Skin icing, i.e. skin care by massaging with ice cubes, is an ancient and free beauty gimmick that is easy to get excited about.
Skin icing is, at its simplest, massaging the face with ice cubes, and now the beauty gimmick from grandma’s time is cool again. For example Vogue and Byrdie’s beauty publications like
“Ice therapy” suitable as a home art does not really require much, but its results are promised to be quite good. Founder and beauty influencer of skin care series U Beauty Tina Craig lists ice cube massage as reducing puffiness, signs of aging, and even skin oiliness. She makes her own ice cubes from coconut milk, and massages her skin in circular, upward motions for a few minutes. According to Craig, coconut milk doesn’t clog pores and acts like an antibacterial cleanser, which is why massaging can also help with acne. His skin icing video already has over 2.4 million views on TikTok.
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Beautician interviewed by Vogue Teresa Tarmey says that he has been recommending the method – or better called skin cryotherapy – to his clients for years as part of skin care. Ice treatment helps to lift the look, brighten dull skin and shape facial features, explains Tarmey.
Even if wrinkles or pimples don’t disappear instantly with an ice massage, at least the cold and the massage stimulate surface blood circulation, remove puffiness and a tired look from the face, and create the same fresh effect as, for example, brisk jogging in bitterly cold weather. Best of all, you can try this craze for free – we already made the ice cubes ourselves.
Illustration: Getty Images
The story is the latest, originally published in October 2020 and renewed in October 2021.