Is it Good to Rub Ice Cubes Daily on Your Face?

It is very common in India to see people rubbing ice cubes on their faces, in an attempt to cool down in the summer heat. Most of us have done it, and felt that it feels nice at that time, but was it good for our skin? The answer is NO.

Using ice cubes daily on your face can burn your skin, making it peel off. Sometimes, the pores do not have vents to discharge their excess oil so they keep them stored and when you start using ice cubes on your face, the pores open up and start to absorb the impurities and discharge their stored oils. This can make your skin rough and rigid.

Here are 5 side effects of rubbing ice cubes on your face:

Your Skin Becomes Numb

Rubbing ice cubes on your face daily can lead to numbness and burns. When you apply ice cubes to your face, it can cause a numbing sensation, due to the cold temperature. The numbness’s cause is the extreme cold temperature blocking the nerves in the skin, which then makes the skin lose its senses.

The ice cubes need to be wrapped in a towel or paper towel soaked in warm water before placing it on your facial skin. This will help prevent the ice cubes from burning your face and damaging it.

Ice can Cause Blisters and Rashes

The cold temperature can cause blisters and other serious conditions, which could lead to permanent damage on your face if rubbed without proper protection.

A person who has sensitive skin should make sure that they slowly increase the duration of the ice cube treatment based on their tolerance level. People who suffer from rosacea should avoid using this technique, as it could make you have flare-ups.

Ice can Cause Cracked Skin

Rubbing ice cubes on your face every day can make your face chapped, cracked and red. Applying ice directly on your skin might cause delicate skin capillaries to break.

People who have sensitive skin or are already suffering from colds, wounds, eczema, sinusitis temperature, inflammation and problems with capillaries should avoid using ice cubes on their faces.

Ice Removes the Protective Layer of your Skin

When your face meets a blast of cold ice, it gets dehydrated. Ice cubes remove natural protective barrier layers from the skin, causing faster dryness when exposed to cold or heat.

Especially in the winter season, applying ice cubes to the face can decrease blood circulation, leading to dryness and flakiness.

Ice can Cause Redness and Swelling

When ice is rubbed on the face, the ice cubes compress the tiny blood vessels within the thin outermost layer of skin. The thin vessels rupturing under pressure and tiny leaks cause swelling and redness.

Using ice cubes directly on your face can give frostbites, herpes, rashes, etc, resulting in dead cells of the skin.

What is the Right Way to Use Ice Cubes on the Face?

First of all, there is no need to use ice cubes on your face as a part of your everyday skincare routine. Once or twice a week is enough to avail the beauty benefits of ice cubes.

The right way to use ice cubes is by wrapping them in a thin washcloth or handkerchief and then applying them onto the face. You can also freeze some natural ingredients like aloe vera juice, cucumber juice, tomato pulp in an ice tray to give the skin a complementary nutrient-rich benefit.

Avoid using ice cubes on your face directly if you have sensitive skin. You can use a towel or a cold compress to apply ice on your face but make sure not to leave an ice pack on your face for more than a minute.

Avoid rubbing ice cubes on your face harshly, try massaging in a circular motion for a maximum of 3 minutes. If you start to experience any kind of discomfort, immediately stop the procedure.

Many people believe that rubbing ice cubes on the face can help in reducing acne and pimples but there is no evidence to prove the efficacy of this theory. If you are suffering from acne and related issues, instead of applying ice cubes on your face, opt for a more effective natural treatment option like an anti-acne gel.

Take Away

As the ice cube comes in contact with facial skin, essentially all of the coldness from the ice is transferred to your skin. The cold from the ice cubes will immediately lower the temperature of the surface of your face. This can cause microscopic damage to your skin, much like how a magnifying glass can burn a leaf or a piece of paper.