Tired of your usual facial steamer routine? Looking for something new to try?
Essential oils, for example, are an often overlooked aspect of facial care.
If you’re going to steam as a facial, you may consider using essential oils. Essential oils have potent properties and can be very beneficial to your skincare routine if used in the proper way.
When using essential oils, a few drops in your facial steamer do the trick.
Alternatively, you could place the oil in a bowl of boiled water. If you aren’t in the habit of regularly cleaning your steamer, and you don’t want the essential oil treatment for every session, this might be better, as the oils can leave behind a residue.
Using your facial steamer
If you’re interested in trying this method using your facial steamer, set up your personal facial steamer like you normally would, and then just add a few drops of oil to the water reservoir of the steamer.
Resume your steaming session, but try to keep your eyes closed, as most essential oils will tend to burn.
The bowl method
First, boil water, and then pour it into a bowl. If you’re curious about which type of water works best, check out this article about the best kind of water to use in a facial steamer.
Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the bowl, and gently stir. Make sure your face is clean and drape a towel over your head as you lower your face over the bowl for several minutes to allow the steam to work through your pores.
With either method that you choose, any essential oil or oils you’ve added will help with additional benefits such as acting as an astringent, calming agent, acne healer, or just to aid in your relaxation. Once the steam has opened your pores, the oils have a clear path to entering your skin through the steam.
Again, be careful not to get any drops splattered in your eyes as some of the oils can burn. If you do get some of the oil in your eyes, washing it out with water won’t work, as oil and water don’t mix.
You’ll need an emulsifier that will bond with the oils, and help the water flush it out.
The answer is…Milk! So, flush your eyes with milk – about a cup should be enough – and once the burning sensation has stopped, wash the milk out of your eyes with water.
Which oils to use
You can find essential oils at your nearest health food store, or if you’re lazy like me, on Amazon. One brand I love for the purity in its oils, as well as quality and longevity, is Young Living Essential Oils.
We all love a good deal, but try to be selective over the essential oils that you choose. Using cheap quality oil will actually do more harm than good.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many FDA guidelines regarding essential oils. A container of essential oil only needs to contain 5% of the oil in question to be labeled as “pure oil”.
Lesser quality oils are often mixed with synthetic fillers, and fragrances, which causes them to lose most, if not all healing capabilities. These impostor essential oils can really irritate your skin.
That’s why I like the doTerra essential oils. They produce their oil using quality sourced products, and higher standards of purity.
They have a dedicated oil facility, unlike the cheaper alternatives made in a lab.
Benefits
We all know that essential oils offer a variety of benefits, of course.
But what you may not know is that each type of oil has a set of intrinsic properties. Through a bit of trial and error, you should be able to figure out which oil, or which combination of oils work best for you, and your skin type.
The following are some of my favorite essential oils to use while I steam:
Lavender: Soothing, and calming for your mind body, and spirit
Eucalyptus: Helps with nasal congestion and acne
Chamomile: Calms irritated skin
Geranium: Astringent
Fennel: Anti-aging properties
Parsley: Helps with acne
And, of course, don’t be afraid to get creative. Oil blends, when chosen correctly, can combine some of the characteristics and benefits listed above.
The post Adding Essential Oils to your Facial Steamer Routine first appeared on Facial Steaming.
