Ice bath therapy. If you haven’t already given it a go yourself, you’ve likely heard about it. The viral trend of ice baths has been picked up by athletes, celebrities, influencers, and even the everyday fitness enthusiast or regular person wanting to improve their health. Women, in particular, are discovering unique benefits from cold therapy that go beyond general wellness.
And while there are many benefits to ice bathing, one often overlooked benefit is the impact cold water therapy has on the skin.
When equipped with the right tools, ice baths boost skin vitality and improve elasticity, giving you a youthful, healthy look. With Ice Barrel, you can take on the challenge of cold plunging, and experience the skin benefits for yourself.
The Science of Cold Exposure & Skin Health
There are several key mechanisms that come into play when your skin is exposed to the cold. Each one plays a vital role in improving your skin health.
Vasoconstriction
Vasoconstriction, or the process of your blood vessels constricting or tightening as a result of cold exposure, can lead to reduced inflammation throughout the body. And when your body isn’t inflamed by swelling and increased blood flow, it can reduce redness in the skin.
Collagen Production Boost
Collagen is a type of protein developed by the body that helps protect your skin, and is a major building block for your ligaments, bones, muscles, and tendons. Since collagen serves as a protective barrier, and your body gets a boost of collagen production when it’s exposed to the cold, you may find your skin feels tighter after a cold plunge.
Tighter skin can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on the face, and can improve skin elasticity to help reduce the sagging appearance of skin.
Enhanced Circulation
Similar to vasoconstriction when your body experiences extreme cold, your body also goes through another process, called vasodilation, when your body warms up again. Vasodilation, or the expanding of the blood vessels, allows your body to circulate blood more efficiently.
This improved circulation warms your body, improves heart health, and gives your skin a “healthy glow” as your circulation improves.
Pore Minimization and Oil Control
If you have sensitive skin, or your skin is oily, dry, or has noticeable pores, cold plunge therapy can help with that, too. The cold can help close off your pores or even shrink them, which helps control the body’s natural oil production and helps to prevent breakouts.
Proven Ice Bath Benefits for Skin
Beyond just improving the skin’s cosmetic appearances, there are several health benefits for the skin as well.
Benefit 1: Soothes Inflammatory Conditions
Inflammatory skin conditions, such as eczema or rosacea, can be soothed by ice bathing. When the blood vessels constrict and dilate as the body cools and then rewarms, this can improve your blood circulation throughout the body and reduce inflammation. As the inflammation goes down, you may notice some of your skin condition symptoms beginning to lessen as well.
Consistent ice bathing can reduce inflammation and help keep symptoms of inflammatory skin conditions in check.
Benefit 2: Minimizes Pores & Refines Texture
If you have overlarge or noticeable pores in your skin, ice bathing can help shrink them to a less noticeable size, and can also smooth and refine the texture of your skin. This is due to the increased collagen production that is triggered by cold plunge therapy.
As more collagen protein enters your skin, your skin’s elasticity improves, smoothing out your skin’s features and even helping wrinkles and fine lines to become less noticeable.
Benefit 3: Brightens Dull Skin and Fights Puffiness
You may notice your skin has some puffiness to it, especially in the mornings when you first wake up. Puffy skin can be a result of many factors, but the biggest culprits tend to be a lack of sleep, a diet high in sodium, allergies, or dehydration.
By taking an ice bath, you can help reduce the swelling in your skin that causes puffiness thanks to the constriction and dilation of your blood vessels improving circulation and reducing inflammation. Additionally, cold plunge therapy can help “wake up” your skin, giving it a brighter, healthier glow no matter the time of day.
Benefit 4: Accelerates Healing
While it’s generally not recommended to use an ice bath if you have an open wound, cold plunge therapy can help accelerate healing in some circumstances. For example, if your skin is damaged or inflamed due to sun exposure (sunburn, sunrash, or other condition), an ice bath can help soothe the pain and reduce the inflammation.
If you’re someone who frequently works out, or you’re an athlete constantly pushing your limits, an ice bath can also help heal blemishes, bruises, and other skin injuries that might result from contact sports or workout injuries.
Benefit 5: Anti-Aging Effects
As the cold helps produce additional collagen in your body, that protein doesn’t just protect your skin. It can also help give you a youthful appearance as your skin becomes healthier and stronger.
Increased collagen production can smooth out the fine lines of your skin, can help reduce wrinkles, and the anti-inflammation effects of the cold can reduce eyebags and other instances of sagging skin.
Why Your Ice Bath Setup Matters for Skin Health
Sure, it might seem like a DIY setup is the path of least resistance for ice bathing, but especially for those with skin conditions or sensitive skin, cheap setups may cause more skin problems instead of fixing them.
Porous materials found in common household objects can lead to bacterial growth — even sinks and bathtubs and showers may have bacteria — and the inability to comfortably fully submerge in an ice bath with at-home solutions can also cause uneven healing and a less efficient experience.
But of course, luxury ice bath products may not be the best answer either. Bulky designs make it difficult to install them or find a good home for them on your property. They can be hard to clean, and that luxury price tag can frustrate anyone looking to better their health with cold plunge therapy.
For consistent skin, health, and overall wellness results, you need a tub designed for hygiene, full submersion, safety, and cost-effectiveness. You need something like the Ice Barrel.
Ice Barrel: Optimized for Skin Benefits & Performance
The Ice Barrel is designed for everyone—whether you’re a professional athlete looking for a recovery tool, or just someone looking to better their health and well-being.
Effective Upright Design
We want to make it as easy as possible for you to find and maintain a cold therapy routine that gives you the maximum personal benefit. The most important way Ice Barrel helps you achieve that is by allowing you to be in the most natural position for full submersion.
The Ice Barrel is designed so you can sit upright in water up to your neck and shoulders and fully submerge as needed. This means you’re getting full-body coverage, maximizing the anti-inflammatory effects. This design also helps avoid skin irritation from slumping in a tub or finding awkward angles to try and submerge different parts of the body.
Clean and Safe Materials
Bacteria can build up if the material of your ice bath isn’t designed for the oils, chemicals, dead skin, and other materials released during cold plunge therapy. Ice Barrels are made from recycled materials with non-toxic LLDPE, or linear low-density polyethylene, a type of durable plastic designed for durability and puncture resistance.
The non-porous surface of the Ice Barrel means the barrel itself will not absorb oil and bacteria from the skin. This means there will be zero bacteria buildup, which is critical for individuals with eczema and other skin conditions like acne. Finally, a water stabilizer means no harsh chemicals will ever touch your skin.
Ultra-Durable and Ethical
When we make the Ice Barrel, the recycled plastic material is melted and then molded into its iconic barrel shape. As it’s cooled, the barrel is constantly rotated through a special process we’ve perfected over the years to make sure each Ice Barrel meets our high standards of quality.
The thick, evenly distributed walls are made from impact- and puncture-resistant materials, making the Ice Barrel extremely durable yet lightweight. The Ice Barrel is made of recycled materials, right here in the United States.
Affordable and Compact
You won’t find a luxury price tag with repeated upgrades and replacement purchases here. Ice Barrels are designed to be an investment that lasts a lifetime, and financing is available to make a healthy lifestyle affordable for everyone, and to help make self-care accessible to all.
And, if you decide to move your Ice Barrel to another room or area of your home, the barrel is only 55 pounds when empty, making it easy to move wherever you’d like. Ice Barrels only require about 5 square feet of space and the ability to hold 750 pounds (the weight of the barrel when full of water). This means you can keep your Ice Barrel anywhere from your home gym to your garage, a backyard to an apartment balcony.
How to Maximize Skin Results with Ice Barrel
To maximize your effectiveness with cold plunge therapy, take the following steps:
Step 1: Pre-Bath Prep
Before starting your ice bath, make sure your skin is clean and makeup-free. This will keep oils, bacteria, and chemicals from makeup becoming trapped in your pores as they open and close when your body cools and warms back up.
Step 2: Ideal Temperature and Duration
Exposing your body to extreme cold can have some risks, which is why it is vital to not exceed the recommended time and temperature for your ice bath. Your ice bath should be between 50-55°F, and you should never exceed five minutes in the ice bath.
It is generally recommended to start warmer if this is your first time doing cold plunge therapy, and slowly lower the temperature over time.
Step 3: Post-Bath Skincare
While your pores are tight from the cold, this is the ideal time to moisturize your skin without worrying about chemicals reentering your skin. Additionally, as you exit the ice bath, make sure you are warming your body slowly.
Do not immediately hop into a hot shower or pool to warm yourself back up, as that could result in a shock to your body that could damage your skin and cause other health problems.
Pro-Tip: Ice Barrel Maintenance
To help keep your Ice Barrel clean and running smoothly, you can use Ice Barrel’s maintenance kit for easy cleaning after each cold plunge. The barrel’s drainage, and the use of organic soap, will help keep the barrel as hygienic as possible and will keep your skin healthy.
FAQs: Ice Baths for Skin
Can ice baths cause broken capillaries?
No, as long as you follow the recommended temperature and duration lengths. Making your ice bath colder than recommended or exceeding the recommended duration of a cold plunge can put you at risk for skin damage.
How often should I cold plunge for skin benefits?
It is generally recommended to cold plunge around three or four times a week to maximize your skin benefits. Thanks to Ice Barrel’s portable design, you can set up your Ice Barrel in a convenient area of your home that allows for frequent use without it being obtrusive.
Conclusion: Transform Your Skin Routine
Glowing skin starts with smarter recovery. With a durable, long-lasting solution like Ice Barrel, you can build a skin-safe routine with a reasonable financial investment for lifelong cold therapy. View our full collection today.
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