5 Ways Ice Can Improve Your Skin Health

I’m not a fan of the cosmetic industry and tend to stay away from beauty products entirely. I’m of the belief that beauty comes from within. Feeding your body clean, organic and nutrient rich foods will leave you feeling and looking your best, eliminating any need for harsh chemical laden creams designed to “rejuvenate” the look of your skin.

The pursuit of beauty is not a new phenomena.

Medieval women were known to swallow arsenic in an attempt to improve their complexion and applied bat blood to their face as a form of blush. 18th century American men and women thought that using warm urine as a moisturizer would erase freckles.

Yet the modern commodification of beauty is a dangerous and toxic myth perpetuated by an industry hungry for money.

Americans spend 8 billion dollars a year on cosmetics. That is significantly more than was spent on education. It would cost just 9 billion to provide clean drinking water and sanitation to all people in developing countries.

Puts our vanity to shame I would say.

However, I am human and do have my moments of insecurities like anyone else. I’ve discovered that one of the best tricks to quickly improving the look and feel of my skin does not come from a store.

All natural and essentially cost free, skin icing will change the way you look at cosmetics and yourself!

Here are 5 remarkable benefits of applying ice to your skin both morning and night:

1. Glowing Skin

The coveted healthy glow that nearly all skin care products offer can be yours with a simple cube of ice. Blood vessels in the face constrict when exposed to the chill of ice, and as a response the body will increase blood flow to that area to help regulate the temperature. Your skin will immediately adopt that warm and healthy flush which make up strives to mimic.

2. Blemish Control

Acne and outbreaks are commonly the result of imbalances in the skin which encourage bacteria to grow. The inflammation and redness that results can be dramatically reduced when exposed to ice. Applying ice to the skin will also shrink pores, making it more difficult for bacteria to burrow into the skin.

3. Skin Toner

As I mentioned above, ice can drastically reduce the size of pores, helping to tighten skins surface making for an excellent toner. The chemical astringents used in store bought facial toners can be toxic and actually age the appearance of skin by drying it out and killing healthy surface cells.

4. Anti-Aging

A routine of skin icing morning and night can dramatically reduce the look of wrinkles. Water is unarguably the world’s best moisturizer and the deterioration of the skins surface is a direct reflection of its ability to retain water.

5. Reduce Dark Under Eye Circles and Puffiness

The chill of applying ice cubes under your eyes can dramatically eliminate that morning puffiness. Dark under eye circles are the result of inflamed blood vessels visible through the skins surface. The chill of an ice cube will restrict these cells and drastically minimize their appearance.

There are precautions to take before diving into your freezer for this beauty trick. Make sure to use ice that has a layer of melt on it if you are applying directly to your skin, as it can adhere and damage the skin if too cold. Also never ice for longer than 15 minutes as you may cause serious damage to cells.