Who doesn’t want clear skin? When you do a sauna right and follow a regular weekly routine, you’ll be surprised by how well it works to keep breakouts at bay and to keep your skin looking glowing.
For those that are used to sauna, we don’t need to tell you. Saunas are freakin’ amazing! Accomplishing a good sweat after a rough day, rough night, or tough workout – there’s nothing better. The heat will detoxify the skin, increase blood flow to the organs, and relax your mind, body, and spirit. About what it can do for your skin though, it comes down to the heat and the sweating.
Sweating is a very restorative process for our skin. We usually sweat from exercise, which is increasing heart rate, improving circulation, and kicking up our blood flow a notch. Pores are opening, toxins hiding in those pores are getting flushed, and ultimately with less bad stuff embedded into our skin, we come away from sweating with smoother skin. In a sauna, no strenuous activity is required to get those same benefits. The infrared heat stimulates blood flow, beats the heart faster, and helps to move more nutrients to the skin.
The perfect sauna routine for your skin comes down to when, how often, and how long. First, always wash your face before going in. This way, you remove any sweat or surface debris that could be on your face. Especially if you’re using your sauna after a workout, you want all your sweat buildup to be gone. You’ll also want to clear away any product or moisturizer that could be sitting on your face.
The next piece of advice we have in using a sauna for clear skin is to hydrate. You’re going into a room where you’re going to aggressively dehydrate yourself. Drink water before, during if possible, and after. This is key. Also, when it comes to skin, some dermatologists and skin experts suggest staying in for no longer than 10 minutes at a time. After 10 minutes, circulation starts to adjust. To get around this, what some people will do is to sit in a sauna for 10 minutes and then plunge themselves into cold water or a mild shower before going back in for another ten minutes.
There’s going to be buildup on the skin during and after you come out of a sauna. Sweating releases a high amount of salt. When combined with sebum and bacteria, this salt mixture can result in breakouts. Be sure to wash it away as soon as you get out. Also, your scalp is going to experience a similar buildup. This can oftentimes present in the form of inflammation around follicles and irritation. Rinsing your hair with a shampoo can help defeat this grime!
The last step to getting clear, bright skin from an infrared sauna is to rinse with cold water afterwards. This will bring your pores, skin, and body back to normal, at which point you can dry off and get on with your day.
Keep in mind hot temperatures can dehydrate the skin so be sure to keep hydrating in the aftermath. You also don’t want to enter into a sauna if you have rosacea, atopic dermatitis, vertigo, or have a heart condition. Discuss the possibility of using a sauna if there are concerns about how it could conflict with your health.