If you have a pre-teen or teen girl in your world, you know that a skincare mini fridge is all the rage. Having both a pre-teen AND a teen girl in my house at the moment, I’ve purchased not one, but two skincare mini fridges, and I honestly thought it was a way for them to sneak soda and snacks into their room. To my surprise, they keep them stocked with skincare and all the tools needed to “fix” their perfect skin. I laughed when they first begged to have these in their rooms, but I soon realized my jade roller and mini ice packs I use to depuff my eyes and face smell like frozen pizza and Eggo waffles coming out of my kitchen freezer, and they might be onto something.
We all know icing our bodies brings down inflammation, so it makes complete sense to ice our faces after a long day or to soothe morning puffiness. First, wash your face, neck and decollete with a gentle cleanser. Next, slowly glide ice over the entire area for up to 10 minutes. Then, apply serums, eye cream and moisturizer. Unlike icing a wound several times a day, skin icing for cosmetic reasons is best to only do once a day. Skin icing can reduce pore size and inflammation, soothe blemishes and exfoliate the skin.
There are benefits of putting certain types of skin care in the fridge. First, let’s talk about what NOT to put in the fridge. Any oil-based products, clay masks and thick creamy moisturizers should not be chilled. The ingredients will separate or harden and ruin the product. Always read the product label to make sure before you ruin your new favorite products. My girls learned this the hard way after putting an oil-based moisturizer in their mini fridge, of course after I told them not to, but what do I know? I only do this for a living.
Some products can definitely be kept cool and used straight out of the fridge with added benefits, including a longer shelf life. Retinol and vitamin C thrive in a cooler environment because they will break down if exposed to heat and light. Hyaluronic acid doesn’t need to be refrigerated but it can increase its soothing properties. Organic products have fewer preservatives and last longer when refrigerated. Skin care with salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide will be effective longer. Some medications used to treat acne need to be stored in the fridge at all times, so check the labels. Face mists and serums are also OK as long as the serums aren’t oil based. Sheet masks, gel masks and tools such as jade rollers, gua sha stones and cryo globes all feel amazing when chilled.
So the other night when my lower back was throbbing from a long day of doing spa services, I sat on the couch with my feet propped up, glass of wine in hand, an ice pack on my back and rolled away my puffy face with a chilled jade roller that didn’t smell of frozen foods. (Thanks to Zona and Marlie, my teen experts, for hooking me up!)
