7 benefits of Beard steaming you must aware

Nowadays, men want to explore everything that leads to healthy beard growth, especially the things one can do at home. Today we are discussing whether steam helps beard growth or not.

Beard steaming can help improve blood flow to the face, opening pores and follicles and improving skin hydration, which may help stimulate healthy beard growth. However, no relevant study agrees that steam helps beard growth. Factors like diet, hormones, exercise, stress levels, genetics, age, sleep, and more play a vital role.

So along with including beard steaming in your regime, consider the above factors to enhance results.

Along with getting a facial with beards, you must know a beginner beard care regime to accelerate your beard growth journey.

What is beard steaming?

Beard steaming is one of the steps of a beard spa or facial for which one has to expose the entire face or beard to hot steam.

The steam should not be too hot or close to the skin, or it may result in a burn. It should be toleratable. 

You can take hot steam through a facial steamer or lean over a bowl of hot water with a towel draped over the head to trap in the heat.

For beard steaming, you must clean your entire face and beard with a mild cleanser so that the open pores will not attract dirt and debris.

Beard steaming helps to improve the blood circulation of the entire face, opening pores and hair follicles, hydrating dull skin, and softening hair which may help enhance beard growth.

Some people love experimenting with their steaming process by adding essential oils to exaggerate benefits. Though it is a personal choice, beard steam alone is unlikely to be a magic solution for beard growth.

You can add beard steaming with a balanced diet, exercise, and proper sleep in your beard care regime to see visible results.

Does steam help beard growth?

The face is exposed to hot steam using a facial steamer or a basin of hot water in the calming and renewing skincare method known as beard steaming.

Steaming your beard or face helps to improve blood circulation in that area required for healthy glowing skin and hair growth. 

Also, it softens the dry, unruly beard by hydrating the skin underneath and making them breathe. It helps to open pores filled with dead skin, oil, dirt, and debris and loosens the impurity that comes out easily.

The open pores tend to absorb beard care products more and result more effectively, which can lead to improving overall beard health.

In this way, steam helps beard growth in many senses. However, no study claims that beard steaming is enough for beard growth. 

Beard growth depends on many factors rather than treating them topically. We can not expect healthy beards by just applying things to them. 

Let us discuss some factors responsible for beard growth:

Genetics: 

Genetics plays a crucial role in beard growth. The beard’s vitality and thickness depend mainly on genetics. If your ancestor had a thick, fuller beard, you might resemble the same. If they had patchy and thin beards, you might have thin beards.

Hormones: 

Testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) are hormones responsible for healthy beard growth. Higher levels of these hormones can lead to increased facial hair growth and vice-versa.

Age:

 During puberty, you experience early beard growth and peaks in a person’s 20s and 30s. After that, beard growth may slow down or become thin due to hormonal changes associated with aging.

Nutrition:

 A balanced diet rich in minerals and vitamins for beards, including biotin, zinc, and vitamin D, can promote healthy hair growth. 

Sleep and stress:

 Both have their impact on beard growth. The lack of sleep and chronic stress can lead to hormonal imbalances that can affect beard health and contribute to hair loss. 

Skin health:

We need to water the roots of green plants. Similarly, the skin underneath can impact beard growth. The dry, flaky, or irritated skin can alter beard growth. It must be hydrated and well-nourished.

Exercise: 

Nutrition and exercise go hand in hand. Choosing anyone is not enough for healthy skin and beard growth. Exercising four times a week can improve the blood flow of the body and nutrition absorption, which leads to healthy hair growth.

7 Benefits of steaming your beard:

Hydration:

There is a difference between hydration and moisturization. You can moisturize your skin using the best beard oils, but hydration needs water content in the skin.

Beard steaming is an effective way to improve water content. Properly hydrated skin can retain strength and elasticity, making it suitable for beard growth and healthier skin.

Increases blood flow:

The heat during beard steaming encourages blood flow in the face and provides more oxygen and nutrition to the skin cells. The increased flow help stimulate beard growth, collagen, and elastin production.

Better blood flow helps improve skin and reduces early signs of aging, like wrinkles and spots. Also, when each cell gets more nutrition stimulates fast beard growth.

Improve product absorption:

Beard steaming helps open pores and let the product penetrate deeper. It helps to absorb any beard care product like serums, oils, or creams and enhance their effectiveness.

People find it an effective way before applying any skincare product to enhance the benefits.

Soothe and relax skin:

Beard steaming can be a relaxing and soothing experience, helping to reduce stress and tension in your facial muscles.

Also, it reduces puffiness, soothes inflamed zones, and relaxes the entire skin cells, making them breathable.

Fights acne:

Facial steaming can help combat acne by opening up your pores and purging excess sebum, an oily substance released by your sebaceous glands that often causes acne. 

Acne occurs when sebum becomes trapped in your follicles, leading to bacteria growth, inflammation, and pimples. Steaming helps to free the sebum from your pores, prevent pimple formation and reduce acne.

Unclog pores and follicles:

Our face suffers dirt, debris, pollution, and impurities all day. Facial steaming helps to unclog these pores and loosen dirt stuck in it.

It is one of the initial steps of a facial as it helps to extract blackheads and whiteheads in seconds. 

Also, it cleanses follicles trapped with dead skin cells, making them improve beard growth and healthy skin.

Soften beard:

Facial steam helps to soften your beard by hydrating the hair follicles and making the hair more pliable. The hot steam helps to relax the hair shaft, making it easier to manage and style.

Also, the heat opens up the cuticle of the beard, allowing moisture to penetrate more deeply. Beard steaming help to soften the hair, making it less coarse and more manageable. 

Additionally, facial steaming stimulates the production of natural oils(sebum) in your skin, which can also help to hydrate and soften your beard.

How to steam your beard at home?

There are three ways to steam your beard at home. Follow the step-by-step process for beard steam to prevent any burns.

Hot towel method:

This method is the easiest and consumes less time. It is suitable for sensitive skin, as a towel will never burn or affect badly on skin.

• Take a bowl and add some hot water to it. You can also use a sink and fill hot water there.
• Soak your towel in it and wring it to remove access water. 
• Place your damp towel on your entire face for 5-10 min.
• Relax and remove the towel once it gets cool.
• Repeat the process if required.

Facial steamer method:

This method is for those who are always in a hurry or do not want to make more effort for facial steaming.

• Here I consider you already have a home facial steamer. Firstly, read the instruction carefully and place the steamer on the table where the plug is available.
• Have a seat 5-10 inches away from the steamer. Facial steamers are powerful and usually do not have modes to increase or decrease steam levels.
• Now take a towel, drape it over your head and the steamer. Take steam for 2 minutes in one go, then pause for 1 minute.
• Make sure your face is at least six inches above the steamer.

Hot water bowl/sink method:

If you do not want to invest your single penny in the facial steamer, the hot water technique does the same task for you.

• Boil 4-6 glasses of water in a pan or kettle.
• Pour it into a bowl, or you may use your sink.
• Drape a towel over your head and the bowl. Hold your face at least 6 inches above the hot water.
• Take steam for 5-10 minutes. Lift the towel accordingly to lower the heat in between.

You can choose any method for beard steaming. However, be sure that the facial steamer is more powerful than the others. So use it wisely, or you will end up with facial burns.

Best beard steamer

Here, I have listed a few affordable beard steamers that I have used in the last few years:

• True Glow by Conair Gentle Mist Moisturizing Facial Steamer
• Face Steamer, Beauty Nymph Spa Home Facial Steamer
• Facial Steamer SPA+ by Microderm GLO 
• TASALON Facial Steamer on Wheels
• NanoSteamer Large 3-in-1 Nano Ionic Facial Steamer

Drawbacks of beard steaming:

Beard steaming can help you in many ways if done correctly or to a limit. Excess facial steaming has potential side effects, especially if done improperly or excessively.

Here, I have listed some drawbacks of beard steaming:

Dryness:

As I said in the benefits section, steaming can help you hydrate your beard and the skin underneath. But over-steaming or overly hot steams have opposite effects.

Some natural oil is present on our skin called sebum, which maintains skin moisturization and prevents them from over-drying.

Oversteaming can remove the skin’s natural oils, causing the skin to become dry, flaky, and irritated.

Burns:

If you accidentally touch hot water or go too close to the steam, it may cause a burn on the skin.

Keep one thing in mind steam is more powerful than hot water in case of burns. 

It is crucial to be careful and not get too close to the steam or the hot water.

Skin irritation:

If you have sensitive skin or diseases like rosacea, steaming may also cause redness, irritation, or inflammation.

So if you have sensitive skin, use the hot towel method instead of the facial steamer or hot bowl method.

Risk of breakouts rising: 

While steaming can help open pores, it also increases the probability that they will become clogged with bacteria, oil, and other impurities, resulting in outbreaks.

Not recommended for all skin types: 

Because heat can exacerbate problems like eczema or psoriasis, steaming may not be recommended for all skin types.

Beard steaming is a crucial part of beard care. It makes it soft and hydrated and supports healthy growth, but you must do it in moderation and be aware of the potential side effects.

In case of any adverse effect or discomfort, consult a dermatologist as soon as possible.

Takeaway

Beard steaming is a healthy practice to enhance the blood flow in the face, keeping the beard hydrated and soft. 

It is one of the natural ways to cleanse your beard and skin underneath by opening clogged pores. These benefits may help you with beard growth.

However, no studies claim that steam helps beard growth.

Along with the benefits, you must be aware of the potential side effects of beard steaming, especially if done improperly or excessively.

FAQs:

kayden

Kayden is an entrepreneur, writer, hairstylist working in a professional salon. He specializes in men’s grooming. He loves to blog about beards, hairstyles, and skincare.