat. The benefits of steam baths, such as the traditional Oriental hammam, have long been known for their cleansing and relaxing effects, and this effect can easily be applied to steaming your face at home. 

Facial steaming provides beautiful skin, a bright complexion, and a healthy glow. What more could any girl want? Get a natural, healthy light to your skin with little or no heavy foundations and concealers. And you want the good news? It costs practically nothing. Read on to uncover all the details.

What Are Face Steaming Benefits?

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We are exposed to dirt, mud, and other impurities that damage our skin daily. Oil and makeup can also clog pores and cause blemishes. Steaming open pores can help you get rid of these problems.

But before you know how to steam your facial skin at home properly, you need to understand the benefits of this procedure. I know of 9 incredible benefits of steaming your face which may be useful for starters. Each of them can be the key and most beneficial for your skin type and, therefore, will have impressive facts to steam your face more often. So, let’s start with the first one.

1. Moisturizes And Softens The Skin

Many people don’t drink enough water, which can show up on the skin as flaky, itchy, or sensitive areas. Wrinkles become more visible, and the skin looks dull, possibly resulting in dark circles under the eyes. 

Weather can increase water loss from the body and increase the skin’s risk of dehydration. Moisturizers can solve the problem of dry skin, a skin type in which the skin lacks fat and sebum, but cannot eliminate the problem of dehydrated skin, which is a skin condition. 

One of the benefits of face steaming is that it allows the skin to absorb the water it needs to stay hydrated, firm, and healthy. 

2. Promotes Better Absorption Of Skin Care Products

Moisturizing the skin makes it more porous and allows for better absorption of active ingredients applied topically immediately after skin steaming and subsequently increases their effectiveness.

It is, therefore, an excellent time to avoid harsh synthetic products and to use the potent natural ingredients found in oils, such as:

  • carrot seed oil (high in retinol, vitamins A, B, C, D, and E, and essential fatty acids);
  • mixed with grape seed oil or wheat germ oil (both extremely rich in vitamin E).

Aloe vera is another excellent choice; it naturally moisturizes and nourishes the skin and contains about 75 bioactive substances, including 20 of 22 essential amino acids and 7 of 8 essential amino acids.

3. Improves Blood Circulation

The heat of the steam when steaming your face at home opens up the pores of your face, increases sweating, and dilates the blood vessels, which increases blood circulation, nourishes the skin, delivering oxygen and giving the skin a healthy glow.

4. Cleanses The Skin And Pores

Another face steaming benefit is that it opens up the pores, helping to remove grease, dirt, sweat, and bacteria that clog pores and providing a profound cleansing effect. Steaming after cleansing allows any acne skin care product (or essential oil) to penetrate deeper and remove these problems before they occur.

5. Helps Produce Collagen And Elastin

The increased circulation you stimulate during a facial steam bath promotes collagen and elastin production, resulting in smoother, firmer, and younger-looking skin.

6. Gently Exfoliates

Steaming your skin acts as a natural exfoliator, removing accumulated dead skin cells that lead to dull and tired-looking skin and contribute to fine lines and wrinkles. After steaming, the skin has a natural glow and a more youthful appearance. 

7. Thoroughly Removes All Traces Of Makeup

Apply a lot of makeup every day. Steaming will help remove any makeup residue stuck in your pores that regular cleansing can’t remove and which can eventually contain bacteria and lead to infection and rashes.

8. Heals Acne

As luck would have it, pimples always appear unwanted and untimely before any special event. The benefit of steaming your face will be the ability to eliminate these pimples and leave no infection or residue. Steam your face for four minutes, gently wipe it dry, wait 30 minutes, and then rub the affected area with an ice cube for five minutes to reduce redness, and inflammation and get the infection out. 

9. Soothes And Softens

In addition to skin benefits, facial steam is relaxing. Improve its quality by adding a few drops of essential aromatic oils to the water.

How To Do Steaming Face At Home?

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There are two methods that can be used to steam your face at home:

Face Steaming With Warm Towels

  1. Place a towel in a bowl of hot (not boiling) water;
  2. Remove hair from your face, remove makeup and cleanse your face and neck. If desired, use a mild natural exfoliant. Almond or coconut oil is suitable for this purpose;
  3. Wring out a towel so that it remains slightly damp;
  4. Lie down or recline in a comfortable chair and place a warm towel over your face, ideally without covering your nostrils. Keep your eyes closed to avoid irritation;
  5. Relax for five to ten minutes.

Steam Face Skin Over A Bowl Or Sink Of Hot Water

  1. Remove your hair from your face, remove your makeup and cleanse your face and neck skin. Just as in the last method, you can use almond or coconut oil;
  2. Boil water and fill a bowl;
  3. Sit at the table and place the bowl in front of you;
  4. Cover your head and the bowl with a towel. Hold your face over the water at a comfortable height for you;
  5. Steam for 5 to 10 minutes. Keep your eyes closed to avoid irritation/sensitivity;
  6. Lift the corner of the towel if you need to cool down at this time.

Face Steaming Aftercare

  1. Wash your face with warm water and wipe it dry;
  2. Apply a moisturizer, serum, or oil. Natural oils are full of natural compounds that benefit the skin and can provide significant benefits. Since the action of any product will be enhanced, use something that nourishes the skin, preferably a natural product, to avoid deeper absorption of harsh chemicals;
  3. Finish your relaxing steaming session with a gentle facial massage to improve product penetration and blood circulation and relax facial muscles;
  4. Using light upward strokes with your fingers, go over your neck, cheeks, and forehead.

Intensify The Sensations With Essential Aromatic Oils

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We have already told you about the benefits of face steaming and how to do it. But now, let’s find out how you can enhance the effect of steaming.

Essential aromatic oils have many benefits for the skin: they support the production of elastin and collagen, fight against harmful pathogens, nourish and rejuvenate the skin, and have a positive effect on our emotions. 

Add a few drops of your favorite oil or an oil suitable for your skin type to enhance the effects of facial steam. 

  • In the first option, you can add the oil to the water before soaking the towel;
  • In the second option, since essential oils break down at high temperatures, it is recommended that you add a few drops to the towel that covers the bowl and head, and the scent will be absorbed into the steam.

In addition, you can add essential oils to a moisturizer or serum, which are applied to the skin after steaming the face at home. Listed below are popular options for essential oils for use in a facial steam bath:

1. Rose Essential Oil

This essential oil increases blood circulation and permeability of the skin, which will be very effective when the skin is steaming. It also strengthens and stimulates skin cells, promotes collagen production, and enhances skin regeneration in case of damaged or aging skin. 

An excellent cleanser and astringent. Rose oil helps with conditions such as eczema, rosacea, psoriasis, rashes, and infections. It moisturizes dry skin, clears acne, and reduces signs of aging. Relieves and protects against acne, normalizes sebum production, and destroys the “propionibacterium acnes” bacteria that cause acne. It also helps to eliminate dark circles under the eyes, giving a fresh appearance. 

2. Tree Essential Oil

This oil benefits steam facials because it helps combat and treat skin diseases and soothes irritation and inflammation of the skin. 

It also relieves symptoms of contact dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis, insect bites, shaving rashes, and sweating. It deeply cleanses, tones, and purifies pores and helps regulate sebum secretion to balance oily or dry skin. 

The antimicrobial properties of tea tree oil make it very effective against acne and pimples. It restores the complexion and reduces the appearance of dark spots.

3. Geranium Essential Oil

What are the benefits of this oil when steaming your face? It normalizes the skin’s pH level, regulates sebum production and restores the skin’s water-fat balance, eliminating excess grease or dryness.

It fights acne by cleansing and soothing the skin and renewing damaged tissue; tightens the epidermis, reducing the appearance of wrinkles, and also tightens sagging skin. Geranium also treats conditions such as eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, oiliness, and acne. Furthermore It also reduces skin aging and has powerful cell regeneration properties, increases collagen production, improves elasticity, restores skin tone, and keeps the skin soft and smooth. Helps to distribute melanin evenly, thereby smoothing the complexion and reducing pigmentation.

Extremely effective when used in a steam treatment to reduce dark circles under the eyes.

4. Clove Essential Oil

It cleanses pores of impurities, destroys acne-causing bacteria, and eliminates pain and inflammation to treat and prevent acne. It helps to even out skin tone.

When steaming the face at home, it acts as an exfoliant, reducing the appearance of scars, spots, and pigmentation. It has a tightening effect, reducing skin flabbiness and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

5. Eucalyptus Essential Oil

This oil calms irritation and inflammation of the skin. Relieves contact dermatitis, eczema, and psoriasis symptoms. Helps fight and treat skin diseases and fungal infections.

It also effectively reduces the level of the COX-2 enzyme, which is produced in excess by the body during the exacerbation of eczema. 

During steaming, it intensely moisturizes the skin and increases the production of ceramides – fatty acids that improve the skin’s ability to retain moisture and strengthen its protective barrier. It helps to lighten dark spots. 

Keep Your Skin Moist

Healthy skin needs to stay hydrated inside and out. Make sure you drink about two liters of water a day (about eight glasses), and compensate for the fluid loss on sweltering days or after strenuous exercise when fluid is lost through heavy sweating. Drinking water also helps flush out toxins and impurities.

Make time for yourself and supplement your beauty routine with a weekly facial steaming. Relax while pampering your skin; the result will be the clear complexion and healthy glow you’ve always dreamed of.

FAQ

How To Steam A Facial?

You can steam your face at home using a pot of boiling water. Place a towel over your head to trap the steam and lean over the pot. Be careful not to get too close to avoid burns.

What To Do After Steaming Your Face?

After steaming your face, it is essential to moisturize your skin. Apply a light, non-greasy lotion or cream all over your face. You can also use facial steam to open your pores before applying a mask or scrub.

How Long Do I Steam My Face?

Steam your face for about 10-15 minutes if you have sensitive skin, steam for no more than five minutes.

How Many Times A Week Should You Steam Your Face?

You should steam your face about once a week. If you have oily skin, you can steam your face more often. If you have sensitive skin, you should steam your face less often.

Why Is It Good To Steam Your Face?

Steaming your face has many benefits. It opens up your pores, helps remove impurities from your skin, and moisturizes your skin. Steaming your face also helps to increase blood circulation to your skin, giving you a healthy glow.