My problem skin and facial steaming

I recently tried out a new skincare range, it contained no nasty parabens etc so I thought my skin would be fine. After about a week of using it I found my skin felt really tight and I developed a sore, itchy rash on my face that was so uncomfortable and quite painful and also a cluster of angry spots on my chin. I very rarely get spots apart from a certain time of the month so put it down to the new skin care range I had and stopped using it straight away. I went back to my old products and found that the issues weren't getting any worse but they weren't getting any better either. 

After about a week I decided to try a product that I know other people have had success with for getting rid of spots. Freederm. I didn't use this on the areas that had the rash just the horrible spots. I followed the directions exactly as stated on the  box and within 2 days my skin was horrendous. My chin is so dry (bear in mind that I have oily skin) its painful and looks like I have a really bad rash. I stopped using the Freederm right away, this was about 2 weeks ago now and its still just as bad as it was. 

My skin is something that I do try to take really good  care of and this has really knocked my confidence at the moment. Its almost impossible to cover even with a good concealer and I have a constant feeling of discomfort and putting moisturiser on my skin stings like a bitch.

I've gone back to my old products that I have never had a problem with and can see that they definitely work for my skin, so goes the saying, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The range I use is First Aid Beauty. Its available online at various retailer or in selected Boots stores. Its really reasonable priced, doesn't contain parabens or harsh chemicals and its suitable for sensitive skin. It works for me so I'm now sticking to it.

So whilst in my search of something to help my skin I came across a couple of articles about facial steaming. I've done the whole bowl of boiled water with a towel thing and I just felt like I couldn't breathe and gave up after about two minutes. Reading a little more into detail about steaming I realised that there was alot of benefits to relatively cheap and easy addition to your routine. Some of the benefits include

• Helps to soften plugs in pores which can make it easier to remove dirt and dead skin debris
• Stimulates skin blood circulation allowing the skin to look refreshed.
• Allows for deep cleansing.

Source

I decided that I wanted to try a facial steamer but didn't want to fork out a fortune for something that I may only use once. So I found one at Argos for only £9.99 

I figured if I didn't like it, £9.99 isn't a huge amount of money but if I love it I can invest in a more expensive one at a later date.

It was really easy to use, fill the water up to the water fill line, plug in and switch on. I managed to do this all by myself so it really is simple 

I sat with my face over the steamer for about 10 minutes. The book stated 15 but I thought 10 was enough with it being my first time.

After I finished I splashed my face with cool water and used a gentle exfoliator on my face. I then finished off with my First Aid Beauty moisturiser. My skin feels so soft, my forehead really is as soft as baby's bum! I also found that my skin looks alot brighter and it didn't sting when putting my cream on like it has done. I'm not sure if this is down to the steaming or if it is just FINALLY getting better!

Either way I'm definitely going to continue with facial steaming and see how it goes, I have some blackheads on my nose which are being rather stubborn and seemingly are rather comfortable where they are and don't fancy moving so hopefully this will help. After I have done this a few times I will do an update to let you know how I get on, hopefully I will be reporting on some glowing skin and a blackhead free nose!

Have you tried facial steaming? Whats you opinion on it, I'd love to know so please comment below!

Lots of Love

CF x x x