HOW TO USE A FACIAL STEAMER

If you're looking for a little clearer, brighter, and happier skin, you're probably someone who's excited about the benefits of a facial steamer. While the practice of facial steaming used to be exclusive to premium spas and skincare professionals, now you can do it all by yourself! But in today’s world, we work from home, order products online, and now we can even take care of our skin all from the comfort of our own home.

With this growing movement towards DIY, many people have opted to use a facial steamer to open their pores and hydrate their skin. This article will highlight the best skincare practices to employ to use your facial steamer correctly, efficiently, and get the most benefit for your natural beauty.

Whether you’re completely new to facial steaming or you've already started using a facial steamer, following these tips in this article will enhance your ability to reap the full set of health benefits that come with facial steaming.

WASH YOUR FACE

Before steaming your face, you should make sure that you’ve removed all your makeup, so that the steam can interact with your skin unimpeded. While using a makeup wipe or other similar products can do the trick, using a facial cleanser will better remove substances that may plug your pores.

It is important that you wash your face as part of your daily routine, but even more important that you do so before steaming your face. Steaming your face bforehand can make it so the steam pushes dirt, oil and dead skin deeper into your pores.

For best results with the facial steamer, you should exfoliate your skin after removing your makeup, and before you use the facial steamer. You should use a scrub or exfoliating tool that gently loosens and wipes away topical material. After exfoliating, make sure to rinse your face off with lukewarm water, then pat it dry with a towel. It is also important to not over wash or exfoliate your face, doing so can lead to skin irritation and other negative effects.

FILL THE STEAMER WITH WATER

Now that your face is prepped, it's time to prepare the steamer. You’ll begin by filling up the steamer with water. Distilled water is best as it has been treated for purity. Water from the tap works fine, but since tap water includes added minerals these minerals will also end up on your skin. Especially if you live in a desert region or other place where water needs to be heavily treated with chlorine, exposure to additional salts and chemicals not natively found in water might not be a great thing. 

ADD ESSENTIAL OILS

One of the awesome benefits of using Maivara’s Aromatherapy Steamer is that you can add small amounts of essential oils to your facial steamer to enhance the healing, energizing, and meditative qualities of it even more. 

Apply essential oils by placing a couple of drops the desired oil onto one of the grounding stones that come included with the Aromatherapy Steamer. From there, you just need to breath in to begin to receive the benefits of aromatherapy steaming. Some of these benefits include:

• Improved sleep quality
• Relaxation and recentering
• Improved breathing and respiratory relief
• A stronger immune system
• Enhanced mood
• Anti-inflammatory and anti-viral effects
• Relief from stresses and anxiety
• Higher energy levels

While there are a great many benefits that are associated with essential oils, be sure to not use any oils that your skin or body has reacted negatively to in the past. Suffering an allergic reaction during your steaming is probably not a step that you want to add to your at-home spa routine. 

PLUG IN AND STEAM AWAY

After you’ve prepared both your face and the facial steamer, all that’s left is to plug it into an outlet and enjoy the steaming process! While steaming your face you may consider draping a towel over your head to create a tent over your face. This tent will trap the steam around your face for longer to increase the effectiveness of the facial.

USE A SERUM, FACE MASK, OR MOISTURIZER

After steaming your face, your pores will have opened and been cleansed with natural steam. As your pores open, it becomes easier for your skin to absorb the nutrients and moisturizers that most skincare projects contain. Using a facemask after steaming can allow you to achieve a much deeper cleansing than it would without the steam effect. After using a facemask to clean your skin, it is common to use lotions, serums, or other moisturizers to further their skin treatment and increase their comfort and natural beauty. These treatments can be extremely effective and can improve the health of your skin over time if you add these to your regular skin care routine.

These different post-steaming products can be found at most convenience stores and will help you round out your at home facial treatment in a simple, yet noticeable way.