Skincare Ritual: Facial Steam

Have you ever tried a facial steam? Several beauty brands have great facial steam sachets already prepared for you. I like mixing based on my mood and current skin needs, but sachets are great for beginners! I will be giving you tips on how to create your own customized facial steam, so you can take a stab at one this week!

In our instant gratification obsessed world, it's hard to imagine a facial treatment that takes more than 5 min, or doesn't peel off in one easy, if not creepy, swoop. I like the fact that facial steams require you to slow down, tune in, and show yourself a little bit of old school aromatherapy love.

One of the reasons a facial steam is such a popular ritual, is the ability warm steam has to soften skin, to bring dirt, bacteria, and oil to the surface, and to help detoxify pores.

One of the biggest beauty myths that has been circulating for ages, is that a facial steam "opens" up the pores. Our skin's pores do not actually ever open up and close, they only appear open as they retain hydration and swell. This is stage is important as it is when debris and dirt begin to dislodge, giving your skin a good deep cleansing to help purify your pores.

Including a facial steam as part of your skincare ritual will prove particularly beneficial to those with problem prone skin, and severely dry/mature types. Your skin may get worse before it gets better. You may see white and blackheads appear as the sebum buildup, dirt and bacteria surface. In my experience though, the process is worth it as you will see your skin become more clear, better retain hydration, and glow daily!

Anyone can do a facial steam, although anyone suffering from rosacea or highly sensitive skin should avoid the steaming process, and opt for vitamin rich skincare instead.

Facial steaming doesn't have to be complicated! There are even some methods that help to make the process more therapeutic and beneficial for you. Follow these simple steps to begin adding a facial steam to your skincare repertoire as soon as possible. Once you start doing this regularly, and you see the positive change in your skin, you'll wonder what took you so long to start!

Transform Your Bathroom Sink:

Bring a tea kettle to a boil with fresh filtered water.

Meanwhile, you will need a clean large bowl that is not used for food preparation. I prefer a large stainless steal or glass mixing bowl that fits nicely into my sink. You may need a damp washcloth to steady your bowl underneath.

Cleanse Your Skin:

Ideally, you would want to try this after your bath or shower. A facial steam should always be done on freshly washed skin, making sure all makeup is removed. The warm steam is meant to cleanse the pores and remove impurities, not push makeup further inside.

Add Your Herbs, Flowers, Tea, Or Essential Oils:

I like to add a tablespoon of healing herbs, whole leaf tea or dried organic flowers to my steaming bowl to provide a soothing and beneficial release to the facial steam. Make sure you only use natural or organic ingredients as many flowers are sprayed with chemicals-- the kind of toxins we definitely don't want to add to our bloodstream. If you don't have dried healing herbs, you may add a few drops of frankincense, rose, or lavender essential oil into your bowl.

Bring on the Steam:

Once your water has boiled, slowly and carefully add the hot water into your bowl with your herb or oil mixture, leaving them in the water--allowing them to steep like a tea. Quickly drape a cotton towel over your head and make a tent so that the steam and healing herbs can begin to work their magic--sweating out your skin. Make sure you do not place your face too close to the steam, burnt skin is not cute!

You should feel calm and comforted as the warmth of the steam with the release of nutrients from your flowers/herbs, begins to cleanse your skin. You can add to the hot water as necessary to create

additional steam if you like.

A good, thorough facial steam should last no longer than fifteen minutes.

Time to Moisturize Or Mask:

While your skin is still purifying and your pores are swollen with hydration, lightly dab skin almost dry, then apply a few drops of your favorite facial serum or balm. I like using Elixer Immortel by säf organics, Love Springs Eternal by One Love Organics, or Bara Balm by H is for Love. This allows the skin to lock in nutrients and gain the maximum benefit from the serums as well.

This is also an excellent time to up your masking game. The skin is fresh, dewy and in the perfect condition to benefit from a mask. This is my favorite time to do a mask, and makes my skin really glow!

If you have acne prone or hormonal skin, try doing this once or twice a week. For normal to dry skin, once a week is plenty! (for acne prone skin) and you'll begin to see your skin change soon enough!