The unexpected skincare benefits of facial steamers

Ever come out of a steam room, looked in the mirror and been pleasantly suprised to see an undeniable glow to your complexion?
While you might be making use of the steam room for it's relaxation and post-workout benefits, they can also be great for your skin.
Although we're not all lucky enough to have access to a steam room every week, we can still reap the skin care benefits with an at-home face steamer.
If you've ever wondered why your skin looks so good post-steam, or you're thinking of giving it a crack, these are the six main skin care benefits you can expect...
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Increases circulation
When your skin sweats, your blood vessels dilate so more blood can flow into the area, in turn delivering more oxygen to the skin tissue. This helps to revive dull, lacklustre skin and leaves you looking rosy and glowing.
Detoxifies skin
If you live in the city, your skin is probably dying for a good detox. 'Sweating out toxins' sounds like pseudo-science BS, but there is actually some truth to it. When you sweat, dead skin cells and, anything else that's stuck in your pores rise to the surface, giving the skin a deeper cleanse than usual. You'd be suprised (and frankly, disgusted) by the amount of gunk that gets trapped in your face just by living your daily life, so by giving your face a deep clean with a steamer you will help clarify your complexion.
Softens skin
Dead skin can make you look a little dull. As we get older, our cellular turnover slows down and we need a bit of assistance - this is where face steamers come in. Face steamers provide exfoliation benefits by helping us shed dead skin cells, leaving our skin soft and plump.
Kills acne-causing bacteria
When your pores open up, it pushes bacteria that's clogged in them to the surface. Clogged pores are a major contributer to acne, so by doing a face steam once or twice a week you can help get rid of the germs that cause pimples and nip any future breakouts in the bud.
Increases effectiveness of skin care products
After you've finished steaming, get straight into the rest of your skincare routine. As your pores have opened up during the steam, your skincare products will be able to penetrate deeper and provide better results. Make sure you slather on extra-hydrating serums and oils to replenish any moisture lost during the steam.
bh loves: Avène Hydrance Optimale Hydrating Serum, Ultraceuticals Ultra B2 Hydrating Serum, Nimue Super Hydrating Serum, Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil - Face, Bobbi Brown Extra Face Oil, Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil - Dehydrated Skin
Relax and unwind
Had a tough day? Mix in a couple drops of a relaxing essential oil with your steamer for a premium at-home spa experience. Stress and anxiety can wreak havoc on your complexion, so taking a few minutes to chill out and breath in some calming essential oils can help you to unwind and properly de-stress.
bh loves: endota spa Signature Blend Essential Oil, Buckley & Phillips Meditation Essential Oil Blend, Raww Lavender Pure Essential Oil
Have you tried a face steamer before?
Main image credit: @desiperkins via @vanityplanet
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53 Member Comments
So many raves about steamers but never thought about purchasing one. This article makes me think twice.... hmmm
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Clear face and skin
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I have never considered this purchase, but feel it would work wonders for my skin.
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I haven't steamed my face in years! I my mum used to give us a bucket with boiling water and oil in it and a towel to keep in the heat when we had a cold when we were kids to help with breathing.
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The best thing I have done is purchase a facial steamer from David Jones. I use it twice a week and my skin looks better than before!
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I used to have professional facials when I was much, much younger; and these included steam. I don't feel the need to steam my face now.
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I would be a concerned about the affects of the heat.
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I have minor rosacea so I can't imagine this doing me too many favours unfortunately
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At the moment I just use the bathroom sink but I am seriously considering buying a steamer.
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I have only use pot of hot water for steam when i am really sick.
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Haha I'll use this as the excuse to hubby on why I spend so long in the shower. It's my "steam room" look at the benefits!! LMAO
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I love when they used steamed towels when you get a facial. It feels good and leaves your skin soft.
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I always like to wash my face straight after or during a hot shower in order for the salicylic acid to have the best chance of killing any bacteria, i'm not sure what impact it has but it seems to be going well!
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Love a nice sauna so would probably enjoy using one of these.
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Steam has a beneficial effect for almost all of our body parts as it just relaxes us completely. A hot bath can do the same, as can a hot shower but there are side effects too. In the past I enjoyed a good sauna and my skin always felt so refreshed after the toxins had been sweated out. You just have to endure the 'flushed' look until your body returns to normal temperature. That is why the northern Europeans jump in the snow, alternating between sauna and snow. That is fun to do too - with a little bottle of something to warm you up inside when out in the snow.
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Very good for clearing the pores
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I've been wanting one of these for some time. As soon as I have the budget!!
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I've never tried a sauna but I'd love to now after reading this article.
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I have only used a sauna once overseas as our hotel room had a sauna in the bathroom. I was a bit scared to use it (and I probably did not get the full relaxing experience due to the stress of using it) as the instructions were not that great and there were signs up on the door, in the bathroom and on the how to guide saying that if you set off the fire alarm due to the sauna you would need to pay a fine to cover the cost of the firefighter call out!
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I'd be very apprehensive about using the sauna too if I thought I might get stuck in there or set off the fire alarm.
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I used to do this over the handbasin with a towel over my head :D
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Not sure I would want to steam my face too often as I am very prone to broken capillaries.
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That’s always been my concern too.
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I used an at home DIY face steamer a few times when I was younger to help open my pores and clear my break outs.
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I used to have a facial steamer long time ago.. Reminds me , it used to be quite effective actually for my skin .
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