I iced my face every day for three weeks – my skin has never looked better.
With many skincare treatments on the market today – from the best LED face masks to rigorous 18-step routines – plunging your face into a bowl of ice cold water might not seem as advanced. But putting ice on your face is incredibly beneficial and comes highly recommended by doctors.
Whether it’s for your face or to speed up workout recovery, cold water therapy has become increasingly popular over the years. Athletes, celebrities and health experts have championed immersing yourself in ice cold water to reduce muscle soreness, help the immune system and improve your mood.
About 3 months ago, I started to notice more spots and redness on my face than normal. After seeing a few ice water face dipping videos pop up on my Instagram, I wanted to see if face icing would actually make a difference to my skin. I did it my way by rubbing an ice cube on my face every morning. After three weeks of consistency, I can honestly say it’s one of the best things I’ve found for my skin and mood. Here’s what happened.
WHAT IS FACE ICING AND WHAT DOES IT DO?
Depending on your method of choice, face icing involves rubbing a cube of ice on your skin, or submerging your face into ice in cold water for a short period of time. Other methods include putting a face roller, gua sha or eye mask in the freezer and applying it to the face in specific motions.
Why would you want to put ice on your face, I hear you ask. According to doctors and dermatologists, icing your skin has been found to reduce redness and inflammation, tighten the skin, eliminate puffiness, ease acne and give a healthy glow. While the results aren’t permanent, icing your face does deliver instant results and it’s easy (and cheap!) to do.
Face icing can be done by anyone, although experts suggest that it shouldn’t be done for more than 15 minutes using cold facial tools. Those with thin, sensitive or eczema-prone skin and people who have recently undergone cosmetic surgeries or peels should avoid face icing. It’s also important to wrap your ice cube or cold tool in something protective like gauze or a cloth so you don’t burn or irritate your skin.
Also Read: What Happens When You Rub A tomato On Your Face?
MY EXPERIENCE
For my face icing experience, I decided to leave the fancy skincare tools to the professionals. I do have a freezer in my kitchen, ice trays and my hands. This is one thing I love about face icing, as it’s so accessible and easy to do.
As soon as I got up in the morning, I headed to my kitchen, grabbed an ice tray, filled it with water and let it sit in the freezer for 4 hours before I rubbed it on my face for 2 minutes making sure to reach every part of my entire face. Afterwards, I’d dry my face with a kitchen paper towel before jumping in the shower and cleaning my face with a natural face wash and applying the best moisturizer.
After persevering for a few days as putting that ice on the face is not easy, I found that slowing down the process is always the best way. So, slowly I let the ice stay in my hands abit longer to make me get used to the cold then put it on my face. That’s my trick and it worked.
THE RESULTS
I decided to try face icing because my skin was looking red and spotty. But within a couple of days, my skin had completely cleared up. Spots that were hidden under the surface had disappeared and any redness subsided quickly.
Face icing is said to improve circulation and I definitely noticed a difference in how my skin looked and felt. After having that special moment every morning my face looked glowy and felt silky smooth. Puffiness, particularly around the eyes, also reduced and my skin felt much tighter than before.
After three weeks, I’ve seen and felt a noticeable and remarkable difference in my skin and mood. It’s a simple, cheap and effective treatment that I definitely plan on continuing.
