Benefits to Facial Icing in This Weather-Breaking Heat
It has been, without a doubt, one of the hottest summers ever. In fact, it’s been so hot, that Death Valley reached 129 degrees in July of this year. The United States has felt monstrous heat waves for weeks, courtesy of climate change. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of extreme heat has been excess sweat and oil production, dehydration, redness, swelling, and inflammation which can result in stubborn and painful breakouts. Before you pinch your fingers together to pop a pimple or buy an expensive exfoliate for your skin, consider a quick ice facial also known as cryotherapy.
Okay…Why Are We Putting Ice on Our Faces?
When done correctly, facial icing can benefit your skin in many ways. When your face has an excess of heat, the speed of blood flow increases causing redness and capillaries to dilate. If left untreated, there is a chance for the capillaries in your skin to widen or narrow too frequently resulting in broken capillaries. Applying ice to your face can quickly lower the temperature of your face, which reduces redness, and allows skin capillaries to return to their normal size. In addition, it can reduce swelling and inflammation of stubborn pimples. For those who experience puffiness and dark circles, applying ice on your face can reduce the appearance of both, while brightening your complexion for a short while.
Hold It! There Are Risks!
However, facial icing, like most things, is best done in moderation. Before we talk about the fun ways to incorporate it into a skincare routine, let’s go over the potential risks first. People with sensitive and dry skin should be careful when trying ice facials. They may experience prolonged periods of redness, flaky skin, and/or breakouts. The best way to test if your skin is suitable for ice facials would be to test a small area of your face; it’s recommended to do an area on the bottom jaw to minimize the appearance of adverse results. These facials should be done on an as-needed basis or at least 2-3 times a month. According to Dr. Kiran Sethi MD, “I don’t think it should be done throughout the day or throughout the week as it can be drying if done too often or you can actually also end up with a freeze burn,”. In other words, avoid doing these facials too frequently as long-term treatment can cause unwanted side effects.
Facial Time!
Now that the risks are covered, let’s get to the fun part: putting ice into our skincare routine. Before you do anything, wash your hands and face first with a gentle, non-exfoliating cleanser. Opt for a soothing cleanser or a barrier-protecting cleanser. When you’re about to do your facial, you might think of just plunging your face in a bowl full of ice water. Which is an option, albeit a bit messy. Instead, it’s recommended to wrap an ice cube with a soft fabric such as muslin cloth, gauze, or silk, to prevent direct contact on the skin and prevent cuts or tears to your epidermis. Then gently move the ice in slow motions across your face. Afterward, pat your face dry with a microfiber towel or let it air dry before doing the rest of your skincare routine.
If you’ve been on TikTok, you may have seen people freezing their skincare products into their ice for even more benefits. It seems like a good idea on paper, unfortunately adding skincare products to ice doesn’t help at all. If anything, it may do more harm than good. Most serums contain ingredients such as niacinamide, vitamin C, or retinol that can become insoluble precipitates and lose effective nutrients if frozen, causing the ingredients to degrade and destabilize. Instead of using serums, consider making ice with aloe vera, rose water, rosemary water, rice water, or even green tea to give you extra benefits.
Bonus Round! Ice Tools!
In addition, there are alternate (and safer) ways to get the same benefits of icing without putting a melting ice cube over your face. Jade rollers, ice rollers, and ice globes can be used in the morning or night to help combat puffiness, redness, and inflammation with the help of a serum. An extra bonus to these tools is that you can also give yourself a lymphatic drainage massage in the process of your facial. Be sure to clean your tools afterward to avoid harmful bacteria from occurring. Another popular option is putting your sheet masks in the fridge before applying them. If it’s extra hot, consider applying a reusable refrigerated gel mask over the sheet mask to help cool you down and soothe your skin. However, if you’re in a rush or don’t have the time or energy for any of these alternatives, try rinsing your face with cold water after cleansing.
Summer is going to last for another month, so there’s still time to cool down your face. But when the fall comes, feel free to leave the frozen cubes in the freezer. As with most skincare trends, be cautious and only use what you need. If you’re unsure, consider talking to a dermatologist or doing test patches first.
