I’ve blogged a few times about how I have a little beauty routine that I do when I work out at my work gym, and have been doing for some time. It’s not just to clarify and beautify my skin though, it’s actually really relaxing as well. As soon as I walk into the sauna at work, after it’s been heated to a toasty hundred and some degrees while I’ve been hard at work on the treadmill, recumbent bike or elliptical machine, it’s like a wall of very dry heat hitting me.
And as soon as it hits me, my body goes limp. My shoulders and tight neck and back instantly relax from the day at the desk, and I feel like I could go to sleep – right after a workout mind you. So it’s not just about the intense heat helping to kill bacteria on my face and help with any future acne breakouts, it’s also about the relaxation aspect of it.
Relaxation of the body and mind are another great acne buster as you may know, because stress really wreaks havoc on the skin, and a lot of people with acne can tell you that stress and anxiety make them break out because it causes hormonal imbalance which leads to acne.
So really, hitting the sauna after my hard workout is like a one two punch against acne. Saunas can help your skin look better because they not only are such a high heat that they do help kill that acne causing bacteria on the surface of your skin, but they also help to open the pores, and detoxify the skin of impurities.
Not only that, but they help to increase your circulation, which makes your skin look more radiant and colorful and also helps to detox further because when your circulation is better, you transport any toxins out of your body more easily. It’s sort of the same principle as massage, which also is supposed to help detoxify the tissue through manual stimulation and circulation promotion.
I have mentioned before that I do something that may be questionable, but I make sure I really limit the time I do it since it’s such intense heat. I put my face nearer to the coals since it’s a traditional sauna, and get a sort of steam/heat facial in the process. It really makes my skin glow for a day or two, but you have to be careful not to burn yourself – just get a pleasant heat and steam bath, and back away after about 30 seconds or so, and if you feel any discomfort don’t do it at all.
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