Just how far will you go in the quest to look good? Time to face some hard, cold facts: A study conducted by OnePoll for Groupon shows that the average woman spends about $313.00 USD per month on skincare and cosmetics, while men spend slightly less, averaging $244.00 USD per month.
Within that appearance-related spending, more than a quarter is spent on the face, more than any other body part or area.
Hopefully, this article will save you money in your beautification quest. We’re going to explore the age-old beauty trick that everyone’s grandmother has been preaching all along: That ice is the best skin secret out there.
Yes, ice; frozen water. From reducing swelling, to minimising pores and to overall have that youthful glow, let’s explore all the wonders that ice can do to one’s face.
What does ice really do to the face?
1. Reduces puffiness
There are many reasons why your face would be puffy. It could be having too much salt in your diet or you’ve just had a night of indulgence in food and drink. Sometimes, puffiness could also indicate a mild allergic reaction.
Next time you wake up with a puffy face (which, by the way, could also be caused by lack of sleep), don’t freak out. You don’t even have to make a frantic appointment with your facialist or dermatologist. Just reach into your freezer and give yourself an ice cube facial. Ice has long been known to reduce puffiness in the face, most especially in the undereye area.
Using an ice cube dilutes the skin’s underlying blood vessels, creating an instant de-puffing effect. The rubbing motion will decrease puffiness and will also distribute lymphatic build-up.
Tip: Using an ice cube directly on your skin may be too harsh, and if your skin is sensitive, the cold temperature may break some capillaries. Wrap an ice cube in a cloth for a gentler experience.
2. Reduces facial swelling
Facial swelling is usually caused by an injury, accident or an allergic reaction. Facial swelling is also a direct effect of surgeries done in the facial area. Dental surgeries can also cause swelling to the face.
Applying cold compress reduces swelling in the facial area. Application of the ice to the face reduces the skin tissue’s temperature, which will decrease cell metabolism in the affected area. This will decrease damage in the surrounding area’s tissue.
Applying cold compress to the entire face is tricky due to our facial topography. It’s highly recommended that you invest in reusable cooling gel face packs, which are flexible, so they contour around the face comfortably. Doctors and surgeons also recommend this as a post-surgery care for a speedy recovery.
3. Remedy for puffy eyes
Did you sleep for a grand total of three hours last night? Netflix made you stay up all night? Ice can be your best friend early in the morning if you need to look fresh and awake immediately.
Remember that age-old beauty tip of putting chilled cucumbers in your eyes to take the undereye bags out? Well, it turns out that it’s actually true. However, if you don’t have the luxury of time to slice and marinate your eyes under cucumbers, applying ice under your eyes for just a couple of minutes can do the trick as well.
Remember, though, you will see instant de-puffing in your eyes, but this will only work for a few hours. It’s not a permanent solution, so it’s best to still maintain good sleeping habits.
Tip: Caffeine is known to narrow blood vessels and calm the skin so they can also temporarily reduce undereye bags. Freeze coffee or green tea into cubes and use these instead of plain ice for an extra eye de-puffing treat.
4. Reduces acne
Because of ice’s capability to reduce inflammation, many swear that it reduces acne and pimples instantly, too. This is especially great if you have an important event and your unwanted guest of an acne decides to pay you a surprise visit. Wash and dry your face as usual, place a wrapped ice cube on the pimple at one-minute intervals. Be careful to change the ice wrapping to avoid contamination, and make sure to wait a few minutes between ice applications to prevent tissue damage.
5. It enhances product absorption
Remember that amount that people spend each month on skincare and cosmetics? To make sure that you’re getting your money’s worth, apply ice as a last step in your skin care routine. Why? Well the cold temperature makes your facial capillaries restrict, creating a kind of pulling effect – meaning it draws the products deeper into the inner layers of the skin. Capping off your skin care routine with a facial ice massage “seals” all the products you used into your skin.
6. Helps control oily skin
Ice application is also known for its skin-tightening effect, as it helps reduce enlarged pores and stimulate blood circulation. Ice won’t shrink or close pores, but applying ice or even ice cold water to your face for 15–30 seconds after cleansing will help tighten pores, reducing sebum and oil build-up in the pores.
If you have oily skin, this is a great step to do. You’ll notice that makeup will stay longer in place.
7. Reduces wrinkles
One of the best things that ice does to your face is improve blood circulation. When there’s healthy blood circulation in your face, premature aging and wrinkles are prevented. Before applying your daily moisturiser, massage your face with ice for a good minute.
8. Makes skin smoother
If you’ve been hearing all about that “glass skin” trend, ice can naturally help you achieve that. After your night skin routine, use a cooling gel face pack for three minutes, just before sleeping. In a week, you will see visible results as your skin will have less bumps on your face and it will be evidently smoother. The cold facial treat just before bedtime will also help you sleep better, so you wake up with better skin inside and out.
9. It can act as a makeup primer
Makeup primers are great, but one of the common side effects of wearing a primer is that it clogs pores. Using ice as a natural toner for your skin works quite well, especially if you apply it right before applying makeup.
As ice naturally shrinks the pores, foundation and makeup will glide along smoothly, and will last longer in your face as well.
10. Reduces sunburn redness
It happens to the best of us: We either forget to apply or top up on sunscreen, or we simply have had too much fun under the sun, and we end up with a tomato-red face. Applying aloe helps, but if you apply a cooling gel face pack to your face for a few minutes, it will drastically reduce the redness and the stinging sensation.
It’s important to use gel face packs that are flexible and can easily wrap around the face, as a sunburnt skin is extra sensitive and vulnerable.
These 10 reasons are enough for us to start using ice as part of our facial care routine! Have you tried using ice on your face? Could we have missed another ice-cold benefit? Contact us for suggestions or any questions!