How To Perform A Deep Cleansing Facial With Steam At Home

Facials are the third most popular treatment at health spas after nail treatment and massages^[1]. They are also one of the most expensive, running up to hundreds of dollars for a single sitting. Some may involve steam treatments, but others may not. Usually this is due to availability, some clinics and cosmetologists not having the right equipment or set up to use steam treatment for a facial. However, there are good reasons for wanting to use steam for really get into a deep facial skin cleansing.

Why use steam to deep clean your face?

• Steam opens up all the pores of your face, which allows you to completely eliminate all dirt and particles accumulated in them.
• It facilitates the removal of black heads, the elimination of other impurities and it prevents the formation of new spots.
• By being very clean the skin breathes better, is softer and protected against external polluting agents.
• In addition, steam relaxes facial muscles, improves circulation and favours firmness and youth of the skin.
• Steam helps to plump the skin thanks to the heat, giving dry tight skin a more youthful appearance.

While steam can be a great element to incorporate into your facial routine, it is very important to stay safe while doing so. Steam is evaporated water due to heat application. When water turns from a liquid to a gas, it only does so due to the large amount of energy being exerted on it. While this is a great way to prepare your greens, it is a lot of energy to put directly on your face.

We will go into more detail, but never put your face over actively boiling water. The heat from the heat source alone could be enough to cause serious damage. Even when the water is not on the stove, test it out with your hand first, slowly moving toward the steam until you know it is safe. Think of it as drinking a hot cup of coffee. You won't go directly into a sip until you know it is safe to drink.

Now that you know all the benefits of cleaning your face with steam, pay attention to the following advice to do so correctly.

First, wash your face with a mild soap and plenty of warm (not hot) water as you would normally. Following this, apply an exfoliant lotion for the face in circular movements. This will make the steam cleaning much more effective.

Exfoliants are those which are designed to keep faces clean of the dead cells which collect on them. There are two main types of exfoliant - mechanical and chemical. Mechanical ones are the kind which have little particles in them. These particles use a process called microdermabrasion where they agitate the pores so that the skin cells can be removed. The other is chemical which uses chemicals to help wash out the pores and keep them cleansed. Moisturizing after a deep skin cleansing is very important as the exfoliation stage can cause it to dry out if you aren't careful.

These are all important parts of beauty therapy for deep facial cleansing. You don't want to scrub too hard, however, as this can upset the level of natural oils on your face. If you want to use your own natural homemade exfoliant, try this lemon and sugar scrub out for size.

When you have completed the exfoliation, put a pot of water (just over half full) to heat and wait for it to boil. Once it has reached boiling point, remove from the hob and place on a plain and flat surface. A table will work, but you need to make sure you are able to keep your face over it comfortably, so do not have it too high or too low.

As we said before, when making a deep pore facial cleansing at home, you want to be as safe as possible. Always be careful when handling boiling water. If you are unfortunate enough to have an accident, seek medical attention. We do have a guide on how to treat a steam burn if you are unsure about what to do.

For the steam to remain concentrated and not escape cover your head with a large and towel and approach the pot in such a way that you feel the vapor come into contact with your face and start to take effect. Stay in this position for at least 15 minutes, until the steam begins to disappear.

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This will be sufficient time for all the pores of the face to open and cleanse thoroughly. To end, rinse the skin with abundant cool water. Now it will be ready to receive the following products. Ideally you should use the occasion to apply a good astringent toner designed to eliminate dead cells caused by black spots and then a moisturizing cream suitable to your type of skin. This last step is essential to leave the skin well moisturized and counter the slight aggressiveness of the cleaning and deep exfoliation to which it has just been subjected.

With all of these steps, the steam facial cleaning will be completed and you will notice how your skin has been totally purified and renewed. We advise you not to put on make-up for at least 2 or 3 hours and if possible best wait until the following day. This is why it is a good practice to do this treatment late at night before bed. This means the moisturizing cream you use can be a night cream and you can save a little bit of the hot water for a cup of relaxing tea.

If you have read this article, but want to stay away from steam, we can show you how to do a daily facial cleaning. This will still help you save money doing treatments at home and provide a great way to keep pores fresh and essential oils at a good level.

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