Five reasons why you should steam your face every week

When was the last time you had a facial? Whether or not you are a regular at the spa to be pampered treatments, steaming can be an important boon to your beauty routine. It is so simple, you can do it at home. The rewards are worth the effort.

1) Steaming helps clear skin eruptions and acne

This sounds counter intuitive, since sweating and heat are not friends of acne. However, facial steaming has the effect of a gentle skin exfoliator. The water vapour moisturises your pores, and the heat opens them up, allowing dirt and sebum to come to the surface.

This pushes out blackheads and makes it easier to get a deep cleansing effect and really slough out impurities when followed with a wash cloth or cotton balls. If you have a fresh pimple, steaming helps bring out the pus, shortening its life span and reducing the likelihood of scarring.

2) Steaming helps sensitive skin

Often, individuals with sensitive skin experience irritation, itching, burning or even swelling when they apply various ingredients into their skin.

With steaming, you can dissolve these oils or serums into a bowl of hot water and let the ingredients gently penetrate the outer layer of the skin without causing irritation. This is because it allows a much lower concentration of the ingredients into the skin, but enough to provide benefits.

3) Herbal facial steaming gives your skin a nourishing boost

Steaming with herbs has regained popularity in the recent past. Herbs like lavender, rosemary, mint, sage, lemongrass, orange and geranium are commonly found and perhaps even grow in your own garden.

Allow the fresh or dried herbs to steep for a few minutes in boiling water, then lean over, covering your face with a towel. This brightens the skin, giving it a youthful glow, plus it delivers the added benefits of aromatic essential oils, known to boost and enhance mood and vitality.

4) Steaming boosts circulation

Even if your only contact with steam is in the shower, it is an accepted fact that steaming opens your breathing passages and enables your hair to absorb hair care products better. With your skin, there is no exception. Steaming results in vasodilation, whereby there is an increase in the blood pumped to the surface resulting in a flushed appearance.

More circulation means more oxygen is delivered to the site, resulting in healthier skin cells.

5) Steaming removes trapped makeup

If you wear makeup regularly, steaming will ensure that the stubborn residue is removed. Makeup has a tendency to be absorbed quite deeply, no matter how good your makeup remover or cleanser is.

Steaming for your face would be the equivalent of getting your carpet washed with soap and water rather than just vacuuming. Steaming also kills any bacteria from your makeup sponges and brushes or the bacteria that forms when you apply makeup with your fingers. To supercharge the benefits of steaming, follow by gently wiping your face with a face towel and then rub an ice cube over the pores to close and tighten them.