Whether you go to a spa or you are a DIY junkie who likes to keep matters in his/her own hands, facial steaming is one process that will leave you looking and feeling pampered. Yet, with the high amount of skincare routines already involved in our daily lives, is there really a need to go for face steaming? 

If it is, where would it fit in? Well, today we have brought you the answers to all your questions. Today we will let you know why face steaming is important, as well as what you should do before and after facial steaming. 

Today, we will highlight what to do before steaming your face as well as what to do after steaming your face. But before moving to that, take a look at the below-mentioned detailed information that you need to know.

What is Face Steaming?

The major purpose of face steaming is to cleanse. The steam will open up the pores and will help in loosening any extra dirt buildup. This will help by providing a deeper cleanse. Besides, when your pores are opened, this can soften up the blackheads, making them easier to be removed. 

Is Face Steaming Great For Your Skin?

Face steaming is quite important. As mentioned before, it will help in loosening any buildup to provide a deeper cleanse. This will help in opening up the pores alongside softening the blackheads to make them easier to be removed. 

What To Do Before Steaming Your Face?

But before we move to what to do after steaming your face, first take a look at what to do before steaming your face. Perhaps the essential step that you need to take when it comes to steaming your face is to clean your face properly. Besides, a lot of people do not know whether they should steam the face before or after cleansing. 

Should I Cleanse My Face Before Or After Steaming?

So, do you steam your face before cleansing, or do cleanse your face first? Well, the answer to do you wash your face before steaming is easy, the first step is always to clean your makeup. It is important to remove the makeup and dirt before steaming as it will open up the pores. Due to this, the entire dirt on your face will get inside the opened pores and will cause irritation and pimples to occur. 

​​So, make sure that you remove the makeup as much as you can as well as make sure to wash your face to remove both the oil and dirt on your face’s surface. For people who do not whether they should steam their face before or after showering, the answer to their question is the same as well. 

Skin Exfoliation

There are a lot of people who take go for the extra step of exfoliating their skin before they steam it. To exfoliate before or after steaming the face, you can use a gentle brush. This will help in getting rid of the dead skin cells on your skin.

But when it comes to what to do before steaming the face, you are free to skip this step move on to the next step (steaming) if you deem it necessary. Besides, some people do not exactly know whether they should exfoliate before or after steam, thus they do the exfoliation process after steaming the face. 

Summing up, it is highly important that before you go for the facial steaming session, you need to keep your face clean. Cleaning the face will aid by preventing the substances from blocking the pores. 

Should I Steam The Face First Or Exfoliate It?

When it comes to either steam or exfoliate first, steaming comes first. You should first steam then exfoliate as this will allow the pores to be cleansed fully as the steam will help by opening the pores and exfoliating will clean the dirt in the pores. 

How Long Should I Steam My Face?

To steam your face, all you need to do is to give a few healthy minutes to it. Usually, at least 5-10 minutes of facial steaming is the best option for you. When it comes to what to do after facial steam, you need to make sure that there is a distance from the source of the steam. This is highly essential as it will aid in preventing the skin from any harm. 

If you are using a bowl alongside some hot water, it would make things comfortable for you. However, if you are still not comfortable with this, you can use cooled water.

How Often Should You Steam Your Face? 

When the question comes, “how often should you steam your face?”, the answer is simple. You can steam your face once a week. It may be tempting for you to steam the face every day, but if you go for too many steaming sessions, might be harmful to your skin. 

The process will dry up the face and will eventually irritate your skin. Besides, some users might develop redness after steaming the face. 

Although this will go away after some time, if you overdo the steaming sessions, it might stay. 

It is important to keep a check. At any time if you feel uncomfortable, you can stop and adjust the steamer. You may need to back away and lessen the amount of time to steam the face. 

Don’t know how often should you steam your face? Don’t fret, take a look at this post and clear your misconceptions. 

What To Do After Steaming Your Face?

Now let us get to the main part, what to do after face steam? Well, when it comes to what to do after facial steam, the immediate steps that you need to take is to rinse your face with water, or use an extractor kit. Know that some facial steamers also include an extractor kit in the package as well. 

Once done, you can now move towards the other procedures. However, to provide you guys with more details, here are the specific steps that I have explained in detail. So look at these steps that answer the question “what to do after you steam your face?”. 

1. Rinse Your Face

Now, should I wash my face after steaming? Well, when it comes to steaming your face, both before and after, this is a highly important step. Thus, the very first step that you have to take is to rinse the face with lukewarm or cold water. 

After steaming the face, some people prefer lukewarm water because they don’t want their skin to be shocked by rapid temperature swings. Your face will gradually cool down when exposed to air if you use lukewarm water. Some people like cold water because they believe it closes pores, but this is a misconception because pores do not open or close.

They can, however, stretch or tighten. The blockage will cause the pores to stretch as a result of the build-up. The pores are meant to let sebum pass through, but when they become blocked, they dilate and appear larger to allow the sebum to pass through.

Steaming will simply loosen the block, not open the pores, which are already wide open. Whatever temperature you prefer, rinsing the face will help by removing the oils that are released by the pores. They may also contain stuck skin cells, which can be eliminated by simply cleansing your face.

You can prevent them from clogging the pores again by eliminating them. This will also aid in preventing the formation of new blackheads. Once you are done with this, you should now blow the face dry with the help of a towel. However, do not rub your skin with a cloth as this may cause injury. You don’t want to hurt it by rubbing it with a towel because it has already been exposed to the heat.

2. Use A Comedone Extractor

By removing them, you can prevent them from obstructing the pores again. This also aids in the prevention of new blackheads. After that, use a towel to dab your face dry. However, avoid rubbing your skin with a cloth because this can cause harm. As it has been exposed to the heat already, there is no need to harm it with a towel. 

You can use the extractor or vacuum straight after your steaming session if you want to (vacuums work great!). This is especially for those people who worry about blackheads. Steam softens whatever is clogging the pores and helps relax them so they aren’t constricted. This makes removing the blocks a lot easier.

Some face steamers include a complimentary extractor kit that you can use immediately following your steaming session. When utilizing extractors, you must exercise extreme caution. For good reason, not all dermatologists would advise you to use them. They can cause as many issues as are being solved. 

Some people use them carelessly and get other skin problems as a result. Knowing how to operate comedones extractors correctly is crucial to their success.

Using a Comedone Extractor

It is important to ensure that you do not put extra pressure on the skin when you are employing Comedone extractors. If you do it correctly, gentle pressure will remove the obstructions. Make sure that you apply gentle pressure when you move the Comedone extractors at numerous angles. Also, avoid scraping your skin with them. You’ll also harm your skin.

One end of some Comedone extractors is pointed and extremely sharp. These are utilized when a pore is completely clogged and cannot be easily drained. Also, several people pierce the top of the block to make it easier to squeeze out the content of the pores. 

However, you should exercise extreme caution when doing so. Additionally, heating softens the blocks, and you won’t need to pierce the pore to easily squeeze them out. Also, remember to sterilize the Comedone extractor you’ll be using both before and after each usage. This can assist you to avoid becoming infected and producing pimples or more blackheads on your skin.

3. Apply a Hydration Serum

Once you have cleansed your face, you can use any skincare serum you want. Because steaming boosts the efficacy of serums and other skincare products, use ones that address your current skin concerns.

Use serums like Neutrogena HydroBoost Serum as they will help you in increasing hydration. If your aim is to slow the pace of the aging process of your skin, you can go for products that have anti-aging characteristics. Like Elizabeth Arden Prevage anti-aging system discussed here.

4. Use A Mask

You can use the mask for face steaming both before and after the operation. This, however, does depend on your skin type. Use a moisturizing mask, such as this Green Tea Mud Mask, before steaming if you have dry skin.

Other masks can be used after steaming because the steaming process helps the components in the mask absorb more quickly. Following the steaming procedure, you can utilize sheet masks. The sheet masks’ cool temperature will assist to calm the skin down even more.

5. Moisturize Your Skin

Once you are done with steaming, now moisturize the skin with the help of a vitamin E cream. You can use a moisturizing lotion as well. Besides, this may surprise you, but steaming is sometimes known to cause the skin to dry out. 

If you don’t moisturize, your skin will make up for it by creating more oil. As a result, your pores may be more likely to become clogged. So, after steaming or applying serums and masks, don’t forget to hydrate your skin.

6. Massage the Skin

It’s also a good idea to massage your face after applying skincare products and heating. This can be easily done with the help of your fingertips. Gently tapping on your face improves blood circulation throughout the face and aids in the absorption of skincare products.

You can also use facial rollers, such as jade rollers, to massage your face. Because facial rollers aid lymphatic drainage, you’ll probably look puffy afterward.

When you roll the jade rollers towards the ear, which is where the lymph nodes are located, it helps with lymphatic fluid circulation.

It’s ideal to use delicate taps with the fingertips or gentle pressure with the rollers while massaging under the eyes. Begin with the inner corner of your eye and work your way outward. Make a motion similar to this with your brows.

What To Do After Steaming Your Face | Based On Skin Types

Now once we have found the answer to what should do after steaming my face, it is time to discuss the specific skin types. Now let us discuss what do you do after you steam your face based on dry, sensitive, and oily skin. 

1. What To Do After Steaming Dry Skin?

People who have dry skin must focus on rehydrating and locking it in. The last step that you can take is to go for a basic moisturizer. But if you are looking to make your skin feel more fantastic, follow these steps. 

• Go for a moisture-rich face pack or a sheet mask. 
• Now clench the skin thirst with a hyaluronic acid skin serum. 
• After this, use a lightweight moisturizer to seal everything in. 

To gain extra benefits, you can also add herbal extract to your after-steaming skincare routine. Such as, you can go for the raspberry leaves tea, almond oil, and sesame oil. This will aid in moisturizing the dry skin once you have steamed it. 

2. What To Do After Steaming SENSITIVE Skin?

If you are a person with sensitive skin, you can perform a final round of gentle cleaning. To totally eliminate any impurities left after steaming your skin, use light facial cleansers and gentle toners. A gentle toner cleans your face of dirt, grime, and pollutants, while a light cleanser cleans your skin of excess oil.

After that, apply a hypoallergenic moisturizer (one that is free of smell, chemicals, and skin irritants) to rehydrate and soothe your irritated skin.

3. What To Do After Steaming OILY Skin?

Although steaming benefits oily skin, the added moisture and heat can make it oilier shortly after your face sauna session.

If you have oily skin and prefer natural skincare, dabbing diluted lemon juice on your face after steaming can help eliminate excess oil.

If you have sensitive oily skin, you can go for rose water instead. Rosewater is both milder and calming. Aloe vera gel, hyaluronic acid serum, and a decent-quality pore-tightening sheet mask are also effective after-steam additives for oily skin.

What To Do 1 Week After Steaming Your Face?

The majority of experts agree that sticking to a regular regimen is the best way to reap all of the benefits of face steaming. After every week, it is advised that you should steam your face, you can either do it first thing in the morning or it can be the last thing at night. Also, a hot washing cloth or a washcloth can be used for face steaming in the morning.