While there’s no time like the summer to cool off, putting ice on your face is a year-round skincare strategy for glowing skin. From functioning as a natural makeup primer to taking cheekbones to new heights, ice cubes are a secret weapon for many top facialists, models, and makeup artists.
Before jumping into all the reasons why you should consider putting ice on your face, what exactly is this cooling technique? Also known as “skin icing,” Dendy Engelman, MD, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon at Shafer Clinic Fifth Avenue, explains that this is a trend that involves the use of cold therapy on your skin. “At its most basic form, it involves gently rubbing ice or an ice rolling tool over your face in a circular motion as part of your daily skincare regimen,” Engelman says.
Usually done in the morning to start your day with an icy jolt, she adds that the trend has grown in popularity most recently through TikTok, but also because it is easy to do, inexpensive, and has a ton of skin health benefits. YouTube star Lisa Eldridge swears by ice facials to combat early set times and jet-lagged models. Pressing an ice cube to the roof of your mouth, where receptors for your face’s blood vessels live, can help reduce redness, she swears. Skin icing can also act as spot-on treatments for breakouts, says Austin-based aesthetician Renée Rouleau. No matter what state your face is in, experts weigh in on how fresh-out-of-the-freezer cubes, especially when spiked with green tea, caffeine, or milk (!), can help increase blood circulation, minimize pores, and soothe inflammation for clear, radiant skin.
Key Takeaways
- Putting ice on your face comes with many benefits, including boosting your natural radiance, calming inflammation, and sculpting your cheekbones.
- To ice your face safely, opt for an ice roller or use ice cubes wrapped in a paper towel or some sort of wrapping, and massage it into your face in circular motions for 10 minutes.
Benefits of icing your face
Icing can work wonders on your skin. The main six benefits include:
Jumpstart a Healthy Glow
For as long as he’s been performing transformative facials, celebrity facialist Ole Henriksen has incorporated ice cubes into his treatments. “They dramatically improve circulation in the skin for that healthy glow we all want,” he says. To boost results, he’ll brew and freeze rosehip seed tea, which is high in Vitamin C, as well as antioxidant-packed green tea. For application, Henriksen suggests wrapping an ice cube in a thin cotton handkerchief and massaging it across the skin.
The age-old ice-cold trick can also enhance the hero products of your regimen. “If you apply a serum to the skin and put ice on it afterwards, the capillaries constrict, and it creates a pulling effect that helps ingredients penetrate deeper,” explains Rouleau. Celebrity facialist Joanna Czech is also a fan of the extra icy step—particularly when masking. After using La Mer’s The Brilliance Brightening Mask, she seals in the illuminating and skin-softening ingredients by gliding gauze-wrapped cubes along the planes of the face.
To get the glow in one quick step, however, take a page from the supermodel playbook and make like Kate Moss. Inspired by Joan Crawford’s no-holds-barred approach to vanity portrayed in Mommie Dearest, the 45-year-old model has been known to submerge her face in a sink of icy water to counteract morning-after puffiness. A fellow runway regular who also swears by the trick? Bella Hadid, who often utilizes the powers of an ice facial for a picture-perfect glow on set.
Sculpt Your Cheekbones
For more sensitive skin (and souls), Henriksen suggests a slightly modified alternative to the face plunging technique: After filling a bowl up a third of the way with whole milk, which contains cell-regenerative vitamin A and naturally exfoliating lactic acid, add ice cubes before drenching a face cloth in the bone-chilling blend. “Hold it across the entire face for 15 seconds and repeat up to five times,” he says. You can also tap into the global beauty trend of face sculpting and work a frozen milk cube from the center of the chin along the jawline to the earlobe, then upward towards the highs of the cheekbones, under eye region, and across the forehead, he says. Repeat the massage for 5 minutes to get the firming, contouring effect.
Chill Angry Breakouts
While the underlying cause of blemishes and cystic acne is bacteria, a dose of chill can help relieve pain and decrease inflammation by constricting the blood vessels. For Rouleau, the trick is to alternate ice cube application with a warm compress on the flare-ups for about six cycles. “This stimulates circulation, allowing the body’s immune system to calm down and clear out blemishes and cysts,” she says. To bolster this kind of spot treatment, Francesca Fusco, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Wexler Dermatology in New York City, dissolves an aspirin into warm water before freezing, as the acetylsalicylic acid helps to dry up breakouts.
If you struggle with redness or rosacea, experts caution against applying anything that’s too hot or cold to the face. However, you can still reduce the flushing of the skin by applying an ice cube to the roof of your mouth. It’s a receptor site that constricts blood vessels in the face when cooled, says Fusco.
Banish Under-Eye Bags
According to Czech, ice cubes can be used as an eye treatment in one of two ways. “Use a cold compress made out of cotton and chamomile tea and rest it on your eyes for a few minutes,” she says. “Or, wrap ice cubes in gauze and slide the cubes from the inner eye corners up towards the brow in a circular motion.” Either way, the drainage of excess fluid will dramatically improve the appearance of tired-looking under-eyes. Another trick? Fusco freezes iced coffee squares as the caffeine’s constrictive properties help with swelling.
Soothe Sunburn
For when your skin flies too close to the sun (a.k.a. you get a sunburn), Engelman says that putting ice on your skin—especially your face—can not only soothe the pain, but it can reduce the inflammation that occurs post-sun exposure.
Firm Fine Lines
For a quick-fix to your anti-aging concerns, Engelman says that cold therapy can temporarily minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. This is especially helpful for the area around the eyes. But she does emphasize that it will not address collagen loss or sun damage, which are the one of the main causes of aging skin. Your best bet is to complement this with a long-term anti-aging skincare regimen.
How to Put Ice on Your Face, Safely
While it’s pretty straightforward (you are quite literally just putting ice or a frozen object on top of your skin), there are a few things to keep in mind so you don’t cause any damage.
First, you’ll want to cleanse your face prior to icing. Then, if you don’t have an ice roller, Engelman recommends wrapping ice cubes in either a paper towel, cloth, or even a ziploc bag to block the skin from direct contact with the ice; having ice touch the skin could potentially damage the skin’s barrier with its freezing temperature, she says, and can lead to skin irritation, redness, ice burns, and dryness. She adds that the cold temperature can also strip the skin of natural oils, which can be harmful to the skin for those who are already dry and sensitive. So using a barrier between you and the ice is key.
Keep each skin icing session to once a day and only do it for approximately five to 10 minutes to limit your exposure to the cold. When putting ice on your face, she says to gently massage the skin in circular motions over different areas, such as the forehead, cheeks, and jawline. Once done, you’re good to carry on with the rest of your skincare regimen.
But there are many variations of skin icing, and the best one for you depends on which of the many skin benefits you’re hoping to achieve.
Roselyn Boutique Ice Roller
$8
ROSELYN BOUTIQUE
Finishing Touch Flawless Facial Roller
$10
FINISHING TOUCH
When (and how often) should you ice your face?
You can ice your face at any time of the day, whenever is most convenient for you, says Marisa Garshick, MD, board-certified dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology. She adds that many people prefer to do it in the morning to quickly reduce puffiness and make you look more awake. Icing at night, she says, may help calm inflammation and irritation.
Once a day should be enough to reap the benefits, but Dr. Garshick says that you could also do it a few times a week if that suits your schedule better. Just be careful: too much icing can lead to irritation.
Are there any side effects of icing your face?
There are a few misconceptions about what icing your face can actually do. Dr. Garshick says the benefits of this type of cold therapy are short-term, and icing your face cannot tighten pores, control excess oil production, or treat dark spots.
Some of the most common downsides to icing your face include redness and sensitivity to skin. “Those who are especially sensitive to the cold (including those who experience cold urticaria, those with eczema, or a compromised skin barrier) should avoid applying ice to skin,” she says. “It should [also] be used with caution around the eyes; even though eyelid skin can benefit from icing…the eyelid skin is thinner, and more delicate and susceptible to irritation.”
Meet the Experts
- Ole Henriksen, Los Angeles-based celebrity facialist and founder of his own skincare line.
- Joanna Czech, New York City-based facialist and skincare brand founder.
- Renee Rouleau, Austin-based celebrity facialist and founder of her own skincare line.
- Dendy Engelman, MD, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon at Shafer Clinic Fifth Avenue
- Francesca Fusco, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Wexler Dermatology in New York City,
- Marisa Garshick, MD, board-certified dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology
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