Ever come out of a steam room, looked in the mirror and been pleasantly suprised to see an undeniable glow to your complexion?
While you might be making use of the steam room for it’s relaxation and post-workout benefits, they can also be great for your skin.
Although we’re not all lucky enough to have access to a steam room every week, we can still reap the skin care benefits with an at-home face steamer.
If you’ve ever wondered why your skin looks so good post-steam, or you’re thinking of giving it a crack, these are the six main skin care benefits you can expect…
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Increases circulation
When your skin sweats, your blood vessels dilate so more blood can flow into the area, in turn delivering more oxygen to the skin tissue. This helps to revive dull, lacklustre skin and leaves you looking rosy and glowing.
Detoxifies skin
If you live in the city, your skin is probably dying for a good detox. ‘Sweating out toxins’ sounds like pseudo-science BS, but there is actually some truth to it. When you sweat, dead skin cells and, anything else that’s stuck in your pores rise to the surface, giving the skin a deeper cleanse than usual. You’d be suprised (and frankly, disgusted) by the amount of gunk that gets trapped in your face just by living your daily life, so by giving your face a deep clean with a steamer you will help clarify your complexion.
Softens skin
Dead skin can make you look a little dull. As we get older, our cellular turnover slows down and we need a bit of assistance – this is where face steamers come in. Face steamers provide exfoliation benefits by helping us shed dead skin cells, leaving our skin soft and plump.
Kills acne-causing bacteria
When your pores open up, it pushes bacteria that’s clogged in them to the surface. Clogged pores are a major contributer to acne, so by doing a face steam once or twice a week you can help get rid of the germs that cause pimples and nip any future breakouts in the bud.
Increases effectiveness of skin care products
After you’ve finished steaming, get straight into the rest of your skincare routine. As your pores have opened up during the steam, your skincare products will be able to penetrate deeper and provide better results. Make sure you slather on extra-hydrating serums and oils to replenish any moisture lost during the steam.
Avène Hydrance Optimale Hydrating Serum, Ultraceuticals Ultra B2 Hydrating Serum, Nimue Super Hydrating Serum, Palmer’s Skin Therapy Oil – Face,Bobbi Brown Extra Face Oil, Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil – Dehydrated Skin
Relax and unwind
Had a tough day? Mix in a couple drops of a relaxing essential oil with your steamer for a premium at-home spa experience. Stress and anxiety can wreak havoc on your complexion, so taking a few minutes to chill out and breath in some calming essential oils can help you to unwind and properly de-stress.
endota spa Signature Blend Essential Oil, Buckley & Phillips Meditation Essential Oil Blend, Raww Lavender Pure Essential Oil
Main image credit: @desiperkins via @vanityplanet
I haven’t steamed my face in years! I my mum used to give us a bucket with boiling water and oil in it and a towel to keep in the heat when we had a cold when we were kids to help with breathing.
I’d be very apprehensive about using the sauna too if I thought I might get stuck in there or set off the fire alarm.
I have only used a sauna once overseas as our hotel room had a sauna in the bathroom.
I was a bit scared to use it (and I probably did not get the full relaxing experience due to the stress of using it) as the instructions were not that great and there were signs up on the door, in the bathroom and on the how to guide saying that if you set off the fire alarm due to the sauna you would need to pay a fine to cover the cost of the firefighter call out!
I have never considered this purchase, but feel it would work wonders for my skin.
Clear face and skin
So many raves about steamers but never thought about purchasing one. This article makes me think twice…. hmmm
I like the at home version, large bowl filled with boiling water and a tea towel draped over your head. Be careful with boiling water.
I’m well aware of the benefits, but I’m not sure if it’s something I would do.
The nano ionic steamer looks great !
Need this to destress
Does the steam from our irons count, lol? Many of us would would have got a free facial steaming over the years from all the ironing we have done.
I feel like a face steamer would be helpful. All this mask wearing is irritating my skin.
Yup….old fashion style: pot of hot (rain or spring) water with home dried wild chamomile flowers infused…pop head over the pot and cover with the towel…steam for a while.
I don’t find heat or steam relaxing at all. It’s probably beneficial for my skin, but I just can’t tolerate it.
Ooohhh I want a facial steamer – it would be so relaxing right now
No I’ve never tried a facial steamer before but now I want to because the benefits sound really good.
I need this!
I’ve been in a steam room and the old towel over head over hot water to clear nose when I’ve got a cold. Steam as a regular if it’s too hot can cause spider veins. I wonder if the steam machines mentioned have temperature controls???
My skin just becomes red with steam and it then feels tight and sore 🙁
This is a bit “back to the future” – I remember my nanna being a fan of facial steaming!
I am really enjoying my steamer, it is much better than a bowl of hot water and I’m glad I bought it.
Gosh, that sounds like the most uncomfortable thing ever during our humid summers!
Have never used a Facial Steamer before not sure if I would like it or not. Still figuring out the pros and cons.
Oh, I didn’t know about the spider veins, definitely need to know how hot and how long you should use them for then.
I thought steam caused broken capillaries?
I have tried this a couple of times but it is hard to really bother with on a daily basis let alone regularly.
would try this for sure
I love a good facial steam in a facial, at home I haven’t really done it for skincare benefits but more medicinal with vicks in boiling water with a towel over my head to clear the sinuses.
I used to do this when I was a teenager! I haven’t tried it in a long time, not sure I’d do it again. My face would feel a bit dry and tight afterwards.
I love having a facial and when my therapist uses the facial steamer – it’s heaven! I really am seriously thinking about investing in one of these though. They are also very reasonably priced.
I actually have one sitting in the cupboard. I really should use it!
I don’t think I would do a facial steamer and I can’t imagine how frizzy my hair would go.
Never really thought about using one, I should really look into it.
I never heard about face steamer tools.But i already know the benefits of face steaming.
I just hold a warm facewasher to my face for 30-45 seconds, works well.
Which one did you buy? I love having my face steamed but I don’t think my partner would be happy if I bought another gadget into the home
The one Aldi had for sale a while back
I use to do this when i had blackheads, i should do it again
Id love to try this one day but i don’t want to buy a whole device and have to find storage space for it lol. But interesting part about killing bacteria