PSA: I used to steam every client's face for 10 minutes straight

For 2 years at my booth in Portland, I thought longer steam was better for extractions until a mentor told me it just swells the skin and traps bacteria. Now I do quick 3 minute passes with a cool towel in between and my extractions are way cleaner. Has anyone else cut back on steam time and seen better results?

3 comments

3 Comments

dianagreen1mo ago

Blair said 10 minutes works for some people? That is wild to me. I've never heard of anyone doing a full 10 minutes and getting good results. My own skin got all puffy and red when I tried longer steam at home, and I didn't even have extractions to make it worse. The mentor I had basically told me the same thing about bacteria getting trapped, so I just can't see how a full ten minutes could end well for most people.

the_blair2mo ago

Honestly feels like people overthink this stuff. 10 minutes vs 3, whatever works for you. I've seen great results with longer steam and bad results with short steam. It's not that deep.

finleyl552mo ago

Been there myself actually. I used to let the steamer run way too long and wondered why some clients looked puffy afterward. Once I dropped it to about 3 or 4 minutes with a damp cool cloth pressed on the skin between passes, the gunk came out way easier and redness went down a lot. Longer steam really does just make the skin swell up and trap stuff deeper. Less is more with heat for sure.