How to Steam Your Face Without a Steamer
When life gets busy, it can be difficult to regularly visit your esthetician to keep your skin healthy and glowing, but you can still enjoy the benefits of a relaxing facial at home. While most of us have a plethora of masks, serums, and cleansers on hand, fewer of us have the tools that make a facial at the spa (or CV International School) feel so luxurious.
One of our most beloved machines is the steamer, so we asked one of our expert esthetics instructors how to achieve similar results if you don’t have one at home. Below, we’ve broken down Ms. Brenda’s top three ways to treat your skin to a spa-level facial by incorporating steam!
- The easiest way to get a steam facial is to run a hot shower for 5 to 10 minutes, then place your face in, or very close to, the steam. Steam helps open up pores and cleanse them of any impurities that have been building up. Fun fact, this method will also help open up your nasal passages and sinuses!
- Take a towel and soak it in hot water, wring it out so that it is no longer dripping, and drape it over your face. If the towel is hot enough, it will steam the face for a few minutes. The biggest challenge with this method is that the wet towel will cool quickly. To make this method really work, you’ll need to place the towel in hot water again every few minutes. Please be mindful to not make the water too hot while you’re doing this!
- Begin by boiling a pot of water on the stove, distilled water is ideal. If you have it on hand, you can include licorice root in the water. Licorice root will help open up the pores more than just hot steam on its own. When the water starts to boil, remove the pot from the stove and wait for the big bubbles to disappear. Carefully lean your face over the pot and drape a towel over the back of your head to trap the steam, allowing it to have an effect on the skin. A pot of hot water should stay hot for a while on its own.
For maximum results, exfoliate before you steam, and splash the face with cool water after to close your pores. And always be careful not to burn yourself!
We hope that you are able to incorporate one of these methods into your next spa-quality, at-home facial. If you’re looking for steps for a relaxing at-home facial, read our previous insight!
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