POTIONS CLASS: An Herbal Facial Steam

The traditional method of steaming your skin is by far one of my favorite DIY at home treatments one can do for themselves. The steaming technique helps to open your pores, allowing your products to absorb better, detoxify, and loosen dry skin. This method is particularly useful during the winter time or in polluted cities. It also produces radiant results. It's so easy to do; by simply grabbing a handful of your favorite dried herbs, spices, and flowers. You also have the option of adding essential oils to your steam for a fragrant and relaxing scent.

Supplies needed

Large Bowl

Large Towel

Boiled Water

Dried herbs & flowers (See list of optional herbs and flowers below)

Rose petals

Lavender

Fennel

Lemon grass

Calendula

Chamomile

Rosemary

Peppermint

Sage

Yarrow

Nettle

Dried Orange/Lemon Peels

Cloves

Green tea

Comfrey

Essential oils to consider

Ylang Ylang

Lavender

Geranium

Chamomile

Rosemary

Sweet Orange

Lemon

Eucalyptus

Peppermint

Have your supplies in an area where you can sit comfortably, like at your kitchen table. The dried ingredients you've selected should be roughly 1/2 cup worth, but this is something you can experiment with and needs no technical skills. When your combination is ready to steep, set your herbs and spices into a large bowl, adding enough boiled water to fill up 1/2 of the bowl. Quickly and gently rest the towel over the top of the bowl (making sure the towel isn't hanging inside the bowl!) This will trap the steam in, allowing the mixture to steep for 10 minutes. Pull your hair out of your face if needed and make sure your skin is clean of any make up or residue prior to your steam. Lift the towel slowly, adding 2 drops of your chosen essential oils. Drape a large towel over your head and the bowl to make a tent. Keep your head at least 6-8 inches away from the bowl- you don't want to scorch your face. Keep your eyes closed while the steam rises. Breath in slowly and come up for air as needed, continuing to steam your face for 10 minutes maximum. Splash your face with some cool water afterwards. This technique should be done once a week, followed by your usual skin care routine.

Any of the herbs and oils listed can be combined for various skin issues and with preference to scent in mind. Say you like floral aromatherapy, then you may enjoy dried lavender with chamomile and rose petals, 2 drops of geranium and 2 drops of ylang ylang essential oils. Whether you find your skin is dull, mature, dry, or a combination of the three, you can play with a mixture of herbs to find a perfect fit for you skin type.

You'll find it's incredibly soothing and stress relieving.

You can store your blended herbs in labeled bags or jars so they're already prepared ahead of time, or you can gift them to friends and loved ones. This method has been done for centuries to keep skin looking soft and vibrant and it happens to work really well for decongesting sinuses when you're feeling stuffed up. Try steeping dried rosemary with chamomile and peppermint. Combine this mixture with 2 drops each of eucalyptus and lavender oils next time you have a cold. You can also amp up your facial treatment by doing a light facial massage, applying a mask afterwards or doing gentle exfoliation to help scuff away dried patches. This is a very fun and easy way to experiment with the healing properties of herbs, so let the botanical benefits show through your radiant self!

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