It’s something straight out of an old wives’ tale: rubbing ice on your face gives you smooth, glowing skin. Even our mothers taught us to apply ice compress on our swollen, puffy eyes after a long crying session out of heartbreak.
With the plethora of skincare products currently on beauty store shelves that promise all kinds of infused bio-treatments and nutrients, the idea of rubbing an ice cube on our face seems simplistic in comparison. But here’s the thing: it does work. Celebrities and estheticians have long sworn by it. There is sound logic behind cold temperatures causing vasoconstriction when in contact with skin, shrinking the appearance of pores and de-puffing your face.
The industry has caught up as well, with brands offering ice rollers as a more efficient and less messy alternative to rubbing an actual cube on your face as it gradually melts. So if you’ve been convinced to chill your way to better skin, here are different ways to incorporate ice in your beauty routine.
Calms down acne and inflammation
When there’s a red, angry zit that has popped up on the surface of the face, combat the swelling and redness by dabbing an ice cube or the surface of an ice roller on the pimple. With a cube, wrap it in some gauze and apply it on the pimple for about two to three minutes, six times a day. Blood vessels shrink when exposed to icy temperature, banishing swelling and inflammation.
Helps skincare products absorb into the skin better
Here’s another trick for skincare junkies: ice helps the actives in skincare products seal in better, creating a pulling effect on your skin as the capillaries become restricted. After applying serum on your face, you can choose to rub an ice cube wrapped in gauze or an ice roller to cool your skin down while it dries.
Wakes up tired, puffy eyes
There is truth behind that old beauty hack of applying a refrigerated spoon over our eyes. As cool temperature reduces swelling, a simple motion of massaging from the center of your undereye area and out towards the sides of your face helps massively. This little trick boosts lymphatic drainage, also effectively de-puffing those eyebags for a more radiant and alert look.
Helps achieve an instant, healthy glow
Icy temperatures give an instant boost to your skin, refreshing it while giving you a healthy glow as it dramatically improves circulation. As the cold shrinks pores and constricts vessels, your skin responds by gradually sending warm blood to the surface which gives you that rosy glow. One way to achieve this is to rub an ice cube or an ice roller around your skin, sculpting your cheekbones and jawline in a DIY facial massage. Start from the center of the chin, following the jawline all the way to the earlobe, then follow the contours of your face: your undereye area, the high points of your cheekbones, and then across your forehead.
For a quicker method that will really jolt your tired skin awake, you can perform an ice water facial, as sworn by Kate Moss: that is, dunking your face in a bowl of icy water for 10 to 15 seconds. Repeat several times.