During a visit to the beauty parlour; one among my innumerable beauty sessions before my wedding, nostalgia burped in my face, bringing up bitter memories of my grandma chasing me down to a bucket of boiling hot water, ducking me into the steam and covering me up with a blanket to suffocate, all for a minor sneeze of mine that she could hear from even a mile away! All I had asked the beautician was for a facial and her immediate reaction was towards the whiteheads, blackheads and pimples dotting my face like a starry night on a clear sky. While I let her steam my face, I could picture granny smirking at me with sadistic satisfaction.
Though the “clean-up facial” was long, torturous and agonizing, the effect was completely worth it. Steaming helped open up clogged pores on the skin, thus facilitating the removal of whiteheads and blackheads. The result was a perfectly smooth, soft skin sans pimples. It was literally a magical moment, seeing all the wretchedness from my adolescence days get washed away in a jiffy (a jiffy compared to the long pimply years I endured). I decided to let go and finally acknowledge publicly the benefits of steaming.
Steaming causes the blood vessels in the face to expand, or more scientifically, dilate due to heat, a principle termed as vasodilation. This enhances blood circulation to the face, which is beneficial for the skin as well as any respiratory problems. Remember that the inner lining of the nose, mouth and the windpipe are skin too (mucosa), and wherever the steam goes, heat follows. This is primarily why it is an efficient healer of common cold, sinusitis, asthma, bronchitis and a host of other respiratory problems. Steaming to cure these ailments is particularly effective if you add a drop or two of eucalyptus oil to the water while you inhale.
The heat in steam kills most bacteria and pathogenic microorganisms. The same principle of steaming is used in microbiology laboratories to sterilize equipment and materials- autoclaving, which is very similar to pressure cooking food. The temperature in an autoclave is high, that is about 180 degrees with a pressure of about 15 atmospheres, so that all the microbes are killed and the equipment is rendered completely sterile for laboratory use. However, the temperature of normal steam inhalation being much lower is enough to deactivate most common microorganisms; therefore, it is effective in preventing and curbing common ailments.
While compromising on your ego clash with poor old grandma, you may mildly rejoice that you don’t have to go steaming the old fashioned way anymore. Facial sauna and steamers with fittings for localized steaming required in facials are now available in the market at affordable rates. Get one, let it steam; add more colour to your cheeks and fresh air to your breath.
Though the “clean-up facial” was long, torturous and agonizing, the effect was completely worth it. Steaming helped open up clogged pores on the skin, thus facilitating the removal of whiteheads and blackheads. The result was a perfectly smooth, soft skin sans pimples. It was literally a magical moment, seeing all the wretchedness from my adolescence days get washed away in a jiffy (a jiffy compared to the long pimply years I endured). I decided to let go and finally acknowledge publicly the benefits of steaming.
Steaming causes the blood vessels in the face to expand, or more scientifically, dilate due to heat, a principle termed as vasodilation. This enhances blood circulation to the face, which is beneficial for the skin as well as any respiratory problems. Remember that the inner lining of the nose, mouth and the windpipe are skin too (mucosa), and wherever the steam goes, heat follows. This is primarily why it is an efficient healer of common cold, sinusitis, asthma, bronchitis and a host of other respiratory problems. Steaming to cure these ailments is particularly effective if you add a drop or two of eucalyptus oil to the water while you inhale.
The heat in steam kills most bacteria and pathogenic microorganisms. The same principle of steaming is used in microbiology laboratories to sterilize equipment and materials- autoclaving, which is very similar to pressure cooking food. The temperature in an autoclave is high, that is about 180 degrees with a pressure of about 15 atmospheres, so that all the microbes are killed and the equipment is rendered completely sterile for laboratory use. However, the temperature of normal steam inhalation being much lower is enough to deactivate most common microorganisms; therefore, it is effective in preventing and curbing common ailments.
While compromising on your ego clash with poor old grandma, you may mildly rejoice that you don’t have to go steaming the old fashioned way anymore. Facial sauna and steamers with fittings for localized steaming required in facials are now available in the market at affordable rates. Get one, let it steam; add more colour to your cheeks and fresh air to your breath.
