How Does Face Steaming Improve Your Skin?

If you are done layering hundreds of products on your face and want to make it up to those tiny pores (that don’t speak but are probably feeling smothered), here’s your chance. You can open up your pores and let them breathe while you release the built-up debris, oils, and dirt that your pores have been stuck with for so long. How? Blow off some steam. We’re talking about blessing your face with a blast of warm mist from a good facial steamer. Want in on the reward for being so nice to your pores? Glow, glow, and some more glow!

Yes, we can hear you – if we had started with the glow bit, you would have got to steaming right away. Here’s a little more about facial steaming to help you arrive at a concrete decision on making steaming an indispensable part of your skincare routine. Excited?

If you were to Google the advantages of face steaming, you’d come across a long list of benefits – ranging from decongesting the pores to boosting blood circulation. Let’s just say that facial steaming is one of the easiest, most effective ways to improve skin luminosity. The best part? You don’t even need to own a facial steamer; you could just boil a big bowl of water and steam away with a towel covering your head. However, it is recommended that you purchase a facial steamer, keeping in mind the safety concerns. But before you drop off and head to steaming, let’s learn the incredible advantages of facial steaming below.

What Is Facial Steaming?

Facial steaming is one of the key steps in any skin facial where a blow of hot steam or vapour is directed on the face to open up pores and loosen the bonds of accumulated dirt, oil, and grime. This makes it easier to release impurities, dead skin cells and other bacteria that are otherwise clogged in pores.

Advantages Of Facial Steaming

Here’s why steaming is good for your skin.

Decongests Pores

• They say the longer you let the blackheads and whiteheads stay on your face, the more painful they get. Regular facial steaming helps degunk the pores and get rid of blackheads and whiteheads in the initial stages itself.

Limits Breakouts

• If you want to experience less acne, you should start seeing more steam. Confused? One of the main advantages of steaming your face is that it helps unclog pores by drawing out built-up dirt, impurities, and bacteria to ensure a much clearer face; and a deeply cleansed face means reduced chances of breakouts and acne.

Boosts Glow

• Sometimes it’s hard to get go of certain lifestyle habits that can make our face look dull and dehydrated. So, if you don’t want to give up on the booze but still long for a higher glow score, steam your face diligently. The steam will trigger sweating and dilate your blood vessels which consequently improves blood flow and delivers oxygen. The result? A radiant glow.

Improves Skin Elasticity

• The boost in blood circulation helps promote collagen and elastin production. This improves skin elasticity and heals scars or blemishes faster thanks to the accelerated cell renewal process.

Regulates Sebum Production

• If you have oily skin, the sebaceous glands on your face are prone to releasing more oil than necessary. This increases the odds of excess oils getting trapped within the pores and resulting in eventual breakouts. A good facial steam will take care of the excess oils by releasing them so that breakouts don’t stand a chance.

Enhances Absorption

• If you are going to break the bank to buy your favourite skin care products, make it worth it. Steaming your face regularly improves your skin’s permeability which means it’s easier for your skin to soak up the products.

Soothes The Skin

• Certain facial steamers are designed to offer aromatherapy, too. All you’ve to do is add a soothing blend of essential oils (think chamomile and lavender) to the steamer and your steaming session can feel relaxing as the soothing scents spread in the room.

Destroys Dead Cells

• Another advantage of face steaming is that it can help get rid of dead skin cells to reveal a fresh-faced glow. A buildup of dead cells can cause the skin to look withered, exacerbating fine lines, wrinkles, and other signs of premature ageing. Facial steaming gently exfoliates the skin to reveal a healthy glow.

Promotes Blood Circulation

• As face steaming helps open up your pores, increasing perspiration, it dilates the blood vessels to improve circulation in the area. Delivering ample oxygen to your skin cells, it lends a youthful glow.

Eliminates Makeup Residue

• If you’re a frequent makeup wearer, consider indulging in facial steaming at least once a week. Face steaming can help get rid of any residue trapped in your pores, which often results in blackheads, whiteheads, or acne.

Facilitates Healing

Another important advantage of facial steaming is that it expedites your skin’s natural healing process. By steaming your face for 3–4 minutes, you can increase blood circulation and safely get rid of whiteheads and blackheads sans leaving a scar. Rub an ice cube on the affected area to soothe any inflammation.

How To Steam The Face

It’s recommended to steam your face once every week for a deep pore cleanse. If you are wondering how to use a facial steamer, we’ve created a quick guide on the same. Please also refer to the instruction manual included with your facial steamer machine for more clarity.

Step 1: It’s important to begin with a clean face. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser like the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser to get rid of any impurities, oils, and dirt.

Step 2: Next, exfoliate your skin with a mild face scrub like the Mamaearth CoCo Face Scrub with Coffee & Cocoa for Rich Exfoliation. This will help draw out the accumulated dead skin cells.

Step 3: Fill the water tank of the facial steamer with distilled water. Now, plug the facial steamer and turn it on. Check the instruction manual of the facial steamer to check for the desired adjustments and settings.

Step 4: Allow the water to heat up for a while until you notice steam exuding. Now bring your face closer to the steam nozzle to absorb the steam. Ensure you maintain a distance of 8–12 inches from the steamer.

Step 5: The warmth from the steam will make you sweat a bit which is good. Steam for 3 minutes with 30 seconds of break in the middle of the session. Turn the facial steamer off.

Step 6: To make the most of the steaming session, follow it up with a face mask and moisturiser. We recommend the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream and TONYMOLY’s Pureness 100 Collagen Sheet Mask.

Pro Tip: To keep unruly strands off your face, secure the hair with the Matra Professional Facial Headband during the entire process.

Best Facial Steamers

We have rounded up the best facial steamers to get you started.

1. Dr. Odin 3 In 1 Vaporizer With Nose And Facial Steamer

Clingy blackheads on the nose will soon be a thing of the past. Dr. Odin 3 In 1 Vaporizer With Nose And Facial Steamer designed for a hassle-free experience releases a gentle steam mist that opens up your pores to release dirt and trapped oil in a matter of seconds. This softens blackheads and makes it easier to draw them out. To ensure that the only shock you should be getting at the end of the session is the incredible glow on your face, this machine comes with a sturdy plastic body to rule out electrical shocks. Quite thoughtful, we must add.

2. Gorgio Professional GS33 Face Steamer

Wouldn’t it be great if you could enjoy an aromatherapy session along with the facial steam? Think of Gorgio Professional GS33 Face Steamer as your genie – this easy-to-use steamer comes with an aroma spray head so you can add a blend of essential oils to let your skin absorb the essence and fragrance of the oils too. There’s more: It has nano-iconic steam technology. Here’s why you should be happy about it. The nanoparticles get absorbed more easily and dive into your pores much faster than the particles in ordinary steamers. Brb. Adding to cart.

3. VEGA VHFS-01 Mistify Facial Steamer

Why schlep to that fancy spa across the street when you can have a relaxing facial experience in the comfort of your home? Meet the VEGA VHFS-01 Mistify Facial Steamer. Its simple on-off design makes things less complicated when it comes to removing impurities, promoting blood circulation, and making your complexion glow. Plus, the hot mist molecules are easily absorbed into the pores which makes it effective even when used for a short while. P.S. If you’re in the mood to treat yourself, add a few drops of herbal oils to the steamer and envelop yourself in the comforting aroma of the oils.

4. HealthSense Nano-Cure Facial Steamer (FS550)

Who has got the time to wait? No one. This is why HealthSense Nano-Cure Facial Steamer (FS550) comes with a Ceramic PTC heating element which ensures rapid heating within 40 seconds. Moreover, this steamer uses advanced nano ionic steam technology and a segmented atomization system to generate soothing, hot-spring-like waves of ionic steam particles that penetrate and moisturize the skin in no time. Unlike other traditional vaporizers, this one doesn’t sprinkle water from the outlet which makes it much safer to use. Perfect for a mess-free home spa day.

5. Agaro Aura Facial Steamer

Operating facial steamers can be intimidating. It’s hard for us to agree on it though, ever since we’ve come across the Agaro Aura Facial Steamer. It comes with an opening designed to fit the shape of your face so that most of the steam doesn’t just escape into the air. This lightweight steamer dislodges skin impurities to leave your skin purified and super glowy. Oh, and if you are worried about exceeding the time, this one comes with a timer and automatic shutoff so you can completely relax without a care in the world.

Safety Tips For Facial Steaming

Since facial steaming involves exposing your skin to hot steam, you should bear in mind the following precautionary tips:

1. Fill the steamer with water as instructed; filling in too much or too little water may cause burns or other injuries.
2. Keep a safe distance between your face and the steamer to avoid burns or any other injury.
3. Don’t over-steam. Facial steaming once or twice a week is sufficient.
4. If you are using a hot towel to cover your head while steaming, ensure you close your eyes and let out some steam every once in a while.
5. If you possess super sensitive skin, avoid facial steaming.

Key Takeaway

Face steaming is a quick and effective way to detoxify and deeply cleanse the skin, eliminating even the last traces of residue, buildup, and impurities. However, you must follow certain safety guidelines when indulging in facial steaming to avoid burns or any other injury. For those of you with sensitive skin, limit face steaming to no more than once a week.

FAQs On Advantages Of Face Steaming

• How often to steam the face?

  You can steam your once every week if you think your pores are particularly clogged. For those looking for a normal deep cleanse, opt for facial steaming once every two weeks.

• How much time we should take steam on the face?

  If you have very sensitive skin, avoid steaming for prolonged periods. You can limit the session to 4-5 minutes. If you have normal skin, you can take a break in between and continue steaming for up to 10 minutes. However, there’s no need to steam longer than 10 minutes. As long as you expose all parts of your face effectively and don’t let the steam escape into the air, your face can do well with just 5 minutes of steam.

• Should I wash my face with cold water after steaming?

  Steaming helps open up the pores. Washing your face with cold water will help close the pores. Immediately after steaming, you can consider wiping your face with a smooth cloth to remove any surface dirt before closing the pores back again.